JP2020039964A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve heat exchange efficiency of a heat exchanger without increasing the size of the heat exchanger.SOLUTION: A washing and drying machine can execute a washing operation and a drying operation and it includes: a water tub having an exhaust port and an air supply port; a rotary tub stored in the water tub; a drain part located below the exhaust port and the air supply port, and for draining water in the water tub; a circulation air passage provided outside of the water tub, and for connecting the exhaust port and the air supply port; two or more parallel flow type evaporators connected in parallel, and for dehumidifying the air in the circulation air passage; and two or more parallel flow type condensers connected in parallel, and for heating the air in the circulation air passage. The evaporator includes: an inflow port for evaporator for allowing a refrigerant to flow in the evaporator; and an outflow port for evaporator provided further upward than the evaporator inflow port and for allowing the refrigerant in the evaporator to flow out of the evaporator. The condenser includes: an inflow port for condenser for allowing the refrigerant to flow in the condenser; and an outflow port for condenser provided further downward than the condenser inflow port, and for allowing the refrigerant in the condenser to flow out of the condenser.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washer / dryer.

  In recent years, clothes dryers adopting a heat pump method as a heating method of hot air for drying are increasing. The heat pump type dryer has the advantages that it can be dried at a lower temperature than the heater type, so that the clothes and the like are not easily damaged by heat, the power consumption is small, and the energy is saved. The heat pump type clothes dryer includes a heat pump unit including an evaporator and a condenser as a heat exchanger. Conventionally, a heat pump unit for a clothes dryer employs a fin tube type heat exchanger because parts costs are relatively low.

  In the case of the fin tube type heat exchanger, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved by increasing the size of the heat exchanger and increasing the area contributing to the heat exchange. However, in recent years, in which it is desired to reduce the size and capacity of the clothes dryer, it is not desirable to increase the size of the heat exchanger even though the heat exchange efficiency is improved.

JP 2008-6069 A

  Therefore, a washing / drying machine capable of improving the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator and the condenser without increasing the size of the evaporator and the condenser is provided.

  The washing / drying machine according to the present embodiment is capable of performing a washing operation and a drying operation, and has a water tub having an exhaust port and an air supply port, a rotating tub accommodated inside the water tub, the exhaust port and the water supply port. A drainage portion located below the air port for draining water in the water tank, a circulation air path provided outside the water tank and connecting the exhaust port and the air supply port, and air in the circulation air path. And two or more condensers connected in parallel in a parallel flow system for heating air in the circulating air passage, and two or more condensers connected in parallel in a parallel flow system for dehumidifying air. The evaporator has an evaporator inlet through which a refrigerant flows into the evaporator, and an evaporator outlet provided above the evaporator inlet to allow the refrigerant in the evaporator to flow out of the evaporator. And The condenser has a condenser inlet through which a refrigerant flows into the condenser, and a condenser outlet provided below the condenser inlet to allow the refrigerant in the condenser to flow out of the condenser. And

Side view showing a part of an example of a schematic configuration of a washing and drying machine according to a first embodiment in a partially broken manner. Rear view partially broken away showing an example of a schematic configuration of a washing and drying machine according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a washing and drying machine including a heat pump unit according to a first embodiment. External perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an evaporator and a condenser according to the first embodiment. Sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an evaporator according to the first embodiment. Sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a condenser according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a washing / drying machine including a heat pump unit according to a second embodiment. External perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an evaporator and a condenser according to a second embodiment. Cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an evaporator and a condenser according to another embodiment (part 1) Sectional drawing showing the schematic structure of an evaporator and a condenser about another embodiment (the 2)

  Hereinafter, washing and drying machines according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(1st Embodiment)
First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The washing / drying machine 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes an outer box 11, a water tub 12, a rotating tub 13, a motor 14, and a door 15 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the door 15 side with respect to the outer box 11 is the front side of the washer / dryer 10. Further, the installation surface side of the washing and drying machine 10, that is, the vertical lower side is defined as the lower side of the washing and drying machine 10, and the opposite side to the installation surface, that is, the vertical upper side is defined as the upper side of the washing and drying machine 10.

  The washing and drying machine 10 has a washing function and a drying function of a heat pump system, and is a so-called drum type washing and drying machine in which the rotation axis of the rotating tub 13 is inclined with respect to the ground. The outer box 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape using a steel plate or the like. The water tank 12 is housed inside the outer box 11. The rotating tank 13 is housed inside the water tank 12. Both the water tank 12 and the rotary tank 13 are formed in a cylindrical shape.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water tank 12 has an opening 121 at one end of a cylindrical shape, and a water tank end plate 122 at the other end. The opening 121 is located above the water tank end plate 122 in the inclined water tank 12. Similarly, the rotating tank 13 has an opening 131 at one end of a cylindrical shape, and a rotating tank end plate 132 at the other end. The opening 131 is located above the rotating tank end plate 132 in the inclined rotating tank 13. The periphery of the opening 131 of the rotating tank 13 is covered by the opening 121 of the water tank 12. The water tub 12 and the rotary tub 13 function as a drying chamber for storing objects to be dried such as clothes.

  The water tank 12 has an exhaust port 16 and an air supply port 17. The exhaust port 16 is provided on a peripheral wall constituting a cylindrical portion of the water tank 12 and at a position closer to the upper front. The air supply port 17 is provided in the water tank end plate 122, and is provided slightly above the center of the water tank end plate 122. The exhaust port 16 and the air supply port 17 communicate the inside and the outside of the water tank 12.

  The water tank 12 has a drainage section 18 at the rear end side of the bottom located below in the direction of gravity. The drainage part 18 is located below the exhaust port 16 and the air supply port 17. The drain section 18 includes a drain port 123, a drain valve 19, and a drain hose 20. When the drain valve 19 is opened, the water in the water tank 12 is discharged from the drain port 123 to the outside of the washing and drying machine 10 through the drain valve 19 and the drain hose 20.

  The rotating tub 13 has a plurality of holes 21 and a plurality of communication ports 22. The hole 21 and the communication port 22 communicate the inside and the outside of the rotary tub 13. The hole 21 is formed in the entire area of the peripheral wall that forms the cylindrical portion of the rotary tank 13. The communication port 22 is formed in the entire area of the rotary tank end plate 132. The hole 21 and the communication port 22 mainly function as water holes through which water flows in the washing operation and the dehydration operation, and function as air holes through which air flows in the drying operation. FIG. 1 shows only a part of the plurality of holes 21 and the communication port 22 for simplicity. Although not shown in detail, the rotating tank 13 is provided with a plurality of baffles inside the cylindrical portion. The baffle agitates the laundry stored inside the rotating tub 13.

  The motor 14 is provided on the water tank end plate 122 outside the water tank 12. The motor 14 is, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor. The shaft 141 of the motor 14 projects through the water tank end plate 122 to the inside of the water tank 12, and is fixed to the center of the rotary tank end plate 132. Thereby, the motor 14 rotates the rotary tank 13 relatively to the water tank 12. In this case, the axis of the shaft 141, the rotation axis of the rotary tank 13, and the central axis of the water tank 12 coincide with each other.

  The door 15 is provided on the outer surface side of the outer box 11 via a hinge (not shown). The door 15 pivots around a hinge to open and close an opening (not shown) formed on the front surface of the outer box 11. The opening formed in the outer box 11 is connected to the opening 121 of the water tank 12 by a bellows 112. Laundry such as clothes is taken in and out of the rotating tub 13 through the openings 121 and 131 with the door 15 opened.

  The washing / drying machine 10 includes a control device 23 and an operation panel 24. The control device 23 includes a microcomputer or the like, and controls the overall operation of the washing / drying machine 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 24 is provided on the front surface of the outer box 11 and above the door 15. The operation panel 24 is connected to the control device 23, and the user operates the operation panel 24 to perform various settings such as selection of a driving course. The washing / drying machine 10 includes a water supply device (not shown). The water supply device is for supplying water from an external water source such as tap water into the water tank 12.

  The washing / drying machine 10 includes a circulation air passage 30 as shown in FIG. The circulation air passage 30 connects the exhaust port 16 and the air supply port 17 outside the water tank 12. Specifically, the circulation air passage 30 includes an exhaust duct 31, a filter device 32, a connection duct 33, a heat exchange unit 34, and an air supply duct 35.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust duct 31 connects the exhaust port 16 of the water tank 12 and the filter device 32. The exhaust duct 31 is formed of, for example, a bellows-shaped hose. The filter device 32 is provided above the water tank 12 and the rotary tank 13 at an upper portion inside the outer box 11. A filter 321 is provided in the filter device 32 as shown in FIG. Foreign matter such as lint contained in the air exhausted from the exhaust port 16 is removed by passing through the filter 321 of the filter device 32.

  The filter device 32 is connected to the upstream side of the heat exchange unit 34 via the connection duct 33. The heat exchange section 34 is provided at a lower portion inside the outer box 11 and below the filter device 32, the water tank 12, and the rotary tank 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The heat exchange unit 34 generates dry hot air by dehumidifying and heating the air passing through the inside. An evaporator 50 and a condenser 60 constituting the heat pump unit 40 are provided in the heat exchange unit 34. The evaporator 50 is provided upstream of the condenser 60 with respect to the flow of air in the heat exchange section 34 during the drying operation. The air passing through the heat exchange section 34 is cooled by the evaporator 50 and thereby dehumidified. The air dehumidified by the evaporator 50 is then heated by the condenser 60 to become hot air.

  The downstream side of the heat exchange section 34 is connected to the air supply port 17 of the water tank 12 via an air supply duct 35. A circulation fan 36 is provided at a connection portion between the heat exchange unit 34 and the air supply duct 35. The circulation fan 36 is configured by, for example, a sirocco fan. The circulation fan 36 is configured to be able to change the rotation speed under the control of the control device 23. The circulation fan 36 sucks the air in the heat exchange unit 34 and discharges the air to the air supply duct 35 side. As a result, a flow of air circulating in the water tank 12 and the circulation air passage 30 is generated as shown by an arrow A in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. In this case, regarding the flow of air in the circulation air passage 30, the exhaust port 16 is on the most upstream side, and the air supply port 17 is on the most downstream side.

  In this configuration, when the heat pump unit 40 and the circulation fan 36 are driven, the warm air dehumidified and heated in the heat exchange unit 34 is supplied by the circulation fan 36 to the air supply port 17 through the air supply duct 35. From the water tank 12. Thereafter, the warm air mainly enters the rotary tub 13 through the communication port 22, removes moisture from the laundry in the rotary tub 13, and then exits mainly from the hole 21 to the outside of the rotary tub 13. Then, the air containing moisture is sucked into the circulation air passage 30 from the exhaust port 16. The air sucked into the circulation air passage 30 first passes through the exhaust duct 31 and the filter device 32. After that, it flows to the heat exchange section 34 via the connection duct 33. As described above, the drying operation is performed by circulating air between the water tank 12 and the circulation air passage 30 and dehumidifying and heating the air in the circulation air passage 30.

  Further, the washing / drying machine 10 has a drain tank 37 and a drain pump 38 as shown in FIGS. The drain tank 37 is provided below the evaporator 50, and receives the condensed water generated in the evaporator 50 and dropped. The drain pump 38 is connected to the drain tank 37, and discharges the dew water stored in the drain tank 37 to the outside of the washing / drying machine 10 through the drain hose 381. Further, the washing / drying machine 10 includes a vibration motor 39. The vibration motor 39 is provided in contact with the upper part of the evaporator 50. The vibration motor 39 oscillates the evaporator 50, thereby promoting the drop of the dew condensation water attached to the evaporator 50.

  Next, the heat pump unit 40 will be described. The heat pump unit 40 has a compressor 41 and a pressure reducing device 42 in addition to the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 as shown in FIG. The compressor 41 and the pressure reducing device 42 are provided outside the heat exchange unit 34. The heat pump unit 40 is configured by circularly connecting the condenser 60, the pressure reducing device 42, and the evaporator 50 in the direction in which the refrigerant flows relative to the compressor 41, that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 are both heat exchangers of a parallel flow type, that is, a parallel flow type. In the case of the present embodiment, the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 are, for example, corrugated fin type heat exchangers. In the present embodiment, the parallel flow system refers to a system having a plurality of refrigerant passages provided in parallel inside a heat exchanger. In this case, the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger branches into a plurality of paths in the heat exchanger and flows in parallel. In the present embodiment, the corrugated fin type means a heat exchanger having heat exchange fins formed in a corrugated shape.

  First, the evaporator 50 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the evaporator 50 includes an inflow header 51, an outflow header 52, a plurality of tube plates 53, and a plurality of corrugated fins 54. Each of the inflow-side header portion 51 and the outflow-side header portion 52 is formed in a tubular shape having a circular cross section, and has an inflow-side refrigerant flow channel 511 and an outflow-side refrigerant flow channel 521 through which the refrigerant passes. The inflow-side header portion 51 and the outflow-side header portion 52 are open on one side and closed on the other side.

  The opening of the inflow-side header portion 51 functions as an evaporator inlet 512 for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the evaporator 50. The opening of the outflow side header portion 52 functions as an evaporator outlet 522 for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the evaporator 50. The refrigerant circulating through the heat pump unit 40 flows into the evaporator 50 from the evaporator inlet 512 and flows out of the evaporator 50 from the evaporator outlet 522. As shown in FIG. 3, the evaporator inlet 512 is connected to the output side of the pressure reducing device 42. The evaporator outlet 522 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inflow-side header portion 51 and the outflow-side header portion 52 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other in the horizontal direction with a predetermined distance therebetween. The inflow side header portion 51 of the evaporator 50 is provided below the outflow side header portion 52 of the evaporator 50. Therefore, the evaporator inlet 512 is provided below the evaporator outlet 522. Further, the inflow side header portion 51 and the outflow side header portion 52 are arranged so that the flow directions of the refrigerant flowing therein are in the same direction. Therefore, when the evaporator 50 is viewed in the direction in which the air flows in the circulation air passage 30, that is, in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, the evaporator inlet 512 and the evaporator outlet 522 are And are provided at diagonal positions. That is, the refrigerant that has flowed into the evaporator 50 from the lower left portion of FIG. 4 flows out of the evaporator 50 from the upper right portion of the paper.

  The plurality of tube plates 53 connect the inflow side header section 51 and the outflow side header section 52 arranged vertically. Each tube plate 53 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is long in the vertical direction. The tube plates 53 are arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the inflow header portion 51 and the outflow header portion 52. The surface of each tube plate 53 is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the inflow side header portion 51 and the outflow side header portion 52. That is, the surface of each tube plate 53 is orthogonal to the direction of air flow in the circulation air passage 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the tube plate 53 has a plurality of passages 531 through which the refrigerant passes inside the tube plate 53. The lower end of the tube plate 53 protrudes into the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 through the inflow-side header 51. The upper end of the tube plate 53 protrudes into the outflow-side refrigerant passage 521 through the outflow-side header 52. The lower end of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 communicates with the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 of the inflow-side header section 51, and the upper end of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 communicates with the outflow-side refrigerant of the outflow-side header section 52. It communicates with the inside of the flow path 521. Thus, the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 of the inflow-side header section 51 and the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 521 of the outflow-side header section 52 communicate with each other via the passage 531.

  The corrugated fins 54 are formed in a corrugated shape as a whole, for example, by bending a thin aluminum plate into a corrugated shape. Corrugated fins 54 are provided between adjacent tube plates 53. On both sides of the corrugated fin 54 in the corrugated shape, the corrugated top sides are in contact with the tube plate 53 and fixed by, for example, brazing. The corrugated fin 54 functions as a fin for heat exchange, in this case, a heat absorbing fin. That is, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant flowing through the outlet-side refrigerant flow path 521 of the tube plate 53 and the air passing between the corrugated fins 54.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the condenser 60 includes an inflow header portion 61, an outflow header portion 62, a plurality of tube plates 63, and a plurality of corrugated fins 64. The condenser 60 has the same basic configuration as the evaporator 50, but is different from the evaporator 50 in the arrangement of the inflow header 61 and the outflow header 62.

  That is, the inflow-side header section 61 and the outflow-side header section 62 are each formed in a tubular shape with a circular cross section, similarly to the inflow-side header section 51 and the outflow-side header section 52 of the evaporator 50, and the refrigerant passes through the inside. It has an inflow-side refrigerant channel 611 and an outflow-side refrigerant channel 621. The inflow side header part 61 and the outflow side header part 62 are open on one side and closed on the other side.

  The opening of the inflow-side header portion 61 functions as a condenser inlet 612 for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the condenser 60. The opening of the outflow side header portion 62 functions as a condenser outlet 622 for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the condenser 60. The refrigerant circulating in the heat pump unit 40 flows into the condenser 60 from the condenser inlet 612, and flows out of the condenser 60 from the condenser outlet 622. As shown in FIG. 3, the condenser inlet 612 is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 41. The outlet 622 for the condenser is connected to the input side of the pressure reducing device 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the inflow side header portion 61 and the outflow side header portion 62 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, like the inflow side header portion 51 and the outflow side header portion 52 of the evaporator 50. They are arranged so as to be parallel to each other in the horizontal direction. The inflow header portion 61 of the condenser 60 is provided above the outflow header portion 62 of the condenser 60. Therefore, the condenser inlet 612 is provided above the condenser outlet 622. Further, the inflow-side header portion 61 and the outflow-side header portion 62 are arranged such that the flow directions of the refrigerant flowing therein are in the same direction. Accordingly, when the condenser 60 is viewed in the direction in which the air flows in the circulation air passage 30, that is, in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, the condenser inlet 612 and the condenser outlet 622 are And are provided at diagonal positions. That is, the refrigerant flowing into the condenser 60 from the upper right side of the paper of FIG. 6 flows out of the condenser 60 from the lower left side of the paper.

  Similarly to the tube plate 53 of the evaporator 50, the plurality of tube plates 63 connect the inflow side header portion 61 and the outflow side header portion 62 arranged vertically. Each tube plate 63 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is long in the vertical direction. The tube plates 63 are arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the inflow side header portion 61 and the outflow side header portion 62. The surface of each tube plate 63 is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the inflow side header portion 61 and the outflow side header portion 62. That is, the surface of each tube plate 63 is orthogonal to the direction of air flow in the circulation air passage 30.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tube plate 63 has a plurality of passages 631 for passing the refrigerant inside the tube plate 63. The upper end of the tube plate 63 protrudes into the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 through the inflow-side header 61. The lower end of the tube plate 63 protrudes into the outflow-side refrigerant passage 621 through the outflow-side header 62. The upper end of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 communicates with the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 of the inflow-side header section 61, and the lower end of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 communicates with the outflow-side refrigerant of the outflow-side header section 62. It communicates with the inside of the flow path 621. Thus, the inflow-side refrigerant flow channel 611 of the inflow-side header portion 61 and the outflow-side refrigerant flow channel 621 of the outflow-side header portion 62 communicate with each other via the passage 631. Note that the corrugated fin 64 has the same configuration as the corrugated fin 54 of the evaporator 50, and thus the description is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the outer shapes of the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 have the same shape, and are configured to be point-symmetric with respect to the center of the evaporator 50 in FIG. 5 and the center of the condenser 60 in FIG. I have. Although not shown in detail, the pressure reducing device 42 is provided above the evaporator inlet 512 and the condenser outlet 622.
According to the above-described embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.

  The evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 which are the heat exchangers of the heat pump unit 40 are corrugated fin type heat exchangers in a parallel flow system. Corrugated fin type heat exchangers 50 and 60 have corrugated fins 54 and 64 formed in a corrugated plate shape, and therefore have an area that contributes to heat exchange as compared with conventionally used fin tube type heat exchangers. (Hereinafter, referred to as a heat exchange area) can be increased. Therefore, the heat exchangers 50 and 60 of the corrugated fin type can increase the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the air as compared with the heat exchanger of the fin tube type. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchangers 50 and 60 can be improved without increasing the size of the heat exchangers 50 and 60.

  Here, since the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 are of a parallel flow type, they have a plurality of passages 531 and 631 for flowing the refrigerant in parallel as shown in FIGS. In the following description, the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 are simply referred to as the heat exchangers 50 and 60. When the plurality of passages 531 and 631 are provided in parallel in the heat exchangers 50 and 60, the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchangers 50 and 60 passes through the paths having smaller resistance in the plurality of passages 531 and 631. Try to pass.

  In this case, for example, if the evaporator inlet 512 is provided above the evaporator outlet 522 in the evaporator 50, the following problem occurs. That is, the low-pressure liquid refrigerant R1 flowing out of the pressure reducing device 42 flows into the evaporator 50. At this time, if the evaporator inlet 512 is provided above the evaporator outlet 522, the low-pressure liquid refrigerant R1 flowing into the evaporator 50 from the evaporator inlet 512 is evaporated by the action of gravity. An attempt is made to fall through a passage 531 near the dexterous inlet 512. Thereby, the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the evaporator 50 tends to be biased toward the passage 531 near the evaporator inlet 512. When the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the evaporator 50 is biased in this way, it is impossible to uniformly exchange heat with the entire evaporator 50. Therefore, if the evaporator inlet 512 is provided above the evaporator outlet 522, the entire evaporator 50 cannot be fully utilized.

  On the other hand, in the evaporator 50 of the present embodiment, the evaporator inlet 512 is provided below the evaporator outlet 522 as shown in FIG. According to this, the low-pressure liquid refrigerant R <b> 1 flowing into the evaporator 50 is first stored in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 of the inflow-side header 51. When the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 is filled with the liquid refrigerant, the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 is pressurized by the refrigerant that is going to flow further from the evaporator inlet 512. Thereby, the refrigerant R1 in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 is pushed out and rises through each passage 531. The low-pressure liquid refrigerant R1 exchanges heat with the air passing through the circulation air passage 30 when passing through the passage 531 to gradually become the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant R2.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by filling the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 with the low-pressure liquid refrigerant R2 flowing from the evaporator inflow port 512, the low-pressure liquid filled in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 is filled. Refrigerant R2 flows through each passage 531 uniformly to the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 521 side. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the evaporator 50 from being biased toward the passage 531 near the evaporator inlet 512. Therefore, the heat can be uniformly exchanged in the entire evaporator 50, and as a result, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved by making full use of the entire evaporator 50.

  Further, for example, in the condenser 60, if the condenser inlet 612 is provided below the condenser outlet 622, the following problem occurs. That is, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant R3 flowing out of the compressor 41 flows into the condenser 60. At this time, if the condenser inlet 612 is provided below the condenser outlet 622, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant R3 flowing into the condenser 60 from the condenser inlet 612 is discharged from the condenser inlet 612. Trying to ascend through a passage 631 close to. Accordingly, the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the condenser 60 tends to be biased toward the passage 631 near the inlet 612 for the condenser. When the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the condenser 60 is biased in this way, it is impossible to uniformly exchange heat in the entire condenser 60. Therefore, if the condenser inlet 612 is provided below the condenser outlet 622, the entire condenser 60 cannot be fully utilized.

  On the other hand, in the condenser 60 of the present embodiment, the condenser inlet 612 is provided above the condenser outlet 622 as shown in FIG. According to this, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant R3 flowing into the condenser 60 is first stored in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 of the inflow-side header portion 61. Then, when the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 is filled with the gaseous refrigerant R3, the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 is pressurized by the refrigerant that is about to flow in from the condenser inlet 612. Thereby, the refrigerant R3 in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 is pushed out and descends through the passage 631. Then, when passing through the passage 631, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant R3 undergoes heat exchange with the air passing through the circulation air passage 30 to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant R4.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by filling the inside of the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 with the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant R3 flowing from the condenser inlet 612, the high-pressure gas filling the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 is filled. The gaseous refrigerant R3 uniformly flows through each passage 613 and flows to the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 621 side. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the flow of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the condenser 60 from being biased toward the passage 631 close to the inlet 612 for the condenser. Therefore, the heat can be uniformly exchanged in the entire condenser 60, and as a result, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved by fully utilizing the entire condenser 60.

  4 and 5, the evaporator inlet 512 and the evaporator outlet 522 are provided at diagonal positions with respect to the evaporator 50. According to this, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance from the evaporator inlet 512 to the evaporator outlet 522 can be equalized even if any of the paths 531 pass. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the condenser inlet 612 and the condenser outlet 622 are provided at diagonal positions with respect to the condenser 60. According to this, with respect to the path from the condenser inlet 612 to the condenser outlet 622, the distance of each path can be equalized irrespective of the path 631.

  In this way, by equalizing the distance between the respective paths of the refrigerant flowing in parallel in the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60, the flow path resistance of each path can be equalized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant flowing in the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 from being biased. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency is further improved by fully utilizing the entire evaporator 50 and the condenser 60. Can be.

(2nd Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The washer-dryer 10 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that two or more evaporators and two or more condensers are arranged in an overlapping manner in the direction of air flow.

  That is, the washer-dryer 10 of the second embodiment includes the heat exchange unit 71, the first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502, and the first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602. The heat exchange unit 71 has the same basic configuration as the heat exchange unit 34 of the first embodiment, but has an internal volume, that is, a cross-sectional area that is smaller than that of the heat exchange unit 34 of the first embodiment. It is set small. In this case, the cross-sectional area of the heat exchange unit 71 of the present embodiment is set to be approximately half the cross-sectional area of the heat exchange unit 34 of the first embodiment.

  The first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 have the same basic configuration as the evaporator 50 of the first embodiment, but have a heat exchange area of the evaporator 50 of the first embodiment. It is set smaller than. The first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 are configured such that the sum of the heat exchange areas of the evaporators 501 and 502 is equal to or greater than the heat exchange area of the evaporator 50 of the first embodiment. Is set. In the case of the present embodiment, the heat exchange area of the first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 is set to about half of the heat exchange area of the evaporator 50 of the first embodiment. In this case, the first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 reduce the heat exchange area mainly by shortening the extending direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 8) of the header portions 51, 61.

  The first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 are arranged inside the heat exchange unit 71 so as to overlap in the flow direction of the air flowing through the heat exchange unit 71. For example, the first evaporator 501 is disposed upstream of the second evaporator 502 in the air flow direction. The air dehumidified and cooled after passing through the first evaporator 501 is further dehumidified and cooled by passing through the second evaporator 502.

  The first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502 are connected in parallel. That is, the refrigerant flowing out of the decompression device 42 is branched into two parts before the first evaporator 501 and the second evaporator 502, and the respective evaporators 501, 502 are provided through the evaporator inlets 512 of the evaporators 501, 502. Flows into. Then, the refrigerant flowing in each of the evaporators 501 and 502 flows out from the evaporator outlet 522 of each of the evaporators 501 and 502, and then merges and is sucked into the compressor 41.

  The first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602 have the same basic configuration as the condenser 60 of the first embodiment, but have a heat exchange area of the heat of the condenser 60 of the first embodiment. It is set smaller than the exchange area. The first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602 are configured such that the sum of the heat exchange areas of the condensers 601 and 602 is equal to or greater than the heat exchange area of the condenser 60 of the first embodiment. Is set. In the case of the present embodiment, the heat exchange area of the first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602 is set to about half of the heat exchange area of the condenser 60 of the first embodiment.

  The first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602 are arranged in the heat exchange unit 71 so as to overlap with each other in the flow direction of the air flowing through the heat exchange unit 71. For example, the first condenser 601 is disposed upstream of the second condenser 602 in the air flow direction. The air heated by passing through the first condenser 601 is then further heated by passing through the second condenser 602.

  The first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602 are connected in parallel. That is, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 41 is branched into two parts before the first condenser 601 and the second condenser 602, and the respective condensers 601, 601,. It flows into 602. Then, the refrigerant flowing in each of the condensers 601 and 602 flows out from the condenser outlet 622 of each of the condensers 601 and 602, and then joins and flows into the decompression device 42.

  According to the second embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, according to the second embodiment, the plurality of evaporators 501 and 502 that are smaller than the evaporator 50 and the plurality of condensers 601 and 602 that are smaller than the condenser 60 are respectively stacked. Have been placed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cross-sectional area of the heat exchange unit 34 that accommodates each of the evaporators 501 and 502 and each of the condensers 601 and 602, so that the heat exchange unit 71 can be downsized. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire washer / dryer 10 and increase the size of the water tub 12, that is, increase the capacity of storing clothes.

  By the way, in the prior art shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 described above, the circulation air passage (19) provided on the downstream side of the front duct (17) with respect to the ventilation area of the front duct (17). The ventilation area is larger. In such a configuration, the wind blown from the front duct (17) into the circulation air passage (19) is likely to be disturbed, and particularly the wind is likely to be disturbed near the outer peripheral portion in the circulation air passage (19). As described above, when there is a difference in the ventilation area between the front duct (17) and the circulation air passage (19), the flow rate of the wind passing through the evaporator (23) tends to be different depending on the position with respect to the evaporator (23). . For example, the heat exchange efficiency tends to be lower near the outer periphery of the evaporator (23) where the wind turbulence is large compared to the center of the evaporator (23) where the wind turbulence is small. On the other hand, as in the second embodiment, by reducing the cross-sectional area of the air passage of the heat exchange section 34, the difference in the cross-sectional area with the connection duct 33 can be reduced. As a result, the turbulence of the wind passing through the heat exchange unit 34 can be reduced, and the heat exchange efficiency near the outer peripheral portions of the evaporators 501 and 502 and the condensers 601 and 602 can be increased. The numbers in parentheses above indicate the reference numbers in Patent Document 1.

  In the second embodiment, the evaporators 501 and 502 and the condensers 601 and 602 are different from the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 of the first embodiment mainly in the extending direction of the header portions 51 and 61 (in FIG. 8, This is a configuration in which the heat exchange area is reduced by shortening the horizontal direction. The reason is, as described above, the refrigerant tends to drop or ascend from the passages 531, 631 located near the entrances of the header portions 51, 61. That is, in this type of evaporator or condenser, the passage at a position far from the entrance of the header portion has a property that the heat exchange efficiency tends to be inferior to the passage at a position near the entrance of the header portion. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the inefficient passage located far from the entrances 512 and 612 of the header portions 51 and 61 is deleted, and the efficient passage located near the entrances 512 and 612 of the header portions 51 and 61 is deleted. Only leave. The heat exchange area reduced thereby is compensated for by arranging two or more evaporators or two or more condensers in an overlapping manner in the air flow direction. As a result, according to the second embodiment, the performance can be further improved by using only the efficient portions of the evaporator and the condenser.

(Other embodiments)
Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 and 10 show the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 using a common drawing.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in another embodiment, the evaporator inlet 512 and the evaporator outlet 522 of the evaporator 50 are provided on the same side surface of the evaporator 50. That is, in the evaporator 50, the direction of the refrigerant flowing in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 511 is opposite to the direction of the refrigerant flowing in the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 521. The condenser inlet 612 and the condenser outlet 622 of the condenser 60 are provided on the same side surface of the condenser 60. That is, in the condenser 60, the direction of the refrigerant flowing in the inflow-side refrigerant flow path 611 is opposite to the direction of the refrigerant flowing in the outflow-side refrigerant flow path 621.

  The evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 shown in FIG. 9 are set such that the distance from the inlets 512 and 612 and the outlets 522 and 622 increases, and the distance between the adjacent tube plates 53 and 63 decreases. Have been. That is, the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 are set such that the greater the distance from each of the inlets 512 and 612 and each of the outlets 522 and 622, the higher the density of the tube plates 53 and 63. For example, in the present embodiment, the intervals between the adjacent tube plates 53 and 63 are the first interval L1, the second interval L2, and the third interval in order from the one closer to the inlets 512 and 612 and the outlets 522 and 622. Three levels are set so as to be the interval L3. In this case, the first interval L1> the second interval L2> the third interval L3.

  In addition, the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 shown in FIG. 10 are configured such that as the distance from each of the inlets 512 and 612 and each of the outlets 522 and 622 increases, the passages 531 and 631 in the tube plates 53 and 63 become thicker. Is set to That is, as the distance from each of the inlets 512 and 612 and each of the outlets 522 and 622 increases, the cross-sectional area of the passages 531 and 631 increases, and the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60 flow through the passages 531 and 631. Road resistance is reduced. For example, in the present embodiment, the diameters of the passages 531 and 631 in each of the tube plates 53 and 63 are, in order from the one closer to the inlets 512 and 612 and the outlets 522 and 622, the first diameter D1 and the second diameter D2. , And the third diameter D3. In this case, the first diameter D1 <the second diameter D2 <the third diameter D3.

  As described above, according to the configuration of FIG. 9, as the distance from each of the inlets 512 and 612 and each of the outlets 522 and 622 increases, the density of the tube plates 53 and 63 increases, and the tube plates 53 and 63 increase. The number of passages 531 and 631 provided in the inside increases. Further, according to the configuration of FIG. 10, as the distance from the inlets 512, 612 and the outlets 522, 622 increases, the cross-sectional area of the passages 531, 631 in the tube plates 53, 63 increases.

  According to these, it is possible to reduce the resistance when the refrigerant flows at a position far from each of the inlets 512, 612 and each of the outlets 522, 622. For this reason, of the paths from the respective inlets 512, 612 to the respective outlets 522, 622, the refrigerant can be easily flowed even on a path far from the respective inlets 512, 612 and the respective outlets 522, 622. . Therefore, the refrigerant flows evenly in the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bias in the refrigerant flowing in the evaporator 50 and the condenser 60. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved by fully utilizing the entire evaporator 50 and the condenser 60.

Note that each of the above embodiments is not limited to the so-called oblique drum type washer / dryer 10 having an axis inclined with respect to the horizontal, but may be a drum type washer / dryer having a horizontal rotation axis.
In the second embodiment, three or more evaporators and three or more evaporators may be arranged.
In each of the evaporators 50, 501, 502 and the condensers 60, 601, 602, the thickness and shape of the passages 531 and 631 in the tube plates 53 and 63, and the intervals and number of the tube plates 53 and 63 are described above. It is not limited to things.
Each of the above embodiments is not limited to the one having the washing function, and may be a dryer having no washing function.

  As described above, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

  In the drawing, 10 is a washing / drying machine (clothes drying machine), 12 is a water tub (drying room), 13 is a rotating tub (drying room), 16 is an exhaust port, 17 is an air supply port, 30 is a circulation air passage, and 50 is a circulation air path. Evaporator, 512: evaporator inlet, 522: evaporator outlet, 60: condenser, 612: condenser inlet, 622: condenser outlet, 501: first evaporator (evaporator), 502: 2 evaporator (evaporator), 601 denotes a first condenser (condenser), 602 denotes a second condenser (condenser).

Claims (4)

A washing operation and a drying operation can be performed,
A water tank having an exhaust port and an air supply port,
A rotating tank housed inside the water tank,
A drainage unit that is located below the exhaust port and the air supply port and drains water in the water tank;
A circulating air passage that is provided outside the water tank and connects the exhaust port and the air supply port;
Two or more evaporators connected in parallel in a parallel flow system for dehumidifying air in the circulation air passage,
Comprising two or more condensers connected in parallel in a parallel flow system for heating air in the circulation air passage,
The evaporator has an evaporator inlet through which a refrigerant flows into the evaporator, and an evaporator outlet provided above the evaporator inlet to allow the refrigerant in the evaporator to flow out of the evaporator. And having
The condenser has a condenser inlet through which a refrigerant flows into the condenser, and a condenser outlet provided below the condenser inlet to allow the refrigerant in the condenser to flow out of the condenser. And having
Washing and drying machine. The two or more evaporators and the two or more condensers are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in an up-down direction with respect to an inflow-side header portion having a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant passes. An outlet header portion having a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant passes inside which is disposed so as to be parallel to the inflow header portion and the horizontal direction in a state where the inflow header portion and the outflow header And a plurality of tube plates connecting the portion, and a plurality of corrugated fins provided between adjacent tube plates and formed in a corrugated plate,
The washing and drying machine according to claim 1. The evaporator inlet and the evaporator outlet are provided at diagonal positions with respect to the evaporator,
The condenser inlet and the condenser outlet are provided at diagonal positions with respect to the condenser,
The washing and drying machine according to claim 1. Two or more of the evaporators are arranged so as to overlap with each other in the direction of air flow, and two or more condensers are arranged so as to overlap with each other in the direction of air flow;
The washing and drying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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