JP2023020252A - Drum type washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a drum type washing and drying machine capable of suppressing drying unevenness in clothing which is hard to dry, without significantly extending time.SOLUTION: A drum type washing and drying machine 10 comprises a heat pump unit 15 in an air circulation path 20 for circulating air in a drum 12, and the machine 10 can execute clothing determination processing (S3) of determining whether laundry is "easy to dry clothing" or "hard to dry clothing", during a drying operation which is performed by driving the heat pump unit 15. When the laundry is determined to be "easy to dry clothing" in the clothing determination processing (NO in S4), an intake air temperature to the drum 12 is maintained to be a first intake air temperature by the drive of the heat pump unit 15 (S8). When the laundry is determined to be "hard to dry clothing" in the clothing determination processing (YES in S4), the intake air temperature to the drum 12 is increased to a second intake air temperature (S6) by the drive of the heat pump unit 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a drum-type washer/dryer equipped with a heat pump and a heater.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a heat pump dehumidifying drum-type washer/dryer equipped with a heater together with a heat pump. This heater is energized for a predetermined period of time at the beginning of the drying operation in order to accelerate the temperature rise of the hot air, reduce power consumption, and improve the drying speed.

JP 2007-143735 A

When the laundry is hard to dry, such as thick clothes, the conventional drum-type washer/dryer described above operates before the laundry is completely dry (for example, before all the moisture inside the clothing, such as pockets and hoods, is drained). is completed and uneven drying may remain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a drum-type washer/dryer capable of suppressing uneven drying of clothes that are difficult to dry without greatly extending the drying time.

In order to solve the above problems, the drum-type washer-dryer of the present invention is a drum-type washer-dryer equipped with a heat pump in an air circulation path for circulating air in the drum, wherein the heat pump is driven. During the drying operation, it is possible to perform a clothing determination process that determines whether the laundry is "easy-to-dry clothes" or "hard-to-dry clothes." If it is determined that the heat pump is driven to maintain the intake air temperature to the drum at the first intake air temperature, and if the clothing determination process determines that it is "hard-to-dry clothing", the above-described It is characterized by performing intake air temperature rise control for raising the intake air temperature to the drum to a second intake air temperature higher than the first intake air temperature by driving the heat pump.

According to the above configuration, the laundry determination process is performed during the drying operation, and if the laundry is determined to be "hard-to-dry clothes" in the laundry determination process, the intake air temperature increase control can be additionally performed. can. By additionally implementing this intake air temperature increase control, it is possible to suppress uneven drying of "hard-to-dry clothes" without significantly extending the drying time. Also, for "hard-to-dry clothes", an increase in power consumption can be avoided by performing normal control in which the intake air temperature rise control is not performed.

Further, the drum-type washing and drying machine includes a heater in the air circulation path, and in the intake air temperature increase control, the heater is activated until the intake air temperature to the drum reaches the second intake air temperature. can be configured.

Further, in the drum-type washing/drying machine, the clothing determination process is performed based on the temperature and humidity of the exhaust air from the drum, and the temperature condition is such that the exhaust temperature is equal to or lower than a first temperature threshold, and If both the humidity conditions where the exhaust air humidity is equal to or higher than the first humidity threshold are satisfied, it is determined that the clothing is "difficult to dry." It can be configured to determine that it is "clothing".

Further, the drum-type washer/dryer senses the laundry volume before starting the washing/drying operation. When the determination is made, the intake air temperature increase control is performed, and if the amount of laundry is less than a predetermined value, the clothing determination process and the intake air temperature increase control are not performed.

According to the above configuration, when the amount of laundry is small and uneven drying of the laundry is unlikely to occur, an increase in power consumption due to control switching can be avoided.

The drum-type washer/dryer of the present invention additionally performs intake air temperature increase control when the laundry is determined to be "hard-to-dry clothes," thereby preventing the drying time from being significantly extended. There is an effect that it is possible to suppress uneven drying of "clothes that are difficult to dry".

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of this invention and shows schematic structure of a drum type washing-drying machine. It is a flow chart which shows drying operation control in a washing dryer. 7 is a sub-flowchart showing clothing determination processing; 4 is a timing chart showing ON/OFF of the heat pump unit and the assist heater when intake air temperature increase control is performed during dry operation control; 4 is a timing chart showing ON/OFF of the heat pump unit and the assist heater when intake air temperature increase control is not performed during dry operation control; 7 is a graph showing an example of changes in exhaust temperature and intake air temperature when intake air temperature increase control is performed; 7 is a graph showing an example of changes in exhaust temperature and intake air temperature when intake air temperature increase control is not performed;

[Embodiment 1]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drum-type washer/dryer (hereinafter simply referred to as a washer/dryer) 10 according to the present embodiment.

The washing/drying machine 10 includes a water tank 11 and a drum 12 rotatably arranged in the water tank 11 and containing laundry. The water tank 11 and the drum 12 are each open toward the door 13 side, and by opening the door 13, it is possible to put laundry in the drum 12 and take out the laundry from the drum 12. is. The peripheral wall of the drum 12 has a plurality of through-holes (not shown) for allowing liquid and gas to flow between the space between the water tank 11 and the drum 12 and the space inside the drum 12. is formed. In addition, a plurality of air introduction holes (not shown) communicating with the air inlet 111 of the water tank 11 are formed in the bottom of the drum 12 .

The washing/drying machine 10 also includes an air circulation path 20 for circulating the air inside the drum 12 . The air circulation path 20 has a first air circulation duct 21, a second air circulation duct 22, and a third air circulation duct 23. During the drying operation, the air from inside the drum 12 to the outside of the water tank 11 flows into the drum 12. Guide that air back.

One end of the first air circulation duct 21 is connected to the exhaust port 112 of the water tank 11 , and the other end is connected to the intake side of the filter housing section 14 . The filter device housing portion 14 is arranged in the rear part of the upper space of the washer/dryer 10 and detachably houses the filter device 141 .

The second air circulation duct 22 has one end connected to the exhaust side of the filter device housing portion 14 and the other end connected to the intake side of the heat pump unit (heat pump) 15 . The inside of the heat pump unit 15 communicates with the inside of the blower fan unit 16 . The heat pump unit 15 is arranged in the rear part of the lower space of the washer/dryer 10 and generates dry, high temperature air.

One end of the third air circulation duct 23 is connected to the blowout port (exhaust side) of the blower fan unit 16 , and the other end is connected to the intake port 111 of the water tank 11 . Also, the blower fan unit 16 is arranged downstream of the heat pump unit 15 .

The heat pump unit 15 has a refrigerant circuit formed by annularly connecting an evaporator 151, a compressor (not shown), a condenser 152 and an expansion mechanism (not shown) in a casing. In addition, in the heat pump unit 15 , the evaporator 151 and the condenser 152 are arranged on the air circulation path 20 , and the evaporator 151 is positioned upstream of the condenser 152 . The evaporator 151 performs heat exchange to lower the temperature of the air that has flowed into the heat pump unit 15 . Moisture in the air is condensed and removed by heat exchange in the evaporator 151 . The condenser 152 performs heat exchange to raise the temperature of the air that has passed through the evaporator 151 . Heat exchange in the condenser 152 produces dry, hot air.

In the washing/drying machine 10 , the air inside the drum 12 is circulated through the air circulation path 20 by driving the blower fan unit 16 . That is, the blower fan unit 16 sends dry high-temperature air from the heat pump unit 15 to the third air circulation duct 23 . This high-temperature air is introduced into the drum 12 through the intake port 111 .

The hot air introduced into the drum 12 draws moisture from the laundry contained in the drum 12 to become moist, cold air. This low-temperature air flows sequentially from the exhaust port 112 of the water tank 11 through the first air circulation duct 21 , the filter device housing portion 14 and the second air circulation duct 22 and is introduced into the heat pump unit 15 . At this time, the filter device 141 captures lint and the like contained in the low-temperature air.

The washing/drying machine 10 mainly uses a heat pump unit 15 to dry the laundry, but also includes an assist heater (heater) 17 as an auxiliary heat source during the drying operation. The assist heater 17 is arranged between the condenser 152 and the blower fan unit 16 and can further heat the air heated by the condenser 152 and flowing toward the blower fan unit 16 . As the assist heater 17, for example, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater can be used. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which the assist heater 17 is arranged inside the casing of the heat pump unit 15 , the assist heater 17 may be arranged outside the casing of the heat pump unit 15 .

Washing/drying machine 10 according to the present embodiment is characterized by dry operation control that determines how easily laundry, which is laundry, dries, and controls the intake air temperature to drum 12 based on the determination. In order to control the drying operation, the washer/dryer 10 includes an exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 that measures the temperature and humidity of the exhaust (wet, low-temperature air) from the drum 12, and an intake air temperature sensor 19 for measuring the temperature of the air. The exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 includes both a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

The exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 is provided on the upstream side of the heat pump unit 15 in the air circulation path 20, and in the example of FIG. The intake air temperature sensor 19 is provided on the downstream side of the heat pump unit 15 and the assist heater 17 in the air circulation path 20, and is arranged near the exhaust port of the blower fan unit 16 in the example of FIG. The washer/dryer 10 also has a control section 30 that controls the heat pump unit 15 and the assist heater 17 based on the data detected by the exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 and the intake temperature sensor 19 .

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing drying operation control (hereinafter referred to as main control) in the washing/drying machine 10 . FIG. 3 is a sub-flowchart showing a clothing determination process performed during drying operation control. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing ON/OFF of the heat pump unit 15 and the assist heater 17 when intake air temperature increase control is performed during drying operation control. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing ON/OFF of the heat pump unit 15 and the assist heater 17 when the intake air temperature increase control is not performed during the drying operation control. FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of changes in exhaust temperature and intake air temperature when intake air temperature increase control is performed. FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of changes in exhaust temperature and intake air temperature when intake air temperature increase control is performed.

The drying operation of the washer/dryer 10 is started by starting the drum 12, the heat pump unit 15, and the blower fan unit 16 (timing T11 or timing T21). In addition, in this control, the assist heater 17 is also activated at the same time when the drying operation is started, and until the intake air temperature (the temperature measured by the intake air temperature sensor 19) reaches a predetermined first intake air temperature (for example, 50° C.) (timing Until T12 or timing T22), the activation is continued (S1). Since the temperature rise of the heat pump unit 15 is slow, the use of the assist heater 17 in the initial stage of the drying operation can improve the drying speed while reducing power consumption. When the intake air temperature reaches a predetermined first intake air temperature, the assist heater 17 is stopped, and thereafter, the first intake air temperature is maintained by controlling the heat pump unit 15 (specifically, controlling the rotation speed of the compressor in the heat pump unit 15). (S2).

Further, after a predetermined time has passed since the assist heater 17 stopped (timing T13 or timing T23), clothing determination processing is performed (S3). In this laundry determination process, it is determined whether the laundry is easy to dry, that is, whether the laundry is "hard to dry" or "easy to dry". Further, the predetermined time is set to a time sufficient for the intake air temperature to stabilize after the assist heater 17 is stopped and the intake air temperature once drops. That is, the air flowing through the air circulation path 20 is not affected by the assist heater 17 at the time the clothing determination process is performed.

In this clothing determination process, the ease of drying the laundry is determined based on the exhaust temperature and the exhaust humidity detected by the exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust temperature is compared with a first temperature threshold (eg, 40° C.) (S31), and the exhaust humidity is compared with a first humidity threshold (eg, absolute humidity of 30 g/m ³ ) (S32). When the exhaust temperature is low (exhaust temperature is equal to or lower than the first temperature threshold) and the exhaust humidity is high (exhaust humidity is equal to or higher than the first humidity threshold) (YES in S31 and S32), the laundry is "difficult to dry." clothing” (S33). On the other hand, in other cases (NO in at least one of S31 and S32), it is determined that the laundry is "easy-to-dry clothes" (S34).

The determination based on the exhaust temperature may be performed based on the gradient of the exhaust temperature at the time the clothing determination process is performed instead of comparing the exhaust temperature itself at the time the clothing determination process is performed as described above with the threshold value. Specifically, if the exhaust temperature gradient at timing T13 or timing T23 is equal to or lower than a first temperature gradient threshold (for example, +0.5° C./min), it can be determined that the exhaust temperature is low. Judgment based on the gradient of the exhaust temperature is not easily affected by the outside air temperature, but the process is somewhat complicated.

Here, it is considered that "hard-to-dry clothes" initially contain a large amount of moisture in the laundry, and that a large amount of moisture evaporates from the laundry even after a predetermined period of time has passed since the drying operation was started. If a large amount of moisture evaporates, the heat of the high-temperature air taken in is consumed for evaporation of the moisture, and the temperature of the exhaust gas decreases and the humidity of the exhaust gas increases. If the exhaust air humidity is equal to or higher than the first humidity threshold, it can be determined that the clothes are "hard to dry".

On the other hand, "easy-to-dry clothes" initially contain a small amount of moisture in the laundry, and it is thought that the amount of moisture evaporated from the laundry will decrease to some extent after a predetermined period of time has passed since the drying operation was started. If the amount of moisture that evaporates is small, the heat of the high-temperature air taken in is not consumed and the temperature of the exhaust gas rises. When the moisture content of the clothes before the drying operation is extremely low, such as when the clothes are dry or when the clothes are additionally dried after being dried indoors, the heat pump unit 15 may not be able to maintain the first intake air temperature. Therefore, even if the exhaust air temperature is equal to or lower than the first temperature, if the exhaust air humidity is less than the first humidity threshold, the clothing is determined to be "easy-to-dry clothing".

The humidity used in the clothing determination process is absolute humidity, but if the humidity measured by the exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 is relative humidity, the absolute humidity is detected from the temperature and humidity measured by the exhaust temperature/humidity sensor 18 ( calculation) is possible.

When the laundry determination process determines that the laundry is "hard-to-dry clothing" (YES in S4), intake air temperature increase control is performed. In this intake air temperature increase control, the heat pump unit 15 is controlled so that the intake air temperature becomes the second intake air temperature. In addition, the assist heater 17 is restarted, and its activation is continued until the intake air temperature reaches a predetermined second intake air temperature (for example, 55° C.) (until timing T14) (S5). The second intake air temperature is set to a temperature higher than the first intake air temperature. When the intake air temperature reaches the second intake air temperature, the assist heater 17 is stopped, and thereafter the second intake air temperature is maintained by the control of the heat pump unit 15 (S6).

While the pump unit 15 continues to operate while maintaining the second intake air temperature, the control unit 30 monitors the dryness of the laundry based on the exhaust air temperature and the exhaust air humidity, and determines that the laundry is dry. If (dry determination) is made (S7, timing T15), the finishing step (S10) is performed and the drying operation is finished (timing T16). It should be noted that the determination of whether the laundry is dry is made, for example, when the exhaust temperature is equal to or higher than the second temperature threshold and the exhaust humidity is equal to or lower than the second humidity threshold. A second temperature threshold is a temperature higher than the first temperature threshold, and a second humidity threshold is a humidity lower than the first humidity threshold. Also, in the finishing process, the assist heater 17 is restarted to raise the surface temperature of the laundry, and the temperature of the intake air is temporarily raised.

When the laundry determination process determines that the laundry is "clothes that dry easily" (NO in S4), normal control is performed without performing intake air temperature increase control. That is, the assist heater 17 is not restarted, and the first intake air temperature is maintained by the control of the heat pump unit 15 (S8). Then, if it is determined that the laundry is dry (dry determination) (S9, timing T24), the finishing step (S10) is performed and the drying operation is terminated (timing T25). It should be noted that the determination of whether the laundry is dry during normal control is made, for example, when the exhaust temperature is equal to or higher than the third temperature threshold and the exhaust humidity is equal to or lower than the third humidity threshold. The third temperature threshold is a temperature that is higher than the first temperature threshold and lower than the second temperature threshold. This is because the intake air temperature at which the dryness is determined differs between the intake air temperature increase control and the normal control. The third humidity threshold may be the same humidity as the second humidity threshold.

As described above, the washing/drying machine 10 according to the present embodiment performs the laundry determination process during the drying operation. Intake air temperature rise control is additionally implemented. Modern washer/dryers perform laundry volume sensing before starting the washing/drying operation to indicate the estimated washing/drying time. Unevenness remains, and attempts to suppress uneven drying result in a significant extension of the drying time. On the other hand, the washer/dryer 10 additionally performs intake air temperature rise control, so that it is possible to suppress uneven drying even for "hard-to-dry clothes" without significantly extending the drying time. In addition, for "easy-to-dry clothes", an increase in power consumption can be avoided by performing normal control in which intake air temperature rise control is not performed.

[Embodiment 2]
When the laundry is "hard-to-dry clothes", uneven drying tends to occur when the laundry volume is large, and is less likely to occur when the laundry volume is small. Therefore, the execution/non-execution of the clothing determination process and the intake air temperature increase control described above may be switched according to the amount of laundry. That is, in capacity sensing before the start of the washing/drying operation, if the laundry volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the clothing determination process and intake air temperature rise control are performed. It is also possible not to perform the temperature rise control. As a result, when the laundry volume is less than the predetermined value, it is possible to avoid an increase in power consumption due to control switching.

Also, the predetermined time from when the assist heater 17 stops to when the laundry determination process is executed may be changed according to the amount of laundry. When the amount of laundry is large, it takes time to apply heat to the entire laundry, so there is a tendency for the exhaust temperature to rise slowly. By extending the predetermined time until the clothes determination process is performed, it is possible to perform the determination while the entire laundry is heated, thereby improving the determination accuracy in the clothes determination process.

The embodiments disclosed this time are exemplifications in all respects and are not grounds for restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not to be interpreted only by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. In addition, all changes within the meaning and range of equivalence to the claims are included.

10 Drum-type washing and drying machine 11 Water tank 111 Intake port 112 Exhaust port 12 Drum 13 Door 14 Filter device storage part 141 Filter device 15 Heat pump unit (heat pump)
151 evaporator 152 condenser 16 ventilation fan unit 17 assist heater (heater)
18 exhaust temperature and humidity sensor 19 intake temperature sensor 20 air circulation path 21 first air circulation duct 22 second air circulation duct 23 third air circulation duct

Claims (4)

A drum-type washing and drying machine equipped with a heat pump in an air circulation path for circulating air in the drum,
During the drying operation performed by driving the heat pump, it is possible to perform a clothing determination process for determining whether the laundry is "easy-to-dry clothing" or "hard-to-dry clothing,"
When the clothing determination process determines that the clothing is "easy-to-dry clothing," the heat pump is driven to maintain the intake air temperature to the drum at the first intake air temperature,
Intake air temperature increase control for raising the intake air temperature to the drum to a second intake air temperature higher than the first intake air temperature by driving the heat pump when the clothes are determined to be "hard-to-dry clothes" in the clothing determination process. A drum-type washing and drying machine characterized by implementing The drum-type washing and drying machine according to claim 1,
A heater is provided in the air circulation path,
A drum-type washing and drying machine, wherein in the intake air temperature increase control, the heater is activated until the intake air temperature to the drum reaches the second intake air temperature. The drum type washing and drying machine according to claim 1 or 2,
The clothing determination process performs determination based on the exhaust temperature and exhaust humidity from the drum,
If both the temperature condition under which the exhaust temperature is equal to or lower than the first temperature threshold and the humidity condition under which the exhaust humidity is equal to or higher than the first humidity threshold are satisfied, the garment is determined to be "hard-to-dry clothing";
A drum-type washing and drying machine characterized in that it is determined that the clothes are "easy-to-dry clothes" when at least one of the temperature condition and the humidity condition is not satisfied. The drum-type washing and drying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Before starting the washing/drying operation, the volume of the laundry is sensed,
If the amount of laundry is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the clothing determination process and the intake air temperature increase control when it is determined that the laundry is "hard to dry" are performed,
A drum-type washer/dryer, wherein the laundry determination process and the intake air temperature increase control are not performed if the amount of laundry is less than a predetermined value.

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