JP2023028263A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a washing and drying machine which prevents breakdowns without impairment of performance of a blower.SOLUTION: A washing and drying machine includes an outer tank 2, a rotary tub 3 disposed in the outer tank 2 to accommodate laundry, a drive motor 10 for driving the rotary tub 3, an outer frame 1 for supporting the outer tank 2, an air blowing channel for circulation of drying air in the rotary tub 3, an electric heater 24 disposed at the middle of the air blowing channel for heating air, and a blower 22 disposed at the middle of the air blowing channel for sending air. In the air blowing channel located downstream the blower 22 includes a first inclined part 61a inclined downward from the blower 22 to the downstream. The first inclined part 61a is located below the suction part of the blower 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a washer/dryer, and more particularly to the structure of a blower and a heating unit that supply dry air.

Drying clothes with a washer/dryer, which can be done continuously from washing to drying, creates high-temperature dry air with a blower and a heat source, blows it into the washing tub, raises the temperature of the clothes, and evaporates the moisture from the clothes. I am letting

Moisture evaporated from the clothes is dehumidified when passing through the dehumidification mechanism and flows into the blower again. There are various methods of dehumidification in the dehumidification mechanism, but a common problem is the scattering of water.

In water-cooled dehumidification, cooling water is passed through a duct through which hot and humid dry air passes, and heat is exchanged with this cooling water to dehumidify. do. Since the cooling water that has flowed in accumulates in the blower or the dry air passage, it may flow around electric parts such as the electric motor of the blower and the heater.

On the other hand, when dehumidification is performed using a heat exchanger, moisture condensed on the surface of the heat exchanger scatters and accumulates in the drying air passage. Water that collects in the dry air path can flow around electrical components such as the electric motor of the blower. Therefore, it is necessary to properly remove and discharge the water accumulated in the dry air passage including the inside of the blower.

Techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, have been proposed as methods for dealing with water accumulated in the drying air passage of a washing/drying machine.

The invention described in Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for preventing water from accumulating in the heater by providing a flow path for draining water at the connecting portion between the blower and the heater.

Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, in a clothes dryer using a heat pump device, a technique is proposed in which the heat pump device is installed at the bottom of the main body to prevent condensed water from reaching the blower. there is

JP-A-2003-245489 JP 2014-18446 A

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, consideration is given to the water that accumulates in the heater, but no consideration has been given to the water that accumulates around the electric motor of the blower. For this reason, there was a problem that the reliability of the drying system was inferior.

In addition, the invention described in Patent Document 2 is effective only in those employing a heat pump type dehumidification mechanism, and could not be employed in washing and drying machines equipped with other dehumidification mechanisms (for example, water cooling dehumidification).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a washing/drying machine that solves the above-mentioned problems, suppresses the flow of dehumidified cooling water and condensed water flowing into the drying air passage into electric parts such as a blower, and improves the reliability of the product. to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises an outer tub, a washing and dewatering tub disposed in the outer tub to accommodate laundry, driving means for driving the washing and dewatering tub, and the outer tub. a supporting housing, an air passage through which air for drying circulates in the washing and dewatering tub, an air heating means provided in the middle of the air passage for heating the air, and an air heating means provided in the middle of the air passage. and air blowing means for blowing air, wherein the air blowing passage located downstream of the air blowing means has a first inclined portion inclined downward from the air blowing means toward the downstream side. , wherein the first inclined portion is positioned below the suction portion of the air blowing means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing/drying machine with improved product reliability by suppressing dehumidified cooling water and condensed water flowing into the drying air passage from flowing into electric parts such as a blower.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal structure of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the drying unit according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the fan according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a blower according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are denoted by similar reference numerals, and similar descriptions are not repeated.

The various constituent elements of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities, and one constituent element may consist of a plurality of members, a plurality of constituent elements may consist of one member, a certain constituent element may part of a component, part of one component overlaps part of another component, and so on.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the washing/drying machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiments, a drum-type washer/dryer in which a laundry loading/unloading opening is formed on the front side and a rotating shaft of the washing tub is provided horizontally will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drum-type washer/dryer S includes an outer frame 1 as a housing, an outer tub 2 for storing washing water, a rotating tub 3 for loading clothes, and rotating the rotating tub 3. A driving motor 10 (driving means), an air blower 22, and the like are provided. The outer tub 2 is built in the outer frame 1 and is supported by the outer frame 1 in a vibration-proof manner. The rotating tub 3 is a washing and dehydrating tub that accommodates laundry such as clothes to be washed and dried, and is provided inside the outer tub 2 . Further, the rotating tub 3 is rotatably supported within the outer tub 2 .

A metal flange 4 is provided on the right side of the rotary tub 3 in the drawing. A rotating shaft with a pulley is attached to the metal flange 4 . The driving force of the driving motor 10 is transmitted to the pulleys via the belt, and the driving force of the driving motor 10 rotates the rotary tub 3 .

A water supply unit 7 is provided in the upper part of the outer frame 1 . The water supply unit 7 has a plurality of water channels inside and supplies tap water or bath water sucked from a bathtub to the outer tub 2 . Further, in the water supply unit 7, a detergent and finishing agent charging device (not shown) is provided. Detergents and finishing agents are poured between the outer tub 2 and the rotating tub 3.

Further, the drum-type washer/dryer S has a drying mechanism. This drying mechanism circulates and dehumidifies the drying air for drying the laundry in the rotary tub 3 . Further, the drying mechanism includes a drying unit 9 arranged in the upper part of the outer frame 1 and a dehumidification vertical passage 21 connected to the drying unit 9 at one end. The dehumidifying vertical passage 21 is arranged to extend vertically in the outer frame 1 , and the other end thereof is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 2 to communicate with the outer tub 2 . In the dehumidifying vertical passage 21, cooling water flows downward from above. Air containing moisture discharged from the outer tub 2 is cooled and dehumidified by cooling water when passing through the dehumidifying vertical passage 21 .

The drying unit 9 includes an air blower 22 (blowing means), an electric heater 24 (air heating means), and a heater casing 400 . The suction side of the blower 22 is connected to the upper side of the dehumidifying vertical passage 21 . The exhaust side of the blower 22 is connected to the heater casing 400 and then to the return connection circuit 25 so as to communicate therewith. Moreover, the return connection circulation path 25 is connected so as to communicate with the upper portion of the outer tub 2 . The dehumidification vertical passage 21, the drying unit 9, and the return connection circulation passage 25 form a drying air circulation passage (blowing passage) through which drying air flows. The blower 22 and the electric heater 24 are arranged in the middle of the drying air circulation path (blowing passage). Details of the heater casing 400 that houses the blower 22 and the electric heater 24 will be described later.

The lower bellows hose 26 is connected to the bottom drop portion 31 of the outer tub 2 . The bottom recessed portion 31 communicates with a washing water drainage channel (not shown). When draining the washing water, the washing water and rinsing water accumulated in the outer tub 2 are discharged to the outside of the drum-type washing/drying machine S (outside the machine) through the foreign substance removing trap 32 .

In the drum-type washer/dryer S, the centrifugal fan 300 (see FIG. 4) provided in the air blower 22 rotates to circulate the drying air in the rotary tub 3 to dry the laundry in the rotary tub 3. Also, the drying air in which the moisture is condensed in the dehumidification area is reheated by the electric heater 24 (see FIG. 4) and flows through the rotary tub 3, so that the moisture of the laundry is further evaporated. The laundry is dried by repeating this moisture removal by circulation of the drying air.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the drying unit according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the drying unit according to the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blower 22 includes a centrifugal fan 300, a fan motor 100 that rotationally drives the centrifugal fan 300, and a fan casing that surrounds the centrifugal fan 300. 52 and a fan cover 51 that covers the opening of the fan casing 52 . In this embodiment, the fan casing 52 and the fan cover 51 constitute a fan housing that accommodates the centrifugal fan 300 . A heater casing 400 is connected to the blower 22 , and an electric heater 24 is arranged inside the heater casing 400 .

When the drying unit 9 is mounted on the drum-type washing and drying machine S (see FIG. 1), for example, it is installed in the outer frame 1 (see FIG. 1) so that the fan cover 51 of the blower 22 faces substantially downward. .

A suction portion 57 and a discharge portion 58 are formed in the fan cover 51 . The suction portion 57 is connected to the dehumidification vertical passage 21 (see FIG. 1). The outlet 58 is connected to the return connection circuit 25 (see FIG. 1) of the drying air circuit.

The air blower 22 of this embodiment is installed substantially horizontally above the drum-type washer/dryer S. As shown in FIG. This is because the volume of the installation area within the outer frame 1 of the blower 22 is minimized by installing it horizontally, so the outer frame 1 of the drum-type washer/dryer S can be made smaller. Also, the air blower 22 is connected to the dehumidification vertical passage 21 with the suction portion 57 directed downward. That is, the blower 22 is installed so that the fan cover 51 side faces downward.

A scroll flow passage 53 of the blower formed by the fan cover 51 and the fan casing 52 forms part of the air passage, and the flow passage cross-sectional area changes in the rotation direction of the centrifugal fan 300 . The scroll flow path 53 has the narrowest flow path cross-sectional area at the flow path winding start portion 500 , and the flow path cross-sectional area increases toward the rotation direction of the centrifugal fan 300 . In other words, the flow passage cross-sectional area of the fan housing (fan cover 51 and fan casing 52) increases toward the downstream side. In this embodiment, the windward side of the wind flowing through the blowing passage is defined as upstream, and the leeward side is defined as downstream.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the blower according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the blower according to the embodiment of the invention.

The blower 22 of this embodiment has a scroll flow path 53 formed by a fan cover 51 and a fan casing 52 , and the scroll flow path 53 is connected to a heater casing 400 .

The scroll flow path 53 located downstream of the centrifugal fan 300 is provided with a first inclined portion 61a that is inclined downward from the centrifugal fan 300 toward the downstream side. The first inclined portion 61 a is positioned below the suction portion 57 of the centrifugal fan 300 .

The electric heater 24 is positioned downstream of the blower 22 . The scroll flow path 53 located upstream of the electric heater 24 is provided with a second inclined portion 61b that is inclined downward from the electric heater 24 side toward the upstream side and connected to the first inclined portion 61a. . A recessed portion 60 is provided at the connecting portion between the first inclined portion 61a and the second inclined portion 61b.

In addition, on the side of the second inclined portion 61b, a drain channel 62 is provided at a position lower than the position of the second inclined portion 61b. The drain channel 62 is provided so as to extend from the heater casing 400 toward the recessed portion 60 and is positioned at approximately the same height as the position directly below the blower 22 .

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The blower 22 drives the drying air used for drying during the drying operation of the drum-type washer/dryer S mainly operated by the blower 22 . The drying air basically internally circulates inside the drum-type washing/drying machine S. The dry air circulating inside the drum-type washing/drying machine S stirs up the cooling water used for dehumidification when passing through the dehumidifying vertical passage 21 . This cooling water hoisting tends to occur mainly when the velocity of the dry air passing through the dehumidifying vertical passage 21 is high. The cooling water that has been lifted up flows into the blower 22, but the cooling water that has flowed in basically stays at the bottom of the blower due to gravity.

In this embodiment, the first inclined portion 61a inclined downward from the centrifugal fan 300 toward the downstream side is provided. Further, in this embodiment, a second inclined portion 61b is provided which is inclined downward from the electric heater 24 side toward the upstream side and connected to the first inclined portion 61a. A connection portion between the first inclined portion 61a and the second inclined portion 61b is provided with a recessed portion 60 as the lowest portion. When water flows into the blower 22, the water is made to accumulate in the recessed portion 60 along the first inclined portion 61a. As a result, it is possible to prevent water from accumulating in the electric parts and the like of the blower 22, and it is possible to prevent failures of the blower 22 and ensure reliability.

Also, when water flows into the electric heater 24 side, the water flows along the drain channel 62 and accumulates in the recessed portion 60 . As a result, it is possible to prevent failures of the electric heater 24 and ensure its reliability.

The structure of this embodiment is particularly effective in the case of a washer/dryer in which the blower is installed horizontally.

The water accumulated in the recessed portion 60 is dried by being exposed to high-temperature dry air during the drying operation. Alternatively, the water accumulated in the depression 60 naturally evaporates and dries after the washing/drying machine is stopped. Since the dry air reliably flows through the recessed portion 60, it does not continue to accumulate in the product.

In this embodiment, a recessed portion 60 is provided at the connecting portion between the first inclined portion 61a and the second inclined portion 61b. The scroll flow path 53 positioned below the centrifugal fan 300 has a dogleg shape until it is connected to the heater casing 400 . As a result, the length of the scroll passage 53 until it is connected to the heater casing 400 is longer than in the case of linear connection.

Scroll flow path 53 positioned below centrifugal fan 300 changes in flow path cross-sectional area until it is connected to heater casing 400 . That is, the flow passage cross-sectional area of the fan housing (fan casing 52 and fan cover 51) increases toward the downstream side.

In the process of increasing the cross-sectional area of the flow path, if the length of the scroll flow path 53 is short, the change rate of the cross-sectional area of the flow path becomes large, so that the dry air passing through the scroll flow path 53 tends to separate from the flow path wall. Become.

In this embodiment, the scroll flow path 53 positioned below the centrifugal fan 300 is formed in a dogleg shape and the flow path length of the scroll flow path 53 is increased. efficiency can be improved. Further, since the flow velocity distribution of the dry air flowing into the heater casing 400 becomes uniform, the temperature rise efficiency of the electric heater 24 is improved, and higher temperature dry air can be obtained at the outlet of the heater casing 400 .

When the structure of the present embodiment described above is applied, the water that has flowed into the blower 22 accumulates in the recessed portion 60, which is the lowest position. It is assumed that the cooling water for the dehumidification mechanism mainly accumulates in the blower 22, but condensation occurs not only inside the blower 22 but also inside the heater casing 400 during the drying operation. It can also accumulate inside.

At this time, depending on the change in the cross-sectional area of the scroll flow path 53 until it is connected to the heater casing 400, a step may be formed at the connection portion between the scroll flow path 53 and the heater casing 400, and water may accumulate at the stepped portion. There is If water accumulates in the heater casing 400, there is a possibility that a short circuit or the like may occur on the surface of the electric heater 24, for example, leading to failure of the washer/dryer.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a drain channel 62 connecting the heater casing 400 to the recessed portion 60 is provided. Through this drain channel 62, water accumulated in the heater casing 400 is also discharged to the recess 60 provided at the bottom. As a result, the water inside the heater casing 400 can be removed, and various failure factors caused by the accumulation of water can be eliminated, thereby improving product reliability.

Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The inventors conducted many studies on the installation position of the drain channel 62 . As a result, the method of providing the drain passage 62 on the outer peripheral side of the scroll passage 53 is the method that does not impair the efficiency of the blower 22 the least, and the temperature of the dry air discharged through the heater casing 400 is the highest. It was found that the value can be maintained. In the scroll channel 53, the flow mainly flows along the wall surface on the outer peripheral side due to the effect of centrifugal force. Since the wall surface on the outer peripheral side is less likely to separate the flow due to the effect of the centrifugal force, it is considered that the flow does not separate even if the drain channel 62 is provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the dehumidified cooling water and condensed water flowing into the drying air passage are suppressed from flowing into the electric parts such as the blower, and the reliability of the product is improved. can be provided.

In the present embodiment, an example of application to a drum type washing/drying machine has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a vertical type washing/drying machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Outer frame, 2... Outer tank, 3... Rotating tank, 4... Metal flange, 7... Water supply unit, 9... Drying unit, 10... Drive motor, 21... Vertical passage for dehumidification, 22... Blower, 24... Electricity Heater 25 Return connection circulation path 26 Lower bellows hose 31 Bottom depression 32 Foreign matter removal trap 51 Fan cover 52 Fan casing 53 Scroll flow path 57 Suction part 58 Discharge part 60 Recess 61a First inclined part 61b Second inclined part 62 Drainage channel 100 Fan motor 300 Centrifugal fan 400 Heater casing 500 Winding start of channel Part, S... drum-type washer/dryer

Claims (6)

an outer tub, a washing and dehydrating tub arranged in the outer tub to accommodate laundry, a driving means for driving the washing and dehydrating tub, a housing supporting the outer tub, and the washing and dehydrating tub a ventilation passage through which air for drying circulates; an air heating means provided in the middle of the ventilation passage for heating the air; and an air blowing means provided in the middle of the ventilation passage for blowing the air. in the dryer
The blowing passage located downstream of the blowing means has a first inclined portion inclined downward from the blowing means toward the downstream side,
The washing/drying machine, wherein the first inclined portion is positioned below the suction portion of the air blowing means. In the washing and drying machine according to claim 1,
The air heating means is located downstream of the air blowing means,
The blowing passage located upstream of the air heating means is provided with a second inclined portion which is inclined downward from the air heating means side toward the upstream side and which is connected to the first inclined portion. A washer-dryer characterized by In the washing and drying machine according to claim 2,
A washer/dryer comprising a depression at a connecting portion between the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion. In the washing and drying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The air blowing means includes a centrifugal fan, a fan motor for rotationally driving the centrifugal fan, and a fan housing for housing the centrifugal fan and the fan motor,
The washer/dryer, wherein the first inclined portion is formed on the fan housing. In the washing and drying machine according to claim 2,
A washer/dryer according to claim 1, wherein a drain channel is formed on the side of the second inclined portion so as to extend downward from the second inclined portion. In the washing and drying machine according to claim 4,
The washer/dryer, wherein the flow channel cross-sectional area of the fan housing increases toward the downstream side.

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