JP3066335B2 - Drum type washer / dryer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
More specifically, a drum-type washing machine that performs a washing step, a rinsing step, a dehydrating step, and a drying step while keeping laundry (clothing to be washed and dried) in a drum.
Dryer related.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A drum type washing / drying machine has a structure in which a drum rotates around a horizontal axis in a water tank. Then, washing (washing and rinsing) to drying of the laundry stored in the drum can be performed by the same drum. For this reason, the drum type washing / drying machine is a typical washing / drying machine having a washing function, a dehydrating function, and a drying function. Such a drum-type washing / drying machine can be used as a so-called fully automatic laundry that does not require any manual operation until the laundry is completely dried after the laundry is put into the drum.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a conventional drum type washing / drying machine. The drum type washing / drying machine 51 includes a water tank 13 suspended by a spring 18 in an outer case 14 and the water tank 1.
3 and a drum 2 rotating around a horizontal shaft 7. The water tank 13 is floatably supported by a spring 18 and a shock absorber 19, and absorbs vibration generated during operation. Further, a mechanism for storing and discharging the washing liquid and the dehydrating liquid is provided. A large number of small holes 17 are formed in the drum 2 over the entire peripheral wall thereof to supply water for washing, drainage for dehydration, dehumidifying water for drying, and dry air. And on the inner surface of the drum 2
A plurality of baffles 20 for agitating laundry are protruded.

The above-mentioned drum type washing / drying machine 51 is provided with a water injection valve 6 for injecting water from above the water tank 13 during a washing operation and a rinsing operation. Separately from this, a water supply valve 26 for supplying cooling water for dehumidifying the air in the water tank 13 during the drying operation is provided. And
The water supply valve 26 and the side wall of the water tank 13 are connected by a water injection pipe 27. Further, a heater 43 is provided between the peripheral wall of the drum 2 and the peripheral wall of the water tank 13, as shown in FIG. That is, the heater 43 is fixed to the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the water tank 13.

Hereinafter, the operation of the drum type washing / drying machine 51 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in a washing step (during a washing operation), laundry is put into the drum 2 through the upper lid 21, the water tank lid 22, and the drum lid 23. Next, the washing liquid in which the detergent is dissolved is supplied from above in the water tub 13 to be impregnated in the laundry. Thereafter, the drum 3 is rotated at a low speed by the drive of the motor 15, and the washing operation is executed. At this time, the laundry in the drum 2 is urged toward the peripheral wall by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the drum 2. And baffle 20
After being lifted to the vicinity of the uppermost portion in the drum 2, it falls to the bottom of the drum 2 by its own weight (these operations are hereinafter referred to as “tumbling”). By repeating this tumbling, the laundry is hit and washed with the impact force at the time of falling.

In the rinsing step (during the rinsing operation), the same operation as in the above-described washing operation is performed. In this case, the water injection from the water injection valve 6 and the drainage from the drain valve 16 are performed simultaneously. And dehydration process (during dehydration operation)
, The drum 2 is rotated at high speed, and the laundry is strongly pressed against the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 2 by the centrifugal force. The water contained in the laundry is separated from the laundry by the centrifugal force of the high-speed rotation (600 to 1000 rpm), and is blown toward the water tub 13 from the small holes 17 in the peripheral wall of the drum 2. This water is guided along the inner surface of the water tank 13 to the bottom thereof, and is discharged to the outside through the drain valve 16.

Subsequently, in a drying step (during a drying operation), the drum 2 is rotated at a low speed and the heater 43 is energized. Then, the air in the water tub 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 are heated, and accordingly, the temperature of the laundry increases. Further, a small amount of cooling water is supplied from the water supply valve 26 to the water tank 1.
3 is continuously injected. At this time, the air inside and outside the drum 2 flows through the small holes 17. Then, the humid air in the water tub 13 which contains a large amount of water due to the evaporation of the water in the laundry is cooled by the cooling water. The water in the humid air condenses into water droplets, which are discharged through the drain valve 16.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned drum type washing machine
In the drying shore 51, the drying air outside the drum 2 and the humid air inside the drum 2, which are heated by the heater 43 during the drying operation and dehumidified by the cooling water, are simultaneously exchanged through the small holes 17 of the drum 2 by natural ventilation. Was. However, due to natural ventilation, air inside and outside the drum 2 may not flow efficiently through the small holes 17. Also, the heater 43
Are disposed on the inner peripheral wall of the water tank 13 between the inner wall of the drum 2 and the inner wall of the water tank 13, so that the water tank 13 is directly heated when it is dried for a long time by natural ventilation. Then, the amount of heat radiation from the outer surface of the water tank 13 is increased, and there is a possibility that the ripening efficiency is reduced. That is, the drum-type washing / drying machine 51 cannot be said to have excellent drying efficiency for laundry in that the above-described dehumidifying system and heating system are employed, and generally, the drying of laundry is performed. I needed a long time.

In general, when clothes are used, it is necessary to remove dirt. In addition, it is necessary to remove wrinkles during use of clothes and wrinkles during storage, or to remove odors due to insect repellents during storage of clothes. However, in conventional washing and drying machines, means for removing wrinkles generated during use of clothes and wrinkles due to storage of clothes, and removing odors attached to clothes by insect repellents during storage of clothes (means for refreshing clothes) None). For this reason, the clothes have been refreshed by removing wrinkles on the neck of the clothes by using a portable steamer or a steam iron.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drum-type washing / drying machine having excellent drying efficiency and a short drying time.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a water tank suspended in an outer box, and a drum rotatably supported around a horizontal axis in the water tank and capable of storing laundry. Laundry liquid is heated and washed, and the air in the drum is heated.
Drum-type laundry that dries laundry by dehumidifying
In a dryer, dehumidifying / blowing means provided outside the drum, including a dehumidifier and a blower, and connected to the drum in a closed loop through a water tank and a blowing duct, and provided at a lower part inside the water tank, washing and drying. After heating the washing liquid in accordance with the control process and heating the air between the drum and the water tub with the heater, while heating the air between the drum and the water tub by the rotation of the drum while heating with the heater Introduce into the drum to dry the laundry,
Dehumidification is performed by circulating air between the inside and outside of the drum via the dehumidification / blowing means, and the lowermost end of the drum
At the lower water level, remove enough water from the drum to soak the heater.
To supply it to the water tank and heat the water with a heater.
Generate more steam and use the generated steam on the drum
It is introduced into the drum by the movement of air generated by rotation,
Steam control means for heating and humidifying clothing in the ram
It is characterized by having.

In the drum type washing / drying machine according to the present invention, in the drying step, the dehumidifying / blowing means outside the drum and the drum are connected in a closed loop through a water tank and a blowing duct. For this reason, the air in the drum is circulated and blown between the heater and the dehumidifying / blowing means and the drum to heat and cool the drum.
Dehumidified. Thereby, the laundry in the drum dries efficiently. The means for blowing air into the drum is composed of two means: a blowing fan in the circulation system, and a means for collecting wind generated by rotation of the drum at the lower part of the water tank, heating the heater with a heater, and sending the heated air into the drum.

Further, the drum type washing / drying machine according to the present invention is provided.
In the steam treatment process, the lower end of the drum
A low water level, which is the water supply and the like the water supply valve of water to control the water level detected by the water level detector sufficient level to generate steam touching the heater. Therefore, the generated steam can be introduced into the drum together with the wind generated by the rotation of the drum without hindering the rotation of the drum or wetting the clothing for the refresh processing. At this time, the air circulation of the air circulation system is not required. Refreshed clothes in the drum are tumbled in the drum, and the wrinkles are removed or deodorized by steam.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In addition,
The following embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. 1 and 2, components common to those of the conventional drum type washing / drying machine 51 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, a drum type washing / drying machine 1 comprises:
The basic structure is the same as that of the conventional drum type washing / drying machine 51. The difference from the conventional drum-type washing / drying machine 51 is that a water-cooled dehumidifier 4 for dehumidifying air discharged from the drum 2 and an air discharged from the drum 2 are blown to the outside of the drum 2. Is provided. The water-cooled dehumidifier 4, the blower fan 12, and the drum 2 are connected in a closed loop through a blower duct 8. Thereby, circulation ventilation is performed between the dehumidifier 4, the ventilation fan 12, and the drum 2.

The lower part of the water tank 13 is a water reservoir V. The air is heated by the heater 3 fixed to the water tank 13 in the water reservoir V. The heated air is
The wind (clockwise arrow in FIG. 2) generated by the rotation of the drum 2 (the clockwise direction in FIG. 2) introduces the air into the drum 2 through the small holes 17 of the drum 2 as indicated by the white arrow N (FIG. 1). . A large number of ventilation holes 11 are formed in the side wall 2a of the drum 2 to guide dry air into the drum through an outlet 24 from which air from the fan 12 is blown out (m arrow).

The wind Nm introduced into the drum 2 goes out of the drum 2 through a number of ventilation holes 11 in the other side wall 2b. Then, the water is dehumidified by the sprinkling water S supplied from the dehumidifying water electromagnetic valve 36. The dehumidifying water S1 is supplied into the dehumidifier 4 by the watering nozzle 101 by the water supply pressure. This enhances the effect of contact with the circulating warm air.

A water tank 13 arranged near the outside of the drum 2
A circulating air path is formed by the air duct 8 along the outside of. The ends of the circulation air passage are connected to the outlet 24 and the inlets 25a and 25b of the water tank 13, respectively. In addition, the dehumidifier 4 and the blower fan 12 are provided in the circulation air passage. The dehumidifier 4 cools and dehumidifies the air circulating in the circulating air passage by the water spray S.
That is, the dehumidifier 4, the blower fan 12, the drum rotation blast W, the heater 3, and the water spray S are the dehumidifying heating and blowing means. Needless to say, the circulating air path is provided at a position where there is no problem in taking the laundry in and out of the drum 2. The end of the peripheral wall of the drum 2 is formed as an overhang 10 protruding toward the side wall of the water tank 13 over the entire circumference.

On the other hand, a bead 9 is formed on the side wall of the water tank 13 facing the side wall 2a of the drum 2 so as to protrude toward the side walls 2a and 2b of the drum 2. The bead 9 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than the inner circumference of the overhang portion 10, and is configured to fit into the overhang portion 10 in a non-contact manner. The bead 9 is simultaneously manufactured by drawing when the side wall of the water tank 13 is manufactured. The gap between the bead 9 and the side walls 2a and 2b of the drum 2 is set to a minimum gap that does not make contact with each other due to the rotation of the drum 2. In this case, the outlet 24 is provided in the side wall of the water tank 13 closer to the axis than the bead 9.

The gap between the overhang 10 and the side wall of the water tank 13 is also set to the same minimum gap as described above. As described above, the gap between the drum 2 and the water tank 13 is narrowed by the overhang portion 10 of the drum 2 and the beads 9 of the water tank 13,
The hot air sent from the blower fan 12 has a structure that does not easily leak to the circumferential side of the drum 2. Therefore, drum 2
The wind W forms substantially independent blowing means by the rotation of. The drum blast W heated by the heater 3 provided in the water reservoir in the water tank 2
Due to the function of the 3 involute structure, it is hardly affected by the circulation wind m. A hopper 31 is provided at the lower end of the dehumidifier 4. The hopper 31 allows the dehumidifying cooling water to flow downward, but does not allow the circulating hot air to pass much. The dehumidified water is discharged together with the dehumidified water S by the hopper 31.

In order to perform the washing operation to the drying operation using the drum type washing / drying machine 1, first, laundry is put into the drum 2 through the upper lid 21 and the drum lid 23. afterwards,
A washing operation and a rinsing operation are performed on the laundry as in the related art. When the rinsing operation is completed, the rinsing water in the water tank 13 is discharged through the drain valve 16.
Thereafter, the drum 2 is driven to rotate at a high speed, and the centrifugal force is used to perform a dehydration operation.

The drying operation in the drum type washing / drying machine 1 is performed by rotating the drum 2 at a low speed and circulating the dry air from the circulation air passage into the drum 2 and also circulating the drum blast W. That is, the blower fan 1
By the drive of 2, the air sucked into the ventilation duct 8 from the suction ports 25 a and 25 b of the water tank 13 is dehumidified by the dehumidifier 4. This air returns to the drum 2 as dry air, and is mixed with the high-temperature air heated by the heater 3 in the drum 2. In this case, the overhang 10 and the bead 9
Thus, the space between the drum 2 and the water tank 13 is lightly sealed. Therefore, the dry air blown out from the outlet 24 is forcedly blown into the drum 2 through the air holes 11 of the drum 2.

The dry air blown into the drum 2 is mixed in the drum 2 with high-temperature air generated by the blast W of the drum. Then, the water contained in the laundry is vaporized to be in a low-temperature / high-humidity state and sent to the dehumidifier 4 to be dehumidified. At this time, the laundry in the drum 2 is lifted to the vicinity of the uppermost portion in the drum 2 by tumbling. The laundry is then loosened while dropping under its own weight and brought into contact with uniform hot and dry air. The water condensed in the dehumidifier 4 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus together with the dehumidifying cooling water.

As described above, the drum-type washing / drying machine forcibly circulates dry air and high-temperature air to the drum 2 by the forced circulation method, so that the drying efficiency for the laundry can be improved. . Thereby, the drying time of the laundry can be reduced.

The bead 9 of the water tank 13 can be processed at the same time as the side wall of the water tank 13 without specially increasing the number of processing steps. The beads 9 are also useful for reinforcing the water tank 13 or improving the vibration isolation.

Next, when refreshing the clothes, first, water is supplied from the water supply valve 6 so as not to wet the clothes put in the drum 2. Then, this water is caused to flow down along the wall surface of the water tank 13. At this time, the water level sensor 32 controls a small water level that does not contact the drum 2. Then
The heater 3 is energized while rotating the drum 2 clockwise as shown in FIG. 2 to generate steam. The generated steam is generated in the small holes 17 of the drum 2 together with the wind W of the drum.
And is introduced into the drum 2 as shown by the arrow N. The steam is used to heat and humidify the tumbled clothing. Thereby, the wrinkles of the clothes are removed, and the deodorization proceeds. In this case, the circulation fan 12 does not need to be operated, and the dewatering water S is not required.

[0027]

Since the drum type washing / drying machine of the present invention is constructed as described above, the efficiency of drying laundry can be improved and the drying time can be shortened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory view of a drum type washing / drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural explanatory view of the washing / drying machine of FIG. 1 as viewed from a side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural explanatory view of a conventional drum type washing / drying machine viewed from the front.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heater mounting portion in the washing / drying machine of FIG. 3 as viewed from a side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drum type washing / drying machine 2 Drum 3 Heater 4 Dehumidifier 7 Horizontal axis 8 Ventilation duct 9 Bead 10 Overhang part 11 Vent hole 12 Ventilation fan 13 Water tank 16 Drain valve 17 Small hole 26 Water supply valve 32 Water level sensor

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 25/00 D06F 58/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A washing machine comprising: a water tank suspended in an outer box; and a drum rotatably supported in the water tank so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis and capable of storing laundry. A drum-type washing / drying machine for drying laundry by heating and dehumidifying the air in the drum.The washing / drying machine is provided outside the drum, includes a dehumidifier and a blower, and is connected to the drum through a water tank and a ventilation duct. A dehumidifying / blowing means connected in a closed loop, and a heater provided at the lower part of the inside of the water tub, which heats the washing liquid and heats the air between the drum and the water tub in accordance with the washing and drying control steps. Heated by a heater while flowing air between the drum and the water tank by rotation of the drum, and then introduced into the drum to dry the laundry, and the inside of the drum and the outside of the drum via the dehumidifying / blowing means. Performs dehumidification by circulating air between, a water level lower than the lowermost end of the drum, the amount immersing the heater
Water is supplied between the drum and the water tank, and the water is supplied by the heater.
Steam is generated by heating, and the generated steam
The drum by the movement of air generated by the rotation of the drum.
To heat and humidify the clothes in the drum.
A drum-type washing / drying machine comprising a team control means .