JP4986662B2 - Dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dryer for performing a drying operation of an object to be dried in a storage room for storing the object to be dried such as clothes.

Conventionally, in this type of dryer, a storage chamber for storing an object to be dried such as clothing is configured in a rotating drum that is rotatably mounted in the main body, and air for drying is blown into the storage chamber. The circulating air path is connected. Then, air heated by a radiator provided in the circulation air path by a fan (air blowing means) is blown to the storage chamber to warm the drying target stored in the storage chamber to evaporate the moisture, Dry the material to be dried. The moisture (moisture) evaporated from the material to be dried was condensed by the evaporator, dehumidified, heated again by the radiator, and repeatedly sent to the housing chamber. And by repeating such a cycle, the to-be-dried object accommodated in the storage chamber was dried gradually (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2006-75316 A

  By the way, in such a dryer, immediately after the start of the drying operation, the material to be dried contains a large amount of moisture. Therefore, high-temperature air heated by a radiator is discharged into the storage chamber to be dried. By contacting with the object, the object to be dried and the air are sufficiently heat exchanged to cause evaporation of moisture from the object to be dried and a decrease in the temperature of the air. As a result, the relative humidity of the air leaving the storage chamber and returning to the air circulation path is saturated or nearly 80%, so that the dehumidification efficiency in the evaporator is good, but the drying of the material to be dried As the process proceeds, moisture evaporation from the object to be dried hardly occurs even when the object to be dried and high-temperature air come into contact with each other. As a result, the air returning to the air circulation path becomes relatively dry air that does not contain sufficient humidity, and at the end of the drying operation, the relative humidity may be reduced to about 20%.

  In such a situation, the air exiting the storage chamber is almost the same as when it is discharged into the storage chamber after exchanging heat with the radiator, and the temperature drop is less than that of the air discharged into the storage chamber. Also, the increase in absolute humidity was small. That is, in this case, the air that exits the storage chamber is still air that sufficiently retains the ability to evaporate moisture from the object to be dried.

  In addition, since the dew point temperature of this low humidity air also decreases, moisture in the air cannot be condensed and removed unless it is considerably cooled by an evaporator. Accordingly, the amount of water that can be removed from the air is less than the amount of heat required for cooling and reheating the air, leading to deterioration in the drying efficiency of the dryer.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problems, and an object thereof is to improve the drying efficiency of a dryer.

A dryer according to the present invention includes a storage chamber for storing a material to be dried, and performs a drying operation for the material to be dried in the storage chamber. At least a compressor, a radiator, a decompression device, and an evaporator are sequentially provided. A refrigerant circuit that is connected to a pipe in an annular shape, and air circulation that sends air exchanged with a radiator by a blower into the storage chamber, sends the air that has passed through the storage chamber to the evaporator, and then returns to the radiator again. An air circulation path, a partition wall that divides the air circulation path into a path where the evaporator is installed , and a bypass path where the circulating air does not pass through the evaporator and reaches the radiator, and upstream of the partition wall A flow path adjusting means that is provided on the side or downstream of the air and that adjusts the ratio of the amount of air that passes through the evaporator and the amount of air that passes through the bypass path, and a control means that controls the flow path adjusting means. It is characterized by having.

  The dryer of the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the control means is an inlet temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air entering the storage chamber and an outlet temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air exiting the storage chamber. And the flow path adjusting means is controlled based on the outputs of the two temperature detecting means that change with the progress of the drying operation.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dryer according to the first aspect, wherein the control means includes a time limit means, and controls the flow path adjusting means according to the progress of the drying operation counted by the time limit means. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dryer according to the second or third aspect of the present invention, wherein the control means sends air based on the output of the temperature detection means or according to the progress of the drying operation counted by the time limit means. The air volume of the means is controlled.

According to the present invention, in a dryer having a storage chamber for storing a material to be dried, and performing a drying operation of the material to be dried in the storage chamber, at least a compressor, a radiator, a pressure reducing device, and an evaporator are sequentially annular. In order to configure a refrigerant circuit connected to the piping, and air circulation in which heat exchanged with the radiator by the blower means is sent into the storage chamber, the air passing through the storage chamber is sent to the evaporator, and then returned to the radiator again An air circulation path, a partition wall that divides the air circulation path into a path in which an evaporator is installed , and a bypass path in which the circulating air does not pass through the evaporator and reaches the radiator, on the air upstream side of the partition wall, Alternatively, it is provided on the downstream side of the air, and includes a flow path adjusting means for adjusting a ratio of an air amount passing through the evaporator and an air amount passing through the bypass path, and a control means for controlling the flow path adjusting means. So, for example, claims As described in the invention, there are provided both an inlet temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air entering the housing chamber and an outlet temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air coming out of the housing chamber, and both temperature detections varying with the progress of the drying operation. If the flow path adjusting means is controlled based on the output of the means, the absolute humidity of the air passing through the accommodation chamber can be increased.

As a result, the dew point temperature of the air rises, and the amount of heat necessary to condense and remove moisture in the evaporator can be reduced, so that the drying efficiency of the dryer can be improved. In particular, the air circulation path is partitioned by a partition wall into a path where the evaporator is installed and a bypass path, and the flow path adjusting means is provided on the air upstream side or the air downstream side of the partition wall. The structure can be significantly simplified.

  Further, in the first aspect of the present invention, as in the third aspect of the present invention, the control means includes a time limit means, and controls the flow path adjusting means in accordance with the progress of the drying operation counted by the time limit means. Thus, the absolute humidity of the air that has passed through the accommodation chamber can be increased. Thereby, the dew point temperature of air rises and the amount of heat required for condensing and removing moisture in the evaporator can be reduced. Therefore, the drying efficiency of the dryer can be improved.

  In particular, in the invention described in claim 2 or claim 3, as in the invention of claim 4, the control means sends air based on the progress of the drying operation based on the output of the temperature detection means or counted by the time limit means. If the air volume of the means is controlled, the drying time can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a washing / drying machine W that executes a washing operation and a drying operation after the completion of the washing operation as an embodiment of a dryer to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an air circulation path 50 of the washing / drying machine W. The schematic diagram is shown respectively. The washing / drying machine W of the present embodiment is used for washing and drying a laundry such as clothes (this laundry becomes a drying object in a drying operation). An opening / closing door 3 for opening / closing an outlet 6 for taking in and out the laundry is attached to the upper side of the side, and various operation switches and display units are provided on the side of the opening / closing door 3 or on the main body 1 above. An operation panel (not shown) is provided.

  A cylindrical resin-made outer layer drum 2 capable of storing water is provided in the main body 1, and the outer layer drum 2 is disposed with a cylindrical axis as an oblique direction. Inside the outer layer drum 2, a substantially cylindrical stainless steel inner layer drum 5 serving as a washing tub and a dewatering tub is provided. The interior of the inner drum 5 is a storage chamber 10 for storing the laundry, which is also arranged with a cylindrical shaft as an oblique direction, and this shaft is mounted on the side wall (right side in FIG. 1) of the main body 1. The shaft is connected to the shaft 8 of the drive motor M, and is rotatably held in the outer layer drum 2 around the shaft 8.

  Further, the outlet 6 is formed on one end surface 5A (the upper left surface in FIG. 1) of the inner layer drum 5. The inner layer drum 5 is connected to the outlet 6 via the felt 11 and the support member 9. It is supported rotatably. An air outlet 54 of an air circulation path 50 to be described later is formed in the support member 9 located below the outlet 6. Further, a plurality of through holes 7... Through which air and water can circulate are formed around the cylindrical side surface 5S of the inner layer drum 5 and the other end surface 5B in the axial direction (the lower right surface in FIG. 1). The through holes 7 are holes through which water flows out in the washing operation and air for drying (circulation air) flows in the drying operation.

  The drive motor M described above is a motor for rotating the inner layer drum 5 around the shaft 8 in the same oblique direction as the shafts of the outer layer drum 2 and the inner layer drum 5 in the washing operation and the drying operation after the end of the washing operation. is there. The drive motor M is attached to one end of the shaft 8 and rotates the inner drum 5 at a high speed during the dehydration process of the washing operation by a controller C described later, and compared with the washing operation during the drying operation. The inner drum 5 is controlled to rotate at a low speed.

  On the other hand, a water supply passage (not shown) for supplying water into the outer drum 2 is provided above the outer drum 2 of the main body 1, and one end of the water supply passage is connected to a water supply source such as tap water via a water supply valve. It is connected. Opening and closing of the water supply valve is controlled by the controller C. Further, the other end of the water supply passage is connected to the outer layer drum 2 and is opened above the inner layer drum 5 in the outer layer drum 2. When the water supply valve is opened by the controller C, the water supply source Water (tap water) is supplied into the outer layer drum 2, and this water is also supplied to the storage chamber 10 through the through holes 7 around the side surface 5S of the inner layer drum 5.

  In addition, a drainage passage (not shown) is provided at the lower portion of the main body 1 as drainage means for draining water in the outer drum 2 (including the storage chamber 10). It is led out to the outside of the dryer W and opens to a drainage groove or the like. The other end of the drainage passage communicates with the lowest part of the outer layer drum 2 on the other end 2B side of the outer layer drum 2 from the other end surface 5B of the inner layer drum 5 through a drain valve whose opening and closing is controlled by the controller C. Yes. A suction port 52 of the air circulation path 50 is formed above the other end 2B of the outer drum 2.

  On the other hand, a machine chamber 60 is configured from the front side to the lower side and the rear side of the outer drum 2 in the main body 1, and the air circulation path 50 described above is configured in the machine chamber 60. One end of the air circulation path 50 opens at the suction port 52 formed above the other end 2 </ b> B of the outer layer drum 2, and passes from the one end to the lower side of the outer layer drum 2. The other end is the support member 9 is opened at the outlet 54 formed below the outlet 6. In the air circulation path 50, a radiator 22 and an evaporator 24 of the refrigerant circuit 20 described later are provided. The radiator 22 is a heating unit of the present embodiment, and is installed on the air outlet 54 side in the air circulation path 50. The evaporator 24 is disposed on the suction port 52 side in the air circulation path 50.

  A fan 55 is provided in the air circulation path 50. The fan 55 sends air heated by the radiator 22 in the drying operation from the outlet 54 of the air circulation path 50 to the accommodation chamber 10 in the inner drum 5, and sends air that has passed through the accommodation chamber 10 to the evaporator 24. After that, the air blowing means is used to circulate the air in the air circulation path 50 by returning to the radiator 22 again. In the present embodiment, the fan 55 is disposed on the suction port 52 side that is the air upstream side of the evaporator 24 in the air circulation path 50.

  That is, the laundry dryer W circulates the air in the storage chamber 10 in the air circulation path 50 by the fan 55 in the drying operation, thereby evaporating the laundry and air containing moisture from the suction port 52. The air is sucked into the circulation path 50, blown to the evaporator 24, heat exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator 24 to condense and remove moisture in the air, and then blown to the radiator 22. Then, the circulating air blown to the radiator 22 is heated by exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the radiator 22 and then discharged from the outlet 54 to the accommodation chamber 10 in the inner drum 5 to circulate in the accommodation chamber 10. Then, after the laundry is dried, the air is sucked again from the suction port 52 into the air circulation path 50.

Next, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes the refrigerant circuit (refrigeration cycle) described above. The refrigerant circuit 20 sequentially pipes a compressor 21, a radiator 22, an expansion valve 23 as a pressure reducing device, an evaporator 24, and the like in an annular manner. Connected and configured. The refrigerant circuit 20 is filled with a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) as a refrigerant. Here, the compressor 21 used in the present embodiment is a multi-stage (two-stage) compression rotary compressor, and an electric element in a hermetic container (not shown) and a first rotary compression element driven by the electric element. (First stage) and a second rotary compression element (second stage) are provided.

  Then, low-pressure refrigerant is introduced from the refrigerant introduction pipe 25 to the first rotary compression element of the compressor 21, and high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the second rotary compression element is discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe 26 to the outside of the compressor 21. It is supposed to be configured. The compressor 21 that can be used in the present invention is not limited to the multistage compression rotary compressor of the embodiment, and various other compressors such as a scroll type and a reciprocating type compressor can be applied. Further, the refrigerant to be sealed in the refrigerant circuit 20 is not limited to carbon dioxide, and other refrigerants may be used.

  The refrigerant discharge pipe 26 of the compressor 21 is connected to an inlet of an air heating radiator 22 provided on the outlet 54 side in the air circulation path 50. The pipe 27 exiting the radiator 22 reaches the expansion valve 23, and the pipe 28 connected to the outlet of the expansion valve 23 is an evaporation provided on the air discharge side (air downstream side) of the fan 55 of the air circulation path 50. The refrigerant inlet pipe 25 of the compressor 21 is connected to the outlet of the evaporator 24, and the annular refrigerant circuit 20 is configured.

  The operation of the washing / drying machine W of this embodiment is controlled by the controller C described above. The controller C is a control means for controlling the washing and drying machine W. The operation of the drive motor M, the opening and closing of each valve of the water supply passage and the drainage passage, the operation of the compressor 21, the throttle adjustment of the expansion valve 23, the fan 55 The air volume is controlled. Further, the controller C controls the temperature of the air that has passed through the radiator 22 so that the laundry to be stored in the storage chamber 10 is not discolored and damaged. Specifically, the controller C detects the temperature of the circulating air that is heated by the radiator 22 by the inlet temperature detection means and enters the storage chamber 10, and the compressor is set so that the air temperature becomes a predetermined temperature. 21 and the throttle amount of the expansion valve 23 are controlled. In this embodiment, the inlet temperature detecting means is constituted by a temperature sensor S1, and this temperature sensor S1 is installed in the air circulation path 50 in the vicinity of the outlet 54 as shown in FIG.

  By the way, in such a washing / drying machine W, immediately after the start of the drying operation (the initial stage of the drying operation), a large amount of moisture is contained in the laundry in the storage chamber 10, so that it is heated by the radiator 22. When the hot air is discharged into the storage chamber 10 and brought into contact with the laundry, the laundry and the air are sufficiently heat exchanged to evaporate water from the laundry and lower the temperature of the air. Occurs. As a result, the relative humidity of the air that leaves the storage chamber 10 and returns to the air circulation path is saturated or close to about 80%, so that the dehumidification efficiency in the evaporator 22 is improved, and this air is removed from the evaporator. It is possible to efficiently dry the laundry by dehumidifying at 22 and heating with the radiator 22.

  However, as drying of the laundry progresses, moisture evaporation from the laundry becomes difficult even if the laundry and the hot air come into contact with each other. As a result, the air returning to the air circulation path 50 becomes relatively dry air that does not contain sufficient humidity, and conventionally, the relative humidity may have decreased to about 20% at the end of the drying operation.

  In such a situation, the air exiting from the storage chamber 10 is almost the same as the state when it enters the storage chamber 10 by exchanging heat with the radiator 22, and the temperature compared to the air discharged into the storage chamber 10. The decrease was small and the increase in absolute humidity was small. That is, the air exiting from the storage chamber 10 is still air that sufficiently retains the ability to evaporate moisture from the material to be dried.

  In addition, since the dew point temperature of such air also decreases, moisture in the air cannot be condensed and removed unless the evaporator 22 is considerably cooled. Therefore, the amount of moisture that can be removed from the air is less than the amount of heat required for cooling and reheating the air, leading to deterioration in drying efficiency.

  In order to eliminate the above-described problems in the drying operation, if the humidity of the air returning from the storage chamber 10 can be increased, the dew point temperature of the air rises, and the amount of heat necessary for cooling and reheating the air is increased. It is considered that the drying efficiency can be improved by suppressing the temperature.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in the air circulation path 50, the circulation air does not pass through the evaporator 22 but reaches the radiator 22; the amount of air that passes through the evaporator 24; and the amount of air that passes through the bypass path A flow path adjusting means for adjusting the ratio is provided to control the flow path adjusting means.

  In this embodiment, the bypass path 40 is configured by partitioning the air circulation path 50 into a path where the evaporator 24 is installed and a path which bypasses the path by the partition wall 75. In this case, the partition wall 75 is parallel to the air circulation direction in the air circulation path 50 as shown in FIG. 2 so as not to hinder the air circulation in the air circulation path 50 by the partition wall 75. It arrange | positions so that it may become. Then, the flow path adjusting means is configured by a damper 70, and this damper 70 is attached to one end side (the air upstream side of the evaporator 24) of the partition wall 75 that is the air upstream side.

  And by controlling the said damper 70 by the said controller C (control means), the controller C adjusts the ratio of the air quantity which passes the evaporator 24 by the damper 70, and the air quantity which flows through the bypass path 40, and To do. In this case, the controller C determines the ratio of the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 and the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 and the amount of air passing through the bypass path in accordance with the dry state of the laundry in the storage chamber 10. In other words, that is, 30% to 100% of the total amount of air coming out of the storage chamber 10.

  Specifically, the controller C calculates the amount of air passing through the target evaporator 24 using the air temperature difference at the entrance and exit of the storage chamber 10 and the elapsed time of the drying operation as variables as the drying state of the laundry to be described above. The damper 70 is operated. In this embodiment, the damper 70 is controlled based on the air temperature difference at the entrance and exit of the storage chamber 10. Therefore, as the inlet temperature detecting means for detecting the circulating temperature entering the storage chamber 10, the above-described temperature sensor S1 is used, and as the outlet temperature detecting means for newly detecting the temperature of the circulating air exiting the storage chamber 10, suction is performed. A temperature sensor S2 is installed in the air circulation path 50 in the vicinity of the mouth 52.

  Then, the controller C has a predetermined high temperature (e.g., the laundry temperature stored in the storage chamber 10 is not discolored and damaged as described above). While controlling the operation of the compressor 21 to be constant at + 75 ° C., the amount of water evaporation is estimated by the difference from the temperature of the circulating air that has exited the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S2, and drying is performed. The progress of driving (that is, the dry state of the laundry) is grasped. In this case, when the drying operation proceeds and the laundry is further dried, the air is less likely to evaporate moisture, so that the temperature drop due to absorption of latent heat of vaporization is reduced, and thus the storage chamber detected by the temperature sensor S1. The difference between the air temperature entering 10 and the air temperature exiting the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S2 is reduced.

  That is, in this embodiment, since the circulating temperature entering the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S1 is controlled to be constant at a predetermined high temperature (for example, + 75 ° C.), it is detected by the temperature sensor S2. The opening degree of the damper 70 is increased so that the amount of air flowing through the bypass path 40 increases by bypassing the evaporator 24 in accordance with the rise in the temperature of the air leaving the storage chamber 10 (that is, the degree of reduction of both temperature differences). Expand in stages. That is, the controller C of this embodiment performs step control on the opening degree of the damper 70 in accordance with the temperature difference between the entrance and exit of the storage chamber 10. A specific control operation will be described in detail in the following operation description.

  Next, the operation of the washing / drying machine W will be described with the above configuration. A predetermined amount of detergent corresponding to the amount of laundry and the amount of the laundry to be washed is put into the storage chamber 10 in the inner drum 5 from the outlet 6, the open / close lid 3 is closed, and the power of the above-described operation switches When the switch and the start switch are operated, the washing operation is started by the controller C. Thereby, the water supply valve of the water supply passage is opened and the water supply passage is opened. Thereby, water is supplied from the water supply source through the through holes 7 of the outer layer drum 2 and the inner layer drum 5. The water supplied to the outer layer drum 2 also flows into the accommodation chamber 10 through the plurality of through holes 7 formed in the inner layer drum 5. At this time, the drain valve of the drain passage is closed.

  When a predetermined amount of water accumulates in the storage chamber 10 in the inner drum 5, the controller C closes the water supply valve and closes the water supply passage. Thereby, the supply of water from the water supply source is stopped.

  Next, the drive motor M is energized and activated by the controller C. As a result, the shaft 8 rotates, and the inner layer drum 5 attached to the shaft 8 starts to rotate in the outer layer drum 2, and the washing process of the washing operation is started. When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the washing process, the controller C stops the drive motor M, opens the drain valve of the drain passage, and opens the water in the storage chamber 10 of the inner drum 5 (that is, in the outer drum 2). (Washing water) is discharged.

  When the water in the storage chamber 10 (in the outer layer drum 2) is discharged, the drive motor M is actuated again by the controller C, and the laundry is dehydrated. When this dehydration is executed for a predetermined time, the drain valve is closed and the drain passage is closed, and the process proceeds to the rinsing process.

  In this rinsing process, first, the water supply valve of the water supply passage is opened, and the water supply passage is opened. Thereby, water is again supplied from the water supply source into the outer layer drum 2 and the storage chamber 10. When a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the storage chamber 10 in the inner drum 5, the controller C closes the water supply valve and closes the water supply passage. Thereby, the supply of water from the water supply source is stopped.

  Then, after the rotation of the drive motor M is repeated for a predetermined time to perform rinsing, the drive motor M is stopped, the drain valve of the drain passage is opened, and the accommodation chamber 10 (inside the outer drum 2) is rinsed. Water is discharged into the drainage passage. When the rinse water in the storage chamber 10 (in the outer layer drum 2) is discharged, the drive motor M is actuated by the controller C, and the inner layer drum 5 is rotated in the same manner as described above, and the process proceeds to the dehydration process in which the laundry is dehydrated. To do.

  When this dehydration process is executed for a predetermined time, the drain valve of the drain passage is closed by the controller C, and the drain passage is closed. Further, the compressor 21 is started by the controller C, and the operation of the fan 55 is started. At the same time, the inner drum 5 is rotated by the drive motor M to shift to the drying operation. In the present embodiment, the fan 55 is rotated at a constant speed by the controller C. Therefore, the amount of circulating air flowing in the air circulation path 50 in the drying operation varies depending on the dry state of the laundry (dry matter). It becomes almost constant.

  In the drying operation, as described above, the compressor 21 is based on the output of the temperature sensor S1 so that the temperature entering the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S1 by the controller C is constant at a predetermined high temperature (+ 75 ° C.). The number of rotations is controlled. Furthermore, the controller C controls the opening degree of the damper 70 based on the outputs of the temperature sensors S1, S2 that change according to the progress of the drying operation. In the present embodiment, the temperature entering the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S1 as described above is controlled to be constant at + 75 ° C., and therefore changes according to the progress of the drying operation. It becomes the temperature which went out of the storage chamber 10 detected by temperature sensor S2. That is, the controller C of the present embodiment exits the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S2 while controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 21 so that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor S1 is constant. The temperature difference from the temperature is calculated, the water evaporation amount of the laundry in the storage chamber 10 is estimated, and the opening degree of the damper 70 is step-controlled accordingly.

First, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor S2 is a predetermined low temperature T1 or less, for example, + 40 ° C. or less in the present embodiment (mainly immediately after the start of the drying operation, the initial stage of the drying operation, etc.). As shown in FIG. 3, the controller C closes the damper 70 and closes the bypass path 40. As a result, all of the air that has exited the storage chamber 10 passes through the evaporator 24 without flowing into the bypass path 40. That is, the ratio of the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 is 100%. On the other hand, when the compressor 21 is started, the refrigerant (CO ₂ ) is sucked into the first rotary compression element of the compressor 21 from the refrigerant introduction pipe 25 and compressed. The refrigerant compressed to the intermediate pressure by the first rotary compression element is sucked into the second rotary compression element and is compressed in the second stage to become a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas. Discharged.

  The refrigerant gas discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe 26 flows into the radiator 22 provided in the air circulation path 50. At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the radiator 22 has risen to about + 85 ° C., and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas here radiates heat by exchanging heat with the air circulating in the air circulation path 50. It is cooled to about + 50 ° C.

  The refrigerant cooled by the radiator 22 is then decompressed by the expansion valve 23, and then circulated air (air including moisture from the storage chamber 10) by the evaporator 24 provided in the air circulation path 50. Evaporates through heat exchange. That is, the refrigerant circuit 20 condenses the air containing moisture from the storage chamber 10 in the evaporator 24 to remove moisture in the air, and pumps heat from the circulating air by the refrigerant in the evaporator 24. It functions as a heat pump that heats the circulating air that is transported to the radiator 22 and discharged into the storage chamber 10.

  As described above, the refrigerant circuit 20 is provided, and moisture in the air from the storage chamber 10 is condensed and removed by the evaporator 24. At this time, the heat pumped up from the air is conveyed to the radiator 22 by the refrigerant and is stored in the storage chamber. By using it for heating the circulating air discharged to 10, energy efficiency can be improved. In particular, since the circulating air can be heated to a high temperature without using a special heating means such as an electric heater by means of the radiator 22, energy costs such as electric energy are reduced and a more efficient drying operation is realized. be able to.

  The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 24 is then circulated through the refrigerant introduction pipe 25 and again sucked into the compressor 21.

  In addition, air (circulation air) containing moisture by drying the laundry in the storage chamber 10 through the operation of the fan 55 passes through the through holes 7 formed in the other end surface 5B through the storage chamber 10. The container 10 flows out. Then, the air enters the air circulation path 50 from the suction port 52 formed above the other end 2 </ b> B of the outer layer drum 2 and is sucked into the fan 55. Thereafter, the air sucked into the fan 55 is discharged toward the evaporator 24 provided on the air discharge side of the fan 55. Since the bypass path 40 is closed by the damper 70 as described above, the air discharged from the fan 55 (air containing moisture through the storage chamber 10) does not flow into the bypass path 40, but is completely evaporated. Pass 24.

  At this time, the air containing moisture by drying the laundry in the storage chamber 10 exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 24 and is deprived of heat by the refrigerant. The moisture in the air condenses on the surface of the evaporator 24. Thereby, the laundry can be dried by the evaporator 24 to condense and remove moisture from the moisture-containing air, and can be made dry again.

  The water condensed on the surface of the evaporator 24 then drops as water droplets onto a drain pan (not shown) provided at the lower part of the evaporator 24, and is exposed to the outside through a drain pipe, a drain passage, etc. (not shown). Discharged.

  On the other hand, the air that has been dried with moisture removed by the evaporator 24 is deprived of heat by the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 24 and cooled to about + 30 ° C. Thereafter, the heat passes through the periphery of the radiator 22, exchanges heat with the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing through the radiator 22, is heated to about + 75 ° C., and is provided on the outer periphery of the outlet 6 on the one end surface 5 </ b> A of the inner drum 5. Then, the air is discharged into the accommodation chamber 10 from the outlet 54 formed below the support member 9.

  The circulating air discharged into the storage chamber 10 comes into contact with the laundry in the process of flowing through the storage chamber 10 from the one end 5A side to the other end 5B side, warms the laundry to evaporate moisture, Let things dry.

  Then, air containing moisture by drying the laundry in the storage chamber 10 flows out from the through holes 7 formed in the other end surface 5B of the inner layer drum 5 and from the suction port 52 of the outer layer drum 2. The cycle sucked into the air circulation path 50 is repeated.

  Thus, when the temperature of the air leaving the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S2 is + 40 ° C. or less, the temperature difference from the air entering the storage chamber 10 (this air temperature is + 75 ° C.). Becomes larger. This is because the air discharged into the storage chamber 10 comes into contact with the laundry to evaporate a large amount of water contained in the laundry, and the temperature is greatly lowered. At this time, hot air heated by the radiator is discharged into the storage chamber 10 and brought into contact with the object to be dried, so that the laundry and air sufficiently exchange heat and exit from the storage chamber 10. The relative humidity of the air becomes high, and the air becomes close to saturation humidity. Therefore, even if the air flows into the bypass path 40 and is reheated by the radiator 22 and returned to the storage chamber 10, it is difficult to reduce the input of the compressor 21 because water vapor evaporated from the laundry cannot be absorbed. It will lead to deterioration of drying efficiency, such as prolonging the drying time.

  Therefore, when the temperature difference between the air at the entrance and exit of the storage chamber 10 is large as in the present invention, that is, in this embodiment, the air temperature detected by the temperature sensor S2 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature T1 (in this embodiment, +40 When the temperature is equal to or lower than 0 ° C., the bypass path 40 is closed by the damper 70 and all the air from the storage chamber 10 is allowed to pass through the evaporator 24 so that the evaporator 24 can efficiently remove moisture from the laundry. Can be evaporated.

  On the other hand, the drying of the laundry progresses and the amount of water evaporation from the laundry decreases, i.e., the transfer of heat from the air to the moisture in the laundry reduces the temperature of the air. Therefore, the temperature difference between the circulating air entering the storage chamber 10 and the circulating air exiting the storage chamber 10 is reduced. Accordingly, when the laundry is less likely to evaporate and the temperature difference is reduced to a certain value, the damper 70 is opened so that a part of the circulating air flows bypassing the evaporator 24. Specifically, in this embodiment, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor S2 is a predetermined temperature range T2 set in advance higher than T1, for example, higher than + 40 ° C. and + 50 ° C. or lower in this embodiment, The controller C opens the damper 70 by one step as shown in FIG. As a result, 20% of the total amount of air coming out of the storage chamber 10 passes through the bypass path 40. The remaining air (80% of the total air amount) passes through the evaporator 24.

  Thereafter, when the temperature difference further decreases to a certain value, the opening degree of the damper 70 is further expanded. That is, the controller C detects that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor S2 is higher than T2 and is set to a predetermined temperature range T3 set in advance, for example, higher than + 50 ° C. and lower than + 55 ° C. in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. As shown, the damper 70 is further opened one step. As a result, 50% of the total amount of air exiting the storage chamber 10 passes through the bypass path 40, and other air (50% of the total amount of air) passes through the evaporator 24.

  When the temperature difference further decreases to a certain value, the opening degree of the damper 70 is further expanded. That is, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor S2 exceeds a predetermined temperature T4 that is set higher than T3, for example, in this embodiment, the controller C rises above + 55 ° C., as shown in FIG. Then, the damper 70 is further opened by one step from the state shown in FIG. 5 (maximum opening degree of this embodiment). As a result, 70% of the total amount of air exiting the storage chamber 10 passes through the bypass path 40, and the other air (30% of the total amount of air) passes through the evaporator 24.

  The air passing through the bypass path 40 (without temperature change) exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator 24 as described above, and the air from which moisture has been removed by removing heat from the refrigerant (temperature is about + 30 ° C.). And merge on the air upstream side of the radiator 22. When 50% of the total amount of air exiting the storage chamber 10 flows to the bypass path 40 and the remaining air (50% of the total amount of air) flows to the evaporator 24 (in the case of FIG. 5), The air temperature is about + 42.5 ° C. when both airs merge on the air upstream side of the radiator 22.

  The merged air passes through the radiator 22 and is heated to about + 75 ° C. through heat exchange with the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing through the radiator 22. And it discharges in the storage chamber 10 from the blower outlet 54 formed in the downward direction of the supporting member 9 provided in the outer periphery of the outlet 6 of the one end surface 5A of the inner layer drum 5. FIG. The circulating air discharged into the storage chamber 10 is formed on the other end surface 5B of the inner drum 5 after contacting the laundry, heating the laundry, evaporating moisture, and drying the laundry. The cycle that flows out from the through holes 7 and is sucked into the air circulation path 50 from the suction port 52 of the outer layer drum 2 is repeated.

  As described above, the smaller the temperature difference between the air that is heated by the radiator 22 and enters the storage chamber 10 and the air that evaporates moisture from the laundry in the storage chamber 10 and exits the storage chamber 10, By increasing the opening and increasing the amount of air that bypasses the evaporator 24, the absolute humidity of the air entering the storage chamber 10 increases, and accordingly, the absolute humidity of the air exiting the storage chamber 10 increases. Thereby, since the dew point temperature of the said air rises, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of heat required to condense and remove moisture from the air in the evaporator 24. As a result, the drying efficiency can be improved.

  In particular, when the rotation speed of the compressor 21 is controlled and the temperature entering the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S1 is constant as in this embodiment, the amount of air that bypasses the evaporator 24 is increased. Thus, the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 can be reduced, so that the input of the compressor 21 can be reduced. As a result, power consumption can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the damper 70 is attached to one end side of the partition wall 75 on the air upstream side (the air upstream side of the evaporator 24). As described above, the same effect can be obtained even if the damper 70 is attached to the other end side (the air downstream side of the evaporator 24) which is the air downstream side of the partition wall 75. It is also possible to adjust the ratio of the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 and the amount of air passing through the bypass path 40 by attaching two or more dampers and controlling the opening and closing of each damper. . Further, the flow path adjusting means of the present invention is not limited to the damper 70, as long as the ratio between the amount of air passing through the evaporator 24 and the amount of air passing through the bypass path 40 can be adjusted. Even other configurations are effective.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the fan 55 is disposed on the suction port 52 side, which is the upstream side of the evaporator 24 in the air circulation path 50, but the installation position of the fan 55 is limited to this. The air heated by the radiator 22 in the drying operation is sent from the outlet 54 of the air circulation path 50 to the storage chamber 10 in the inner drum 5, and the air passing through the storage chamber 10 is sent to the evaporator 24, and then again. As long as it can be returned to the radiator 22, it may be installed anywhere. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the air circulation path 50 may be disposed on the air outlet 54 side, which is the downstream side of the radiator 22.

  In the first embodiment, the fan 55 is rotated at a constant speed so that the amount of circulating air flowing in the air circulation path 50 is constant. However, there is a temperature difference between the air entering the storage chamber 10 and the air exiting the storage chamber 10. If the rotational speed of the fan 55 is increased as it decreases, the drying time can be shortened. In this case, since the power consumption is reduced by reducing the input of the compressor 21 as described above, for example, by increasing the number of revolutions of the fan 55 by the amount of power corresponding to the reduction of the input of the compressor 21, It is possible to speed up the drying operation while maintaining power consumption. In this case, in synchronization with the opening degree control of the damper 70, it is also possible to control to increase the rotational speed of the fan 55.

  In the first embodiment, if the rotation speed of the compressor 21 is constant, the temperature entering the storage chamber 10 detected by the temperature sensor S1 increases as the opening degree of the damper 70 increases. It becomes possible to speed up the drying operation.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the damper 70 is controlled on the basis of the air temperature difference at the entrance / exit of the storage chamber 10. However, the air passing through the target evaporator 24 with the elapsed time as a variable is used. The amount may be calculated and the damper 70 may be controlled. In this case, it is assumed that the controller C has a timer function (timer means), the controller C starts counting with the start of the drying time, starts the drying operation, and when the predetermined time has elapsed, opens the damper one step, Further, by controlling the damper 70 to open one more step after a predetermined time has elapsed, the absolute humidity of the air entering the storage chamber 10 increases as in the above embodiment, and accordingly, the absolute humidity of the air exiting the storage chamber 10 is increased. Will increase. Thereby, since the dew point temperature of the said air rises, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of heat required to condense and remove moisture from the air in the evaporator 24. As a result, the drying efficiency can be improved.

It is a schematic block diagram of the washing dryer of one Example of the dryer to which this invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram of the air circulation path | route of the washing-drying machine of FIG. It is a 1st figure which shows the flow of the circulating air which flows through the air circulation path | route in the drying operation of the washing-drying machine of FIG. It is a 2nd figure which shows the flow of the circulating air which flows through the air circulation path | route in the drying operation of the washing-drying machine of FIG. It is a 3rd figure which shows the flow of the circulating air which flows through the air circulation path | route in the drying operation of the washing-drying machine of FIG. It is a 4th figure which shows the flow of the circulating air which flows through the air circulation path | route in the drying operation of the washing-drying machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other schematic structure of the washing dryer of one Example of the dryer to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows another another schematic structure of the washing dryer of one Example of the dryer to which this invention is applied.

C controller (control means)
W Washer / dryer S1 Temperature sensor (Inlet temperature detection means)
S2 Temperature sensor (outlet temperature detection means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Outer layer drum 5 Inner layer drum 7 Through-hole 10 Accommodating chamber 20 Refrigerant circuit 21 Compressor 22 Radiator 23 Expansion valve (decompression device)
24 Evaporator 40 Bypass Path 50 Air Circulation Path 52 Suction Port 54 Air Outlet 55 Fan (Blower Unit)
70 Damper (Flow path adjusting means)
75 partition wall

Claims (4)

In a drier that includes a storage chamber that stores a material to be dried, and performs a drying operation of the material to be dried in the storage chamber.
A refrigerant circuit in which at least a compressor, a radiator, a decompression device, and an evaporator are sequentially connected in a pipe, and
An air circulation path for constructing an air circulation in which air exchanged with the radiator by the blowing means is sent into the accommodation chamber, and the air passing through the accommodation chamber is sent to the evaporator and then returned to the radiator again; ,
A partition wall that divides the air circulation path into a path where the evaporator is installed and a bypass path where the circulating air does not pass through the evaporator and reaches the radiator.
A flow path adjusting means which is provided on the air upstream side or the air downstream side of the partition wall and adjusts the ratio of the amount of air passing through the evaporator and the amount of air passing through the bypass path;
And a control means for controlling the flow path adjusting means.   The control means includes an inlet temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air entering the storage chamber and an outlet temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the circulating air exiting the storage chamber, both of which change with the progress of the drying operation. 2. The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the flow path adjusting unit is controlled based on an output of the temperature detecting unit.   The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the control means includes a time-limit means, and controls the flow path adjusting means in accordance with the progress of the drying operation counted by the time-limit means.   The said control means controls the air volume of the said ventilation means based on the progress of the drying operation counted by the said time limit means based on the output of the said temperature detection means, The Claim 2 or Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The dryer as described in.

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