JP5599280B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine including a rotating drum that rotates inside an outer tub supported in a lateral posture or an oblique lateral posture.

  In recent years, drum-type washing and drying machines that have been widely used support a bottomed cylindrical washing tub inside an outer casing in a horizontal posture with one side opening sideways or a diagonal horizontal posture with diagonally upwards. In addition, a cylindrical rotating drum with a bottom is accommodated in the inside of the washing tub so that the opening on one side faces the same side as the opening of the washing tub. The rotating drum is driven to rotate coaxially with the washing tub by a drum motor fixed to the outer bottom surface of the washing tub.

  The laundry is put into the inside of the rotating drum, immersed in the washing water accumulated in the bottom, repeatedly lifted and dropped by the rotation of the rotating drum, and washed by being hit against the peripheral surface of the rotating drum when dropped. After the laundry has been washed, most of the residual moisture is dehydrated, and then dried by contacting with the drying air introduced into the rotary drum and the washing tub. The drying air is led out from the rotating drum and the washing tub, flows through a drying air passage provided outside the washing tub, and is introduced into the rotating drum.

  A blower fan for blowing dry air is provided inside the dry air passage, and a cooling unit and a filter are provided on the upstream side of the blower fan, and a heating unit is provided on the downstream side. The drying air derived from the rotating drum is cooled when passing through the cooling unit to condense and remove the contained moisture, and after being trapped and removed by the filter, it is heated when passing through the heating unit, and is heated to high temperature and low humidity. In this state, it is introduced into the rotating drum, hits the laundry, and takes away residual moisture from the laundry. The laundry is dried by repeating contact with the drying air circulating in the rotating drum through the drying air passage.

  As described above, in the laundry dryer, the drying air introduced into the rotating drum is brought into contact with the laundry without unevenness, so that the drying efficiency is improved and the drying air is dried well in a short time. Various proposals have been made regarding the arrangement and configuration of the paths, and particularly the configuration of the introduction portion that introduces dry air into the rotating drum (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 11-90094 A JP 2006-75614 A

  The drying air passage of the washing / drying machine of Patent Document 1 has an outlet opening that opens at the bottom bottom of the washing tub, and an introduction opening that is opened to face the inside of the rotating drum at the upper peripheral edge of one opening of the washing tub. And the drying air is introduced into the rotary drum from the introduction port. Further, the drying air passage of the washing and drying machine of Patent Document 2 includes a lead-out opening that opens at the bottom bottom of the washing tub, and an introduction opening that is established at the center of the bottom of the rotating drum. It is configured to introduce dry air.

  In the washing and drying machine of Patent Document 1, introduction ports are opened at a plurality of locations on the peripheral edge of the opening so that drying air is introduced over a wide range from each introduction port into the rotating drum. In the dryer, a plurality of inlets are opened on the bottom surface of the rotating drum so that drying air is introduced from each inlet, but in any configuration, the laundry in the rotating drum, particularly immediately after dehydration In addition, it is difficult to apply the drying air evenly to the laundry that is stuck to the peripheral surface of the rotating drum, and a satisfactory improvement in drying efficiency cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a laundry dryer that can reliably bring dry air into contact with the laundry in the rotating drum and improve drying efficiency and shorten the drying operation time. The purpose is to provide.

A washing and drying machine according to the present invention includes a washing tub supported in a lateral posture or an oblique lateral posture in an outer casing, and a rotating drum that rotates coaxially within the washing tub, and the inside of the rotating drum In the laundry dryer configured to wash and dehydrate the laundry, and to dry the laundry in contact with the drying air introduced into the rotary drum, the drying provided in the center of the bottom surface of the rotary drum A wind inlet, and a rotary blade disposed on the bottom surface of the rotating drum so as to cover the inlet, and diffusing dry air introduced from the inlet, and the rotary blade rotates the rotation The drum is rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the drum, and has a plurality of vent holes for ventilating the drying air and sending it to the inside of the rotary drum, and is configured to rotate by the venting action in the vent holes. It is characterized by that.

In the present invention, the drying air introduced from the inlet provided in the center of the bottom surface of the rotating drum is sent into the rotating drum through a plurality of vent holes provided in the rotary blades arranged to cover the inlet. The rotor blades rotate without the need for a drive source by the action of ventilation through the ventilation holes, diffuse the drying air and feed it into the rotating drum, and reliably supply the drying air to the laundry in the rotating drum without unevenness. Make contact.

  Moreover, the washing / drying machine according to the present invention is characterized in that the air holes are formed so as to increase sequentially from the central part to the outer peripheral part of the rotary blade.

  In this invention, the amount of the drying air sent through the vent hole is increased on the outer peripheral side of the rotating drum, and it is surely applied to the laundry stuck to the inner periphery of the rotating drum after dehydration. Reduce time.

  Further, the washing / drying machine according to the present invention is characterized in that the air holes are formed so as to decrease sequentially from the central part of the rotary blade toward the outer peripheral part.

  In the present invention, the amount of the drying air sent through the vent hole is increased at the center of the rotating drum, and it is reliably applied to the laundry that is lifted and dropped by the rotation of the rotating drum, thereby reducing the time required for the middle of the drying operation. Plan.

  In the washing / drying machine according to the present invention, the drying air introduced into the rotating drum is diffused by the action of the rotating blades and reliably contacts the laundry in the rotating drum without any bias. The present invention has an excellent effect such that it is possible to effectively reduce the operation time.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an appearance of a washing / drying machine according to an embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which briefly shows the internal structure of the washing / drying machine of embodiment. It is a perspective view of the washing tub which shows the formation mode of an introduction duct. It is a top view of a rotary blade. It is a top view of a rotary blade .

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a washing / drying machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal configuration of the washing / drying machine according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the washing / drying machine according to the present invention includes a washing tub 2 and a rotating drum 3 inside an outer casing 1. The washing tub 2 is a large-diameter bottomed cylindrical body having an opening 20 on one side, and a plurality of support legs 21 (only one is shown) erected on the bottom surface of the outer casing 1. It is elastically supported with the side facing up and maintaining an inclined posture with the axis center inclined relative to the horizontal plane.

  On the front surface of the outer casing 1 (left side surface in FIG. 2), a laundry inlet 11 is opened at a position facing the opening 20 of the washing tub 2 so as to be opened and closed by a lid 10. A space between the opening 20 of the washing tub 2 and the bellows 12 is liquid-tightly sealed. As shown in FIG. 1, a door opening button 13 is provided near the lid 10 on the front surface of the outer casing 1. The lid 10 is opened by operating the door opening button 13.

  A rotating drum 3 is accommodated inside the washing tub 2. The rotating drum 3 is a bottomed cylindrical body slightly smaller in diameter than the washing tub 2, and is a drum fixed at the center of the bottom of the washing tub 2 with the opening 30 on one side facing the opening 20 of the washing tub 2. It is connected to the end of the output shaft 40 of the motor 4 as will be described later, and is rotated coaxially inside the washing tub 2 by driving the drum motor 4. The rotary drum 3 includes a fluid balancer 31 provided around the opening 30. The fluid balancer 31 performs a known operation for absorbing and mitigating vibration associated with the rotation of the rotary drum 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, many small holes 32 are formed through the entire surface of the peripheral wall of the rotary drum 3, and a baffle 33 extending in the axial length direction is formed on the inner surface of the rotary drum 3 in the circumferential direction. Plural protrusions are made evenly. In FIG. 2, only a part of the small hole 32 and one baffle 33 are shown in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

  In the washing operation of the washing / drying machine configured as described above, the lid 10 is opened, the laundry is put into the rotary drum 3 through the openings 20 and 30 located inside the charging slot 11, and the lid 10 Then, as will be described later, washing water is supplied to the inside of the washing tub 2, and the drum motor 4 is driven to rotate the rotating drum 3. As described above, a large number of small holes 32 are formed through the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3, and a plurality of baffles 33 project from the inner surface of the rotating drum 3. The object is immersed in the wash water flowing into the rotary drum 3 through the small holes 32, repeatedly lifted and dropped by the action of the baffle 33, and is struck and washed against the inner peripheral surface of the rotary drum 3 when dropped. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 15 including operation keys for various operations and a display unit for various displays is provided on the front upper portion of the outer casing 1. The operation panel 15 is connected to an operation control unit 16 (see FIG. 2) provided inside the outer casing 1 so as to be located inside the operation panel 15, and the washing operation described above, the drying operation described later, The rinsing operation and the dehydrating operation performed between them are executed by the operation of the operation control unit 16 according to the operation of the operation panel 15.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a water supply port 17 serving as a connection end to the water supply is provided on the upper surface of the rear portion of the outer casing 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the water supply port 17 is connected to a water supply valve 18 provided inside the outer casing 1. The water supply valve 18 is a multiple solenoid valve having a plurality of water supply outlets. The first water supply outlet of the water supply valve 18 is connected to the upper peripheral surface of the washing tub 2 through the water supply pipe 19, and when the water supply valve 18 is switched to the first water supply outlet, the water supply to the water supply port 17 is The water is supplied to the inside of the washing tub 2 through the water supply valve 18 and the water supply pipe 19 and used for the washing operation described above. A detergent case may be arranged in the middle of the water supply pipe 19 so that an appropriate amount of detergent is introduced together with the water supply.

  In addition, a water conduit 22 is connected to the washing tub 2 on the lower peripheral surface near the bottom plate. The water conduit 22 is connected to a cylindrical filter case 23 fixedly supported at the front lower part inside the outer casing 1. Inside the filter case 23 is housed a lint filter 24 that captures foreign matters such as fiber waste. The lower part of the filter case 23 is connected to a drain pipe 26 laid along the bottom surface of the outer casing 1 through a drain valve 25. A circulation pump 27 is attached to the rear end of the filter case 23, and the discharge side of the circulation pump 27 communicates with the front upper portion of the washing tub 2 via a return pipe 28.

  The washing water supplied into the washing tub 2 is introduced into the filter case 23 through the water conduit 22 and fills the inside of the filter case 23. The washing water inside the filter case 23 is sucked into the circulation pump 27 by driving the circulation pump 27 and is pressurized and sent to the upper part of the washing tub 2 through the return pipe 28, and the tip of the return pipe 28 As shown by the arrows in FIG. 2, the water is spread in a shower and supplied to the inside of the rotary drum 3.

  The circulation pump 27 is driven continuously or intermittently during the aforementioned washing operation. The washing water supplied into the rotating drum 3 by this driving pours onto the laundry in the rotating drum 3 and acts to enhance the washing effect. The lint filter 24 provided in the filter case 23 functions to capture and remove foreign matters such as fiber waste contained in the circulating washing water.

  The drain valve 25 provided at the lower part of the filter case 23 is opened after the washing operation. With this opening, the washing water inside the washing tub 2 is drained to the drain pipe 26 through the water conduit 22 and the filter case 23. Also during this drainage, foreign matter contained in the wash water is captured and removed by the lint filter 24 in the filter case 23, and there is no possibility of being discharged to the sewer pipe through the drain pipe 26.

  The drying operation of the washing / drying machine is performed through the dehydration operation after the above washing operation. In this drying operation, the rotating drum 3 is rotated by driving the drum motor 4, and drying air is circulated inside the rotating drum 3.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows a drying air path for circulating the drying air. The drying air path 5 includes a rear duct 50, an upper duct 51, and an introduction duct 52. The rear duct 50 has a lower end connected to an outlet 53 provided on the bottom surface of the washing tub 2, and extends upward along the bottom surface of the washing tub 2. The rear duct 50 is extended upward at a position deviated to one side, avoiding the central portion of the washing tub 2 where the drum motor 4 is provided. The rear duct 50 in FIG. It is shown in a state where a part overlaps the back side.

  The second water supply outlet of the water supply valve 18 is connected to the rear duct 50 via a cooling water pipe (not shown). When the water supply valve 18 is switched to the second water supply outlet, the water supply to the water supply inlet 17 is supplied to the inside of the rear duct 50. The cooling water supplied in this way comes into contact with the drying air flowing in the rear duct 50 as will be described later, and after cooling the drying air, the cooling water enters the washing tub 2 through the outlet 53 and passes through the water conduit. 22, discharged through the filter case 23 and the drain pipe 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper duct 51 is disposed in the internal space of the outer casing 1 above the washing tub 2. One end of the upper duct 51 is bent downward on the rear side of the washing tub 2 and is connected to the upper end of the rear duct 50 via the bellows tube 54. The bellows tube 54 is provided in the elastically supported washing tub 2 to absorb vibrations generated during operation and prevent propagation to the upper duct 51. In the middle of the upper duct 51, a filter 55 for capturing dust, a blower fan 56 for raising dry air, and a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater 57 for heating the dry air are connected to the rear duct 50 from the connection side. In order.

  The introduction duct 52 is integrally formed outside the washing tub 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the washing tub showing how the introduction duct is formed. This figure has shown the state which looked at the washing tub 2 from the back side, and the upper and lower sides of a figure are made to respond | correspond to the upper and lower sides of FIG. In addition, although many ribs for ensuring the strength are provided on the outer surface of the washing tub 2, these ribs are not shown in FIG.

  The introduction duct 52 includes an annular duct portion 52a and a rectangular duct portion 52b. As shown in FIG. 3, the annular duct portion 52 a is provided concentrically so as to project rearwardly at the center of the bottom surface of the washing tub 2. The annular duct portion 52 a also serves as a fixing bracket for the drum motor 4. The drum motor 4 is fitted into a circular hole opened on the rear surface of the annular duct portion 52a, and is fixed to a seat portion 52c that borders the circular hole by a flange.

  The rectangular duct portion 52b is continuous with the upper portion of the annular duct portion 52a, extends upward along the bottom surface of the washing tub 2, and extends forward along the circumferential surface. A connecting pipe 52d is provided upright at the front end of the rectangular duct 52b so as to extend upward, and the other end of the upper duct 51 is connected to the rectangular duct through the connecting pipe 52d as shown in FIG. Linked to 52b.

  Further, the annular duct portion 52a has an opening 52e having a circular cross section at the center position on the inner side, and the opening 52e is formed on the bottom surface of the rotary drum 3 so as to face outward in the center portion as shown in FIG. A short introduction pipe 34 provided so as to project is fitted into the short introduction pipe 34 while being relatively rotatable and airtight. The output shaft 40 of the drum motor 4 is connected to the rotating drum 3 inside the opening 52e and the introduction pipe 34. On the bottom surface of the rotating drum 3, a plurality of introduction holes 35, 35... Penetrating inward and outward are opened at a plurality of locations inside the introduction pipe 34. These introduction holes 35, 35... Are provided as introduction ports for introduction into the rotary drum 3 as will be described later.

  On the other hand, the rotary blades 6 are arranged inside the rotary drum 3 so as to cover the opening portions of the introduction holes 35, 35. 4 and 5 are plan views of the rotor blade 6. FIG. As shown in the figure, the rotor blade 6 is provided with a plurality of ridges 60, 60,. Ventilation holes 61 are provided.

These air holes 61, 61... Are arranged side by side so as to be evenly arranged on the plurality of circumferences concentric with the rotor blade 6 including the tops of the ridges 60, 60. In FIG. 5, a large number of vent holes 61 are provided on the outer circumference side, and a small number of vent holes 61 are provided on the inner circumference side. Conversely, in FIG. A small number of vent holes 61 are provided, and a large number of vent holes 61 are provided on the inner circumference. A part of these vent holes 61, 61... (The vent holes 61, 61... Having an opening at the top of the protrusion 60) are formed so as to be inclined in the same direction in the circumferential direction. The vent holes 61, 61... Are not limited to the positions shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor blade 6 configured as described above is rotatably supported on the tip of a support shaft 41 protruding from the tip of the output shaft 40 of the drum motor 4. . Rotational force is applied to the rotor blade 6 by the action of dry air that is blown out through the vent holes 61, 61 ... inclined in the circumferential direction of the vent holes 61, 61 ... as described later. The blade 6 rotates on the bottom plate of the rotating drum 3 around the support shaft 41 .

The drying operation of the washing / drying machine having the drying air passage 5 configured as described above is such that the drum motor 4 is driven and the rotary drum 3 is repeatedly rotated at a low speed, while the blower fan 56 is driven and the PTC heater 57 is turned on. While operating, the water supply valve 18 is switched to the second water supply outlet, and cooling water is supplied into the rear duct 50.

  By driving the blower fan 56, a flow of air (dry air) is generated inside the dry air passage 5. This dry air is heated by the PTC heater 57, sent into the introduction duct 52 through the connecting pipe 52d, passes through the rectangular duct portion 52b of the introduction duct 52, and reaches the annular duct portion 52a. Through the introduction holes 35, 35 ... formed on the bottom surface, the air enters the rotary drum 3, and from the ventilation holes 61, 61 ... provided in the rotary blade 6 positioned so as to cover the introduction holes 35, 35 ..., respectively. Erupts.

Rotor blade 6 is rotated by the action of the drying air to be ejected from the vents 61, 61 ..., the drying air, as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 2, extends radially outward by centrifugal force Thus, it is introduced into the rotary drum 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the spread of the drying air can be further ensured by providing the vent holes 61, 61... So as to be inclined in the radial direction of the rotary blade 6. Further, since the opening positions of the air holes 61, 61... Move in the circumferential direction as the rotor blades 6 rotate, the dry air blown into the rotating drum 3 from the air holes 61, 61. It is introduced into the rotating drum 3 in a diffused state. The protrusions 61, 61... Provided on the rotor blade 6 act to agitate the surrounding air and promote the circumferential diffusion of the dry air ejected from the vent holes 61, 61.

  As described above, the drying air introduced into the rotary drum 3 hits the laundry in the rotary drum 3, deprives the laundry of moisture and becomes humid air, and the opening 30 at the front of the rotary drum 3, and the rotary drum 3 flows out into the washing tub 2 through the small holes 33 formed in the peripheral wall 3, and is led out to the drying air passage 5 through the outlet 53 that opens at the bottom bottom of the washing tub 2. The drying air (humid air) that has returned to the drying air passage 5 is cooled in contact with the cooling water described above in the rear duct 50, and becomes dry air from which the contained water has been condensed and removed. The condensed and removed water enters the washing tub 2 through the outlet 53 together with the cooling water, and is discharged outside the machine through the water conduit 22, the filter case 23, and the drain pipe 26.

  The dry air that has become dry air rises in the rear duct 50 and moves to the upper duct 51, where dust is captured by passing through the filter 55, and further reheated by the PTC heater 57, as described above. Then, it is introduced into the rotary drum 3 through the introduction duct 52. The drying air introduced in this way is in a state of high temperature and low humidity, and diffuses in the radial direction and the circumferential direction inside the rotating drum 3 due to the above-described action of the rotary blade 6. It is possible to remove the moisture of the laundry efficiently, improve the drying efficiency, and shorten the drying operation time.

  When the rotor blade 6 shown in FIG. 4 is used, a lot of dry air is ejected to the outer peripheral side where a lot of vent holes 61 are formed. The drying air thus ejected is in good contact with the laundry that is stuck to the inner surface of the rotating drum 3 in the dehydration operation performed before the drying operation, so that the initial time required for the drying operation is shortened. It is effective for.

  On the other hand, when the rotor blade 6 shown in FIG. 5 is used, a lot of dry air is ejected to the inner peripheral side where a lot of vent holes 61 are formed. The drying air thus blown out is in the drying operation, and is in good contact with the laundry that is lifted and dropped by the action of the baffle 33 according to the rotation of the rotating drum 3. Effective for shortening.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outer casing 2 Washing tub 3 Rotating drum 4 Drum motor 6 Rotating blade
35 Introduction hole (Introduction port)
61 Ventilation holes

Claims (3)

A washing tub supported in a lateral posture or an oblique lateral posture in an outer casing and a rotating drum that rotates coaxially within the washing tub, and washing and dewatering the laundry inside the rotating drum In addition, in the washing and drying machine configured to dry in contact with the drying air introduced into the rotating drum,
An inlet for the drying air established in the center of the bottom surface of the rotating drum;
It is arranged on the bottom surface of the rotating drum so as to cover the inlet, and includes a rotary blade that diffuses dry air introduced from the inlet .
The rotary blade is rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the rotary drum, and has a plurality of vent holes that ventilate the drying air and send the air into the rotary drum, and rotate the vent in the vent hole. configured washing and drying machine according to claim tare Rukoto to. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the air holes are formed so as to increase sequentially from a center part of the rotor blade toward an outer peripheral part. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the vent holes are formed so as to gradually decrease from a center portion of the rotor blade toward an outer peripheral portion.

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