JP6140063B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing and drying machine provided with a water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism.

  Various washing dryers have been proposed that have a water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism that dehumidifies using cooling water during a drying operation. As such a water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism, a technique for improving the dehumidifying efficiency by providing a water scattering portion at the lower part of the dehumidifying air passage (dehumidifying duct) has been proposed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). As another water-cooled dehumidification mechanism, a cooling plate for flowing cooling water is provided in the dehumidifying air passage, and a plurality of ribs for meandering the cooling water are formed on the cooling plate to increase the contact area of the cooling water with the cooling plate. Thus, a technique for improving the dehumidification efficiency has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-93779 A JP 11-347282 A Japanese Patent No. 3877052

  However, in the technique of providing the water scattering part described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the cooling water is rolled up, and the water comes into contact with the filter or heater provided in the upper part (downstream side) of the dehumidifying air passage, and drying There is a problem of significantly reducing the performance.

  Further, in the technique of providing the cooling plate described in Patent Document 3, there is a problem that dust easily adheres to the rib of the cooling plate, and the rib becomes resistance of air passing through the dehumidifying air passage.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing / drying machine capable of obtaining a high water-cooled dehumidifying efficiency without deteriorating the drying performance.

The present invention includes an outer tub whose inside is a washing room and a drying room, an inner tub that is rotatably supported in the outer tub and accommodates laundry, and an intake port formed in a lower portion of the outer tub. In a washing and drying machine comprising: a dehumidifying duct that becomes a flow path for water-cooling and dehumidifying the air sucked out from the intake port, and a blowing means that heats the air from the dehumidifying duct and sends it into the inner tub. A depression formed on the wall surface of the dehumidification duct; and a cooling water supply section that is disposed in the depression and that supplies cooling water from a plurality of through holes formed in the bottom surface . It has a horizontal plane that is orthogonal to the wall surface and faces the plurality of through-holes, and the side wall on the flow path side of the cooling water supply part protrudes from the depression to the flow path side, and from the plurality of through holes. by supplying cooling water to the horizontal plane of the recess, the double Cooling water supplied to the horizontal surface from the through hole of, characterized in that a configuration as runoff spreads along the wall surface of the dehumidifying duct.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the washing-drying machine which can obtain high water-cooling dehumidification efficiency can be provided, without reducing drying performance.

It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the washing / drying machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows a dehumidification duct and a ventilation means. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 2, and is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a circulation path of air. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which removed the cooling water supply part from the outer tank. It is an external appearance perspective view when a cooling water supply part is seen from the through-hole side. It is the B section enlarged view of FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 3 which shows the flow of a cooling water.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following, a so-called vertical laundry dryer will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is applied to a washing machine having all other drying functions such as a drum-type laundry dryer. It is possible.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a washing / drying machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the washing / drying machine 1 includes an outer tub 3, an inner tub 4, a dehumidifying duct 5, a blower 6, and the like in a housing 2.

  The housing 2 has an outer lid 2a at the top, and has a quadrangular cylindrical shape when viewed from above. Further, a suspension means 2 b and an outer tub 3 are provided in the housing 2.

  The outer tub 3 functions as a laundry room and a drying room, and is suspended by suspension means 2 b suspended from the housing 2. The suspension means 2b can be expanded and contracted by the vibration generated in the outer tub 3 or the housing 2, and the kinetic energy of the vibration can be converted into thermal energy to suppress the vibration. In addition, in FIG. 1, although the case where the two suspension means 2b are provided is described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and three to four or more may be provided.

  Moreover, the outer tank 3 is a bottomed cylindrical shape shape | molded with the synthetic resin, and is provided with the tank cover 3a which covers upper opening. A substantially semicircular opening 3a1 is formed in the tank cover 3a. The tank cover 3a includes an inner lid 3b that can open and close the opening 3a1. The outer tub 3 can be sealed by closing the inner lid 3b.

  A motor 10 and a clutch 10a are provided at the bottom of the outer tub 3. The motor 10 has a rotation shaft that is coaxial and has different diameters (large diameter and small diameter). At least one of the rotating shafts can be rotated by the clutch 10a.

  Further, a drain port 3 c is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 3. A drain pipe 13 is connected to the drain port 3c. The drain pipe 13 is provided with a valve 11. In the washing operation and the rinsing operation, water can be stored in the outer tub 3 by closing the valve 11. Moreover, the water stored in the outer tub 3 can be drained by opening the valve 11.

  The inner tank 4 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is provided in the outer tank 3. A plurality of through holes 4 a are provided in the side wall and bottom of the inner tank 4. An annular fluid balancer 4 b is provided on the upper side wall of the inner tank 4. The inner tub 4 is rotatable at the bottom by being supported by a large-diameter rotating shaft of the motor 10. Thereby, at the time of dehydration, the inner tub 4 can be rotated to dehydrate the laundry.

  A rotary blade (also referred to as a pulsator) 9 is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 4. The rotor blade 9 is provided with a plurality of through holes 9a penetrating vertically. Further, the rotor blade 9 is rotatable by being supported by a small-diameter rotating shaft of the motor 10. Thereby, at the time of washing too much, the rotary blade 9 can be rotated and water can be stirred together with the laundry.

  Moreover, the washing / drying machine 1 is provided with a water supply unit 15 behind the outer lid 2a. The water supply unit 15 is connected to a water supply port 15a connected to a tap or the like of a water supply, a water supply pipe 16 connected to a water supply port 3f for supplying water into the outer tub 3, and the like. The water supply pipe 16 is connected to the outer tank cover 3 a through the bellows pipe 17 so as to communicate with the inside of the outer tank 3. The water supply unit 15 flows or stops the water that has entered from the water supply port 15 a to the water supply pipe 16 or the cooling water supply unit 20. Although not shown, the washing / drying machine 1 is provided with an input device for supplying detergent and a finishing agent, and the detergent and the finishing agent are supplied to the outer tub 3 by an input hose connecting the water supply unit 15 and the input device. And between the inner tank 4.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the dehumidifying duct and the air blowing means. 2 illustrates a state in which the inner lid 3b, the inner tank 4, the rotary blade 9 and the like are removed from the outer tank 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the dehumidifying duct 5 is formed integrally with the outer tub 3. That is, the dehumidifying duct 5 is formed by molding a synthetic resin material together with the outer tub 3 using a predetermined mold. Further, the side wall 3 d of the outer tub 3 where the dehumidifying duct 5 is located also serves as a part of the dehumidifying duct 5. Further, the lower end of the dehumidifying duct 5 is connected to an air inlet 3 e formed at the lower end of the outer tub 3.

  The dehumidifying duct 5 is located behind the outer tub 3, extends vertically upward along the side wall 3 d of the outer tub 3 from the intake port 3 e, and extends to a height position substantially the same as the upper end of the outer tub 3. (See FIG. 4). Thus, by integrally forming the outer tub 3 and the dehumidifying duct 5, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 2 and is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an air circulation path.
As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end of the dehumidifying duct 5 is connected to the filter case 14 via the bellows tube 7. The filter case 14 includes a filter 14a (not shown in the drawing of the filter itself) that removes lint (thread waste and the like). The filter 14 a is accommodated in the filter case 14 and is configured to be removable from the filter case 14 from the front side. A communication hole 14 c that communicates with the air blowing means 6 is formed in the ceiling surface 14 b of the filter case 14.

  The air blowing means 6 includes a fan 6a that generates wind, a fan case 6b that houses the fan 6a, a motor 6c that rotates the fan 6a, and a heater (PTC heater) 6d that warms air (wind) from the fan case 6b. And a heater case 6e for storing the heater 6d. Note that the fan case 6b and the heater case 6e are formed of a single synthetic resin case.

  In the air blowing means 6 configured as described above, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3, the fan 6 a rotates, so that the air in the outer tub 3 flows from the intake port 3 e (see FIG. 2) through the dehumidifying duct 5. Inhaled and lint is removed from the air by the filter 14a. The air discharged from the fan 6a is warmed by the heater 6d and sent into the inner tank 4 through the bellows tube 8 connecting the heater case 6e and the tank cover 3a.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the cooling water supply unit is removed from the outer tank.
As shown in FIG. 4, a concave portion 5 b having a concave shape with respect to the wall surface 5 a is formed at the upper end portion of the dehumidifying duct 5. The hollow portion 5b is formed on the side of the wall surface 5a facing the side wall 3d constituting the outer tub 3. In other words, the recess 5b is formed on the wall surface 5a facing the side wall 3d where the air inlet 3e (see FIG. 2) is formed. Thereby, the air introduced from the intake port 3e rises along the wall surface 5a in which the recessed portion 5b is formed. In this way, the recess 5b is formed in the wall surface 5a facing the intake port 3e, the cooling water supply unit 20 is fitted into the recess 5b, and the cooling water is allowed to flow through the wall surface 5a, so that the intake port 3e side Water cooling and dehumidifying efficiency can be improved as compared with the case where cooling water is allowed to flow through the side wall 3d.

  Moreover, the hollow part 5b has the vertical surface 5b1 extended in parallel with the wall surface 5a, and the horizontal surface 5b2 (inner wall surface) orthogonal to the vertical surface 5b1 (wall surface 5a). The horizontal surface 5b2 is formed to be elongated in the width direction (left-right direction) of the dehumidifying duct 5. Thus, the dehumidification duct 5 has a shape in which the wall surface 5a, the horizontal surface 5b2, and the vertical surface 5b1 are continuous in a stepped manner.

  The cooling water supply unit 20 is made of synthetic resin, and is configured by combining an upper case 20a and a lower case 20b. The cooling water supply unit 20 stores the cooling water and supplies it to the dehumidifying duct 5, the introduction port 22 for introducing the cooling water from the water supply unit 15 (see FIG. 1), and water from the introduction port 22. And an introduction part 23 for introducing cooling water into the reservoir part 21.

  The water reservoir 21 has a substantially square flat shape formed along the wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5, and is disposed in the recess 5b. In addition, the water reservoir 21 has a side wall surface 21 e that faces the side wall 3 d of the outer tub 3. The side wall surface 21e protrudes toward the side wall 3d from the wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5 (see FIG. 6).

  The inlet 22 is located on the side of the water reservoir 21 and is formed so that the cylindrical opening faces upward in the upper case 20a. The introduction port 22 is located above the lower case 20 b of the water reservoir 21.

  The introduction part 23 is connected to an upper part than the substantially central part in the height direction of the water reservoir part 21. Further, the bottom surface inside the introduction portion 23 is inclined so as to descend from the introduction port 22 toward the water reservoir portion 21, so that water can flow easily.

  In the outer tub 3, a space Q in which the cooling water supply unit 20 is inserted and installed from above is formed on the outer side in the radial direction than the side wall 3d. In addition, a cover member 30 is provided from above the cooling water supply unit 20 to fix the cooling water supply unit 20 with the outer tub 3 therebetween. The cover member 30 has a cooling water supply unit 20 screwed thereto via a screw insertion hole 24 (see FIG. 5).

  The cover member 30 is formed with a connection port 31 that connects the dehumidification duct 5 and the bellows tube 7, and a connection port 32 that connects the introduction port 22 and the bellows tube 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Yes. The bellows tube 33 connected to the connection port 32 is connected to the water supply unit 15 (see FIG. 1), and tap water (fresh water) is supplied from the water supply unit 15 to the cooling water supply unit 20.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the cooling water supply unit viewed from the through hole side.
As shown in FIG. 5, four through holes 21b are formed in the bottom surface (bottom plate) 21a of the water reservoir portion 21 at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal surface 5b2 (see FIG. 4) of the recess portion 5b. ing. Each through hole 21b is formed closer to the side wall 3d side (front side) than the center in the depth direction (depth direction) of the recess 5b.

  Further, on the bottom surface 21a of the water reservoir portion 21, a protruding portion 21c extending along the arrangement direction of the through holes 21b is formed to protrude in the center in the depth direction of the recess portion 5b. The protruding portion 21c is located on the back side of the recessed portion 5b (on the vertical surface 5b1 side in FIG. 4) with respect to the through hole 21b.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cooling water supply part 20 is arrange | positioned at the hollow part 5b so that the through-hole 21b may oppose the horizontal surface 5b2 (upper surface) of the hollow part 5b. The through-hole 21b is positioned so as not to jump out from the wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5 to the inside of the flow path. That is, when the cooling water W is supplied from the through-hole 21b, the cooling water W is not supplied directly to the wall surface 5a, but after the cooling water W once drops and accumulates on the horizontal surface 5b2, the dehumidifying duct 5 It flows down along the wall surface 5a.

  Further, the protrusion 21c formed on the bottom surface 21a of the water reservoir 21 is in contact with the horizontal surface 5b2 so that the through hole 21b and the horizontal surface 5b2 are separated from each other. Further, the protrusion 21c abuts against the horizontal surface 5b2, so that the cooling water supplied from the through hole 21b can be prevented from flowing into the back side of the recess 5b, and the cooling supplied from the through hole 21b. Water can be reliably introduced from the horizontal surface 5b2 to the wall surface 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the side wall surface 21 e of the water reservoir 21 of the cooling water supply unit 20 protrudes from the wall surface 5 a of the dehumidification duct 5 toward the side wall 3 d (see FIG. 4). That is, the bottom surface 21 a of the water reservoir 21 protrudes from the wall surface 5 a to the flow path side of the dehumidifying duct 5.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the water reservoir 21 of the cooling water supply unit 20, a partition plate 21d having a predetermined height H from the bottom surface 21a is formed between adjacent through holes 21b. The heights H from the bottom surfaces 21a of the (three) partition plates 21d are all the same. Moreover, when supplying the cooling water W, it sets to the water level Hw higher than the partition plate 21d. Thus, by providing the partition plate 21d and setting the water level for each through-hole 21b to be the same, the pressure on each through-hole 21b can be made equal, and the through-hole 21b can be cooled uniformly and stably. Water W can be supplied. By supplying the cooling water W from each through hole 21b evenly, the cooling water W flows evenly over the entire wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5. The number of partition plates 21d can be changed as appropriate according to the number of through holes 21b. Two through holes 21b and one partition plate 21d may be provided, and there are five or more through holes 21b. The number of partition plates 21d may be five or more.

  By the way, when the cooling water W is directly supplied to the wall surface 5a, the cooling water W flows down only linearly along the wall surface 5a. However, as in the present embodiment, the cooling water W once brought into contact with the horizontal surface 5b2 and then flowing through the wall surface 5a allows the cooling water W supplied from each through hole 21b to pass through the wall surface 5a in the width direction (left and right in FIG. 4). The cooling water W flowing down from the adjacent through-holes 21b, and then flowing down in a planar shape along the wall surface 5a. In other words, the cooling water flows down while covering the entire wall surface 5a.

  As a result, in the drying operation of the washing / drying machine 1 (see FIG. 1), the fan 6a (see FIG. 3) and the heater 6d (see FIG. 3) are actuated to remove the air from the blowing means 6 via the bellows tube 8. Air (warm air) is sent to the upper part of the tank 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the air (warm air) is sent from the upper part in the inner tub 4 into the inner tub 4, and takes moisture from the laundry by coming into contact with the laundry. The air that has taken away moisture from the laundry exits the through-hole 4 a, exits the outer tub 3 from the air inlet 3 e at the lower portion of the outer tub 3, and enters the dehumidifying duct 5. The air is cooled while coming into contact with the cooling water W flowing down the wall surface 5 a while rising in the dehumidifying duct 5, and moisture is deprived (dehumidified) from above the dehumidifying duct 5 via the bellows tube 7. Return to the blowing means 6. In this way, the air deprives the laundry from the laundry in the inner tub 4 while circulating through the sealed route (sealed circulation route), and dehydrates the laundry in the dehumidification duct 5 to dry the laundry. ing.

  As described above, according to the washing / drying machine 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of penetrations formed in the bottom surface 21 a in the recess 5 b formed in the wall surface 5 a of the dehumidification duct 5. The cooling water supply unit 20 in which the holes 21b are formed is arranged so that the cooling water W is supplied from the plurality of through holes 21b to the horizontal surface 5b2 of the recess 5b. Thereby, when the cooling water W once supplied to the horizontal surface 5b2 from the plurality of through holes 21b flows down along the wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5, as shown in FIG. 7, the dehumidifying duct 5 is expanded in the width direction. It starts to flow down. In this way, the cooling water W flows into the wall surface 5a of the dehumidification duct 5 in a plane (over the entire wall surface 5a) (see FIG. 7), so that the contact area between the air rising up the dehumidification duct 5 and the cooling water is reduced. It can expand and can improve water-cooling dehumidification efficiency. By improving the water cooling and dehumidifying efficiency, the drying time can be shortened, and as a result, the operation time can be shortened.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the cooling water W only flows through the flat wall surface 5a without an unevenness | corrugation, the raise of air path resistance can be suppressed and energy saving can be achieved. As a result, the rotational speed of the motor 6c can be reduced, or the motor 6c can be replaced with a motor 6c having a small output, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  By the way, it is possible to improve the cooling efficiency by inserting a stainless steel plate into the dehumidifying duct 5 as in the prior art, but it is possible to obtain the same dehumidifying performance without using such a material. . In addition, it is possible to improve the dehumidification efficiency by increasing the surface area through which the cooling water flows by arranging ribs on the surface of the stainless steel plate, but to obtain the same dehumidifying performance without arranging such ribs. Is possible. Thus, since it is not necessary to provide protrusions, such as a rib, in the dehumidification duct 5, as above-mentioned, air path resistance can be reduced and it becomes possible to achieve energy saving.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the side wall surface 21e of the cooling water supply part 20 protruded from the wall surface 5a of the dehumidification duct 5 (see FIG. 6), the cooling water W is rolled up from the horizontal surface 5b2. Can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cooling water W from clogging the filter 14a provided on the upper side (downstream side) of the dehumidifying duct 5 and the performance of the heater 6d from being deteriorated. Further, if the filter 14a or the heater 6d is left with water attached, it causes mold and causes odor, but in this embodiment, the side wall surface 21e of the cooling water supply unit 20 protrudes toward the flow path. By the arrangement, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of water to the filter 14a and the heater 6d, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of mold.

  In this embodiment, since the dehumidifying duct 5 is formed integrally with the outer tub 3 (see FIG. 2, the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced). Is possible.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, in the cooling water supply part 20, the same pressure (water pressure) is given with respect to each through-hole 21b by providing the partition plate 21d of predetermined height from the bottom face 21a between the adjacent through-holes 21b. The cooling water W can be evenly supplied from each through-hole 21b. Therefore, the cooling water can flow evenly over the entire wall surface 5a of the dehumidifying duct 5.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, it can change variously. For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the horizontal surface 5b2 is formed in the recess 5b has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the horizontal surface 5b2, and for example, a recess in which cooling water accumulates may be provided in the horizontal surface 5b2. Alternatively, it may be an inclined surface that is inclined downward in the vertical direction from the wall surface 5a side toward the back side. Thereby, the cooling water supplied from the through-hole 21b can be once accumulated in the dent formed by the dent or the inclined surface and then flowed to the wall surface 5a.

  In addition, the case where the cooling water flows only on the wall surface 5a has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cooling water is supplied to other surfaces (one surface to three surfaces) in addition to the wall surface 5a. You may do it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing dryer 2 Case 3 Outer tub 4 Inner tub 5 Dehumidification duct 5a Wall surface 5b Depression part 5b2 Horizontal surface (inner wall surface)
6 Blowing means 20 Cooling water supply part 21a Bottom surface 21b Through hole 21d Partition plate 21e Side wall surface W Cooling water

Claims (3)

An outer tub in which the inside becomes a washing room and a drying room,
An inner tub that is rotatably supported in the outer tub and accommodates laundry;
A dehumidification duct that extends upward from an air inlet formed in the lower portion of the outer tub and serves as a flow path for water-cooling and dehumidifying the air sucked out from the air inlet;
In the washing and drying machine comprising air blowing means for heating the air from the dehumidifying duct and sending it into the inner tub,
A recess formed in the wall surface of the dehumidifying duct;
A cooling water supply section that is disposed in the depression and supplies cooling water from a plurality of through holes formed in the bottom surface;
The hollow portion has a horizontal plane orthogonal to the wall surface and facing the plurality of through holes,
The side wall on the flow path side of the cooling water supply part protrudes from the depression to the flow path side,
The cooling water supplied from the plurality of through holes to the horizontal plane is spread along the wall surface of the dehumidification duct and flows down by supplying the cooling water from the plurality of through holes to the horizontal plane of the recess. A washing and drying machine characterized by that. The dehumidifying duct, washing and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed integrally with the outer tub. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the cooling water supply unit includes a partition plate having a predetermined height from the bottom surface between the adjacent through holes.

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