JP6276012B2 - Dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dryer used for drying clothes and the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a dryer used for drying clothes or the like, a dryer having a configuration in which dehumidified and heated air is circulated in a ventilation path that passes through a storage unit that stores clothes or the like.

  In this case, the cooling device that cools and dehumidifies the air, the heating device that heats the air that has passed through the cooling device, and the fan device that circulates the air in the air passage are all disposed in the air passage. It is like that.

  In the dryer as described above, condensed water generated by dehumidification adheres to the surface of the cooling device in the form of water droplets. Therefore, it is known that a storage chamber for storing the condensed water is provided and the stored condensed water is discharged to the outside or supplied to a separate water storage tank.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a washing / drying machine including an example of such a storage chamber. In this example, the storage chamber is configured by a tray portion communicating with the ventilation path directly upstream of the fan device via a drain hole, and a pump chamber having a pump. The tray portion and the pump chamber communicate with each other through a communication passage between the bottom portions, and condensed water stored in the tray portion through the drain hole passes through the communication passage into the pump chamber. It comes to be supplied. The condensed water supplied to the pump chamber is pumped up by a pump suspended from the upper wall portion of the pump chamber and discharged to the outside.

JP2011-239817A

  By the way, when using a storage chamber like patent document 1, in order to improve maintainability, it is possible to comprise the upper wall part of a pump chamber as an upper cover part which can be removed with the pump.

  However, it is difficult for the pump chamber thus configured to have a completely sealed structure, and there is a possibility that a part of the pump chamber may lead to the atmosphere. When a dryer having such a pump chamber is operated, the inside of the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device has a negative pressure, but the inside of the pump chamber may become a higher pressure due to the inflow of air.

  In particular, if the condensate stored in the tray and the pump chamber increases and the communication path connecting the pump chamber and the tray is submerged, the air enters and exits between the pump chamber and the ventilation path via the tray. Since the pressure difference is eliminated, the pressure difference as described above is further increased, and as a result, the level of the condensed water in the pump chamber may be lower than the level of the condensed water in the tray.

  Normally, the pump chamber is provided with a water level sensor, and the pump is operated when the water level sensor detects that the pump chamber has reached a predetermined water level. When the difference occurs, detection by the water level sensor is not performed, and the tray portion side becomes full before the pump operates, and condensed water may flow backward from the tray portion to the inside of the ventilation path. When the condensed water flows backward to the ventilation path, for example, the condensed water blown up with the air by the fan device may be scattered in the housing part such as clothing, and the drying operation may be abnormal.

  As one of the measures for reducing or preventing such backflow, it is conceivable to additionally provide a seal member such as packing on the upper lid, but in that case, only an increase in manufacturing cost accompanying an increase in the number of parts occurs. However, since high assembly accuracy is required, the manufacturing cost is further increased. Furthermore, it becomes difficult to deal with assembly errors during manufacturing and parts replacement, and if there is an assembly error or a mounting error when reattaching the upper lid part removed for maintenance, the desired airtightness is ensured. The condensed water will flow backward.

  In addition, even if a sealing member having sufficient airtightness is provided, for example, when the pump chamber and a separate water storage tank are connected by a hose or the like, the pump chamber is connected via the water storage tank or the hose. Since it leads to the atmosphere, the condensed water also flows backward.

  In other words, the manufacturing cost increases only by measures that additionally provide the sealing member in the upper lid portion, but the reverse flow of the condensed water cannot be sufficiently prevented.

  As another measure, for example, it is conceivable to prevent the communication path from being submerged even if condensed water increases by expanding the communication path connecting the tray part and the pump chamber in the height direction. In this case, there is no difference in water level between the pump chamber side and the saucer portion side, but the air surface flows from the pump chamber side to the saucer portion side through the widened communication path, so that the water level of the stored condensed water Therefore, if a certain amount of condensed water is accommodated, the condensed water scatters and flows back into the ventilation path.

  In recent years, it has been demanded to use a fan device having a high air volume for the purpose of improving the operation efficiency of the dryer. However, as the air volume increases, the air pressure immediately upstream of the fan device further decreases. The problem of the backflow of condensed water as described above is more likely to occur.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this point, The place made into the objective is to prevent the backflow of condensed water more reliably by improving the structure of a pump chamber.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, not only the pump chamber and the tray portion communicate with each other at the bottom, but also the pump chamber communicates with the ventilation path directly upstream of the fan device through a separate communication path. I tried to make it.

  1st invention has the object accommodating part which accommodates a drying target object, and the endless ventilation path which passes along this object accommodating part, and circulates air in this ventilation path in this ventilation path The present invention is directed to a dryer provided with a fan device, a cooling device that cools and dehumidifies the air, and a heating device that heats the air that has passed through the cooling device.

And, in communication with the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device, a receiving tray portion that stores condensed water generated by the cooling device, a pump chamber, and a pump chamber in which the chamber is open to the atmosphere , A first communication path for connecting the tray portion and the pump chamber between the bottom portions and supplying condensed water in the tray portion to the pump chamber; and further comprising the pump chamber and the fan device. A second communication passage is provided to connect the ventilation path on the immediately upstream side so as to reduce a differential pressure between the inside of the pump chamber and the inside of the ventilation path, and the first communication path includes the pump chamber and When the water level of the condensed water in the tray rises, the pump chamber is submerged before the second communication passage. On the other hand, the pump chamber allows inflow of air even when the first communication passage is submerged. which is characterized by being configured to A.

  In the first aspect of the invention, since the pump chamber and the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device are communicated with each other via the second communication path, even if the first communication path is submerged, the pump chamber and the ventilation path Air goes in and out. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the differential pressure between the inside of the pump chamber and the inside of the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device, so that the difference in water level generated between the inside of the pump chamber and the inside of the tray can be reduced. become. Therefore, it becomes possible to operate the pump before the saucer side becomes full, and as a result, backflow of condensed water can be prevented.

  In this case, even if the inside of the pump chamber becomes high pressure due to the inflow of the atmosphere, the inflowing air is sent into the ventilation path through the second communication path, so that no significant differential pressure is generated. In addition, since the air that has flowed in flows into the ventilation path without passing through the saucer portion, the water level of the condensed water stored in the saucer portion is not roughened.

  Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a fan device having a high air volume without causing a backflow of condensed water.

  A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the second communication path communicates with the ventilation path on the downstream side of the communication part that communicates the tray part and the ventilation path. To do.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the second communication path can be made closer to the fan device than the communication portion of the second communication passage and the communication portion provided immediately upstream of the fan device. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure in the ventilation path around the second communication path can be made lower than the atmospheric pressure in the ventilation path around the communication portion. This is advantageous for keeping the air pressure inside the pump chamber low and thus reducing the differential pressure between the pump chamber interior and the inside of the tray.

  According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the pump chamber has an opening that is open to the atmosphere, and a lid that removably closes the opening of the pump chamber is airtight. It is characterized by being provided.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the pump chamber can be closed in an airtight manner with the lid. Therefore, since the inflow of air into the pump chamber can be reduced, the pressure difference between the inside of the pump chamber and the inside of the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device can be further reduced.

  A fourth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third inventions, the cooling device and the heating device are an evaporator and a condenser constituting a heat pump cycle, respectively.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the evaporator and the condenser constituting the heat pump cycle exhibit their functions as the amount of air flowing in the ventilation path increases. Therefore, the fan device having a high air amount is provided. The advantage by this can be obtained effectively.

  According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the object to be dried is clothing.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, the effect of the dryer can be obtained effectively in drying clothes.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to aim at the improvement of the operating efficiency of a dryer using the fan apparatus which has a high air volume, preventing the backflow of condensed water.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which abbreviate | omits and shows some clothes dryer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded vertical sectional view which abbreviate | omits and shows a part of structure of a saucer part and a pump chamber. It is a schematic diagram which shows the principal part of a heat pump cycle. FIG. 4A is an enlarged perspective view showing the pump chamber partly omitted, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the pump chamber with a lid part omitted. . FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 with a variation of the clothes dryer partially omitted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or its application.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the clothes dryer D (dryer) includes a casing 1 that is vertically long and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape along the vertical direction. A substantially circular garment insertion port 2 is opened at the top of the front surface of the housing 1 when viewed from the front front, and the opening is opened and closed by a swingable lid 3.

  A drum storage space 29 communicating with the clothing input port 2 is defined in the upper part of the housing 1, and the drum storage space 29 is used for storing clothing C as a drying object. A drum 4 is rotatably supported. And when the said cover part 3 opens, the clothing C (dry object) can be accommodated in the drum 4 via the clothing insertion port 2. FIG.

  Specifically, the drum 4 has a bottomed cylindrical shape having a rotation axis along the front-rear direction, and the center of the bottom is the drum housing space with the opening directed toward the clothing input port 2. The drum 4 is rotatably supported on a side wall portion 29 via a drive shaft 30 so that the drum 4 rotates about a rotation axis.

  The drive shaft 30 is connected to a motor (not shown) disposed in the housing 1, and when the clothes dryer D is operated, the drum 4 is rotated at a predetermined speed by driving the motor. It has become.

  A plurality of holes (not shown) are provided in the entire side wall portion of the drum 4. While this hole functions as a water flow hole for discharging water scattered from the clothing C by the rotation of the drum 4 to the outside of the drum 4, it also functions as a ventilation hole for air used for drying to enter and exit the drum 4. It has become. The scattered water is discharged to the outside through a drain port (not shown) provided in the drum housing space 29.

  Further, in the drum housing space 29, a circulation exhaust port 31 for discharging air used for drying the clothing C from the drum 4 and the drum housing space 29, and air used for drying the clothing C are drummed. 4 and a circulation supply port 32 for supplying to the drum housing space 29 are communicated with each other.

  Inside the casing 1, the forward duct 5 whose one end communicates with the circulation exhaust port 31, the return duct 7 whose one end communicates with the circulation supply port 32, the forward duct 5 and the return duct 7. The other end of the heating and drying duct 6 is provided, and the endless ventilation path 8 for the air used for drying is formed by the space in the ducts 5, 6, and 7 and the drum housing space 29. Is configured.

  Specifically, the forward duct 5 is formed in, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction on the front side in the housing 1, and its upper end is connected to the circulation exhaust port 31 in an airtight manner. ing.

  The heating and drying duct 6 is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular tube shape extending along the front-rear direction on the bottom side (the lower side of the drum housing space 29) in the housing 1, and on the bottom side in the housing 1. Thus, the front end is connected to the lower end of the forward duct 5 in an airtight manner.

  The return-side duct 7 is formed, for example, in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction on the rear surface side in the housing 1, and its lower end is the rear end of the heating and drying duct 6 and its upper end. Are connected to the circulation supply port 32 in an airtight manner.

  The ventilation path 8 in the heating and drying duct 6 includes an evaporator 9a as a cooling device that cools and dehumidifies air, and a condenser 9b as a heating device that heats the air that has passed through the cooling device. The duct 6 is sequentially arranged from the front side (upstream side) to the rear side (downstream side) at intervals from each other.

  The evaporator 9a and the condenser 9b constitute an integral heat pump cycle, and are arranged so as to exchange heat with the air flowing through the ventilation path 8 in the heating and drying duct 6.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows a heat pump 9 provided in the clothes dryer D. The heat pump 9 includes an evaporator 9a, a compressor 9c, a condenser 9b, and an expansion valve 9d. Are sequentially connected.

  As the evaporator 9a, the compressor 9c, the condenser 9b, and the expansion valve 9d, known ones are used. For example, as the evaporator 9a and the condenser 9b, a fin-and-tube type heat exchanger in which metal fins are attached to a copper refrigerant pipe bent so as to reciprocate is used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the heat pump 9 is operated, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 9c is condensed by the condenser 9b and then expanded by the expansion valve 9d to be low-temperature and low-pressure. The liquid refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 9a and then returns to the compressor 9c. The air is cooled and dehumidified by the heat of vaporization generated when passing through the evaporator 9a, and condensed. The air is heated by condensation heat generated when passing through the vessel 9b.

  In addition, a fan device for circulating air in the ventilation path 8 at a connection portion between the heating and drying duct 6 and the return duct 7, that is, a portion where the ventilation path 8 extending along the front-rear direction bends upward. 10 is disposed. As the fan device 10, for example, a centrifugal fan device including a multi-blade fan (sirocco fan) is used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fan device 10 includes a casing 10b and a cylindrical impeller 10a that is rotatably supported in the casing 10b and has a plurality of blades on the side surface. The casing 10b is provided with an intake port 10c that opens in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the impeller 10a and an exhaust port 10d that opens in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. The intake port 10c and the exhaust port 10d are connected to the rear end portion of the heating and drying duct 6 and the lower end portion of the return-side duct 7, respectively. Therefore, the air that has passed through the condenser 9 b flows into the return duct 7 after passing through the fan device 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom portion 6 a of the heating and drying duct 6 passes through a portion immediately below the evaporator 9 a, and the ventilation path 8 in the duct 6 communicates with the space outside the duct 6. A drain hole 6b is formed as a communication portion, and the condensed water W generated when the air in the ventilation path 8 is dehumidified by the evaporator 9a is discharged out of the heating and drying duct 6 by the drain hole 6b. It is like that. Further, the bottom portion 6a of the duct 6 around the drain hole 6b is inclined downward toward the drain hole 6b so as to guide the condensed water W that has dropped around the drain hole 6b to the drain hole 6b. It has become.

  On the lower side of the heating / drying duct 6, for example, a substantially rectangular dish-shaped tray part 11 opened upward is provided. The tray portion 11 communicates with the heating / drying duct 6 through the drain hole 6b and accommodates the condensed water W that has flowed out of the heating / drying duct 6 from the drain hole 6b.

  Moreover, the bottom face 11a of the tray part 11 is inclined so as to go downward as it goes rearward, so that the stored condensed water W flows backward.

  Furthermore, among the side wall portions of the tray portion 11, the rear side, that is, the side wall portion 11 b on the inclined lower end side of the bottom surface 11 a is inclined, for example, toward the rear as it goes rightward along the width direction. Therefore, the condensed water W of the tray part 11 flows and converges rightward and backward along the inclined bottom surface 11a and side wall part 11b.

  And the 1st communicating path 12 which penetrates the side wall part 11b is provided in the bottom part of the side wall part 11b on the back side of the saucer part 11, and the condensed water W in the saucer part 11 is in the 1st communicating path 12. It has come to.

  The opening peripheral part of the saucer part 11 and the lower wall part of the heating-drying duct 6 are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped notch 13 is provided at the lower part of the rear surface of the housing 1. The notch 13 has an opening 15 opened upward. A box body 14 is accommodated. The box 14 is integrally formed with the tray portion 11 and partitions the pump chamber 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 (a), the tray portion 11 and the pump chamber 16 are partitioned by a rear wall portion of the return duct 7 or a side wall portion 11 b on the rear side of the tray portion 11. The bottom portions communicate with each other through the first communication passage 12 drilled in the side wall portion 11b. Therefore, the condensed water W accommodated in the tray part 11 is supplied to the pump chamber 16 through the first communication path 12.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.4 (b), the cover part 18 which obstruct | occludes this opening 15 airtightly is attached to the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  Specifically, the lid portion 18 is formed in a rectangular thin plate shape, and the back surface thereof is formed in a fitting shape that can be fitted around the periphery of the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16. By fitting the lid portion 18 into the opening 15, the lid portion 18 is detachably fixed to the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16.

  Further, a sealing material (not shown) made of a flexible soft material such as rubber or soft resin is attached to the periphery of the back surface of the lid 18, and the lid 18 closes the opening 15. In addition, the opening 15 can be hermetically closed by the sealing material.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 (b), members for various uses are attached to the lid portion 18. That is, a pump 19 located on the left side (right side in FIG. 4B) and a water level sensor 21 located on the right side (same left side) are attached to the lid portion 18. Further, a hose connection port 23 is formed in a substantially central portion on the rear side (the front side in FIG. 4B), and a water leakage prevention hose 24 is inserted into the hose connection port 23 in a liquid-tight manner. (See FIGS. 1 and 2).

  As the pump 19, the water level sensor 21, and the water leakage prevention hose 24, all known ones are used and can be individually removed from the lid portion 18 as necessary.

  Specifically, a pump-up submersible pump is used as the pump 19. The pump 19 includes a casing 19 a having a water inlet and a drain (both not shown), and the water inlet is positioned at the bottom of the pump chamber 16 and the drain is positioned above the lid 18. It is being fixed to the cover part 18 in the state. By the operation of the pump 19, the condensed water W in the pump chamber 16 is pumped up.

  Further, one end of a pumping hose 20 made of, for example, a synthetic resin is connected to the drain of the pump 19. As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the pumping hose 20 is connected to a separate water storage tank 25, and the condensed water W pumped from the pump chamber 16 is fed into the water storage tank 25. The water storage tank 25 is disposed above the drum housing space 29 in the housing 1 and can be taken out from the housing 1 as needed.

  In addition, the water storage tank 25 is installed in a tray-shaped water tank receiving tray portion 26, and the condensed water W overflowing from the water storage tank 25 is accommodated in the water storage tank tray portion 26. A water leakage prevention hose 24 is connected to the bottom of the water tank receiving tray 26 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and the condensed water W overflowing from the water storage tank 25 passes through the water leakage prevention hose 24. It returns to the pump chamber 16.

  The inside of the pump chamber 16 is opened to the atmosphere through the water tank receiving tray 26 and the water leakage prevention hose 24.

  And as the said water level sensor 21, the float type water level sensor provided with the float 21a which raises / lowers according to the up and down of a water level is used. The water level sensor 21 includes a tubular stem 21b fixed to the lid 18 so as to hang down, and a float 21a supported by the stem 21b so as to be movable up and down within a predetermined range. When this height is reached, this is detected and the pump 19 is operated.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower part of the casing 10 b of the fan device 10 and the bottom part 6 a of the heating and drying duct 6 are not in contact with each other, and a gap is formed between them.

  As a feature of the present invention, a laterally long second communication passage 17 is formed in the left-right direction on the rear wall portion of the return-side duct 7 positioned above the first communication passage 12. One end side of the second communication path 17 opens into the pump chamber 16, while the other end side opens at a position directly below the fan device 10 in the ventilation path 8 in the return-side duct 7. The inside communicates with the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10.

  In the present embodiment, a space is formed between the lower portion of the casing 10b of the fan device 10 and the bottom portion 6a of the heating / drying duct 6 for the convenience of providing the second communication passage 17. However, the present embodiment is limited to this configuration. It is not done. For example, the gap as described above is formed by shifting the position where the second communication passage 17 is formed in the left-right direction (the depth direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) with respect to the position where the fan device 10 is disposed. At least, a space for providing the second communication passage 17 can be secured.

  Next, the flow of the air in the ventilation path 8, the change of the pressure, and the flow of the condensed water W removed from the air when the clothes dryer D according to the present embodiment is operated will be described.

  When the clothes dryer D according to the present embodiment starts operation, the motor, the fan device 10 and the heat pump 9 are activated.

  By the operation of the fan device 10, a pressure difference is generated such that the upstream side of the fan device 10 in the ventilation path 8 becomes negative pressure, while the downstream side of the fan device 10 becomes positive pressure. In the case of the fan device 10 used in this embodiment, the air pressure immediately upstream of the fan device 10 is 300 Pa or lower than the atmospheric pressure. According to this differential pressure, the air in the drum 4 and the drum housing space 29 circulates in the ventilation path 8.

  In this case, as shown by arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 1, the air in the drum 4 and the drum housing space 29 flows into the forward duct 5 through the circulation exhaust port 31, and the front side in the housing 1 is lowered downward. And then flows into the heating and drying duct 6.

  Then, as shown by arrows A2, A3, and A4 in FIG. 1, the air that has flowed into the heating / drying duct 6 flows along the duct 6 downward in the casing 1 toward the rear. Since the evaporator 9a and the condenser 9b are sequentially arranged in the heating / drying duct 6 toward the downstream side thereof, the air first passes through the heating / drying duct 6 and then the evaporator 9a. After being cooled and dehumidified, the condenser 9b is heated and adjusted to a state suitable for drying the clothing C.

  The heating / drying duct 6 and the return-side duct 7 face the intake port 10c and the exhaust port 10d of the fan device 10, respectively. Therefore, as shown by arrows A4 and A5 in FIG. The passed air passes through the fan device 10 and then flows into the return duct 7.

  Further, as indicated by an arrow A5 in FIG. 1, the air that has flowed into the return-side duct 7 flows upward along the duct 7 toward the rear side in the housing 1 and then passes through the circulation supply port 32. It flows into the drum housing space 29 and the drum 4.

  By repeating the circulation process as described above, the air circulating in the ventilation path 8 and flowing into the drum housing space 29 and the drum 4 is kept at a predetermined humidity and temperature while the clothes dryer D is operating. The clothes C in the drum 4 are dried.

  During the operation of the clothes dryer D, the drum 4 is rotated at a predetermined speed by driving the motor to stir the clothes C in the drum 4. Therefore, air is blown evenly against the clothing C in the drum 4.

  By repeating the circulation step, water-drop-like condensed water W adheres to the surface of the evaporator 9a. After the dripping condensed water W is dropped, it follows the inclination of the bottom portion 6a of the heating and drying duct 6. It is guided to the drain hole 6b and flows down from the drain hole 6b to the tray part 11. The condensed water W that has flowed down to the tray part 11 flows backward and rightward along the bottom surface 11 a and the side wall part 11 b of the tray part 11, and is supplied to the pump chamber 16 through the first communication path 12.

  As the air circulation process in the ventilation path 8 as described above is repeated, the water level of the condensed water W accommodated in the pump chamber 16 and the tray part 11 rises, and as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The communication path 12 is submerged.

  In this state, the tray portion 11 communicates only with the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure inside the tray portion 11 becomes a negative pressure that is about the same as the atmospheric pressure inside the ventilating path 8 of the communication destination.

  On the other hand, the atmosphere flows into the pump chamber 16 from the outside through the water leakage prevention hose 24 communicating with the water tank receiving tray 26, and the air that has flowed in passes through the second communication path 17. It flows into the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10. Therefore, the air pressure inside the pump chamber 16 is also maintained at a negative pressure similar to the air pressure inside the ventilating passage 8 at the communication destination.

  Therefore, since the atmospheric pressure inside the tray part 11 and the pump chamber 16 is maintained at the same level as the atmospheric pressure in the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10, the condensed water W accommodated in the tray part 11 and There is no significant water level difference with the condensed water W accommodated in the pump chamber 16.

  When the air circulation process is further repeated and the water level in the pump chamber 16 further rises and reaches a predetermined water level, the water level sensor 21 detects this and the pump 19 operates. The pump 19 that has been activated pumps up the condensed water W accommodated in the pump chamber 16 and the tray 11 and sends it to the water storage tank 25 through the pumping hose 20.

  The condensed water W overflowing from the water storage tank 25 due to an unforeseen situation or the like flows down on the water storage tank tray 26 installed on the lower side of the water storage tank 25, and then passes through the water leakage prevention hose 24 to the pump chamber 16. Return to.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, since the pump chamber 16 and the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10 are communicated with each other via the second communication path 17 as described above, the first communication path 12 is in a submerged state. However, air can enter and exit between the pump chamber 16 and the ventilation path 8. Therefore, since the air flowing into the pump chamber 16 is sent into the ventilation path 8 via the second communication path 17, the pressure inside the pump chamber 16 is changed to the pressure inside the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10. The water level of the condensed water W inside the pump chamber 16 can be kept at the same level as the water level of the condensed water W inside the tray 11. Therefore, since the condensed water W can be pumped up by operating the pump 19 before the tray 11 side becomes full, it is possible to prevent the condensed water W from flowing backward from the tray 11 into the ventilation path 8. it can.

  Even if there is an assembly error at the time of manufacturing and replacement of parts, or an error in reattachment of the lid 18 removed for maintenance, the air that has flowed into the pump chamber 16 due to deterioration of airtightness is still It is sent into the ventilation path 8 via the two communication paths 17. Therefore, it is possible to keep the air pressure inside the pump chamber 16 at the same level as the air pressure inside the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10, thereby preventing the condensate water W from flowing backward from the tray portion 11 into the ventilation path 8. it can.

  In addition, the air that has flowed into the pump chamber 16 flows into the ventilation path 8 without passing through the tray portion 11, so that the water surface of the condensed water W accommodated in the tray portion 11 is not roughened.

  Therefore, since the reverse flow of the condensed water W can be prevented, the fan device 10 having a high air volume that causes a large differential pressure between the immediately upstream side and the immediately downstream side can be used.

  Further, in the pump chamber 16, the second communication path 17 is opened above the first communication path 12, and therefore the first before the second communication path 17 when the clothes dryer D is operated. The communication path 12 can be submerged. Thereby, the inside of the pump chamber 16 and the inside of the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10 can be communicated with each other without roughening the water surface of the condensed water W accommodated in the tray part 11.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drain hole 6 b is provided in the heating / drying duct 6, whereas the second communication path 17 is disposed immediately downstream of the heating / drying duct 6. It is formed in the rear wall part of the inward return side duct 7 made. Therefore, the pressure in the ventilation path 8 around the second communication path 17 is lower than the pressure in the ventilation path 8 around the drain hole 6b by the amount closer to the fan device 10 than the drain hole 6b. This is advantageous for keeping the air pressure inside the pump chamber 16 low and thus keeping the air pressure and the air pressure inside the tray part 11 at the same level.

  Further, since the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16 can be closed in an airtight manner by the lid portion 18, the amount of air flowing into the pump chamber 16 can be reduced. Therefore, it is advantageous to keep the air pressure inside the pump chamber 16 at the same level as the air pressure inside the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10.

In addition, an evaporator 9a and a condenser 9b constituting a heat pump cycle are used as a cooling device and a heating device, respectively. In this case, since the efficiency of heat exchange between the heat pump 9 and the air improves as the air volume of the air flowing through the ventilation path 8 increases, the advantage of providing the fan device 10 having a high air volume can be effectively obtained. It is done.
<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the height position at which the second communication path 17 opens into the pump chamber 16 is configured to be higher than the height position at which the first communication path 12 opens into the pump chamber 16. However, it is not limited to this configuration. Even if the second communication path 17 opens into the pump chamber 16 at a position lower than the first communication path 12, for example, by providing a partition plate or the like in the pump chamber 16, the first communication path 12 Can be submerged first.

  In the above embodiment, the centrifugal fan device is used as the fan device 10 disposed in the ventilation path 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. The well-known fan apparatus used for the ventilation fan for ducts can be used.

  In the said embodiment, although the 2nd communicating path 17 is comprised so that it may communicate with the ventilation path 8 in the direct downstream of the drain hole 6b, this structure is not essential.

  Moreover, about the 1st and 2nd communication paths 12 and 17, and the drain hole 6b, the magnitude | size etc. of an opening can each be changed. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the differential pressure between the inside of the pump chamber 16, the receiving tray 11, and the ventilation path 8 immediately upstream of the fan device 10. By this adjustment, for example, the atmospheric pressure in the pump chamber 16 can be made lower than the atmospheric pressure in the tray portion 11. In this case, although the water level on the pump chamber 16 side becomes higher than the tray part 11 side, the pump 19 operates appropriately in response to the detection signal from the water level sensor 21, so the condensed water W flows back through the second communication path 17. There is no end to it.

  In addition, about the number of drain holes 6b, arrangement | positioning, a form, etc., it is not limited to said thing. For example, another drain hole may be provided immediately below the evaporator 9a or the condenser 9b. Further, a groove portion that guides the condensed water W scattered in the duct 6 to the drain hole 6b may be formed on the bottom portion 6a of the heat drying duct 6.

  It can change suitably also about the form of the saucer part 11. FIG. In this case, what is necessary is just to guide the condensed water W that has flowed down to the tray portion 11 to the first communication path 12 and thus to the pump chamber 16.

  In the above embodiment, the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16 is closed by the detachable lid 18, but it is not always necessary to do so. For example, the lid 18 and the pump chamber 16 may be integrally joined.

  Even when the opening 15 of the pump chamber 16 is closed by the detachable lid 18, the configuration in which the sealing material is provided on the back surface of the lid 18 is not essential.

  In addition, the pump chamber 16 is connected to the water storage tank 25 and the water tank tray 26 via the water leakage prevention hose 24 and the pumping hose 20, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the pumping hose 20 may be directly inserted into a drain outlet in a room or the like where a clothes dryer D according to the present invention is installed. In that case, it is not necessary to provide the water storage tank 25 or the water leakage prevention hose 24.

  Even when the water storage tank 25 is provided, the pumping hose 20 and the water leakage prevention hose 24 do not need to pass through the housing 1. For example, both hoses 20 and 24 may be attached to the rear surface of the housing 1.

  Although the float type water level sensor 21 is used as the water level sensor attached to the lid 18, it is not limited to this. For example, an electrode type water level sensor may be used.

  In the said embodiment, although the evaporator 9a and the condenser 9b which respectively comprise the heat pump 9 were used as a cooling device and a heating device, it is not limited to this structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, an air-cooled heat exchanger 27 may be used instead of the evaporator 9a, and an electric heater 28 may be used instead of the condenser 9b. In this case, the electric heater 28 is disposed in the ventilation path 8 in the return-side duct 7. By doing so, the influence of the electric heater 28 on the operation of the air-cooled heat exchanger 27 can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the clothes dryer D for the clothes C has been described.

  The present invention can also be applied to articles other than the clothes dryer D, for example, a drying washing machine having a drying function.

  As described above, the present invention provides an effect that the backflow of the condensed water caused by dehumidification can be more reliably prevented, and thus is extremely useful and has high industrial applicability.

D Clothes dryer (dryer)
4 drums (object storage)
6b Drain hole (communication part)
8 Ventilation path 9 Heat pump 9a Evaporator (cooling device)
9b Condenser (heating device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fan apparatus 11 Sauce tray part 12 1st communicating path 15 Opening 16 Pump chamber 17 2nd communicating path 18 Cover part 19 Pump C Clothing W Condensed water

Claims (5)

An object storage unit that stores a dry object and an endless ventilation path that passes through the object storage unit. The fan path that circulates air in the ventilation path, and the air In a dryer provided with a cooling device that cools and dehumidifies, and a heating device that heats air that has passed through the cooling device,
A saucer portion communicating with the ventilation path immediately upstream of the fan device and containing condensed water generated by the cooling device;
A pump chamber in which the pump is housed and the chamber is open to the atmosphere ;
A first communication passage that communicates between the bottom portion and the pump chamber between the bottom portions, and supplies the condensed water of the tray portion to the pump chamber;
A second communication path is provided for communicating the pump chamber and the ventilation path directly upstream of the fan device so as to reduce a differential pressure between the inside of the pump chamber and the inside of the ventilation path ;
The first communication passage is submerged prior to the second communication passage when the water level of the condensed water in the pump chamber and the tray rises, while the first communication passage is submerged in the pump chamber. A dryer configured to allow inflow of air even in a state . The dryer according to claim 1,
The dryer, wherein the second communication path communicates with the ventilation path on the downstream side of the communication part that communicates the tray part with the ventilation path. In the dryer according to claim 1 or 2,
The pump chamber has an opening opened to the atmosphere,
A dryer characterized in that a lid for removably closing the opening of the pump chamber is provided in an airtight manner. In the dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The dryer, wherein the cooling device and the heating device are an evaporator and a condenser that constitute a heat pump cycle, respectively.   The dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the object to be dried is clothing.