JP6403363B2 - Heater unit and clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a heater unit and a clothes dryer.

  For example, in a washing dryer (clothing dryer) having a drying function, a PTC heater is used as a heating means of the hot air supply device. This PTC heater is normally used by being housed in a heater housing portion having a frame shape. In the case where the PTC heater is housed and arranged in the heater housing portion having a frame shape, it takes time to assemble and arrange the PTC heater in the heater housing portion without any gap, and the assembling performance is poor. In addition, when the PTC heater is assembled in the heater housing portion and there is a gap between them, the assembly is easy, but the position of the PTC heater is likely to shift and the performance varies. There is a problem that it is likely to occur.

JP 2005-152406 A JP 2011-62297 A

  Therefore, it is possible to improve the assembling property when assembling the PTC heater to the heater accommodating portion, and there is no rattling between them in the assembled state, and the PTC heater can be held at a predetermined position to obtain a stable performance. Provided are a heater unit and a clothes dryer capable of

  The heater unit of the present embodiment includes a PTC heater, a heater accommodating portion that accommodates the PTC heater, and an elastic retainer that is elastically deformable and that holds the PTC heater in the heater accommodating portion by using its elasticity. And.

Schematic longitudinal sectional view of a washing dryer (clothing dryer) according to this embodiment Perspective view of hot air supply device The perspective view which looked at the warm air supply device from the lower side with the casing cover removed Bottom view of the hot air supply device viewed from below with the casing cover removed Longitudinal sectional view along line X5-X5 in FIG. Exploded perspective view of heater unit Perspective view with heater unit assembled It is a figure which shows the assembly | attachment state of a heater unit, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a bottom view. It is a figure which shows a PTC heater, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view

Hereinafter, an embodiment applied to a washing and drying machine will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vertical axis type washing dryer (clothing dryer). In FIG. 1, legs 2 are provided at the lower part of the outer box 1, and a water tank 3 that also functions as a drying chamber is disposed inside the outer box 1. The water tank 3 has a cylindrical container shape with an open upper surface, and is elastically supported by an elastic suspension mechanism 6 mainly composed of a plurality of suspension rods 4 and springs 5. A rotating tank 7 is disposed inside the water tank 3. This rotary tank 7 is also in the shape of a cylindrical container having an open top surface. The rotating tub 7 is rotatable about an axis oriented in the vertical direction, and functions as a washing tub, a dewatering tub, and a drying chamber. Is provided. A rotary balancer 10 is provided at the upper edge of the rotary tank 7. A stirring body 11 is rotatably provided at the bottom of the rotary tank 7.

  A driving device 12 is disposed on the outer bottom of the water tank 3. The drive device 12 includes a motor and a clutch (not shown), and rotates the agitator 10 alone or rotates the rotating tank 7 and the agitator 10 integrally. A drain port 13 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 3, and an electric drain valve 14 and a drain hose 15 are connected to the drain port 13. When water is supplied into the water tank 3 with the drain valve 14 closed, the water is stored in the water tank 3 and thus in the rotary tank 7. When the drain valve 14 is opened, the water stored in the water tank 3 is discharged out of the machine through the drain port 13, the drain valve 14, and the drain hose 15.

  A water tank cover 17 is attached to the upper end of the water tank 3. The water tank cover 17 is provided with a water supply connection port 18, an outlet connection port 19, and an inlet connection port 20. Although not shown, the water tank cover 17 is provided with an opening for putting laundry in and out of the rotary tank 7 and an inner lid for opening and closing the laundry. A top cover 21 is attached to the top of the outer box 1, and a water supply device 22 and a hot air supply device 23 are disposed inside the top cover 21. Although not shown, the top cover 21 is provided with a laundry doorway at a portion corresponding to the upper surface opening of the rotating tub 7 and an outer lid for opening and closing the laundry doorway.

  The water supply device 22 includes an electric water supply valve 24, a hose connection port 25, and a water injection case 26. Although not shown, the other end portion of the water supply hose whose one end portion is connected to a faucet is connected to the hose connection port 25. One end of a bellows-like flexible water injection hose 27 is connected to the outlet of the water injection case 26. The lower end which is the other end of the water injection hose 27 is connected to the water supply connection port 18. In this configuration, when the water supply valve 24 is opened, tap water passes through the water supply valve 24, the water injection case 26, and the water injection hose 27, and is supplied from the water supply connection port 18 into the rotary tank 7 and thus into the water tank 3. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hot air supply device 23 includes a casing 30. The casing 30 is configured by combining an upper casing main body 30a and a lower casing cover 30b that covers a lower surface opening of the casing main body 30a. In this case, the casing 30 integrally includes a fan casing portion 31 and a heater arrangement portion 32. A fan 33 made of a sirocco fan (see FIGS. 3 to 5) is disposed in the fan casing portion 31, and a fan motor 34 that rotationally drives the fan 33 is disposed on the outer upper portion of the fan casing portion 31. . The fan 33, the fan motor 34, and the fan casing part 31 constitute a blower.

  The casing cover 30b is provided with an intake port positioned below the fan 32, and the intake port 36 has a bellows-like flexibility via a filter device 35 (see FIG. 1). Are connected at one end. The lower end, which is the other end of the intake duct 36, is connected to the outlet connection port 19. A lint filter (not shown) is detachably attached to the filter device 35.

  The heater arrangement portion 32 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) is provided inside the casing main body portion 30a on the discharge port side of the fan casing portion 31, and the heater arrangement portion 32 is provided with a heater unit. 38 is disposed. The heater unit 38 will be described in detail later. The casing cover 30b is provided with a discharge port 39 positioned downstream of the heater unit 38, and one end of a bellows-like flexible supply duct 40 is connected to the discharge port 39. Yes. A lower end portion which is the other end portion of the supply duct 40 is connected to the inlet connection port 20.

  In the casing main body 30a, a cylindrical exhaust port 41 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) is positioned downstream of the fan 33 and upstream of the heater unit 38 due to the flow of air from the fan 33. Is provided. The exhaust port 41 protrudes upward from the casing main body 30a. A lower portion of the exhaust port 41 communicates with the inside of the casing 30. The upper end of the exhaust port 41 passes through the top cover 21 and communicates with the outside of the machine. The exhaust port 41 is covered from above by an exhaust cover (not shown) in a state where exhaust is possible. Inside the casing 30, a damper 42 is provided at the base end portion of the exhaust port 41 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 43. The damper 42 is rotated by a damper motor 44 (see FIG. 2) provided outside the casing 30 to open and close the lower surface opening of the exhaust port 41 from below. The damper motor 44 is constituted by, for example, a stepping motor.

  Next, the heater unit 38 will be described with reference to FIGS. The heater unit 38 includes a PTC heater 45 and a heater accommodating member 46 that accommodates and arranges the PTC heater 45. The heater accommodating member 46 constitutes a heater accommodating portion. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the PTC heater 45 is configured by integrating a first element unit 47 and a second element unit 48. The first element unit 47 includes a plurality of PTC heater elements 49, a pair of electrodes 50 and 51 disposed on both sides of the PTC heater elements 49, and a fin 52 provided between the electrodes 50 and 51. And. The plurality of PTC heater elements 49 are arranged in a straight line. Each fin 52 is formed in a meandering shape, and the wind from the fan 33 passes through a space formed by the meandering. The second element unit 48 is configured in the same manner as the first element unit 47.

  A connection terminal 53 is connected to one electrode 50 of the first element unit 47, and a connection terminal 54 is connected to one electrode 50 of the second element unit 48. The other electrode 51 of the first element unit 47 and the other electrode 51 of the second element unit 48 adjacent thereto are connected to a common connection terminal 55. The PTC heater 45 has a rectangular flat block shape that is long in the extending direction of the electrodes 50 and 51 as a whole, and the connection terminals 53 and 54 and the common connection terminal 55 project in the longitudinal direction at one end in the longitudinal direction. Yes.

  The heater housing member 46 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin containing glass fiber and is formed of a material having excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation, and has a rectangular frame shape that can accommodate the PTC heater 45. I am doing. The heater housing member 46 includes a pair of long side walls 46a, 46a extending in the longitudinal direction in a facing state, a short side wall 46b connecting one end portions of the long side walls 46a, 46a, and a long side The terminal arrangement part 58 which connects the other end parts of the side walls 46a and 46a is integrally provided. The terminal arrangement portion 58 is formed wider than the opposing short side wall 46b.

  On the terminal arrangement portion 58 side, two connection terminal accommodating portions 59 corresponding to the two connection terminals 53 and 54 are provided, and one common connection corresponding to the common connection terminal 55 is provided. A terminal accommodating portion 60 is provided. The connection terminal accommodating portion 59 and the common connection terminal accommodating portion 60 are formed in a concave shape with the upper surface side opened in FIG. In the terminal arrangement portion 58, the elastic holding portions 61 are respectively provided near the two connection terminal accommodating portions 59.

  Each elastic retainer 61 is integrally connected to the terminal arrangement portion 58 at the base end, and protrudes toward the opposing short side wall 46b while the tip 61a meanders in the vertical direction in FIG. Yes. Each elastic presser 61 has a plurality of folded portions 61b, in this case, three locations. Each folded portion 61b is curved in an arc shape and can be elastically deformed in the protruding direction. The distal end portion 61 a of each elastic pressing portion 61 protrudes toward the short side wall 46 b side than the inner end portion 58 a of the terminal arrangement portion 58.

  The opposing long side walls 46a, 46a are provided with a plurality of receiving portions 62 which are located on the lower side of the inner surface in FIG. 6 and project inward, and are elastically positioned on both sides in the longitudinal direction. Two engaging claws 63 are provided. An inclined surface 63 a is formed at the upper end of each elastic engagement claw 63 so as to incline downward. The short side wall 46b is provided with a collar portion 64 that protrudes in a bowl shape so as to be located at the upper part at both ends in the longitudinal direction in FIG. 65 is provided. Each convex portion 65 is provided at a position facing the elastic pressing portion 61.

  Here, how to attach the PTC heater 45 to the heater housing member 46 will be described. First, the PTC heater 45 is held in the hand and positioned above the heater housing member 46, and the PTC heater 45 has a tip 45 a (an end opposite to the connection terminals 53, 54) connected to the connection terminal 53. The tip portion 45a is made to enter under the flange portion 64 of the heater housing member 46 in a state where the tip portion 45a is tilted so as to be lower than the .54 side. Then, the connecting terminal 53, 54 side of the PTC heater 45 is rotated downward with the collar portion 64 as a fulcrum. Along with this, each elastic engagement claw 63 is pushed from above by the PTC heater 45 to be elastically deformed once and returns to its original state as the PTC heater 45 passes. Further, as the PTC heater 46 is rotated downward, the end portions 45b on the connection terminals 53 and 54 side of the PTC heater 45 are accommodated in the heater accommodating member 46 while elastically deforming the elastic pressing portions 61. It becomes a state. At this time, the folded-back portions 61b of the respective elastic pressing portions 61 are curved in an arc shape, and therefore do not interfere with the mounting operation of the PTC heater 45. Further, the connection terminals 53 and 54 of the PTC heater 45 are accommodated in the corresponding connection terminal accommodation portions 59, and the common connection terminal 55 is accommodated in the common connection terminal accommodation portion 60 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

  In a state where the PTC heater 45 is housed in the heater housing member 46, the lower part in the thickness direction of the PTC heater 45 is received by each receiving part 62, and the upper part is received by each collar part 64 and each elastic engagement claw 63. To prevent it from coming off. Further, in the longitudinal direction of the PTC heater 45, the PTC heater 45 is held in a state of being pressed into the inner surface side of the short side wall 46b by the elastic force of each elastic pressing portion 61. At this time, the distal end portion 61a of each elastic pressing portion 61 presses the PTC heater 45 at a portion avoiding the electrodes 50 and 51 of the PTC heater 45, and ends of the PTC heater 45 on the connection terminals 53 and 54 side. A gap 67 (see FIGS. 8A and 8C) is formed between 45b and the inner surface of the terminal arrangement portion 58. Further, on the tip portion 45a side of the PTC heater 45, the convex portion 65 of the short side wall 46b is in contact with the PTC heater 45 at a portion avoiding the electrodes 50 and 51 of the PTC heater 45 (FIG. 8 ( c)), a gap 68 (see FIGS. 8A and 8C) is also formed between the tip 45a of the PTC heater 45 and the inner surface of the short side wall 46b.

  In the heater accommodating member 46, attachment portions 69 are integrally provided on the outer surface side of the short side wall 46 b and the outer surface side of the terminal arrangement portion 58. Each attachment portion 69 has a screw insertion hole 69a. Thus, the heater unit 38 in which the PTC heater 45 is accommodated in the heater accommodating member 46 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 69a of the mounting portion 69 in a state where the heater unit 38 is accommodated in the heater arrangement portion 32 of the casing main body 30a of the casing 30. Each screw 70 (see FIG. 4) is fixedly attached to the heater placement portion 32 by screwing it into the boss portion of the casing main body portion 30a.

  In the washing and drying machine of the present embodiment, although not shown, an operation panel is provided on the top cover 21 and a control device is provided mainly on a microcomputer at a predetermined portion. The control device includes an input from the operation unit of the operation panel, inputs from various sensors, and a control program prepared in advance, the drive device 12, the drain valve 14, the fan motor 34 of the hot air supply device 23, the PTC heater 45, A function of controlling the water supply valve 24, the damper motor 44, and the like is provided.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In the washing and drying machine of the present embodiment, the control device executes the washing, dehydrating and drying processes in order automatically or arbitrarily in accordance with operations from the operation unit of the operation panel. Among them, in the washing process, tap water is supplied into the water tank 3 by opening the water supply valve 24, and the stirring body 11 is alternately rotated at low speeds in both forward and reverse directions by the drive device 12, so that The stored laundry (clothing) is stirred together with the washing water and washed. In the dehydration process, after the water in the water tank 3 is discharged out of the apparatus by opening the drain valve 14, the rotating tank 7 is rotated in one direction at a high speed together with the stirring body 11 by the driving device 12. The laundry inside is centrifugally dehydrated.

  And in a drying process, the stirring body 11 or the rotary tank 7 is intermittently rotated at low speed by the drive device 12, or they are stopped, and in this case, a heating process, a dehumidification process, and a cooling process are performed in order. In the heating process, the fan motor 34 is rotated by the fan motor 34 and the PTC heater 45 is energized to generate heat while the damper 42 of the exhaust port 41 is in a closed state (see the solid line position in FIGS. 1 and 5). . Thereby, the air in the water tank 3 functioning as a drying chamber is sucked into the fan casing portion 31 through the outlet connection port 19, the intake duct 36, and the filter device 35 by the blowing action of the fan 33 (FIG. 1). See arrow). The air sucked into the fan casing portion 31 is discharged to the heater unit 38 side. The air discharged to the heater unit 38 side is heated and warmed in the process of passing through the gaps between the fins 52 of the PTC heater 45. The warm air is returned to the water tank 3 through the discharge port 39, the supply duct 40, and the inlet connection port 20. By repeating this, the air in the water tub 3 is circulated while being heated, and the laundry in the rotating tub 7 is also heated with warm air. Along with this, the laundry is gradually deprived of moisture by contacting with warm air.

  After this heating process is performed for a predetermined time, a dehumidifying process is performed. In the dehumidifying process, first, the damper motor 44 opens the damper 42 (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 5), the fan 33 continues to be driven, and the PTC heater 45 continues to be energized. Among them, the exhaust port 41 is opened by opening the damper 42. Thereby, a part of the air containing moisture taken from the laundry is discharged from the exhaust port 41 to the outside of the machine. At this time, air outside the casing 30 is sucked into the fan casing portion 31 from an inlet (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the filter device 35. After opening the damper 42 for a predetermined time, the damper 42 is closed again, and reheating with warm air is performed. In the dehumidifying process, the exhaust with the damper 42 opened and the reheating with the damper 42 closed are alternately repeated a plurality of times. As a result, the laundry is gradually dried.

  After this dehumidifying process is performed for a predetermined time, a cooling process is performed. In the cooling stroke, the damper 42 is opened again, the fan 33 is continuously driven, and the PTC heater 45 is turned off to stop heat generation. Thereby, the circulation of the air in the water tank 3 is continued while discharging a part of the circulating air from the exhaust port 41, and the laundry after drying is cooled. After this cooling process is performed for a predetermined time, the drying process is completed.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
In the heater unit 38 incorporated in the casing 30 of the hot air supply device 23, the PTC heater 45 is accommodated and attached to the heater accommodating member 46, and is configured to be held using the elasticity of the elastic pressing portion 61. According to this, the assemblability when the PTC heater 45 is assembled to the heater housing member 46 can be improved, and there is no backlash between them in the assembled state, and the PTC heater 45 is always held at a predetermined position. be able to. For this reason, the performance of the PTC heater 45 can be stabilized. Further, there is an advantage that the PTC heater 45 can be prevented from being damaged even if the fan 33 or the like vibrates. Further, the PTC heater 45 has a situation in which the aluminum fins 52 are deformed due to thermal expansion due to heat generation, and the dimension increases in the longitudinal direction. However, due to the elastic deformation of the elastic retainer 61, the PTC heater 45 There is also an advantage that dimensional changes can be absorbed.

  The elastic pressing portion 61 is configured to be provided integrally with the heater housing member 46. According to this, compared with the case where the elastic pressing part 61 is comprised separately from the heater accommodating member 46, while being able to suppress the increase in a number of parts, the increase in an assembly man-hour can also be suppressed. In the heater housing member 46, the elastic retainer 61 is provided on the connection terminals 53 and 54 side of the PTC heater 45, so that the assembling property of the PTC heater 45 to the heater housing member 46 can be further improved.

  The elastic pressing portion 45 includes a plurality of folded portions 61b that can be elastically deformed. Thereby, the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic pressing part 45 can be ensured satisfactorily. In particular, since the material constituting the heater housing member 46 is required to have heat resistance and electrical insulation, it is usually made of a synthetic resin containing glass and has a problem of poor flexibility. For this reason, it is difficult to secure a large amount of elastic deformation in one place with such a material, but it is possible to ensure a large amount of elastic deformation by providing a plurality of folded portions 61b that can be elastically deformed as described above. It becomes possible. Since each folded portion 61b is curved in an arc shape, there is an advantage that the folded portion 61b can be prevented as much as possible when the PTC heater 45 is assembled to the heater housing member 46.

  Since the distal end portion 61a of the elastic pressing portion 61 presses the PTC heater 45 at a portion avoiding the electrodes 50 and 51 of the PTC heater 45, the distal end portion of the adjacent electrodes 50 and 51 with the elastic pressing portion 61 is pressed. It is possible to prevent contact between the two.

  Incidentally, the electrodes 50 and 51 are usually protected by an insulating material having high tracking resistance, such as silicon. However, in assembling the PTC heater 45, the tip portions of the electrodes 50 and 51 are sharp and easily exposed even if they are protected by an insulating material. For this reason, when the flat surface of the elastic pressing portion 61 is in contact with both ends of the adjacent electrodes 50 and 51, tracking may occur between the electrodes 50 and 51 via the elastic pressing portion 61. There is. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, such tracking can be prevented from occurring. In addition, in this case, since a gap 67 is formed between the end portion 45b of the PTC heater 45 and the inner end portion 58a of the terminal arrangement portion 58, it is further possible that tracking occurs between the electrodes 50 and 51 described above. Can be prevented.

  On the inner surface of the short side wall 46b, which is the surface facing the elastic pressing portion 61 in the heater housing member 46, there is a convex portion 65 with which the PTC heater 45 abuts. The convex portion 65 is a PTC heater. It is in contact with the PTC heater 45 at a position avoiding the 45 electrodes 50 and 51. A gap 68 is formed between the tip 45a of the PTC heater 45 and the inner surface of the short side wall 46b. According to this, it can prevent that the front-end | tip part of the electrodes 50 and 51 by the side of the front-end | tip part 45a of the PTC heater 45 contact | abuts to the inner surface of the short side wall 46b. Incidentally, when there is no convex portion 65 on the short side wall 46b, the tips of the electrodes 50 and 51 on the tip 45a side of the PTC heater 45 are in direct contact with the inner surface of the short side wall 46b. With such a configuration, tracking may occur between the electrodes 50 and 51 via the short side wall 46b. According to this embodiment, it can be prevented reliably.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the heater unit 38 is applied to the warm air supply device 23 of the washing / drying machine is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heater unit 38 can be applied to a warm air supply device of a clothes dryer having no washing function. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to hot air supply devices and heating devices other than clothes dryers.

  The elastic pressing portion 61 is formed in a meandering shape having a plurality of curved folded portions 61b, but is not limited to this, and may be formed in a zigzag shape having a plurality of V-shaped folded portions, for example. It is good also as the shape where one possible piece protruded diagonally. The elastic pressing portion may be configured by a spring that is a separate member from the heater housing member 46.

  As described above, according to the heater unit of the present embodiment, the PTC heater is accommodated and attached to the heater accommodating portion, and is configured to be held using the elasticity of the elastic pressing portion. According to this, the assembling property when the PTC heater is assembled to the heater accommodating portion can be improved, and there is no backlash between them in the assembled state, and the PTC heater can always be held at a predetermined position. . For this reason, the performance of the PTC heater can be stabilized.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 3 is a water tank (drying chamber), 23 is a hot air supply device, 30 is a casing, 33 is a fan, 38 is a heater unit, 45 is a PTC heater, 46 is a heater accommodating member (heater accommodating portion), 50, 51 Is an electrode, 53 and 54 are connection terminals, 55 is a common connection terminal, 61 is an elastic pressing portion, 61b is a folded portion, and 65 is a convex portion.

Claims (5)

A PTC heater;
A heater accommodating portion for accommodating the PTC heater;
An elastic retainer that is elastically deformable and uses the elasticity to retain the PTC heater in the heater accommodating portion; and
The PTC heater has a connection terminal at one end,
The heater unit according to claim 1, wherein the elastic pressing portion is present only on the connection terminal side of the PTC heater accommodated in the heater accommodating portion in the heater accommodating portion. A PTC heater;
A heater accommodating portion for accommodating the PTC heater;
An elastic retainer that is elastically deformable and uses the elasticity to retain the PTC heater in the heater accommodating portion; and
The PTC heater has electrodes and fins, has a connection terminal at one end,
The heater unit, wherein the elastic pressing part presses the fin of the PTC heater, which is a part avoiding the electrode, from the connection terminal side. A PTC heater;
A heater accommodating portion for accommodating the PTC heater;
An elastic retainer that is elastically deformable and uses the elasticity to retain the PTC heater in the heater accommodating portion; and
The PTC heater has an electrode and a fin,
A heater unit characterized in that a convex portion that abuts on the fin of the PTC heater, which is a part avoiding the electrode, is provided on a surface of the heater housing portion facing the elastic pressing portion. The heater unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic pressing portion is provided integrally with the heater accommodating portion. A drying room for housing clothing;
A hot air supply device comprising the heater unit and the fan according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and supplying hot air heated by the PTC heater of the heater unit to the drying chamber. A clothes dryer characterized by that.

Images