JP6663778B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to hot air control for vertical and drum-type washing and drying machines.

  When washing clothes after washing, the coldness of the clothes is unpleasant, especially in winter. In addition, compared to summer, thick clothing has been added, and areas where fabrics such as collars and sleeves are doubled and the crotch of pants are not dry well.

  Regardless of the season, when drying clothes after washing, many people take measures such as shaking the clothes several times to extend the wrinkles and then putting them on hangers in order to reduce wrinkles of the clothes as much as possible. Some clothes require ironing after drying, and if the clothes have many wrinkles, ironing time will increase, and ironing while pressing the clothes with a large force will require time and labor.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-49644), an outer tub and an inner tub rotatably supported inside the outer tub are provided. Washing operation performed in the state of being put together, drainage operation of draining the washing liquid from the inner tub and the outer tub after the completion of the washing operation, rinsing operation of washing the laundry after the drainage operation, and inner tub after the rinsing operation During a spin-drying operation in which the washing machine is rotated to spin off the water content of the laundry by centrifugal force, and a washing-drying machine (washing-drying machine) that can dry the clothes in the tub by blowing warm air with a blower fan and a heater. There is a washer / dryer that turns on a blower fan and a heater and applies warm air to the clothes to warm the clothes.

  Also, as in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-311074), there is a dryer with a loosening function that loosens clothes attached to the wall of the inner tub after dehydration operation, reduces wrinkles of clothes, and makes it easy to take out. is there. In a washing and drying machine equipped with such a loosening function, warm air can be put into the bath to warm clothes not only during the dewatering operation but also during the loosening operation.

JP 2004-49644 A JP 2003-311074 A

  The results of the actual measurement of the temperature of the garment in the case where hot air is blown during dehydration (case A) and the case where hot air is blown in loosening (case B) will be described. FIG. 3 is an outline of a washing process of the case A and the case B. In case A, washing, rinsing, and dehydration are performed in this order. During the dehydration, warm air is applied to the clothes for 4 minutes, and finally, a loosening operation is performed. In case B, washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and loosening are performed in this order, and the clothes are exposed to warm air for three minutes during the loosening. The amount of cloth tested was 2.0 kg (mixed garments of cotton and synthetic fiber) and the water temperature was 20 ± 2 ° C. The temperature of the clothes was measured by attaching a small temperature logger for temperature measurement (resolution 0.5 ° C.) to nine of the 2.0 kg clothes.

  FIG. 4 shows the measurement results. In case A, the maximum temperature of the nine pieces of clothing was 20.0 to 28.0 ° C (temperature unevenness of 8.0 ° C), and the average maximum temperature was 24.5 ° C (average temperature rise of 6.0 ° C). In case B, the maximum temperature was 22.5 to 30.5 ° C (temperature unevenness of 8.0 ° C), and the average maximum temperature was 27.6 ° C (average temperature rise of 8.6 ° C).

  When hot air is blown during the dehydration of case A, since the clothes are attached to the side wall of the inner tank in a cylindrical shape by centrifugal force, the surface of the clothes on the center side (inside of the cylinder) of the inner tank is Warm air hits, but does not hit the clothing on the side wall side (outside of the cylinder) of the inner tank. For this reason, the temperature of only the clothing on the center side rises and temperature unevenness easily occurs, and the temperature of the outer clothing hardly increases, so that the temperature rise of the entire clothing is small. Further, the water discharged by the dehydration is also heated, so that the heating efficiency of the clothes is poor. In the method of blowing hot air into the loosening of the case B, the clothes whose moisture content is reduced after dewatering are loosened, so that the hot air can easily hit various places compared to the case A. For this reason, the rising value of the average temperature of the clothes increases. However, since the loosening operation mainly focuses on peeling off the clothes stuck to the inner tank, the clothes are not sufficiently replaced, and the temperature unevenness is large.

  Regarding the wrinkles of the clothes after the washing operation, in case A, the clothes during dehydration are pressed against the side wall of the inner tub by centrifugal force, and the twists and entanglements of the clothes generated during the washing are crushed. Many irregular wrinkles (dehydration wrinkles) have occurred. When warm air hits the clothes in this state, the temperature of the dewatering wrinkles of the inner clothes becomes high, and the dewatering wrinkles often become tighter than when no warm air is applied.

  On the other hand, in case B, although the improvement is better than in case A, the change of clothes is not sufficient, and the temperature of the clothes rises with dewatered wrinkles remaining. .

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to warm clothes after washing while suppressing unevenness, and to reduce dewatering wrinkles of the clothes.

The present invention provides, as an example thereof, a housing, an outer tub that is supported in a vibration-proof manner in the housing, and stores washing water therein, and a laundry that is rotatably supported in the outer tub and stores laundry. A washing and dewatering tub, a driving device for rotating the washing and dewatering tub, and a drying unit for blowing hot air into the washing and dewatering tub, and controls execution of each of the washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and drying steps. a control unit for a washing course, dry course, the selectively Configuration options washer dryer washing-drying course, the control means, if the washing course is selected, after the last dewatering step, the Perform a loosening step of driving the driving device to remove the laundry stuck to the washing and dewatering tub and reduce the entanglement of the laundry, and after the loosening step, while driving the driving device to stir the laundry, Warm air stirrer for operating the drying means Be one that the execution, and in the loosening step and the hot air stirring step, as the state of the fixed or rotating freely the washing and dewatering tank, and transmit the rotational driving force to the rotor blade, on timed said rotor blades The time of the hot air stirring step is longer than that of the loosening step .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, clothing can be taken out in the state warmed evenly after washing. In addition, by warming the clothes, dehydration wrinkles of the clothes can be reduced and stiffness can be suppressed, and ironing of clothes that need to be ironed after drying becomes easier. In addition, it is possible to dry the hard-to-dry parts quickly due to the double dough.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the washing machine (washing dryer) concerning this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side sectional view showing a part of a housing and an outer tub cut away to show an internal structure of the washing machine (washing and drying machine) shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a process diagram of a washing course of a conventional washing machine (washing and drying machine). This is the clothing temperature when a conventional washing machine (washing and drying machine) is operated with warm air. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system of the washing machine (washing and drying machine) shown in FIG. 2. 6 is a flowchart of a control process executed by a microcomputer in the controller of the control system shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the tendency of cloth entanglement, temperature and dehydration degree unevenness, and finish according to the time period (strength and length of stirring) of hot air stirring in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. 7 is an example of the time of final dehydration, loosening, and hot air stirring in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. It is clothing temperature in the case of driving according to the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram of a drum rotation speed control pattern at the time of final dehydration in the case of the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments 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 description, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, without redundant description.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a washing machine (washing / drying machine) according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a right sectional view of a part of a housing and an outer tub cut away to show an internal structure. It is.

  The washing and drying machine 1 is a vertical washing and drying machine in which the rotation axis of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is substantially vertical. An upper cover 2a is provided on an upper portion of the housing 2 of the washer / dryer 1, and an outer lid 3 is provided on the upper cover 2a. The outer lid 3 is opened to the rear side while being bent in a mountain shape, thereby opening the opening 2b, so that clothes (laundry) can be taken in and out of the washing and dewatering tub 8. Also, the washing is performed with the outer lid 3 closed during washing. At least when the washing and spin-drying tub 8 is rotating or the inside is hot at the time of drying, the user should not open the outer lid 3 by mistake. A lock mechanism (not shown) for the outer lid 3 is provided. On the back side of the top cover 2a, a water supply hose connection port 4 from a water tap and a water absorption hose connection port 5 for the remaining hot water of the bath are provided. On the front side of the top cover 2a, a power switch 6 is provided, and on the front side of the outer lid 3, an operation display panel 7 including an operation switch group 7a and a display 7b is provided. The operation display panel 7 is electrically connected to a control device 100 provided at a lower portion of the housing 2.

  The bottomed cylindrical washing and dewatering tub 8 is rotatably supported by the outer tub 9, has a large number of through holes 8 b for water and ventilation on the outer peripheral wall, and is open on the upper side. . The outer tub 9 has a disc-shaped bottom wall 9d and a cylindrical peripheral wall 9e and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The outer tub 9 encloses the washing and dewatering tub 8 coaxially, and has an upper opening. . A tank cover 9b is provided on the upper part of the outer tank 9, and has an opening 2b at substantially the center thereof. An inner lid 9a is provided so as to cover the opening 9f. By opening the outer lid 3 and the inner lid 9a, the user of the washer / dryer 1 can take clothes in and out of the washing and dewatering tub 8 through the openings 2b and 9f.

  The washing and dewatering tub 8 has a rotating blade 8 a on the inner bottom surface. A stirring rib having a convex shape is formed on the upper surface of the rotary blade 8a. In addition, a driving device 10 is provided at the center outside the bottom surface of the outer tub 9. The driving device 10 has a motor 10a and a clutch mechanism 10b, and a rotating shaft 10c of the driving device 10 penetrates the outer tub 9 and is connected to the washing / dewatering tub 8 and the rotating blade 8a. The clutch mechanism 10b transmits the rotational power of the motor 10a to the washing / dewatering tub 8 and the rotating blades 8a in the spin-drying mode, and rotates the rotational power of the motor 10a in the agitation mode with the washing and dewatering tub 8 fixed or free to rotate. The light is transmitted to the wing 8a. The motor 10a includes a rotation sensor 28 including a Hall element or a photo interrupter for detecting the rotation of the motor 10a, and a motor current sensor 29 for detecting a current flowing through the motor 10a.

  The detergent / finishing agent feeding device 11 is provided on the front side of the upper surface cover 2a. Detergent and finishing agent are supplied between the outer tub 9 and the washing and dewatering tub 8 through the charging hose 11a. The water supply unit 12 is provided on the back side of the top cover 2a. The water supply unit 12 includes a water supply box having a plurality of water paths therein, a tank water supply electromagnetic valve connected to each water path, a detergent water supply electromagnetic valve, a finish water supply electromagnetic valve, and a cooling water supply electromagnetic valve, Tap water from the water supply hose connection port 4 is supplied to the washing / dewatering tub 8, the detergent / finishing agent input device 11, and a water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism (not shown) described later. Further, a bath water suction pump (not shown) is connected to the water suction hose connection port 5, so that bath water can be injected into the washing and dewatering tub 8 via the injection hose 11b. Tap water from the tank water supply solenoid valve is supplied into the washing and dewatering tank 8 through the water injection hose 11b. Tap water from the detergent water supply solenoid valve is supplied to the detergent input chamber of the detergent / finishing agent input device 11 through the water supply hose 12i. Tap water from the finishing agent water supply solenoid valve is supplied to the finishing agent charging chamber of the detergent / finishing agent charging device 11 through the water supply hose 12j.

  The depression 9 c provided on the bottom surface of the outer tub 9 is connected to communicate with the lower communication pipe 13. The lower communication pipe 13 is connected via a drain valve 14 so as to communicate with the washing water drainage channel 15. By closing the drain valve 14, washing water and rinsing water can be stored in the outer tub 9. By opening the drain valve 14, the water in the outer tub 9 can be drained to the outside of the washing / drying machine 1 via the washing water drainage channel 15.

  Further, the lower communication pipe 13 is connected to communicate with the washing water circulation channel 18 via a foreign matter removal device 16 and a circulation pump 17 installed at a lower portion of the housing 2. Further, the washing water circulation channel 18 is connected to communicate with a lint removing device 19 provided above the washing and dewatering tub 8. When the circulating pump 17 is driven, the water in the outer tub 9 flows into the foreign matter removing device 16 via the depression 9 c and the lower communication pipe 13 to remove foreign matter, and flows into the suction port of the circulating pump 17. The water discharged from the discharge port of the circulation pump 17 flows into the lint removing device 19 through the washing water circulation channel 18 to remove the lint, and the water (circulating water) from which the lint is removed is removed by the lint removing device. Water is injected from 19 into the washing and dewatering tub 8 so as to be sprayed.

  The drying duct 20 is installed vertically inside the rear surface of the housing 2, and the lower part of the duct is connected to the depression 9 c of the outer tank 9 by a rubber bellows pipe 20 a. A cooling water dehumidification mechanism (not shown) is built in the drying duct 20, and the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water supply electromagnetic valve of the water supply unit 12 to the water cooling dehumidification mechanism. The cooling water flows down the wall surface of the drying duct 20, flows down into the recess 9c, is discharged through the lower communication pipe 13 and the washing water drainage path 15 to the outside of the machine. An outlet of the drying duct 20 is connected to an inlet of a fan 21, and an outlet of the fan 21 is connected to a heater 22. The outlet of the heater 22 is connected to an outlet nozzle 24 via an air duct 23 and a bellows tube 23a made of rubber. As described above, in the drying step, high-temperature and high-humidity air containing water evaporated from the clothes in the outer tub 9 is dehumidified by water cooling in the drying duct 20, sucked from the suction port of the fan 21, and discharged from the discharge port of the fan 21. The blown air can be heated by the heater 22 and blown out from the blowing nozzle 24 into the washing and dewatering tub 8 as high-temperature, low-humidity air.

  The outer tub 9 is provided with a pneumatic chamber 25a, and a water level sensor 25 for detecting the level of the washing water stored in the outer tub 9 is provided above the pneumatic chamber 25a. The air duct 23 includes a temperature sensor 26a that detects the temperature of the air blown into the washing and dewatering tub 8 during the drying operation. The depression 9c of the outer tub 9 is provided with a temperature sensor 26b for detecting the temperature of the washing water and the temperature of the air sucked into the drying duct 20 during the drying operation. A temperature sensor 26c is provided between the lower communication pipe 13 and the drain valve 14 for detecting the temperature of the washing water and the temperature of the air discharged from the washing water drain passage 15 to the outside during the drying operation. An acceleration sensor 27 for detecting a vibration acceleration due to the vibration of the outer tub 9 is provided on an upper side surface of the outer tub 9.

  The operation switch group 7a of the operation panel 7 includes a course setting switch for setting the type of operation (washing / drying) to be performed, and a mode setting switch for setting a washing and drying execution method according to the laundry. The course setting switch is provided with an operation switch for selectively setting a washing course, a drying course, and a washing / drying course. The mode switch is for selectively setting a standard mode, a handmade mode, a snoring mode, and the like. Is provided. Further, an operation switch for setting the amount and time of washing, the number of times of rinsing, and the dehydration time, and an operation switch for setting a special operation mode such as hot water washing and hot air loosening are provided. Further, a start switch operated at the start of the operation to be executed is provided.

  The display 7b of the operation panel 7 displays the content set by the operation switch group, and includes a display for displaying a course to be executed, a mode, a water amount, a time, a number of times, a remaining time of a washing course, and the like.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control device 100 of the washing and drying machine of the present embodiment. Reference numeral 50 denotes a microcomputer, which is connected to the operation button input circuit 51 connected to each operation switch group 7a, the water level sensor 25, the temperature sensors 26a, 26b, 26c, the acceleration sensor 27, the rotation sensor 28, and the motor current sensor 29 for use. It receives various information signals in the button operation of the user, the washing process, and the drying process. The output from the microcomputer 50 is connected to the drive circuit 54, and connected to the water supply unit 12, the drain valve 14, the circulation pump 17, the motor 10a, the clutch mechanism 10b, the fan 21, the heater 22, and the like. Control energization. In addition, it is connected to a seven-segment light emitting diode or a liquid crystal display 7b, a light emitting diode 52, and a buzzer 53 for notifying the user of the operation state of the washing machine.

  Next, the operation of the washing course of the washing machine (washing and drying machine) according to the present embodiment will be described. The microcomputer 50 is activated when the power switch 6 is pressed, and executes the flow shown in FIG.

Step S501
When the power is turned on, an initialization process of the control processing system is performed, and then an initialization control process of the clutch mechanism 10b is performed. Specifically, the clutch mechanism 10b is controlled so as to be in the driving mode in the stirring mode.

Step S502
The display 7b of the operation panel 7 is turned on, and the washing / drying course is set according to the instruction input from the operation switch group 7a. Here, an example of the operation control when the standard mode of the washing course is selected and the setting switch of the “hot air loosening” operation is pressed. Thereafter, when the start switch is pressed, washing is started.

Step S503
The laundry amount of the laundry is detected. The detection of the amount of cloth is performed based on the rotational load applied to the rotating blade 8a at this time by rotating the rotating blade 8a by energizing the motor 10a for a short time in a dry cloth state before water supply. Based on the detected amount of cloth, the amount of washing water and the amount of detergent for generating washing water having a preferable detergent concentration are calculated and determined, and this amount of detergent is displayed on the display 7b.

Step S504
In the water supply, the detergent water supply solenoid valve of the water supply unit 12 is opened, and the detergent put in the detergent introduction chamber of the detergent / finishing agent introduction device 11 is supplied along with the water along the outer tub 9 via the introduction hose 11a. . Then, after supplying a specified amount of water, the detergent water supply valve is closed, and the circulation pump 17 (or the washing and dewatering tub 8 or the rotary blade 8a) is driven to stir the water and the detergent to dissolve the detergent. Produces a concentrated detergent solution. Then, the in-tank water supply solenoid valve and / or the detergent water supply solenoid valve are opened until the amount of water required for washing is reached, and water is supplied into the outer tub 9 (in the washing and dewatering tub 8).

Step S505
The motor 10a is energized to rotate and drive the rotor 8a to execute washing. At this time, the motor 10a is controlled so that the rotary wing 8a rotates forward and backward. Specifically, right rotation-stop-left rotation-stop is repeated. The rotation time (ON) and the stop time (OFF) at this time are called an ON time period and an OFF time period, respectively, and the time period is set in advance according to the cloth amount and the washing mode. In addition, the number of rotations of the stirring blade 8a is also set in advance according to the amount of cloth and the washing mode. Clothes are agitated by the forward / reverse rotation of the agitating blade 8a, and dirt is removed. The washing is performed for a predetermined time and the washing operation is completed.

Step S506
Perform drainage. The drain valve 14 is opened to drain the washing water in the outer tub 9.

Step S507
High-speed dehydration 1 is performed. The clutch mechanism 10b is set to the dehydration mode, the motor 10a is energized, and the washing and dehydrating tub 8 and the stirring blade 8a are rotated at high speed integrally. Water containing detergent contained in the laundry due to the centrifugal force caused by the high-speed rotation is discharged to the outer tub 9 from the through hole 8b provided in the washing and dewatering tub 8, passes through the washing water drainage channel 15, and the washing machine 1 Drained out of the aircraft. In the high-speed dehydration 1, the rotation speed of the motor 10a is increased stepwise. This means that a large amount of detergent-containing water is discharged from the laundry in the early stage of dehydration, exceeds the drainage speed, and accumulates too much in the outer tub 9. It is to prevent.

  The laundry after the water contained in the laundry is sufficiently dehydrated (the dehydration rate is about 55 to 60%) is in a state of being stuck to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8 and pressed.

Step S508
In the high-speed dehydration 1, the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is stopped at a high speed without being stopped, the speed is reduced to about 35 r / min, the water supply solenoid valve in the tub is opened, and the washing and dehydration in the dehydration and tub 8 is washed. Implement a rotary shower for sprinkling rinse water on objects for a specified time.

  Generally, it is considered that the higher the number of rotations of the washing and dewatering tub 8 in the rotary shower rinsing, the greater the rinsing effect. However, in actual operation, when rotating at a high speed, the sprayed water is repelled by unevenness on the surface of the laundry or is transmitted through only a part of the laundry and is dehydrated, so that the water is dispersed in the laundry. Rinsing water is difficult to penetrate, and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient rinsing effect. Therefore, in order to impregnate the washing water efficiently with the laundry, it is desirable that the rotation speed of the washing and dewatering tub 8 be set to a low rotation speed at which primary resonance does not occur (for example, 35 to 130 r / min). At this rotation speed, even if the laundry is biased in the washing and dewatering tub 8, the washing and dewatering tub 8 does not shake significantly, and the processing for interrupting the dehydration due to excessive vibration is not performed. The rotating shower is executed for a predetermined time, and the shower rinsing operation is terminated.

Step S509
High-speed dehydration 2 is performed. From step S508, the number of rotations is increased without stopping the washing and dewatering tub 8, and the rotation is performed at high speed to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry. When the specified time has elapsed, the energization of the motor 10a is stopped, and the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is stopped.

Step S510
The drain valve 14 is closed and the in-tank water supply solenoid valve is opened to supply the rinsing water necessary for rinsing to the outer tub 9 and the washing and dewatering tub 8.

Step S511
The clutch mechanism 10b is set to the stirring mode, and the motor 10a is energized to rotate the rotary wing 8a in the forward and reverse directions to execute the rinsing for stirring the laundry. At this time, the finishing agent water supply solenoid valve is opened, water is supplied to the detergent / finishing agent input device 11, and the finishing agent that has been charged into the finishing agent chamber of the detergent / finishing agent input device 11 is washed and dehydrated together with the water. Put in 8. Performing the rinsing for the specified time, and ending the rinsing operation.

Step S512
Perform drainage. The drain valve 14 is opened to drain the rinse water in the outer tub 9. In the drainage, in order to stabilize the start-up at the time of dehydration, the process may shift to the final dehydration in step S513 with a certain amount of rinse water remaining.

Step S513
The clutch mechanism 10b is set to the dehydration mode, the motor 10a is energized, and the final dehydration is executed. The washing / dehydrating tub 8 is rotated at a high speed to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry. When the specified time has elapsed, the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is stopped, and the dehydration operation is terminated.

Step S514
Perform the loosening. The laundry after the spin-drying operation is in a state of being pressed against the inner wall surface of the washing and spin-drying tub 8, and when it is finished as it is, it is necessary to loosen the clothes stuck to take out the clothes. In addition, when the clothes are taken out after the elapse of time after being left as it is after dehydration, the clothes are left attached to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8, so that wrinkles become tight. Therefore, it is easy to take out the clothes by loosening after dehydration, and even if the clothes are not taken out immediately and left in the tub, the wrinkles are reduced as compared with the case where the clothes are stuck to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8. effective.

  Here, the loosening operation will be described in detail. The clutch mechanism 10b is set to the stirring mode, and the motor 10a is energized to rotate the rotor 8a forward and backward. After the final dehydration, the laundry pressed against and adhered to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is pulled off from the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8 by being hooked by the stirring ribs of the rotary wing 8a, and the cloth is loosened. Make it easier to remove. At this time, at the beginning of the loosening operation, the rotation speed of the rotary wing 8a is made slower than at the time of stirring for washing and rinsing so that the laundry is securely hooked without slipping or rubbing between the stirring rib and the laundry. It is possible to peel off the laundry while suppressing damage to the cloth. In addition, excessive torque does not act on the drive device 10, and generation of abnormal noise can be prevented.

  At this time, the on-off time, the number of rotations, and the number of times of the forward / reverse operation in the forward / reverse operation of the stirring blade 8a are determined by the amount of laundry, the diameter of the stirring blade 8a, the shape of the stirring rib, and It depends on the shape of the wall. For example, when the amount of laundry is small, the number of rotations is reduced, and the number of forward and reverse operations is reduced. The on-off time is set to, for example, 0.4 to 1.5 seconds, and the off-time is set to 0.4 to 3.0 seconds, depending on the amount of laundry. Further, several patterns of on-off time periods may be combined, and the cloth can be loosened more efficiently.

  The loosening operation is performed for a predetermined time, and the loosening ends.

Step S515
Check whether the hot air loosening operation is set and branch the process. If the hot air loosening operation is set, step S516 is executed, and if not, the washing course is ended.

Step S516
Perform hot air agitation. The clutch mechanism 10b is set to the stirring mode, and the motor 10a is energized to stir the clothes while rotating the rotor 8a in the normal and reverse directions. At the same time, the fan 21 and the heater 22 are energized, and the washing and dewatering tub 8 is discharged from the blowing nozzle 24. Blow warm air to warm the laundry. The warm air warming the laundry returns to the fan 21 through the drying duct 20, is heated again by the heater 22, and circulates so as to be blown into the washing and dewatering tub 8.

  In a normal drying operation, cooling water is supplied in order to prevent dehumidification in the drying duct 20 and deformation of parts due to temperature rise. However, in the hot air stirring operation, it is preferable not to flow cooling water in order to raise the temperature of the circulating air and the inside of the washing and dewatering tub 8 and the laundry in a short time. The hot air stirring operation is basically performed according to a predetermined time schedule set in advance, and the washing course is ended.

  The effect and desirable stirring operation of the warm air stirring step will be described in detail. The purpose of the warm air stirring operation is to warm the clothes evenly in a short time and to suppress dewatering wrinkles and stiffness of the clothes. Therefore, the clothing can be uniformly heated by stirring the clothing after the loosening in step S514 so that the warm air uniformly blows the clothing. In addition, the longer the wrinkles are left in the same folded shape for a longer time, the stronger the wrinkles become. For this reason, in order to reduce wrinkles, the shape should be changed every moment, and stirring should be continued so that the same portion is not broken. The stiffness is improved by rubbing the clothes, but for this purpose, the stirring of the clothes is important. However, in the case of a vertical type washer and dryer, the clothes are agitated by the rotating blades 8a. If the agitation is too strong or the agitation time is too long, the loosened clothes are entangled again, making it difficult to improve wrinkles. .

  FIG. 7 qualitatively illustrates the influence of the intensity of the stirring (the number of rotations of the stirring blade 8a and the ON time) on the time period of the hot air stirring and the influence on the temperature unevenness and the finish of the clothes.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the cloth entanglement tends to increase as the stirring is increased (the rotation speed of the stirring blade 8a: high, the ON time: long). In particular, if the rotation speed of the stirring blade 8a is too high or the ON period is too long, the entanglement increases rapidly.

  FIG. 7B shows the temperature unevenness of the clothes. When the stirring is weak, the cloth is not replaced much. Therefore, the temperature unevenness increases because some clothes are hit by hot air and some are not. As the intensity of the stirring increases, the replacement of clothes increases and the temperature unevenness decreases. However, when the stirring is too strong, the fabric entanglement increases as shown in FIG. The warm air does not hit the part inside, and the temperature unevenness increases.

  FIG. 7C shows the finish. If the stirring is weak, the movement of the clothes is small, and the clothes can easily maintain the shape with the dewatering wrinkles. Also, since there is little change of clothes, lower clothes are crushed by upper clothes and wrinkled. When the intensity of the stirring is increased, the tangling of the cloth gradually increases as shown in FIG. 7 (A), but the effect of increasing the movement of the cloth and increasing the frequency of the shape change of the clothes is larger. Dehydration wrinkles will decrease. However, if the stirring is too strong, the clothes are tightly entangled with each other, so that the clothes are wrinkled and the finish is poor. As described above, if the stirring is weak, the wrinkles originally attached remain without being removed, and if the stirring is too strong, wrinkles due to entanglement increase.

  The intensity of the agitation is determined based on the allowable temperature unevenness of the cloth and the finish of the clothes. For example, assuming that the allowable values of the temperature unevenness and wrinkles are indicated by broken lines in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the appropriate range of the stirring intensity is a shaded range in the drawings. The overlapping range of both ranges may be set as the stirring intensity. In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the stirring blade 8a is set to 100 to 130 r / min, the ON period is set to 5 seconds, and the OFF period is set to 2 seconds. Needless to say, the intensity of stirring needs to be determined according to the shape of the stirring blade 8a and the shape of the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8. When the allowable range of the temperature unevenness and the wrinkle does not overlap, the intensity of the stirring is determined depending on which of the temperature unevenness and the wrinkle (finished) is prioritized.

  The purpose of applying warm air to the clothing while stirring the hot air is mainly to warm the clothing, but also has the following effects. According to the literature (Summary of the 19th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Home Economics, 1967, B-20, Behavior of wrinkles during machine washing, Kyoto Women's University, Masao Kitada), the water temperature during washing and stirring was 25 ° C to 40 ° C. However, the degree of wrinkle removal is large. This is also true for clothing that contains moisture after dehydration. Therefore, by applying warm air to the clothes in the warm air stirring step, wrinkles can be removed more effectively than stirring at room temperature. Further, since the clothes are changed and the cloth moves well, there is also an effect of reducing stiffness by rubbing the clothes.

  Further, it is better to optimize the operation time and operation contents of the final dehydration (Step S513), loosening (Step S514) and hot air stirring (Step S516) according to the cloth amount and the water temperature. For example, the loosening time and the warm air stirring time may be set longer as the cloth amount increases, and the warm air stirring time may be set longer as the water temperature and room temperature are lower.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the final dehydration step, the unraveling step, and the hot air stirring step in the setting of the load time and the water temperature when hot air with a flow rate of about 1 m ³ / min is blown using a 1000 W heater with hot air stirring. This is an example.

  FIG. 8A is an example of the final dewatering time, loosening time, and hot air stirring time depending on the amount of cloth. The larger the amount of cloth, the longer the dehydration time, loosening time, and warm air stirring time. By doing so, the dehydration rate, looseness, and temperature rise of the clothing can be suppressed to a certain range. In this example, the temperature rise value of the clothes can be set to about 8 to 10 ° C. regardless of the amount of the cloth.

  FIG. 8B is an example of a final dehydration time, a loosening time, and a warm air stirring time depending on the water temperature. The lower the water temperature, the higher the surface tension and viscosity coefficient of the water, so that the dehydration rate decreases. Therefore, the final dehydration time is set longer as the water temperature is lower, and the degree of dehydration of the clothes is made substantially the same regardless of the water temperature. And the lower the water temperature, the longer the warm air stirring time. By doing so, the temperature rise value of the clothing can be set to about 8 to 10 ° C. regardless of the water temperature.

  FIG. 8 (C) is an example of the final dehydration conditions, loosening time, and hot air stirring time based on the cloth amount and the water temperature. In order to make the dehydration rate substantially the same regardless of the amount of cloth and the water temperature, the final dehydration time and the final dehydration rotation speed are increased as the amount of cloth increases and the water temperature decreases.

  In the above description, the time for final dehydration and hot air agitation is controlled based on the water temperature at the time of washing detected by the temperature sensor 26b. However, the time may be controlled according to the room temperature of the room where the washing and drying machine is installed.

  FIG. 9 shows the same experimental conditions as in FIG. 4 (cloth 2.0 kg (mixed cotton and synthetic fiber mixed real clothing), water temperature 20 ± 2 ° C.), and the temperature of the clothing when the hot air agitation of this embodiment was performed. is there. The maximum temperature of the nine clothes was 26.0 to 29.0 ° C (temperature unevenness of 3.0 ° C), and the average maximum temperature was 27.8 ° C (average temperature rise of 9.8 ° C). Compared with the conventional case where hot air is blown during dehydration (case A) or loosening (case B), the temperature unevenness is significantly reduced and the temperature rise is also high. Also, the wrinkles of the clothing were reduced to the extent that they could be visually recognized, and the stiffness was the softest to the touch. Thus, the effect of executing the hot air stirring operation after the loosening operation of the present invention was confirmed.

  Next, the effect of executing the warm air stirring step after the completion of the loosening step will be described. Even in the loosening step, the clothes are agitated, and even if the clothes are exposed to warm air during the loosening step, the same effects as described above are likely to be obtained. However, in the unraveling step, the clothes adhered in a cylindrical shape to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8 are peeled off in the final dehydration, and then the clothes are dispersed almost uniformly in the washing and dewatering tub 8. For this reason, since the optimal on-off time of the stirring blade 8a is set, it is not the optimal time for changing clothes or moving cloth. Therefore, even if the clothes are blown with warm air in the loosening step, the temperature of the clothes located in the upper part of the washing and dewatering tub 8 increases, but the temperature of the clothes located in the lower part does not rise so much, causing temperature unevenness. In addition, the cloth movement is insufficient, so that the wrinkles cannot be sufficiently reduced, and the warm air is blown only to the clothes on the upper part, so that the wrinkles may be fixed. Therefore, in the loosening process, the clothes are sufficiently loosened, and in the subsequent hot air stirring process, the clothes are replaced and the cloth is operated in an on-off time period in which the cloth moves well. The reduction effect can be increased.

  In a normal drying operation using the heater 22 and the fan 21, the end of the drying is detected so that the clothes, the inner lid 9a, and the washing and dewatering tub 8 are at a high temperature at the end of the drying, so that the clothes are not burned when the clothes are taken out. Thereafter, a blowing operation for cooling is performed, and during this time, the outer lid 3 is not opened by the lid lock mechanism. On the other hand, the warm air stirring operation is a short time (3 to 7 minutes in the present embodiment), and the clothing temperature is around 30 ° C., so that the lock mechanism of the outer lid 3 is released at the same time as the operation is completed, and To be able to take out clothing. Also, when the temporary stop switch is pressed during the hot air stirring operation, the lock mechanism of the outer lid 3 is also immediately released similarly so that the clothes can be taken out. This is to make it possible to take out the heated clothing without cooling it. Furthermore, when the warm air agitation is completed, wrinkles are reduced, and if the warm clothing is left as it is, wrinkles increase again or stiffness increases, preventing the effect of the warm air agitation from being reduced. That's why.

  As described above, the washing and dehydrating tub 8 has been described as the washing machine according to the present embodiment using the vertical washing and drying machine in which the rotation axis of the washing and dewatering tub 8 is substantially vertical, but is not limited thereto. The rotation axis of the water tank 8) may be a drum-type washing / drying machine having a substantially horizontal direction.

  In the case of the drum type, there is a concern that clothes adhere to the drum wall surface during dehydration. This is because in the vertical type, the clothes can be peeled off by fixing the washing and dewatering tub and rotating the rotor, but in the drum type, the means for peeling the clothes is only gravity. Attachment of clothing during dehydration is due to centrifugal force during dehydration. If the rotation speed of the drum is increased from the wet state of the clothes after rinsing and draining to the dehydration rotation at a stretch, the centrifugal force acts on the heavy clothes containing water, and the sticking condition of the clothes becomes strong. Becomes very difficult.

  During normal spin-drying, as shown in FIG. 10A, the rotation speed of the drum is increased to a specified rotation speed. In this case, the loosening operation after dehydration becomes very difficult for the above-mentioned reason. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), the number of rotations of the drum is gradually increased to several times a, b, and c, during which the rotation of the drum is temporarily stopped, and the drum is rotated at a low speed for a short period. The clothing is peeled off from the drum by the weight of the clothing itself by reversing right and left, thereby performing a clothing peeling operation. In this way, by shifting to a step with a high rotation speed in a state where the water content of the clothing is reduced, the degree of sticking of the clothing due to centrifugal force can be reduced, and the clothing can be easily peeled off after the completion of dehydration.

  After the final spin-drying, the loosening operation and the warm air stirring operation are performed in the same manner as in the vertical washing and drying machine. The loosening operation is performed by rotating the drum right and left for a short period of time in the same manner as the clothing peeling operation. It is preferable that the time of the loosening operation be longer as the amount of cloth is smaller. This is because the gravitational force is used to peel off the clothes from the drum as described above, so that the larger the amount of clothes, the more easily the clothes are peeled off. After loosening, hot air stirring is performed. With a slightly longer cycle, the drums are rotated left and right to rotate and warm with warm air while changing clothes. It is a matter of course that the hot air stirring time is set according to the water temperature and the cloth amount. By doing so, as in the case of the vertical type, the effects of warming the clothes, reducing dewatering wrinkles, and reducing stiffness can be obtained.

  Also, as a pressure type that rotates the fan at high speed, the area of the hot air outlet is narrowed and the wind speed of the hot air blown is increased, so that the wrinkles of clothes can be stretched by the wind pressure of the wind, further dehydrating wrinkles Can be reduced.

  The operation at the time of final dehydration shown in FIG. 10B may be performed by a vertical washing and drying machine. In the case where the loosening operation is performed by the vertical washing / drying machine, the load acting on the stirring blade 8a is increased by removing the clothes stuck to the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8 by rotating the stirring blade 8a as the amount of cloth increases. The torque becomes larger than the load torque acting on the stirring blade 8a during normal washing and drying. When the capacity of the driving device 10 is adjusted to the load torque at the time of loosening, the cost of the washing and drying machine is increased. Therefore, when the cloth amount is large (for example, when the washing capacity is 10 kg, the cloth amount is 6 kg or more), the rotation is temporarily stopped at a stage where the spinning speed is low, and the loosening operation similar to step S514 is executed. In this case, it is not necessary to loosen the clothes until the clothes are uniformly arranged in the washing and dewatering tub 8, but it is sufficient to loosen the clothes to such an extent that the clothes are peeled off from the inner wall surface of the washing and dewatering tub 8. By doing so, the movement of the clothes in the washing and dewatering tub 8 is small, and when the dewatering rotation speed is increased again, imbalance is less likely to occur, and vibration and noise during dehydration can be prevented from increasing. What is necessary is just to set the frequency | count of the loosening operation | movement in a dehydration process according to the permissible torque of the drive device 10 of a washing and drying machine. By doing so, even in the vertical washing and drying machine, the clothes can be surely loosened regardless of the amount of cloth, and the cost of the drive device 10 can be prevented from increasing.

  In addition to the operation of adding the hot air agitation to the end of the washing course as the “warm air loosening” operation, a “warm air loosening” course may be provided so that the warm air agitation can be operated alone. This is because, after the dehydrated clothes are put into the washing and dewatering tub 8, the "hot air loosening" switch is selected and the start switch is pressed, so that the warm air stirring (step S516) of FIG. 6 is performed for a short time. It is to be. After the normal washing course is over and the clothes are dried, if there is any clothes for which dehydration wrinkles are to be reduced, the clothes are put in and the warm air is stirred. Hot air agitation can be performed with a small amount of clothing, reducing the probability of entanglement with other laundry items, achieving a finish with less wrinkles, and saving time and labor for ironing after drying in a room or outside. it can. In addition, although the above-mentioned warm air loosening operation is selected and the washing is completed, the cloth is thick, so that it can be used when it is desired to warm with a little more warm air. In addition, since the state of the clothes to be inserted cannot be detected, the loosening operation in step S514 may be performed before the hot air stirring.

  The heater type has been described as an example of the heat source for drying, but a heat pump type may be used. In the heat pump type, heating (condenser) and dehumidification (radiator) can be performed simultaneously, so that a water-cooled dehumidification mechanism is unnecessary. The heat pump type requires a longer time to complete a heat pump cycle than the heater type, and the temperature rise of the hot air is slower. Therefore, it is preferable to start the operation of the compressor of the heat pump and increase the temperature of the condenser without rotating the fan during the final dewatering or loosening step before the hot air stirring step. By doing so, it is possible to blow warm air to the clothes in the washing and dewatering tub from the start of the warm air stirring step.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing and drying machine 2 Housing 3 Outer lid 4 Water supply hose connection port 5 Water absorption hose connection port 7 Operation display panel 8 Washing and dewatering tub 8a Rotating wing 8b Through hole 9 Outer tub 9a Inner lid 9b Tank cover 9c Drop section 9d Bottom wall Part 9e Peripheral wall (peripheral wall)
10 Driving device (driving means)
10a Motor 10b Clutch mechanism 10c Rotary shaft 11 Detergent / finishing agent charging device 12 Water supply unit 13 Lower communication pipe 14 Drain valve 15 Washing water drainage channel 17 Circulation pump 20 Drying duct 22 Heater 25 Water level sensors 26a, 26b, 26c Temperature sensor (temperature Detection means)
27 acceleration sensor 28 rotation sensor 29 motor current sensor 100 control device (operation control means)

Claims (3)

A housing,
An outer tub that is supported in a vibration-proof manner in the housing and stores the washing water therein,
A washing and dewatering tub rotatably supported in the outer tub and containing laundry;
A drive device for rotationally driving the washing and dewatering tub,
Drying means for blowing hot air into the washing and dewatering tub,
Washing, rinsing, dehydration, and control means for controlling the execution of each step of drying, washing course, dry course, the washing and drying machine that can selectively set the washing and drying course,
The control means, when the washing course is selected , after the last spin-drying step, a loosening step of driving the driving device to peel off the laundry stuck to the washing and dewatering tub to reduce the entanglement of the laundry. Performing, after the unraveling step, a hot air stirring step of operating the drying means while driving the drive device and stirring the laundry ,
In the unraveling step and the warm air stirring step, the washing and dewatering tub is fixed or freely rotatable to transmit a rotational driving force to a rotating blade,
The washing / drying machine is characterized in that the ON period of the rotor is longer in the hot air stirring process than in the loosening process . Having a cloth amount detecting means for detecting the amount of laundry,
The control unit controls the last spin-drying step, the unraveling step, the time of the hot-air stirring step, and the number of rotations of the driving device in accordance with the amount of laundry detected by the cloth amount detection unit. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein: Water temperature detection means for detecting the water temperature in the outer tub, or room temperature detection means at the washing and drying machine installation location,
The control means is the last dehydration step, the unraveling step, the time of the hot air stirring step and the rotation speed of the driving device to the water temperature detected by the water temperature detection means at the time of washing, or the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing and drying machine is controlled according to the condition.

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