JP6698420B2 - Drum type washing machine and washer-dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine for washing clothes and the like, and more particularly to a drum type washing machine and a washer/dryer including a drum which is substantially horizontal or is inclined with its front side facing upward.

  The drum type washing machine is one in which clothes are put into a drum whose rotating shaft is substantially horizontal or inclined with its front side facing upward to perform a washing step, a rinsing step and a dehydrating step. In addition to the above, a drying step is further provided. In the washing step and the rinsing step, the drum is rotated at a low speed to lift the clothes accumulated under the drum and drop the drum from above the tumbling operation. By this tumbling operation, mechanical force is applied to clothes to wash and rinse them. In particular, the washing accompanied with this operation is called tap wash. During the dehydration process, the drum is rotated at a high speed, and centrifugal dehydration is performed by pushing the moisture out of the clothes by the centrifugal force of the rotation.

  In addition, in the washing process, a circulation pump is provided to enhance the washing effect, and the washing water in the washing tub (outer tub) is pumped up and applied to the clothes, so that the washing water in which the detergent is dissolved permeates the clothes evenly. In this way, the drum type washing machine can ensure the washing performance with a small amount of water by the tumbling operation and the circulation of the washing water by the circulation pump, so that it is possible to save water as compared with the vertical washing machine. ..

  As one of the methods for further enhancing the cleaning power, the cleaning temperature is raised. That is, the washing power can be enhanced by increasing the temperature of the laundry and the washing water to enhance the action of the detergent enzyme and to promote the diffusion of the surfactant and the like in the washing water. For washing in a state where the drum is fully filled with washing water and the washing water is always pooled at the bottom of the outer tub, the heating means provided at the bottom of the outer tub is used to warm the washing water at the bottom of the outer tub. There is a method of warming the entire circulation system including the outer tub by pumping up with a circulation pump and hanging it over the laundry from above the drum.

  On the other hand, like washing that effectively removes sebum stains, a high-concentration detergent solution with a small amount of water is sprayed on and penetrated into clothes to perform a tumbling operation. In operation, the amount of remaining wash water at the bottom of the drum and the bottom of the outer tub after the wash water has penetrated into the clothes becomes smaller, so it is difficult to immerse the heating source in the bottom of the outer tub, which prevents overheating. Also from the viewpoint, it is preferable that the washing water in contact with the heating source is forcibly convected to efficiently heat the washing water.

  As a heating means for raising the cleaning temperature with less power consumption, there is a method of using a heat pump. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242242 discloses "a fan that circulates the air in the water receiving tank in one direction with the internal space of the water receiving tank as a start point and an end point, and a compressor and a condenser through which a refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor has an evaporator flowing through a condenser, a heat pump for heating the circulating air generated by the blower, and for injecting tap water into the water receiving tank. There is a water pipe that directly or indirectly contacts the condenser, a first water injection state in which tap water is injected into the water receiving tank without passing through the water pipe, and tap water is supplied into the water receiving tank. Based on a valve mechanism switchable between a second water injection state of injecting through the water pipe and a water injection stop state in which tap water is not injected into the water receiving tank, and the valve mechanism in the first water injection state Injecting tap water into the water receiving tank without passing through the water pipe, and operating the blower and the compressor after the normal water injection process is stopped or while the normal water injection process is being performed. Hot water injection processing for injecting warm air into the water receiving tank based on the above, and tap water based on setting the valve mechanism to the second water injection state after a lapse of time from the start of the hot air injection processing. And a control circuit for performing hot water injection processing for injecting into the water receiving tank through the water pipe.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, "a water tank accommodating a rotating drum which is a washing room and a drying room, and a heat pump device in which a compressor, a condenser, a throttle device and an evaporator are connected by a refrigerant circuit are provided. Is composed of a heat exchanger for drying and a heat exchanger for generating hot water which are switchably arranged in parallel, and an air passage for circulating air between the heat exchanger for drying, the rotary drum and the evaporator. And a water channel for circulating the water in the water tank through the hot water generating heat exchanger".

JP, 2008-6069, A JP, 2007-143712, A

  Clothes are generally classified into water-soluble stains, oily stains, and solid stains. Among them, the concentration of the surfactant, which is the main component of the detergent, has a great influence on the cleaning performance for polar oil stains such as fatty acids and for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid stains. Specifically, the washing performance can be further improved by infiltrating the clothes with the high-concentration detergent liquid and performing the tumbling operation. In such washing, after the high-concentration detergent liquid obtained by dissolving a prescribed amount of detergent with a small amount of water is permeated into the clothes at the initial stage of washing, there is almost no water at the bottom of the drum. In this case, it is safer and preferable from the viewpoint of overheating prevention to force the wash water to exchange heat with the heating source rather than to heat it with a heating means such as a heater provided so as to be immersed in the bottom of the outer tub. .. However, when only the heater is used as a heat source for hot water generation, the amount of heat generated cannot exceed the amount of electric input, and the amount of power consumed requires the amount of heat added to the heating load, including heat dissipation loss, and power saving is expected. Absent. Therefore, a problem is to use a heat pump that can generate low-humidity warm-air air during the drying operation to generate hot water during cleaning and efficiently generate hot water by the heat absorbed from the outside air. Also, when generating or using warm water, it does not affect the surrounding environment such as cooling the surrounding atmosphere by absorbing heat from the outside air, and also prevents the laundry in the drum from cooling below the temperature at the time of input, Another problem is to raise the cleaning temperature efficiently with less power consumption.

  In the washing machine or the washing/drying machine described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a circulation air passage for circulating air between the drum and the condenser and evaporator of the heat pump, and a condenser in series or in parallel in the refrigerant passage of the heat pump. It is configured to have a water-refrigerant heat exchanger arranged in the inside.Basically, the heat absorption in the evaporator uses the heat of evaporation inside the drum as the heat source, and the heat of the outside air or the washing machine or washing machine is used. It is not configured to efficiently take in the waste heat associated with the dryer operation.

  Further, Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which outside air is introduced into the drum, heat is exchanged in the drum, and then the dehumidified air is cooled and dehumidified by an evaporator and the absorbed heat is discharged from the waste port to the outside of the machine. As the warm water generation step proceeds, the ambient environment is cooled by discharging the dehumidified air out of the machine. Further, during the drying operation, since the air that has been cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator is not used as the drying air in the drum, it is not possible to achieve both efficient drying operation and hot water generation operation.

To solve such problems, engaging Ru washing濯dryer present invention, a liquid capable reservoir outer tub therein, rotatably supported within the outer vessel, substantially the laundry is accommodated A cylindrical drum, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator provided on the windward side of the condenser in the same air passage as the condenser, and a refrigerant pipe connecting the condenser and the evaporator. A first expansion valve, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger for radiating heat from the refrigerant to heat water, and a second expansion valve provided in a refrigerant pipe connecting the water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the condenser. A heat pump, a ventilation path connecting the evaporator and the condenser to the outer tank, and a blowing means for blowing air, a water supply path for supplying water into the outer tank from a water supply port, and a portion at least partially different from the water supply path. A water injection path having the water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the compressor, the first expansion valve, the second expansion valve, the ventilation means, and the water supply port to the water supply path. Of the first control valve for controlling the passage of water and a second control valve for controlling the water injection into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger, and a control device for driving and controlling the water stored in the bottom portion of the outer tub. A circulation pump for spraying in a rotatable drum containing the laundry in the outer tub, a first water passage for spraying in the drum at the outlet of the circulation pump, and the water-refrigerant heat exchanger. A flow path switching valve that communicates with both or either of the second water passages that communicate with the air passage, and an opening/closing mechanism in the air passage , so that the air outside the housing is introduced into the air passage through the space inside the housing. when incorporated, by opening the opening portion by the opening and closing mechanism, and the pre-Symbol ventilation path bisected at its front and rear, it is communicated with the blower unit and the opening has a function of closing the upstream side of the opening A connection port that communicates with an overflow hose is provided in a ventilation path that communicates with the lower portion of the outer tub among the ventilation paths that are divided into two by opening the opening/closing mechanism.

  According to the present invention, the outside air introduced into the ventilation path through the opening/closing mechanism inside the housing at the time of generating hot water is absorbed by the evaporator and reheated to the room temperature level (about 20°C) by the condenser as necessary. By doing so, the amount of latent heat that was held at the time of introduction can be supplied as the amount of heat for generating hot water, and the laundry can be kept at a room temperature level or higher when traversing the inside of the drum, so that hot water can be generated efficiently. Therefore, cleaning can be performed by raising the temperature. In addition, after traversing the inside of the drum, the outside air is exhausted from the overflow hose to the drain hole via the ventilation path, so that the efficiency can be maintained while maintaining the temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment where the washing machine or washer/dryer is installed. Can produce hot water well.

  Further, during the drying operation, high-temperature and low-humidity circulating air that circulates the drum and the heat pump by closing the opening/closing means can be generated, so that the drying can be efficiently performed.

It is an appearance perspective view showing a drum type washing and drying machine concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the right side surface which shows the internal structure of the drum type washing and drying machine concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the basic block diagram seen from the back side of the drum type washing and drying machine concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed the mode of spraying in the drum by the circulation pump of the drum type washing-drying machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a system flow with respect to standard outside air conditions at the time of warm water generation in washing of a heat pump concerning an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a Mollier diagram showing a refrigerant state typically. (A) is a system flow with respect to a high humidity outside air condition at the time of generating hot water in washing the heat pump according to the embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a Mollier diagram schematically showing a refrigerant state. It is a system flow diagram at the time of generating hot air of high temperature and low humidity in the drying of the heat pump according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing composition of a control device of a drum type washing and drying machine concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the driving process of washing operation (washing-rinsing-dehydration) in the drum type washing-drying machine concerning an embodiment of the present invention.

  Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Since the washing process is the same for both the drum type washing machine and the washing/drying machine, the drum type washing/drying device will be described in the following embodiments.

  FIG. 1 relates to a first embodiment of the present invention and is an external perspective view of a drum type washer/dryer. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the right side surface showing the internal structure of the drum type washer/dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the appearance will be described. On the upper part of the base 1h, a skeleton is constructed by combining a steel plate, a side plate 1a mainly made of a resin molded product, and a reinforcing material (not shown), and further a front cover 1c, a lower front cover 1f, an upper surface The housing 1 is formed by attaching the cover 1e. The front cover 1c is provided with a door 9 for loading/unloading the laundry 207, and the back cover is attached with a back cover 1d.

  Next, the schematic structure of the washer/dryer and the steps from washing to drying will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 2, an outer tank 2 is provided inside the housing 1 shown in FIG. The outer tank 2 is supported by a plurality of lower dampers 5. On the drum 3 rotatably provided inside the outer tub 2, the door 9 is opened and the laundry 207 is put therein. The door 9 itself is a door frame 9b to which a door glass 9a is fixed, and is attached to the housing 1 by a hinge 9c. A fluid balancer 208 is provided on the outer periphery of the opening of the rotatable drum 3 to reduce vibration due to unbalance of the laundry 207 during dehydration. Further, inside the drum 3, a plurality of lifters 209 for lifting the laundry 207 are provided. The rotatable drum 3 is directly connected to a drum driving motor M10a via a main shaft 211 connected to a metal flange 210. A rubber bellows 10 made of an elastic body is attached to the opening of the outer tub 2. The rubber bellows 10 plays a role of maintaining watertightness between the inside of the outer tub 2 and the door 9. This prevents water leakage during washing, rinsing and dehydration. The rotatable drum 3 has a large number of small holes (not shown) for centrifugal dehydration and ventilation in a cylindrical portion which is a side wall.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the diagonally right front showing the internal basic structure of the washer/dryer. The circulation pump 18 for pumping the washing water to the upper part of the outer tub 2 and spraying it on the laundry 207 in the drum 3 is fixed to the base 1h side below the outer tub 2. The washing water enters the suction port side of the circulation pump 18 through the lint filter 222 from the drainage port 21 of the water receiving portion 54 provided at the lower portion of the outer tub, and after being pressurized by the circulation pump 18, the water spray nozzle 223 (Fig. 4) to spray water into the drum 3. Further, the drainage port 21 provided at the bottom of the water receiving portion 54 for drainage communicates with the drainage hose 26 via the lint filter 222 and the drainage valve V1, and the water in the water receiving portion 54 can be drained.

  On the other hand, the overflow hose 205 is configured to communicate with the drain hose 26 on the downstream side of the drain valve V1 so as to branch from the blower duct 29, which is a ventilation path, to the drain hole 240. That is, when the amount of water exceeds the predetermined water level to which the overflow hose 205 is attached, it can be forcibly drained in any case.

  A blower duct 29 that guides an air flow to the laundry 207 in the drum 3 and a blower fan 20 that is a blower unit are fixed to the housing 1 (not shown) apart from the outer tub 2. The blow-out nozzle 203 is fixed to the outer tub 2 at a position above the central axis of the rotatable drum 3 when viewed from the front of the washer/dryer and at the front side near the front when viewed from the side of the washer/dryer. The outlets of the blowing nozzle 203 and the warm air heater 213 are connected by a flexible bellows tube 212 made of rubber and arranged so that the longitudinal expansion/contraction direction thereof is substantially perpendicular to the outer tub 2. It absorbs vibration. A temperature sensor (not shown) is provided at each of the drain port 21, the intake port (not shown) and the discharge port (not shown) of the blower fan 20. The auxiliary heater 213, which is one of the heating means of this embodiment, is used to adjust the temperature of the blown air as necessary.

  When the washing or washing/drying course is selected and the operation is started, a detergent melting step of melting the introduced detergent and spraying it on the laundry is executed. At the beginning of the washing process, the detergent is melted with a water supply amount smaller than the total amount of water used until the end of the washing process, the drum 3 is rotated with this high-concentration detergent liquid, and the circulation pump 18 is used while stirring the laundry 207. Spray evenly. Therefore, normally, there is a small amount of detergent liquid in the laundry 207 in which the detergent liquid is soaked in the outer tub 2 and in the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub 2. By rotating the drum 3, the laundry 207 is lifted to the upper part of the drum 3 and then continued to be tapped based on a tumbling operation in which the laundry 207 is dropped to the bottom by gravity. Therefore, the circulation pump 18 is intermittently driven as needed, and the detergent liquid is sprayed again on the laundry 207. Even during this operation, the washing performance can be improved by raising the so-called washing temperature of the wash water and the laundry. In the present embodiment, in the washing process, the heat pump 230 is used to raise the temperature of the water supplied or the washing water in the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub to enhance the washing performance.

  FIG. 3 is a basic configuration diagram of the washer/dryer as viewed from the back side. The heat pump 230 mainly includes an evaporator 233, a condenser 231, a compressor 237, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236, a first expansion valve 232 and a second expansion valve 235, two-way valves 234a to 234c, and a refrigerant pipe 245 connecting them. Is configured. The compressor 237 is installed in the base 1h below the housing 1 in order to generate vibrations in addition to the vibrations caused by the rotation of the drum 3. The evaporator 233 and the condenser 231 provided in the blower duct 29 are provided in order to ensure the maintainability of the drying filter 8 provided on the upstream side thereof, reduce the heat radiation loss of the hot air, and easily drain the drain from the evaporator 233. It is fixed to the upper part of the housing 1 together with the air duct 29. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 connected to these with the refrigerant pipe 245 is also installed on the upper part of the rear surface of the housing 1 so as not to be directly affected by the rotation of the drum 3.

  For supplying water to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236, water is supplied from the second control valve 16b of the water supply solenoid valve 16 via the water injection path 241 and the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub 2 is circulated by the circulation pump 18. A structure in which washing water pumped up from the water is supplied through the second water passage 244, and hot water from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 is sent to the hot water supply port 239 (see FIG. 4) at the bottom of the outer tub 2. I am trying. That is, in the initial stage of cleaning, the water supplied from the outside can be heated as it is, and even when reheating (additional cooking) of the washing water is required during the cleaning process, the flow passage switching valve 238 at the outlet of the circulation pump 18 can be used. It is possible to switch from the normal water spray nozzle 223 side to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side to supply and heat.

After generating the hot water, the outside air passing through the inside of the housing 1 is introduced from the opening/closing mechanism 204 provided in the blower duct 29 connecting the evaporator 233 and the bottom of the outer tub 2, and heat is exchanged by the heat pump 230. The drum 3 is traversed, and the overflow hose 205 is exhausted. At this time, since the opening/closing mechanism 204 is fully opened and the opening end 246 of the blower duct 29 on the side communicating with the bottom of the outer tub 2 is closed, the entire amount of the outside air flowing into the blower duct 29 can be exhausted.
FIG. 5A is a system flow for a standard outside air condition when hot water is generated in washing the heat pump according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a Mollier diagram schematically showing a refrigerant state. In the washing process using hot water, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 237 is sent to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 and exchanges heat with water to be cooled to the hot water temperature level. At this time, the two-way valve 234b is switched to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side. In addition, the second expansion valve 235 provides a throttle so as to adjust the heat exchange amount for achieving a desired water temperature. The refrigerant flowing out of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 is sent to the condenser 231 through the two-way valve 234c, the first expansion valve 232. In the condenser 231, the refrigerant gives enough heat to return the low temperature air absorbed in the evaporator 233 to the room temperature level. That is, in the first expansion valve 232, the condensing pressure is adjusted by giving a throttle corresponding to the heat exchange amount. The refrigerant that has become the supercooled liquid absorbs heat from the air in the blower duct 29 in the evaporator 233 to become a low-pressure gas, and is returned to the suction side of the compressor 237. The total of the heat exchange amount in the evaporator 233 and the heat equivalent of the adiabatic compression work in the compressor 237 is balanced by the total heat exchange amount in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 and the condenser 231 as a heat balance. For example, by letting outside air 20° C., 65% RH, 2.5 m ³ /min pass through the housing 1, the temperature is raised to 23° C. by the exhaust heat of the main motor M10a and the compressor 237, and the air is blown into the blower duct 29. When it is introduced, it is possible to secure an evaporation capacity of about 820 W under a compressor 237 input of about 230 W, and deduct about 370 W of reheating for returning the air temperature in the condenser 231 to the room temperature level to obtain 680 W of water. It can be used for hot water generation in the refrigerant heat exchanger 236.
On the other hand, in an environment where the outside air is hot and humid, the latent heat ratio in the heat absorption from the air in the evaporator 233 can be increased, so that it is not necessary to reheat the air at the outlet of the evaporator 233. FIG. 6A is a system flow for a high-humidity outside air condition when hot water is generated in washing the heat pump according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a Mollier diagram schematically showing a refrigerant state. Since it is not necessary to reheat the air in the condenser 231, the refrigerant discharged from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 passes through the two-way valve 234c and flows into the evaporator 233 via the first expansion valve 232. It becomes the flow to be done. Therefore, a total of 860 W, which is about 190 W input to the compressor 237 and about 670 W cooling capacity in the evaporator 233, can be spent on the hot water heating amount in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236.

  With the above-described configuration, hot water can be generated without cooling the inside of the drum 3 at the time of hot water generation, and cleaning can be efficiently performed by raising the temperature.

  In the subsequent washing process, when additional water is supplied into the outer tub 2 to increase the amount of washing water to the normal amount of washing water, a sufficient amount of water is secured in the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub 2. If the amount of additional water according to the washing load is large or the water supply temperature is low, the temperature of the washing water will be too low. In this case, the flow path switching valve 238 at the outlet of the circulation pump 18 can be switched to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side for additional heating as described above.

  Further, the condensing temperature of the heat pump 230 is preferably lower than the critical point in order to normally secure the latent heat of the refrigerant and suppress the circulation flow rate, except for the high-pressure refrigerant. For this reason, for example, with HFC-134a, it is desirable to keep the condensation temperature below 90°C, while the critical point is about 101.1°C. The warm air temperature that rises due to heat exchange with the refrigerant becomes lower than that, and the heating temperature of the laundry 207 becomes even lower. Therefore, in a washing course or the like that requires a high temperature of 90° C. in the washing temperature, the heat pump 230 is used to efficiently heat the initial stage of heating, and the auxiliary heater 213 provided in the outlet of the blower fan 20 is used for warming in the latter half. It is preferable to further raise the wind temperature to heat the laundry 207.

  As described above, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 and the opening/closing mechanism 204 for introducing the outside air into the blower duct 29 and exhausting it to the drain hole 240 are added to the heat pump 230 that generates the dehumidified air during the dry operation. By doing so, the heat pump 230 can be used as one of the heat sources for raising the washing temperature of the laundry at the time of washing. Further, in the present embodiment, if the first expansion valve 232 that can completely close the refrigerant pipe 245 is used, the first expansion valve 232 can be closed to be used as the flow path switching means, so the two-way valve 234b can be omitted. However, there is no problem in terms of function.

  The washing process in the drum type washer/dryer configured as described above will be described in detail from the viewpoint of operation patterns and warm air timing. The laundry 207 is put into the rotatable drum 3, water is supplied with the drain valve V1 closed, and the drum 3 is rotated to wash the laundry 207. The washing process further includes a detergent dissolving process, a pre-washing process, and a main washing process. The detergent dissolving step is a step of presenting the laundry amount sensing at the start of washing, dissolving the introduced detergent with water, and spraying it on the laundry 207 in the drum 3. Water is supplied to the detergent injection unit 7 via the first control valve 16a of the water supply solenoid valve 16 (see FIG. 3). The supplied water is guided to the water receiving portion 54 located at the bottom of the drum 3 together with the detergent. When the circulation pump 18 is driven, the water in the water receiving portion 54 enters the suction port (not shown) of the circulation pump 18 from the drain port 21 through the lint filter 222. The washing water whose pressure has been increased by the circulation pump 18 is returned to the water receiving portion 54 again from the circulation discharge port 54b communicating with the outlet of the circulation pump 18 (circulation path in the detergent melting step). By repeating this circulation, a highly concentrated detergent liquid in which the detergent is dissolved with a small amount of water is generated. The output of the circulation pump 18 has a specification sufficient for pumping the washing water according to the maximum washing load to the water spray nozzle 231 provided above the outer tub 2. For this reason, when it is circulated in the circulation path of the above-mentioned detergent melting step, the required power of the circulation pump 18 is finally changed to thermal energy, and the temperature of the high-concentration detergent liquid is raised. The generated high-concentration detergent liquid is pumped up to the water spray nozzle 231 provided above the outer tub 2 and sprayed onto the laundry 207 in the drum 3. At this time, at the outlet of the circulation pump 18, a path leading to the upper side of the outer tub 2 and a path for returning to the water receiving portion 54 without being sprayed as described above are required. A discharge port (see FIG. 2) connected to each path is provided on the outer circumference of the casing, and the rotation direction of the circulation pump 18 is changed to discharge from the discharge port side that communicates first according to the rotation direction. Are switching. Alternatively, even if the discharge port of the circulation pump 18 is provided at one location and the flow path is switched by branching on the downstream side thereof, there is no problem in terms of function. When the supply water temperature is low and it is not possible to sufficiently warm the heat loss of the circulation pump 18, the heat pump 230 is used for heating. In the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the circulation pump 18 is set to the side that leads to the water spray nozzle 223, and the flow path switching valve 238 provided at the outlet of the circulation pump 18 is switched to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side, so that the high-concentration detergent liquid Is sent to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 to be heated and returned to the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub 2 to raise the temperature.

  In the pre-washing step, the laundry 207 sprayed with the high-concentration detergent solution is lifted to the upper side of the drum 3 by the rotation of the drum 3 and then dropped to the lower side of the drum 3 by gravity, which is repeated, whereby the laundry 207 receives mechanical force. give. Since the laundry 207 is in a state of retaining the high-concentration detergent liquid, stains that have been separated from the fibers constituting the laundry 207 by mechanical force are quickly dispersed in the high-concentration detergent liquid retained in the laundry 207. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the particles from being re-aggregated and redeposited on the fibers constituting the laundry 207. In this process, the heat pump 230 is driven to store hot water in the bottom of the outer tub 2. Further, after the desired hot water is secured, the amount of heating of the air that traverses the drum 3 is increased and the warm air is sent into the drum 3 to warm the laundry 207 as necessary.

  Depending on the dirt, there may be a case where the amount of washing water applied to the laundry 207 is small (the detergent concentration is high), and a case where the amount of the washing water is large (the detergent concentration is low) is good. There is a difference in the driving force of dirt removal that acts on both, and it can be interpreted as follows. The surfactant, which is one of the main components of the detergent, has the function of promoting the wetting of the fiber and further attracting the surface potential of dirt and cloth to the negative polarity of the surfactant, thereby having a negative charge. This has the effect of increasing the repulsive force between the dirt floating from the laundry and between the fibers and the dirt. For this reason, in the case of cleaning solid dirt that is attached mainly by Van der Waals force, a thicker concentration of the surfactant can enhance the above-mentioned repulsive force against the Van der Waals force. Therefore, solid stains can generally be removed better with a higher surfactant concentration. On the other hand, the so-called water-soluble stain, which is easily soluble in water or washing water, changes its dissolution rate depending on the concentration of the stain that becomes a solute with respect to the washing water as a solvent. The solution with a low concentration of dirt has a high dissolution rate, but the solution with a high concentration has a slow dissolution rate. Therefore, if the concentration of stains dispersed in the wash water held by the laundry 207 is reduced, the stains are more likely to be removed from the laundry 207. In other words, it is necessary to replace the wash water holding the laundry 207 with wash water having a very low stain concentration, or to dilute the stain concentration. That is, the role of the surfactant for this type of stain is to hold the stain peeled off from the laundry 207 in a dispersed manner and prevent aggregation and redeposition, so if the detergent concentration is satisfied to some extent, Dependence of detergent concentration on dirt removal is small.

  In addition, increasing the cleaning temperature for both types of dirt results in an increase in cleaning power. With respect to the former, by increasing the temperature, the diffusion of molecules in the washing water is promoted, so that a larger amount of the surfactant can be attached to the cloth surface and the dirt surface, and the repulsive force can be enhanced. Also for the latter, the diffusion of the surfactant in the detergent solution is improved and the wetting of the cloth surface can be promoted. Further, the separated dirt can be effectively diffused.

  In the subsequent main washing step, when the pre-washing step is completed, the warm water previously stored in the bottom of the outer tub 2 including the water receiving portion 54 is driven from the water spray nozzle 223 to the inside of the drum 3 by driving the circulation pump 18. Warm water is sprayed on the laundry 207. When the water level is further raised, additional water is supplied to increase the amount of water in the water receiving portion 54 and raise the water level. Also at this time, the heat pump 230 may be operated to supply the hot water heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236. The washing water may be pumped up from the water receiving portion 54 by the circulation pump 18 and continuously sprayed from the water spray nozzle 231 on the upper part of the outer tub 2 or may be intermittent. In the case of intermittent application, the heat pump 230 may be operated when not spraying, and the flow path switching valve 238 at the outlet of the circulation pump 18 may be switched to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side for additional heating. Specifically, while a lot of dirt is still attached to the back side of the laundry 207, the laundry 207 is constantly sprayed continuously to promote agitation of the washing water, so that the laundry water retained by the laundry 207 is always kept. It can be replaced with washing water with a low dirt concentration. After that, after almost all the stains are removed, it is better to remove the remaining stains by mainly using the mechanical force of tap washing. Therefore, the latter half of the spraying is preferably intermittent spraying so as not to disturb the mechanical force.

  The sprinkling nozzle 231 is fixed to the outer tub 2 at a position above the central axis of the rotatable drum 3 when viewed from the front of the washer/dryer and at the front side near the front when viewed from the side of the washer/dryer. The jetting range from the nozzle 231 has a wide angle with respect to the radial direction of the drum 3 and is sprayed. In this main washing step, the laundry 207 accumulated in the lower part of the drum 3 is lifted by the rotation of the drum 3 and dropped from the upper part of the drum 3 by a wide range of spraying, so that the laundry 207 receives a mechanical force. Give and wash. The larger the drum diameter, the synergistic effect of widespread spraying and tap washing can be obtained, and the time of the main washing step can be shortened.

  Further, if necessary, the main washing step has a first main washing step and a second main washing step executed after the first main washing step, and water is supplied at the end of the first main washing step. The amount of water in the second main washing step is larger than that in the first main washing step, and the circulation flow rate of the circulation pump 18 in the second main washing step is the circulation pump in the first main washing step. It is larger than the circulation flow rate of 18. Further, the rotation speed of the drum driving motor M10a in the second main washing step is set lower than the rotation speed of the motor M10a in the first main washing step.

  The main washing step is mainly performed to separate from the laundry 207 stains such as the inside of clothes and pockets that are difficult to wash in the pre-washing step with a small amount of water. Therefore, in order to remove various stains, it is more preferable to use a combination of at least two steps in which the amount of water and the rotation speed of the drum driving motor M10a are changed as described above. In the first main washing step, since the rotation speed of the drum 3 is increased, the laundry 207 that is lifted upward with the rotation of the drum 3 does not fall all down, and most of the laundry 207 is applied to the inner wall of the drum 3 by centrifugal force. It is rotating together with the drum 3 in the state where it has reached the end. Since the circulation water is sprayed from the circulation pump 18 there, the penetration flow velocity of the laundry water to the laundry 207 is increased. This makes it easier for the dirt to dissolve out of the laundry. In the subsequent second main washing step, the rotation speed of the drum 3 is made lower than that in the first main washing step, the centrifugal force is weakened, and the clinging of the laundry 207 to the drum 3 is suppressed as much as possible. It is a process that emphasizes tap-washing by knocking it down from above. Thereby, it is possible to easily remove mainly the hydrophobic stain by applying a mechanical force to the laundry 207. When the laundry 207 is knocked down from above the drum 3, by raising the water level of the washing water staying below the drum 3 and increasing the circulating water amount, the laundry 207 is operated more than necessary. It is also possible to prevent the fibers from directly hitting each other and pressing the fibers.

  In the rinsing process, the drain valve V1 is opened to drain the wash water, and then the drain valve V1 is closed to supply the rinse water to the predetermined water level in the outer tub 2. Then, the drum 3 is rotated and the laundry 207 and the rinse water are stirred and rinsed. During the rinsing process, the water that has been absorbed by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236a and has become a low temperature during the generation of warm air in the cleaning operation is used for cleaning the inside of the outer tub 2 and the outside of the drum 3. More detailed process contents will be described in detail in the explanation (described later) of the operation process of the present embodiment.

  In the dehydration step, the drain valve V1 is opened to drain the rinse water in the outer tub 2, and then the drum 3 is rotated to centrifugally dehydrate the laundry 207. The spin-drying speed is increased to a set speed corresponding to the load unless the laundry 207 is not balanced and the current value of the motor M10a exceeds a predetermined upper limit. When the rotation speed of the dehydration is increased and the drum 3 rotates at high speed, the vibration is also transmitted to the outer tank 2, and the outer tank 2 itself vibrates slightly. Since the blower duct 29 is fixed to the housing 1, the bellows hose 215 connecting the drying filter 8 and the side surface of the outer tub 2 works together to absorb a part of the vibration.

  In the drying process, the heat pump 230 is driven again to send dry air into the drum 3. FIG. 7 is a system flow diagram at the time of generating hot air of high temperature and low humidity in drying the heat pump according to the embodiment of the present invention. At the time of drying, the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant from the compressor 237 is sent to the condenser 231, reduced in pressure by the first expansion valve 232, and then heat-absorbed by the evaporator 233 to be returned to the suction side of the compressor 237. That is, when the heat balance is viewed from the air side, it is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 233, and its heat amount and the adiabatic compression work equivalent of the refrigerant in the compressor 237 are supplied to the condenser 231 to become warm air. During operation, the temperature and humidity of the airflow are optimized so that lower power consumption, dryness, and good finish can both be achieved depending on the load level. Here, the dryness is a value obtained by dividing the original mass of the completely dried cloth by the mass of the cloth after the test, which is expressed as a percentage. Since the first half of the drying is a constant rate drying in which the evaporation rate on the cloth surface is dominant, it is preferable to operate the heat pump to efficiently produce circulating air of low humidity. In the latter half of drying, the rate of drying is to evaporate the water remaining inside the cloth. Therefore, it is preferable to secure the warm air temperature more easily than in the first half so that the heat can be easily transferred to the inside of the cloth.

  If the drying time is desired to be further shortened, the opening amount of the opening/closing mechanism 204 provided on the upstream side of the evaporator 233 in the blower duct 29 is adjusted so that the circulating air in the blower duct 29 and the inside of the casing 1 are adjusted. Swap the outside air that has been taken in. Originally, in order to increase the drying speed, it is necessary to increase the circulating air volume between the drum 3 and the heat pump 230, but it is also necessary to increase the cooling capacity of the heat pump 230 in accordance with the dehumidifying capacity required for that purpose. In order to increase the cooling capacity, it is necessary to increase the refrigerant circulation amount, which increases the adiabatic compression work in the compressor 237. Since the difference between the sum of the heat quantity of the condenser and the heat equivalent of the adiabatic compression work and the cooling capacity becomes large, and the temperature level of the circulating air volume continues to rise, it is necessary to forcibly dissipate heat. Therefore, by replacing a part of the circulating air volume with the outside air, an increase in the temperature level of the circulating air volume is suppressed.

  After the completion of drying, while keeping the pressure on the drain hose 26 side higher than the pressure on the drain hole 240 side, the rotation speed of the blower fan 20 is lowered to a pressure level at which the water seal is not broken, and the water supply solenoid valve 16 is opened to supply water. Then, the water trap of the drain trap 202 is recovered and the drying process is completed.

  As described above, according to the washing/drying machine capable of operating from washing to drying and the washing machine for washing, the washing temperature of the washing water is set as a part of the condenser 231 of the heat pump 230 for drying water-refrigerant. By providing the heat exchanger 236 to generate hot water, the temperature can be raised efficiently. At this time, since the outside air is taken into the blower duct 29 through the inside of the housing 1 and the amount of heat corresponding to the latent heat of the outside air is used for generating hot water, the outside air that is passed through the drum 3 and discharged to the drain hole 240 is There is no need to worry about cooling the inside of the drum 3, and since there is no exhaust to the periphery of the washer/dryer, there is no worry to cool the ambient environment or make it dry. During the drying process, the dehumidified air is removed by using the radiator 231 in the air duct 29 as the condenser of the heat pump 230 and the heat exchanger 233 through which the refrigerant flows through the first expansion valve 232 as the evaporator as in the conventional case. It can be fed into the drum 3.

  Next, the configurations of the control device 100 and the drive device M10 will be described. FIG. 8: is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus 100 of the drum type washing-drying machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The control device 100 (operation control means) controls the motor M10a (driving device M10), the water supply unit 15 and the heat pump 230 to enable the washing operation, and at the same time, the inside of the outer tub 2 detected by the conductivity detection means 4 is detected. It is a device that calculates the conductivity from the liquid conductivity, determines the presence or absence of the softening agent contained in the liquid (determination with respect to the reference concentration), determines whether the dehydration step is shortened, determines whether the rinse step is shortened, etc. .. As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 100 is composed of a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) 110, a drive circuit, operation switches 12 and 13, an electric conductivity detecting means 4 and input circuits from various sensors. .. The microcomputer 110 receives various information signals in the user's operation, the washing process, and the drying process. The microcomputer 110 is connected to a drive device M10 (motor M10a), a water supply solenoid valve 16, a drain valve V1, a blower fan 20, and the like via a drive circuit, and controls opening/closing, rotation, and energization of these. In addition, the display 14 and a buzzer (not shown) are controlled to inform the user of information regarding the drum type washing machine.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drive device M10 is a device that drives the drum 3 to rotate, and is installed in the outer center of the bottom surface of the outer tub 2. The drive device M10 has a motor M10a and a fixture M10b (see FIG. 2). The rotation shaft of the motor M10a penetrates the outer tub 2 and is coupled to the drum 3. The motor M10a includes a rotation detection device 28 configured by a Hall element or a photo interrupter that detects the rotation of the motor M10a, and a motor current detection device (not shown) that detects a current flowing through the motor M10a.

  In this way, the control device 100 is mainly composed of the microcomputer 110. The microcomputer 110 includes an operation pattern database 111, a process control unit 112, a rotation speed calculation unit 113, a clothes weight calculation unit 114, an electric conductivity measurement unit 115, a detergent amount/washing time determination unit 116, and a turbidity determination. A unit 117 and a threshold storage unit 118 are provided.

  The operation switches 12 and 13 are configured so that the user can input the driving course, and outputs the input signal to the microcomputer 110. The water level sensor 34 can detect the water level of the water stored inside the outer tub 2, and outputs the detected signal to the microcomputer 110.

  The temperature sensor T1 is provided in the lower portion of the outer tub 2 (for example, the drainage port 21), and can detect the temperature of the water stored inside the outer tub 2. The temperature sensor T2 is provided on the intake side of the blower fan 20 and can detect the temperature of the air taken into the blower fan 20 from the heat pump. The temperature sensor T3 is provided on the exhaust side of the blower fan 20 and on the downstream side of the auxiliary heater 213, and is capable of detecting the temperature of the air blown from the blower fan 20 into the drum 3. The temperature sensor T4 is provided downstream of the drying filter 8 and upstream of the heat exchanger of the heat pump, and can detect the temperature of the circulating air returning from the drum to the heat pump. The signals detected by the temperature sensors T1 to T4 are output to the microcomputer 110. The acceleration sensor 27 is attached to the outer tub 2 and detects the vibration of the outer tub 2 (drum 3). The signal detected by the acceleration sensor is output to the microcomputer 110.

  The rotation detection device 28 is composed of, for example, a resolver (a type of rotation angle sensor), can detect the rotation of the motor M10a, and the detected signal is output to the microcomputer 110. The motor current detection device 25 can detect the current value of the motor M10a, and the detected signal is output to the microcomputer 110. The electric conductivity detecting means 4 can detect the electric conductivity of the water stored in the outer tub 2, and the detected signal is output to the microcomputer 110.

  The microcomputer 110 has a function of calling an operation pattern corresponding to the operation course input from the operation switches 12 and 13 from the operation pattern database 111 and starting from any of washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying. The process control unit 112 has a function of controlling the operations of the washing process, the rinsing process, the dehydration process, and the drying process based on the operation pattern called from the operation pattern database 111. In each process, the process control unit 112 has a function of controlling the indicator 14, the water supply unit 15, the water supply solenoid valve 16, and the drain valve V1. Further, the process control unit 112 drives and controls the motor M10a of the driving device M10 via the motor drive circuit 121, and in the model provided with the auxiliary heater, controls the ON/OFF of the warm air heater switch 123 to control the temperature. The energization of the wind heater 213 is controlled, and the energization of the auxiliary heater 240 is controlled by controlling ON/OFF of the auxiliary heater switch 122. It has a function of controlling the blower fan 20 via the fan drive circuit 124 and drivingly controlling the circulation pump 18 via the circulation pump drive circuit 125. Further, the flow path switching valve 240 is switched by the drive circuit of the flow path switching valve provided at the outlet of the circulation pump. The compressor 237 is controlled through the compressor drive circuit 126, the opening degree of the first expansion valve 232 is controlled through the first expansion valve drive circuit 127, and the second expansion is performed through the second expansion valve drive circuit 128. The opening degree of the valve 235 is controlled. The two-way valves 234a to 234c included in the components of the heat pump also control the switching operation preliminarily combined according to the operation pattern via the two-way valve control circuit 129.

Here, the circulation pump 18 is provided in the opening of the outer tub 2 for dissolving the detergent sucked from the drainage port 21 through the circulation discharge port 54 b of the recess 54 and the water sucked from the drainage port 21. The circulation operation of discharging the water from the water spray nozzle 231 to the inside of the drum 3 can be switched and performed. In this embodiment, by switching the rotation direction of the circulation pump 18, the communicating discharge ports can be switched according to the rotation direction.

  The rotation speed calculation unit 113 has a function of calculating the rotation speed of the motor M10a based on the detection value from the rotation detection device 28 that detects the rotation of the motor M10a. The clothing weight calculation unit 114 has a function of calculating the weight of the laundry 207 in the drum 3 (see FIG. 2) based on the rotation speed calculated by the rotation speed calculation unit 113 and the detection value of the motor current detection device 25. Have. Since the load for rotating the drum 3 increases due to the increase in the weight of the laundry 207 and a large amount of the motor current flowing through the motor M10a is required, the weight of the laundry 207 depends on the motor current and the rotation speed of the motor M10a. Can be calculated.

  The conductivity measuring unit 115 has a function of measuring the conductivity of tap water and washing water by using the detection value from the conductivity detecting unit 4 provided in the water receiving unit 54. The detergent amount/washing time determining unit 116 has a function of determining the amount of detergent and the rinsing time of the laundry based on the electrical conductivity measured by the electrical conductivity measuring unit 115, which will be described in detail later.

  The turbidity determination unit 117 has a function of determining the degree of soiling of clothing (hereinafter referred to as turbidity) based on the electrical conductivity measured by the electrical conductivity measurement unit 115. The threshold storage unit 118 has a function of storing a threshold used when the turbidity determination unit 117 determines the degree of dirt (turbidity) of clothes. By the way, in the present embodiment, the turbidity determination unit 117 and the threshold storage unit 118 are used for control during the main washing process as follows. Before and after the first main washing step, the conductivity EC1 of the wash water is measured by the conductivity measuring unit 115. When measuring the electric conductivity, it is desirable that the water supply solenoid valve 16 supply water to the outer tub 2, the circulation pump 18 circulates, and the motor M10a rotates the drum 3 to stop. The turbidity determination unit 117 determines whether or not the difference in the electric conductivity EC1 measured before and after the first main washing step is equal to or more than the threshold value stored in the threshold value storage unit 118. If not (lower than the threshold value), it is determined that the amount of stains is small, and if it is more than that, it is determined that the amount of stains is large, and the subsequent second main washing step is performed. In the second main washing step, the water level is set higher than that in the first main washing step as described above, and the circulation flow rate of the circulation pump 18 is also increased to be tap washing. That is, when the laundry 207 is lifted above the drum 3 and knocked down, it prevents the laundry 207 from colliding with each other and pressing the fibers. However, the longer this process is, the more the laundry 207 becomes stiff. Therefore, when the amount of dirt is relatively small, it is desirable to shorten the second main washing step as much as possible. Therefore, when it can be determined that the amount of dirt is small, the operating time of the second main washing step is adjusted to be shorter. The turbidity determination can also be used to review the switching timing between other processes and the operating time of each process.

  Next, the operation process of the drum type washer/dryer according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 9: is process drawing explaining the driving|operation process of the washing operation (washing-rinsing-dehydration) in the drum type washing-drying machine which concerns on the example of 1st Embodiment.

  In step S1, the process control unit 112 receives an input for selecting a course for the operation process of the drum type washer/dryer (course selection). Here, the user opens the door 9, loads the laundry 207 to be washed into the drum 3, and closes the door 9. Then, the user operates the operation switches 12 and 13 to select and input the course of the driving process. By operating the operation switches 12 and 13, the selected course of the driving process is input to the process control unit 112. The process control unit 112 reads the corresponding driving pattern from the driving pattern database 111 based on the inputted driving process course, and proceeds to step S2. In the following description, it is assumed that the 40°C warm water washing course (washing-rinsing twice-dehydration) is selected.

  In step S2, the process control unit 112 executes a process of detecting the weight (cloth amount) of the laundry loaded on the drum 3 (cloth amount sensing). Specifically, the process control unit 112 drives the motor M10a to rotate the drum 3, and the clothes weight calculation unit 114 calculates the weight (cloth amount) of the laundry 207 before water injection.

  In step S3, the process control unit 112 executes a process of calculating the detergent amount/operating time (detergent amount operating time calculation). Specifically, the process control unit 112 controls the water supply solenoid valve 16 to directly supply water to the water supply port 2a of the outer tub 2. The electric conductivity measuring unit 115 detects the electric conductivity (hardness) of the supplied water. Further, the sensor T1 detects the temperature of the supplied water. After that, the water supply solenoid valve 16 is controlled to complete the water supply to the outer tub 2.

  The detergent amount/washing time determination unit 116 determines the amount of detergent to be added and the operating time by map search based on the cloth amount, the electric conductivity (hardness) of water, and the temperature of water detected in step S2. Then, the process control unit 112 displays the determined detergent amount/operating time on the display unit 14. Here, the map for determining the amount of detergent may be a map dedicated to the warm water washing course. In the warm water washing course, the concentration of the detergent liquid retained by the laundry 207 greatly affects the stain removal. If the mechanical force is strong due to the balance between the drum diameter and the motor torque, the amount of detergent may be small in a normal washing course. However, in this course, the washing temperature is raised while the amount of water is small, and therefore the dependence of the mechanical force is reduced in order to prevent rubbing of the cloth from the viewpoint of preventing dye transfer (color transfer). For this reason, in the warm water washing course, if the amount of detergent is too small, the concentration level should be set according to the normal mechanical force. Although it has been described that the outer tank 2 is supplied with water to detect the electric conductivity (hardness) and the water temperature of the water, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electrical conductivity (hardness) and the water temperature of water during the previous operation may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the microcomputer 110 and used.

  In step S4, the process control unit 112 executes a detergent charging waiting process (detergent charging waiting process). For example, the process control unit 112 waits for a predetermined time and proceeds to step S5. In addition, the process control unit 112 determines that the detergent has been loaded, if the detergent loading unit 7 is closed after being opened by means (not shown) for detecting the opening/closing of the detergent loading unit 7, and proceeds to step S5. It may be configured to proceed.

  In step S5, the process control unit 112 executes a detergent melting process (detergent melting process). For example, the process control unit 112 controls the water supply solenoid valve 16 to supply water to the powder detergent injection chamber 73 and the liquid detergent injection chamber 74 via the water supply pipe P1. The detergent and water in the powder detergent feeding chamber 73 and the liquid detergent feeding chamber 74 flow into the water receiving portion 54 of the outer tub 2 via the water supply path (not shown). When the water is supplied to a predetermined amount, the process control unit 112 controls the water supply solenoid valve 16 to stop the water supply. Then, the process control unit 112 executes a detergent melting operation (detergent melting operation). Specifically, the process control unit 112 controls the circulation pump 18 to discharge the water and the detergent sucked from the drain port 21 from the circulation discharge port 54b of the water receiving unit 54. The water and the detergent discharged from the circulation discharge port 54b flow through the water receiving portion 54 toward the drain port 21, and circulate. As a result, the water and the detergent are stirred, and the detergent is dissolved in the water. After a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) has passed, the generated high-concentration detergent liquid is warmed by the heat pump 230 before being sprayed on the laundry 207. Specifically, the rotation direction of the circulation pump 18 is reversed so that the circulation pump 18 discharges from the discharge port of the circulation pump 18 which communicates with the water spray nozzle 223 side, and the flow path switching valve 238 provided further ahead of the discharge port is connected to a water-refrigerant heat exchanger. By controlling to the 236 side, the high-concentration detergent liquid is warmed by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236. However, this operation (the operation of warming the high-concentration detergent solution) may be omitted if the amount of water in which the detergent is dissolved is extremely small. After that, when it can be determined that a predetermined time has elapsed or the desired water temperature has been reached, the flow path switching valve 238 is switched to the side that communicates with the water spray nozzle 223, and the water is sprayed up to the water spray nozzle 223 above the outer tub 2. .. In order to evenly spray a small amount of high-concentration detergent liquid onto the laundry 207 as uniformly as possible, the drum 3 is rotated at a high speed immediately before spraying and the laundry 207 is attached to the inner surface of the drum 3 by centrifugal force. While maintaining the rotation of the drum 3, the circulating pump 18 sprays the high-concentration detergent liquid pumped up to the water spray nozzle 231 above the outer tub 2. The high-concentration detergent liquid permeates the laundry 207 toward the inner wall of the drum 3 due to the velocity energy at the time of watering and the centrifugal force acting after reaching the laundry 207. Further, since the laundry 3 is rotating at a rotational speed at which the laundry 207 sticks due to centrifugal force, when the drum 3 is rotated at 80 r/min, for example, even if the spraying time is 20 seconds, about 26 rotations are made to the same point on the drum. You can shower the sprinkled water.

  In step S6, the process control unit 112 executes a pre-wash cleaning process (pre-wash cleaning process). In the pre-washing washing step, the laundry 207 to which the high-concentration detergent liquid has been sprayed is lifted upward by the rotation of the drum 3 and then dropped by gravity, so-called tap washing. By repeating this beating and washing operation, the high-concentration detergent liquid is extracted from the laundry 207 and stored in the water receiving portion 54 at the bottom of the outer tub 2. The heat pump 230 is driven at the timing when the water is stored to some extent, and the high-concentration detergent liquid is introduced into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 to warm it. The warmed high-concentration detergent liquid is sprayed again on the laundry 207 from the water spray nozzle 223 by the circulation pump 18. By raising the temperature of the high-concentration detergent solution, the surface tension and viscosity can be reduced, and the fibers of the laundry 207 are swollen by the spraying of the warmer high-concentration detergent solution. The penetration into the inside can be further promoted. This allows the dirt to be efficiently separated from the fibers. The separated dirt can be quickly dispersed in the retained high-concentration detergent solution, so that it can be prevented from re-aggregating and adhering again. After a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the process, the water supply solenoid valve 16 is controlled to raise the water level of the wash water in the outer tub 2. When the water level of the washing water in the outer tub 2 rises to a predetermined water level WL1 (WL0<WL1) with respect to the water level WL0 in the detergent dissolving step, the water supply is stopped and the pre-washing step is completed, and the process proceeds to step S7. move on. The water supply at this time may also be performed by driving the heat pump 230 to supply water from the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236, warming the water, and then sending the water to the outer tub 2.

  When the pre-washing process of step S6 is completed, the process control unit 112 executes the main washing process. Here, in the main washing step, the laundry 207 accumulated in the lower part of the drum 3 is lifted by the rotation of the drum 3 and dropped from the upper part of the drum 3, so that a mechanical force is applied to the laundry 207. This is a process that is based on giving and washing. The main washing step further includes a main washing step 1 of step S7 (first main washing step) and a main washing step 2 of step S8 (second main washing step).

  In step S7, the process control unit 112 executes the first main washing process (first main washing process). Specifically, the process control unit 112 controls the circulation pump 18 to have a predetermined flow rate PF1 so that the wash water sucked from the drainage port 21 is discharged from the water spray nozzle 231 provided at the opening of the outer tub 2. By spraying water inside the drum 3 and controlling the motor M10a to rotate the drum 3 at a predetermined rotation speed DR1, the laundry 207 inside the drum 3 is tapped and washed. At this time, if the water temperature becomes lower than the desired temperature, the flow path switching valve 238 is appropriately switched to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side, and the heat pump 230 is driven to raise the water temperature. Further, by making the flow path switching valve 238 a control valve capable of flowing both to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 side and the water spray nozzle 223 side with a certain flow rate distribution, water spraying into the drum 3 and hot water generation ( The temperature may be raised continuously).

  Further, if the selection of this course is possible even when the set temperature is high or the laundry load is large, the auxiliary heater 213 is used at the outlet of the blower fan 20 to generate warm air together with warm water and the laundry 207 itself. Also, it is better to raise the temperature by directly heating. At this time, a circulation pump (not shown) having a small flow rate is separately installed, and the water is received from the water receiving portion 54 and sprayed in the vicinity of the outlet of the blower fan 20 to mix the warm air with the droplets and spray the laundry 207. You may let me.

  When the predetermined time (T1) has elapsed, the process control unit 112 ends the first main washing process and proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the process control unit 112 executes the second main washing process (second main washing process). Specifically, the process control unit 112 controls the water supply solenoid valve 16 to supply water to the outer tank 2 up to a predetermined water level WL2 (WL1<WL2). Water supply at this time may also be performed by driving the heat pump 230 to supply water from the water supply solenoid valve 16 to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236, warming the water, and then sending the water to the outer tub 2. In addition, the process control unit 112 controls the circulation pump 18 so that the flow rate becomes a predetermined flow rate PF2 (PF1<PF2), and the washing water sucked from the drainage port 21 is provided at the opening of the outer tub 2 with a sprinkling nozzle. Water is sprayed from 231 to the inside of the drum 3, and the motor M10a is controlled to rotate the drum 3 at a predetermined rotation speed DR2 (DR1>DR2), thereby washing the laundry 207 inside the drum 3 by tapping. Regarding the adjustment of the water temperature, the heat pump is driven in the same manner as in the first main washing step of step S7, and the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 236 intermittently or continuously incorporates the hot water generating (heating) operation. When a predetermined time (T2) has elapsed, the process control unit 112 stops the motor M10a and the circulation pump 18 and opens the drain valve V1 to drain the wash water in the outer tub 2.

  In step S9, the process control unit 112 executes the first rinsing process (first rinsing process). For example, in the first rinsing process, the process control unit 112 controls the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 and the drainage valve V1 to repeat water supply and drainage, and at the same time controls the motor M10a to rotate the drum 3 to turn on the circulation pump 18. The rinsing water sucked from the drainage port 21 is controlled and sprinkled into the drum 3 from the sprinkling nozzle 231 provided at the opening of the outer tub 2 to rinse the clothes. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the process control unit 112 stops the motor M10a and the circulation pump 18, opens the drain valve V1 and drains the rinse water in the outer tub 2.

  In step S10, the process control unit 112 executes the second rinsing process (second rinsing process). For example, in the second rinsing process, the process control unit 112 closes the drain valve V1 and controls the water supply solenoid valve 16 to supply water to the outer tub 2 up to a predetermined water level. In addition, the process control unit 112 controls the motor M10a to rotate the drum 3 and controls the circulation pump 18 so that the rinse water sucked from the drain port 21 is supplied from the water spray nozzle 223 provided at the opening of the outer tank 2. Water the inside of the drum 3 to rinse the laundry 207. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the process control unit 112 stops the motor M10a and the circulation pump 18, opens the drain valve V1 and drains the rinse water in the outer tub 2.

  In step S11, the process control unit 112 executes a dehydration process (dehydration process). Specifically, the process control unit 112 opens the drainage valve V1 and controls the motor M10a to rotate the drum 3 at a higher speed than in the main washing process to centrifugally dehydrate the laundry 207. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the process control unit 112 stops the motor M10a, closes the drain valve V1, and ends the washing course (washing-rinsing-dewatering).

  In the main washing process in steps S7 and S8, operating characteristics are set to suppress darkening and roughening of the laundry 207, and the mechanism will be mainly described below. The second main washing step (step S8) is performed after the first main washing step (step S7), but the water level WL2 of the second main washing step is higher than the water level WL1 of the first main washing step (WL1. <WL2). That is, by increasing the amount of wash water in the outer tub 2, the dirt removed from the laundry 207 can be dispersed in the wash water, and the dirt removed from the laundry 207 adheres to the laundry 207 again. As a result, it is possible to suppress "darkening of laundry".

  Further, the rotation speed DR2 of the drum 3 in the second main washing step is slower than the rotation speed DR1 of the drum 3 in the first main washing step (DR1>DR2). By making the rotation speed DR2 of the drum 3 slower than the rotation speed DR1, the position where the laundry 207 accumulated in the lower part of the drum 3 due to the rotation of the drum 3 is lifted and dropped from the upper part of the drum 3 starts to fall. Will be lower. That is, a drop impact (mechanical force) applied to the washed laundry 207 is suppressed, and “stiffness of the laundry” can be suppressed. Also, by increasing the water level WL2, drop impact (mechanical force) is suppressed, and “stiffness of laundry” can be suppressed. On the other hand, the rotation speed DR1 of the drum 3 is rotated at a higher rotation speed than the laundry 207 attached to the inner wall of the drum 3 by centrifugal force is peeled off by gravity before being lifted upward (centrifugal force> Gravity), it does not matter even if it is an operation that does not drop the laundry like tapping. That is, the washing operation may be performed by passing a larger circulation amount through the laundry 207 than in the normal washing operation while suppressing the tap washing as much as possible. However, there is a possibility that the washing performance by tap washing may deteriorate, but in contrast to this, the flow rate PF2 of the circulation pump 18 in the second main washing step should be made larger than the flow rate PF1 of the circulation pump 18 in the first main washing step. (PF1<PF2), it is possible to secure the cleaning performance by the water flow. For example, the circulation flow rate of the circulation pump 18 is preferably 30 L/min or more and 80 L/min or less. Further, regarding the operating time (T1) of the first main washing step and the operating time (T2) of the second main washing step, the operating time (T2) of the second main washing step is the operating time of the first main washing step (T2). It is desirable to set it to be longer than T1) (T1<T2). By doing so, "stiffness of laundry" can be further suppressed.

  As described above, according to the operation process of the drum type washer/dryer according to the first embodiment, the laundry in the drum is cooled to the temperature at the time of loading or lower without affecting the surrounding environment. It is possible to efficiently produce hot water with less power consumption and improve the cleaning performance. Further, it is possible to suppress darkening of clothes and stiffness of clothes.

  In addition, a normal washing course can be selected for laundry that is discolored or faded with respect to temperature and laundry in which shrinkage of fibers is noticeable due to heating. In this case, the amount of power consumption can be small. In addition, you can choose a water-saving laundry course when you want to save water with laundry items other than white items, thin patterns, towels, etc. In this case, the amount of water used for the entire washing can be suppressed by not raising the water level in the main washing step and setting the circulation flow rate to 15 to 20 L/min.

1 Cases 1a, 1b Side plates 1c Front cover 1d Rear cover 1e on back Rear cover 1e on top Upper cover 1f Lower front cover 1i Clothes inlet 1h Base 2 Outer tank 3 Drum 4 Conductivity detection means 5 Damper 6 Operation panel 7 Detergent inlet 8 Drying filter 8a Mesh type filter 9 Door 9a Door glass 9b Door frame 9c Hinge 9d Door opening button 10 Rubber bellows M10 Drive device
M10a Motor M10b Fixture
12, 13 Operation switch 14 Display 15 Water supply unit (water supply means)
16 Water Supply Solenoid Valve 16a First Control Valve 16b Second Control Valve 16c Water Supply Hose Connection Port 17 Bath Water Water Supply Pump 17a Water Absorption Hose Connection Port for Remaining Bath Water 18 Circulation Pump 20 Blower Fan 21 Drain Port 22 Hose 26 Drain Hose 27 Accelerometer 28 Rotation Detector 29 Blower Duct 34 Water Level Sensor 39 Power Switch 54 Water Receiver
71 Pull-out tray 100 Control device (operation control means)
110 Microcomputer 111 Operation Pattern Database 112 Process Control Unit 113 Rotational Speed Calculation Unit 114 Cloth Weight Calculation Unit 115 Conductivity Measurement Unit 116 Detergent Amount/Washing Time Determination Unit 117 Turbidity Determination Unit 118 Threshold Value Storage Unit 122 Channel Switching Valve Drive Circuit 123 Auxiliary heater switch 124 Fan drive circuit 125 Circulation pump drive circuit 126 Compressor drive circuit 127 First expansion valve drive circuit 128 Second expansion valve drive circuit 129 Two-way valve drive circuit V1 Drain valves T1 to T3 Temperature sensor 202 Drain trap 203 Blow-out nozzle 204 Opening/closing mechanism 205 Overflow hose 206 Air supply hole 207 Laundry 208 Fluid balancer 209 Lifter 210 Metal flange 212 Rubber bellows tube 213 Auxiliary heater 214 Fan motor 215 Bellows hose 216 Outer tank mounting part 222 Lint filter 223 Water spray nozzle 230 heat pump
231 condenser
232 First expansion valve 233 Evaporators 234a to 234c Two-way valve 235 Second expansion valve
236 Water-refrigerant heat exchanger 237 Compressor 238 Flow path switching valve 239 Hot water supply port 240 Drain hole 241 Water injection path 242 Water supply path 243 First water passage 244 Second water passage 245 Refrigerant pipe 246 Open end EC1 Electrical conductivity (before the first main washing step) (electrical conductivity)
EC2 (after the first main washing step) conductivity (electric conductivity)

Claims (1)

An outer tank that can store liquid inside,
A substantially cylindrical drum rotatably supported in the outer tub and accommodating laundry,
A compressor, a condenser, an evaporator provided on the windward side of the condenser in the same air passage as the condenser, and a first expansion valve provided in a refrigerant pipe connecting the condenser and the evaporator, A heat pump comprising: a water-refrigerant heat exchanger for radiating heat from the refrigerant to heat water; and a second expansion valve provided in a refrigerant pipe connecting the water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the condenser,
A ventilation path connecting the evaporator and the condenser to the outer tub, and a blowing means for blowing air,
A water supply path for supplying water from the water supply port into the outer tub, and a water supply path having a portion at least partially different from the water supply path and capable of pouring water into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger,
The compressor, the first expansion valve, the second expansion valve, the ventilation means, a first control valve that controls water flow from the water supply port to the water supply path, and the water-refrigerant heat. A control device for driving and controlling a second control valve for controlling water injection into the exchanger;
A circulation pump for spraying water stored in the bottom portion of the outer tub into a rotatable drum containing the laundry in the outer tub,
At the outlet of the circulation pump, a flow passage switching valve that communicates with both or one of a first water passage that is dispersed in the drum and a second water passage that communicates with the water-refrigerant heat exchanger,
Wherein the ventilation path comprising an opening and closing mechanism, when the air outside the housing through the space in the housing incorporated in the ventilation path, by opening the opening portion by the opening and closing mechanism, and pre-Symbol ventilation path before and after the In two, and has a function of connecting the opening and the air blower, and closing the upstream side of the opening,
The outer tub in the lower and the ventilation path communicating, washing濯dryer you comprising the connecting port communicating with the overflow hose of the ventilation path which is bisected by which opens the opening and closing mechanism.

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