JP7160525B2 - clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to clothes dryers.

In a clothes dryer that dries clothes by supplying hot air to the storage chamber, lint from the clothes scatters outside the machine or enters the heat exchanger. In order to prevent this, it is practiced to provide a filter for trapping the lint in the air path. In this case, in order to prevent the filter from clogging and reducing the air flow, the user generally cleans the filter periodically with a brush or cloth to remove the accumulated lint. I have to. Further, in a conventional clothes dryer, it has been considered to provide a lint removing device for automatically cleaning a filter for lint trapping (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 6043945

In the past, it took a lot of time and effort for the user to clean the filter, and the need for a motor-driven lint removing device made the configuration complicated and expensive.
Therefore, a clothes dryer is provided which has a relatively simple structure and which can easily clean a filter member that traps lint.

The washing machine of this embodiment includes a storage tub provided in a main body for storing clothes, a dry air circulation duct provided in the main body for circulating and supplying dry air to the storage tub, and an upper surface of the main body. and a filter unit that can be taken in and out from the outlet of the drying air and is arranged in the middle of the dry air circulation duct in a state of being attached to the main body to capture the lint contained in the dry air, The filter unit includes a case having a dry air inlet and an outlet connected to the dry air circulation duct, and a filter panel provided on the upper surface of the case and closing the outlet when the filter unit is attached to the main body. a filter member provided on the filter member mounting wall of the case for catching lint; a cleaning member movably provided in the case for scraping lint deposited on the filter member by movement; and the cleaning member. and a non-motorized operation member operated by a user, the operation member being below the filter panel and not visible in the vertical direction. The filter unit is provided with a filter cover that can be opened and closed at the inlet of the case, and the filter cover has the filter cover around the outer surface of the filter unit. There is provided an air passage packing that keeps the airtightness of the dry air circulation duct in close contact with the surrounding wall of the duct on the main body side when attached to the main body, and when the operation member is operated, the cleaning member is closed. The filter cover is opened in conjunction with the movement, and when the filter cover is closed from the open state, the cleaning member and the operating member are configured to return to their original positions, and the filter cover is closed. Even if the filter unit is in an incompletely closed state, the duct surrounding wall portion presses the filter cover relatively to cause the filter cover to be closed as the filter unit is attached to the main body. are

The front view which shows 1st Embodiment and shows the external appearance of a washing-drying machine. Top view of washer dryer Vertical right side view of the upper duct part Vertical right side view of the upper duct with the filter unit removed Left side view of filter unit Rear view of filter unit Front view of the filter unit with the filter cover closed Front view of the filter unit with the filter cover open and the cleaning member at the lowest position Perspective view of the filter unit without the filter cover Longitudinal left side view of the filter unit Enlarged longitudinal sectional view of E part of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a vertical side view showing the normal position of the operating member with the outer wall of the moving mechanism housing section removed and a longitudinal side view showing the standby position of the cleaning member corresponding to that position, arranged side by side; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a side view showing a position in the middle of movement of the operation member with the outer wall of the moving mechanism housing section removed, and a longitudinal side view showing the lowest position of the cleaning member corresponding to that position, arranged side by side; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a vertical side view showing a push-in position of the operation member with the outer wall of the moving mechanism housing section removed and a longitudinal side view showing a flip-up position of the cleaning member corresponding to that position, arranged side by side; Enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing how the thickness of the blade of the cleaning member fluctuates (a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in Fig. 8); A cross-sectional view showing the second embodiment, showing how the thickness dimension varies at the left and right positions of the blade.

A first embodiment applied to a drum-type washing and drying machine having washing and drying functions will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. FIG. 1 and 2 show the appearance of a drum type washing/drying machine as a clothes drying machine according to this embodiment. A main body (outer box) 1 of the washer/dryer has a substantially rectangular box shape, and a base plate 2 is provided at the bottom. A circular doorway 3 through which clothes are put in and taken out is provided on the front face of the main body 1, and a door 4 is attached to open and close the doorway 3 so as to open and close the doorway 3. . An operation panel 5 is provided on the front portion of the upper surface of the main body 1 . A detergent charging case 6 is provided at the upper left end of the main body 1 .

Although illustration is omitted, the following mechanism is provided in the main body 1 as is well known. That is, a substantially cylindrical water tank having an open front surface and communicating with the entrance 3 is provided in the main body 1, and a drum as a storage tank for storing clothes is provided in the water tank. The water tank is elastically supported on the base plate 2 via an elastic support mechanism. The drum has a cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the water tank, and the central portion on the back side thereof is connected to a drive mechanism such as a motor to be driven to rotate. In addition, a water supply mechanism is provided in the main body 1 so as to be positioned above the water tank for supplying water to the water tank. A drain port is provided at the bottom of the rear portion of the water tank, and a drain pipe is connected to the drain port via a drain valve.

The water tank is provided with an air discharge port on the right side of the upper surface of the front part, and an air supply port on the left side of the rear part. Although not illustrated in detail as a whole, a drying air circulation duct for circulating and supplying hot drying air to the inside of the drum is provided outside the water tank in the main body 1 . The inlet of this dry air circulation is connected to the outlet of the water tank and the outlet is connected to the supply of the water tank. The dry air circulation duct extends upward from the outlet of the water tank, then bends rearward and extends rearward along the upper right side of the main body 1 .

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the portion of the dry air circulation duct extending rearward from the upper right side portion in the main body 1 is called an upper duct 8 . As shown in FIG. 3, a filter unit 7 is provided in the upper duct 8 portion. The upper duct 8 has a rectangular cross section, and a rectangular opening 8a is formed in the upper wall portion of the portion where the filter unit 7 is arranged. The configuration of the filter unit 7 will be described later. The dry air circulation duct extends further rearward from the filter unit 7, that is, from the upper duct 8, bends downward on the back side of the water tank, and is folded back into a U shape and connected to the supply port of the water tank. It is

A dehumidifying section and a hot air supply device are provided downstream of the upper duct 8 in the middle of the dry air circulation duct. The dehumidifying section is configured to dehumidify by condensing the moisture contained in the dry air, for example, by heat exchange, that is, water-cooling dehumidification. The hot air supply device is configured with a fan device and a heater. A heat pump may be used as the dehumidifier and the hot air supply device.

Thus, when the hot air supply device is driven during the drying operation, the air in the water tank, i.e., the dry air, is sucked into the dry air circulation duct from the outlet, and the upper duct is drawn as indicated by arrow A in FIG. The air flows backward through the filter unit 7 of 8, is dehumidified in the dehumidifying section, is heated by the heater, becomes hot air, and is supplied from the supply port into the water tank. At this time, when the dry air passes through the filter unit 7, the lint contained in the dry air is captured.

Now, the configuration of the filter unit 7 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 16 as well. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper surface of the main body 1 is provided with a rectangular opening 8a which is one size larger than the rectangular opening 8a of the upper duct 8 so as to communicate with the upper side of the rectangular opening 8a. A shaped outlet 9 is formed. The outlet 9 and the rectangular opening 8a are connected via a stepped portion 9a. The filter unit 7 is roughly divided into a case 10 arranged in the upper duct 8 and a filter panel 11 provided on the upper surface of the case 10 and arranged so as to block the outlet 9. be. The filter unit 7 is detachably attached to the main body 1 from above the outlet 9, in other words, detachable.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a backup filter section 12 is provided inside the upper duct 8 . The backup filter section 12 is composed of a grid-like plastic frame 13 and a filter member 14 made of, for example, non-woven fabric and provided to close the opening of the frame 13 . The frame-shaped portion 13 includes a rectangular plate-shaped bottom portion located below the rectangular opening 8a and floating near the bottom of the upper duct 8, and a rear side of the bottom portion rising upward from the bottom portion. It is formed in a substantially L-shaped plate shape on the side surface integrally with a rectangular plate-like rear portion connected to the rear side portion of the rectangular opening portion 8a, that is, in a lattice frame shape. As a result, the left and right side walls of the upper duct 8 and the backup filter portion 12 form a space in which the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is accommodated in the lower portion of the outlet 9 in the upper duct 8 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 and the like, the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is made of plastic and has left and right side walls and a top wall. The filter member mounting walls 10a are arranged in a substantially arcuate shape, and are configured in the shape of a box with an open front surface and a slightly oblong rectangular shape when viewed from the front. A part of the upper wall of the case 10, in this case, a part near the front part is opened horizontally. The filter panel 11 is provided so as to overlap the upper surface of the case 10 . As shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 12 to 14, the filter member mounting wall 10a has a lattice frame shape having a plurality of ribs vertically and horizontally and a plurality of rectangular openings between the ribs. is configured to A filter member 15 made of, for example, non-woven fabric is provided so as to block the plurality of openings of the filter member mounting wall 10a from the back side.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1, the front opening of the case 10 is arranged so as to be connected to the opening of the upper duct 8, and the front opening is the dry air inlet. It becomes part 16. Further, the filter member mounting wall 10a of the case 10 is arranged on the upper front side inside the backup filter section 12, and the opening of the filter member mounting wall 10a serves as an outlet for dry air. When the dry air passes through the case 10 of the filter unit 7, the lint contained in the dry air is captured by the filter member 15. - 特許庁Even if part of the lint contained in the dry air passes through the filter member 15 without being captured, the lint is captured by the filter member 14 of the backup filter portion 12 .

A filter cover 17 made of plastic is provided at an inlet portion 16 on the front surface of the case 10, as shown in FIGS. The filter cover 17 has a rectangular frame shape, and has a cross-shaped crosspiece 17a integrally formed therein. A frame-shaped air passage packing 18 is attached by a packing retainer 19 made of plastic. As shown in FIG. 3 , when the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1 , the air passage packing 18 of the filter cover 17 is in close contact with the duct surrounding wall 20 of the upper duct 8 , thereby airtightly sealing the upper duct 8 . state is preserved.

The filter cover 17 is rotatably supported by the case 10 at its lower side portion via a hinge portion 17b (see FIG. 8 and the like). As a result, the filter cover 17 can be in a closed state (see FIGS. 7 and 12) in which the filter cover 17 abuts around the inlet 16 on the front surface of the case 10, and an open state (see FIGS. 8 and 14) in which the inlet 16 is opened. It is provided so that it can be opened and closed between

Although not shown in detail, when the filter cover 17 is closed, the engaging portion provided on the filter cover 17 is engaged with the engaged portion provided on the case 10 side, and the frictional force between them causes The closed state of the filter cover 17 is maintained. When the user pulls the upper portion of the filter cover 17 forward, the engagement is easily released. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, etc., a thin movement mechanism accommodating portion 21 is integrally provided in the left-right direction on the left side wall portion of the case 10, although the details will be described later. The moving mechanism housing portion 21 is configured by including an outer plate portion 21 a on the outside of the left side wall portion forming the inner surface of the case 10 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the filter panel 11 is made of plastic in the shape of a thin rectangular box, and the entire peripheral wall portion is formed in a stepped shape corresponding to the stepped portion 9a of the outlet 9. It has a thin rectangular box shape and is attached to the upper surface of the case 10 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the filter panel 11 is formed with a slightly oblong rectangular hole 11a for handling, and a flap 22 closing the hole 11a opens and closes. provided as possible. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, an upper packing 23 is provided on the peripheral edge of the lower end of the filter panel 11 for tightly closing the rectangular opening 8a of the upper duct 8. As shown in FIG.

3, the filter panel 11 is fitted into the stepped portion 9a and the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1, so that the case 10 is lifted upward. It is housed above the backup filter section 12 in the duct 8 . At this time, the airtight state of the upper duct 8 is maintained by the upper packing 23 and the air passage packing 18 . As a result, the dry air flowing in the direction of arrow A in the upper duct 8 of the dry air circulation duct passes through the filter member 15 from the inlet 16 of the case 10, and the lint is captured on the surface of the filter member 15.

In the present embodiment, the filter unit 7 includes a cleaning member 24 for cleaning the filter member 15, an operation member 25 operated by a user, and a moving member for moving the cleaning member 24 by operating the operation member 25. A mechanism 29 is provided. Among them, the cleaning member 24 is positioned inside the case 10 and configured to move along the filter member mounting wall 10a by rotation to scrape off the lint accumulated on the surface of the filter member 15. It is Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12 to 15, the cleaning member 24 consists of a rectangular frame-shaped support 26 and a rubber blade 27 attached to the lower side of the support 26. It has

As shown in FIG. 8, the support 26 is made of plastic in the shape of a rectangular plate and has a rectangular opening 26a in the center. As shown in FIGS. 8, 14, 15, etc., the blade 27 has a rectangular thin plate-like portion elongated in the left-right direction in the drawing, and a tip side portion of the plate-like portion (lower side portion in FIG. 8, etc.). ) and has a rounded cross section integrally therewith. The upper side portion of the plate-like portion is fixed to the lower side portion of the support 26 .

The cleaning member 24 is connected at the left end of the upper side of the support 26 to a rotary shaft 28 (see FIG. 10) arranged at the upper part of the left inner wall of the case 10 near the front. At the same time, the right end of the upper side of the support 26 is rotatably supported by the right side wall of the case 10 . The rotating shaft 28 passes through the inner wall portion of the case 10, has its tip positioned in the moving mechanism housing portion 21, and is connected to the driving gear 30 (see FIGS. 12 to 14) that constitutes the moving mechanism 29. It is At this time, the longitudinal length of the cleaning member 24 and the position of the rotating shaft 28 are such that the scraping portion 27a at the tip of the blade 27 traces the surface of the filter member 15 of the filter member mounting wall 10a. , (locus L shown in FIG. 15) corresponds to the curvature of the filter member 15, that is, the radius of curvature.

As a result, the cleaning member 24 is moved to the waiting position arranged on the ceiling portion of the case 10, that is, the lower surface portion of the filter panel 11, as shown in FIG. It is rotatable between a lowest position rotated to the vicinity and a flipped forward position past the lowest position as shown in FIG. 14 . A moving mechanism 29, which will be described later, moves the cleaning member 24 from the standby position through the lowest position to the raised position. It moves in the direction of arrow C, and the lint scraping operation is performed. FIG. 8 shows a front view of the cleaning member 24 at its lowest position, and the inlet 16 side and the outlet side are communicated by an opening 26a.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the filter member mounting wall 10a of the case 10 extends substantially horizontally at a position near the inlet 16, that is, at the front end of the lower portion. The scraping portion 27a of the blade 27 is deviated from the rotation locus L. As shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the front end portion of the filter member mounting wall 10a is not formed with an opening, and the upper surface thereof is a smooth surface 10b on which the filter member 15 is not present. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the thickness dimension t of the plate-like portion of the blade 27 is configured to differ depending on the position in the left-right direction, and the left side on which the rotating shaft 28 exists is It is relatively thin, and fluctuates so that it gradually becomes thicker toward the right side.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10, 11, 15, etc., the lower surface of the filter panel 11 is fitted into the case 10 through the opening of the upper wall of the case 10, and the cleaning filter panel 11 is fitted into the case 10. A protruding wall 38 arranged on the inlet side, that is, on the front side of the rotating shaft 28 portion of the upper end portion of the member 24 is integrally provided extending in the left-right direction. Further, in this embodiment, an inner packing 39 for preventing wind leakage is provided at the joint between the case 10 and the filter panel 11 .

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the operation member 25 is shaped like a lever that is thin in the left-right direction and long in the front-rear direction, and is arranged in the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21. As shown in FIG. The operation member 25 has an elongated hole 31 extending in the front-rear direction, in which two front and rear pins 32 , 32 provided inside the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 are arranged. As a result, the operation member 25 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction within the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21, and the range of movement thereof is restricted. Further, the rear end of the operation member 25 serves as a pressing portion 25a to be pressed by the user, and the front end thereof serves as a curved recessed push-out portion 25b.

A tooth portion 33 having crests and valleys alternately in the front-rear direction is formed on the upper edge portion of the operation member 25 . The toothed portion 33 meshes with the toothed portion of the drive gear 30 . When the operating member 25 is moved forward and backward by the moving mechanism 29 configured in this way, the drive gear 30 is rotated and the cleaning member 24 is rotated via the rotating shaft 28 . In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning member 24 is positioned at the standby position when the operating member 25 is at the farthest position. When the operation member 25 is pressed forward (in the direction of arrow D) from this state, the cleaning member 24 moves to the lowest position in the intermediate state shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, the cleaning member 24 is positioned at the raised position when the operating member 25 is positioned at the forwardmost position and pushed in. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, the outer plate portion 21a of the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 has a U-shaped notch portion 21b so as to expose the pressing portion 25a on the tip side of the operating member 25. is provided. 5, 8, and 9, the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 is a longitudinally elongated portion in which the push-out portion 25b of the operation member 25 is inserted and removed from the front portion of the case 10, that is, the entrance portion 16 side. A front opening 21c is formed. As shown in FIG. 7, in the closed state of the filter cover 17, the front opening 21c is closed by the left side of the filter cover 17. As shown in FIG.

The filter cover 17 is integrally provided with a projecting piece 34 having a tongue-like shape when viewed from the side at a position corresponding to the push-out portion 25b, ie, the front opening 21c so as to protrude rearward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, when the filter cover 17 is in the closed state, the projecting piece 34 abuts against the push-out portion 25b and pushes it rearward, so that the operating member 25 is positioned on the farthest side. This position of the operating member 25 is called a normal position. At the normal position of the operating member 25, the cleaning member 24 is positioned at the standby position.

From this state, when the operation member 25 is moved forward (in the direction of arrow D), the cleaning member 24 is rotated in the direction of arrow C and jumps through the lowest position, as shown in FIGS. reach the raised position. In conjunction with this movement, the push-out portion 25b pushes the projecting piece portion 34 forward, thereby opening the filter cover 17 forward. The position of the operating member 25 shown in FIG. 14 is called the pushed position. On the other hand, when the filter cover 17 is closed from the open state, the projecting piece 34 pushes the push-out portion 25b rearward, and the operation member 25 moves rearward from the pushing position to the normal position, and the cleaning member 24 is closed. is rotated in the direction opposite to arrow C and returned to the standby position.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the outer plate portion 21a of the left side surface portion of the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is provided with a finger hook recess portion 35 located in the front lower portion. The finger hook recess 35 is located on the side surface on which the operation member 25 is arranged, and when the user operates the operation member 25, the finger pressing the operation member 25, for example, a finger other than the thumb, for example, It is used to hang the index finger and the middle finger.

The filter unit 7 configured as described above is attached to the main body 1 so that it can be taken in and out from the outlet 9 of the main body 1 . At this time, the operation member 25 provided in the filter unit 7 is arranged below the filter panel 11 in the normal position and inside the outlet 9 when viewed in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the operation member 25 is arranged below the upper packing 23 and inside the upper packing 23 when viewed in the vertical direction. When cleaning the filter member 15, which will be described later, the filter unit 7 is removed upward from the main body 1 through the outlet 9 while the washing/drying machine is stopped.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the filter unit 7 is taken out, even if the filter cover 17 is in an incomplete closed state, that is, in a so-called semi-locked state, attaching the filter unit 7 to the main body 1 causes The duct surrounding wall portion 20 is configured to relatively press the filter cover 17 to close it. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the duct surrounding wall 20 is integrally provided with a projection 36 that protrudes rearward. The projecting portion 36 is configured to relatively press the packing retainer 19 portion of the filter cover 17 to bring it into a closed state.

Next, the cleaning operation of the filter member 15 in the washing/drying machine having the above configuration will be mainly described. When drying clothes or washing and drying clothes in a washing/drying machine, the user puts the clothes in the drum, sets a desired course on the operation panel 5, and then starts the operation. Then, the control device operates the dehumidifying section and the hot air supply device, and performs a drying operation by, for example, intermittently rotating the drum. Thus, as described above, the air in the water tank is sucked into the dry air circulation duct from the outlet and passes through the filter unit 7 of the upper duct 8 as indicated by arrow A in FIG. During operation of the washing and drying machine, the operation member 25 of the filter unit 7 is positioned at the normal position, and the cleaning member 24 is positioned at the standby position.

During the drying operation, the air sucked into the dry air circulation duct from the water tank contains lint from the clothes. After that, the air passes through the backup filter section 12, flows further through the dry air circulation duct from the upper duct 8, is dehumidified in the dehumidifying section, is heated by the heater, and is supplied into the water tank from the supply port as warm air. Such circulation is performed. Thus, the clothes in the water tank, that is, the drum are dried. Here, if the lint captured by the filter members 15 accumulates on the surface of the filter members 15, there is a risk of clogging and a reduction in air volume. Therefore, when a certain amount of lint accumulates on the filter member 15, the user performs cleaning work of the filter member 15 as follows while the operation of the washing and drying machine is stopped.

That is, first, the user puts his or her hand in the hole portion 11a while pushing the flap 22 on the upper surface of the filter panel 11, and takes out the filter unit 7 upward from the outlet 9. As shown in FIG. Since the filter unit 7 is located on the right side of the main body 1, it is considered that the number of cases where the right hand is hooked on the hole 11a to take it out is more than the case of the left hand. Next, the user positions the filter unit 7 above a trash can, and tilts the filter unit 7 so that the inlet 16 faces downward. Then, the pressing portion 25a of the operating member 25 in the normal position as shown in FIG. 12 is pressed.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the operating member 25 moves toward the pushed position in the direction of arrow D, and the cleaning member 24 rotates in the direction of arrow C from the standby position and jumps through the lowest position. It will move to the raised position. At the same time, the push-out portion 25b of the operating member 25 presses the protruding portion 34 forward, so that the filter cover 17 is opened forward. At this time, the user can put the index finger or the middle finger of the left hand, for example, on the finger hook recess 35 on the left side, and push the operation member 25 with the thumb.

By the above-described cleaning operation, the blade 37 of the cleaning member 24 moves in an arc along the surface of the filter member 15 when viewed from the side, so as to scrape off the lint deposited on the upper surface of the filter member 15. Become. The scraped lint falls downward from the inlet 16 and is discarded in the trash can. In this case, the lint scraped off by the blade 37 is discharged from the inlet portion 16 while sliding on the upper surface of the smooth surface 10b of the filter member mounting wall 10a. As a result, the lint accumulated on the surface of the filter member 15 is removed and the lint trapping function is restored, thereby ensuring a large air volume in the dry air circulation duct.

After that, the user manually closes the open filter cover 17 . As a result, the protruding piece 34 of the filter cover 17 pushes the push-out portion 25b to move the operation member 25 rearward (in the direction opposite to the arrow D), and the operation member 25 is returned to the normal position. Along with this, the cleaning member 24 rotates back in the direction opposite to the arrow C, and is returned to the standby position. Then, the user attaches the cleaned filter unit 7 to the main body 1 by fitting it into the outlet 9 from above. At this time, it is conceivable that the filter cover 17 is in an incompletely closed state, that is, in a so-called semi-locked state. The filter cover 17 is closed by relatively pressing the packing retainer 19 portion.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the following functions and effects can be obtained. That is, the filter unit 7 is provided with a cleaning member 24 , an operation member 25 , a moving mechanism 29 , and the like, and the user removes the filter unit 7 from the main body 1 and operates the operation member 25 to remove the filter member 15 . configured to perform cleaning operations. Therefore, the cleaning workability is excellent, and the cleaning of the filter member 15 that captures the lint can be easily performed. Moreover, it is possible to suffice with a relatively simple configuration in which the cleaning member 24 and the operation member 25 are provided in the filter unit 7 .

At this time, the operating member 25 is arranged below the filter panel 11 and inside the outlet 9 when viewed in the vertical direction. Thus, in a normal state, that is, when the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1, the operating member 25 is hidden by the filter panel 11 and does not appear in the external appearance, so that the appearance can be improved. At the same time, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as a user operating the operation member 25 while the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1 . Since the operating member 25 does not protrude outside the outlet 9 when viewed in the vertical direction, the operating member 25 may get caught on the side of the main body 1, that is, the outlet 9 when the filter unit 7 is attached to or removed from the main body 1. You can easily attach and detach without any hassle.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the filter unit 7 is provided with a frame-shaped upper packing 23 for hermetically sealing with the outlet 9 , and the operating member 25 is positioned below the upper packing 23 . and arranged inside the upper packing 23 when viewed in the vertical direction. As a result, the upper packing 23 can hermetically seal the space between the filter unit 7 and the outlet 9, thereby preventing dry air from leaking. It goes without saying that the attachment and detachment of the filter unit 7 can be smoothly performed, and the appearance of the operation member 25 can be improved, and erroneous operations by the user can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, when the operating member 25 is operated toward the pushed-in position, the filter cover 17 is so to speak automatically opened in conjunction with the movement of the cleaning member 24, thus saving the user time and effort. By omitting it, the lint can be discharged from the inlet portion 16 . Further, when the filter cover 17 is displaced to the closed state, the cleaning member 24 and the operating member 25 can be automatically returned to their original positions. Therefore, it is possible to save the user's time and effort and improve usability.

Moreover, even if the filter cover 17 is in a so-called semi-locked state in which the filter cover 17 is not completely closed, the filter cover 17 is closed as the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1 . Therefore, the user can perform the operation of attaching the filter cover 17 to the main body 1 without worrying about whether or not the filter cover 17 is completely closed, which makes it easy to use. Of course, the air-path packing 18 provided on the filter cover 17 keeps the dry air circulation duct in a good airtight state. At this time, the projecting portion 36 provided integrally with the duct peripheral wall portion 20 presses the filter cover 17 relatively to close the filter cover 17. Therefore, although the structure is simple, the filter can be securely closed. The cover 17 can be closed.

Further, in this embodiment, the case 10 of the filter unit 7 is provided with a finger hook recess 35 for hooking a finger other than the finger pressing the operation member 25 . As a result, the user can place a finger on the finger hook recess 35 and press the operation member 25 with another finger using that portion as a fulcrum. can be operated. Since the finger hooking recess 35 is provided below the pressing portion 25a of the operation member 25 and positioned on the entrance portion 16 side, the positional relationship between the pressing portion 25a and the finger hooking recess 35 makes it easy for the user to operate. In addition, it becomes an arrangement that makes it easy to apply force, and it becomes more effective.

Further, in this embodiment, the filter unit 7 is arranged on the right side of the center of the main body 1, and the operation member 25 is provided on the left side surface of the case 10 of the filter unit 7. When it is picked up, the operating member 25 comes to a position where it can be easily operated with the left hand. Therefore, the user can smoothly perform the cleaning operation without having to switch between the right and left hands after removing the filter unit 7 .

In addition to the above, the following functions and effects can also be obtained in this embodiment. That is, the support 26 of the cleaning member 24 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame, and an opening 26a that communicates from the inlet 16 side to the outlet side is provided even when the cleaning member 24 is positioned at the lowest front position or the like. I made it At this time, since the cleaning member 24 is arranged inside the case 10 , dirt including lint may accumulate in a so-called blind spot such as the back of the cleaning member 24 in the case 10 . However, when the user cleans the case 10 by inserting a cleaning tool such as a brush into the interior of the case 10 through the opening 26a of the cleaning member 24 while the cleaning member 24 is at the lowest position, for example, the case 10 is not cleaned. It can be made excellent in cleanability.

Since the opening 26a is provided at the central portion of the cleaning member 24, the cleaning tool can reach a wider range than when the opening is provided at the end of the cleaning member 24. As a result, the cleanability can be improved. Needless to say, the rigidity of the cleaning member 24 can be ensured in terms of shape.

In this embodiment, the cleaning member 24 is configured to rotate around the rotation shaft, and the filter panel 11 is provided with a protruding wall 38 disposed on the inlet side of the rotation shaft portion. did. As a result, it is possible to perform efficient cleaning work by rotating the cleaning member 24, and the protruding wall 38 arranged in front prevents lint, dust, etc. from entering the rotating shaft portion. Deposition can be suppressed. An internal packing 39 for preventing wind leakage is provided at the joint between the case 10 and the filter panel 11, so that lint is prevented from accumulating at the joint and the dry air is prevented from leaking. The effect is excellent.

Further, in the present embodiment, a front opening 21c is provided on the entrance portion 16 side of the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 provided in the case 10 and having the moving mechanism 29, and when the filter cover 17 is closed, the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21 is configured to be closed by the filter cover 17. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the filter cover 17 is closed during normal operation, the front opening 21c is closed by the filter cover 17, and lint, dust, etc. can be prevented from entering the moving mechanism accommodating portion 21. .

In the present embodiment, the portion of the filter member mounting wall 10a of the case 10 that is outside the rotation locus L, which is the scraping range of the blade 27 of the cleaning member 24, is a smooth surface 10b where the filter member 15 does not exist. there is As a result, since the filter member 15 exists within the scraping range of the cleaning member 24, the lint deposited on the filter member 15 can be reliably cleaned. By forming the smooth surface 10b on the part of the filter member mounting wall 10a outside the scraping range, accumulated lint can be easily discharged through the smooth surface 10b.

Further, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the blade 27 of the cleaning member 24 is relatively thin on the drive side, that is, on the rotating shaft 28 side, and is configured to gradually increase in thickness away from the drive side. Here, among the blades 27 of the cleaning member 24, since the power transmission is large on the driving side, the scraping ability also increases. tend to become By configuring the thickness of the blade 27 so that it is thinner on the drive side and thicker on the side away from the drive side, the lint on the surface of the filter member 15 is removed with a substantially uniform force over the entire width direction of the blade 27. It becomes possible to scrape off, and it is possible to prevent uneven cleaning.

FIG. 17 shows a second embodiment and shows a cross-sectional configuration of a blade 41 provided on the cleaning member 24. As shown in FIG. In this second embodiment as well, the thickness of the plate-like portion of the blade 41 is thin on the drive side and thick on the side remote from the drive side. It is designed to grow in stages. This also makes it possible to scrape off the lint on the surface of the filter member 15 with a substantially uniform force over the entire width direction of the blade 41 .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and although illustration is omitted, the following extensions and modifications are possible, for example. In the first embodiment, even when the filter cover 17 is in a so-called semi-locked state in which the filter cover 17 is not completely closed, as the filter unit 7 is attached to the main body 1, the filter cover 17 is closed. As a configuration, the duct peripheral wall portion 20 is provided with the projection portion 36 to press the filter cover 17 relatively. When the filter cover 17 is attached to the main body 1, the rib may relatively press the duct peripheral wall portion 20 to close the filter cover 17. As shown in FIG. This also allows the filter cover 17 to be securely closed with a simple configuration.

Further, in the above embodiment, the filter unit 7 is arranged on the right side of the center of the main body 1 , but the filter unit 7 may be arranged on the left side of the center of the main body 1 . At this time, it is desirable to provide the operation member 25 on the right side surface of the case 10 . By providing the operation member 25 on the right side of the case 10, which is a position where the user can easily operate the filter unit 7 with the left hand when the user holds the filter unit 7 with the left hand, the user can easily operate the filter unit 7 with the left and right hands. The cleaning operation can be performed smoothly without having to switch hands.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the scraping portion 27a at the tip of the blade 27 has a flat shape extending across the width of the filter member mounting wall 10a. It can be in notched form. In other words, it is possible to arrange a plurality of unit blades side by side in the width direction corresponding to each region exposed in the width direction of the filter member 15, that is, each region in which no rib exists. The ribs of the filter member mounting wall 10a divide the lint and make it easier to scrape out. If there is one unit blade for each area of the filter member 15, the lint can be scraped off.

Further, when a plurality of unit blades corresponding to the ribs are arranged side by side as described above, the width dimension of each unit blade can be configured to be smaller than the width dimension of one region of the filter member 15 located between the ribs. . As a result, the sliding resistance of each unit blade can be reduced, and the operating force of the operating member can be kept small. In a plurality of regions in the width direction of the filter member 15, there is a situation in which the sliding resistance of the blade increases in the central portion and decreases in both end portions. Therefore, each unit blade is configured to have a shape that reduces the sliding resistance on the central portion side of the filter member 15, such as a shape that reduces elasticity, shortens the length, increases the thickness, or decreases the width. be able to. Conversely, on both end sides, it is possible to form a shape that increases the sliding resistance.

In the above embodiment, the opening 26a of the support 26 of the cleaning member 24 is provided in the central portion of the support 26. However, the support is provided in a frontal "E" shape, for example, with openings on both left and right sides of the cleaning member. It is good also as a structure which provides a part. In this manner, the position and shape of the opening can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the cleaning member 24 described above is provided with the rubber blades 27 and 41, but the blades may be replaced with brush-like ones, sponge-like ones, mop-like ones in which fibers are bundled, or the like. can be The cleaning member may be linearly reciprocatingly slid instead of rotating to clean the filter members arranged in a plane.

The filter cover 12 or the moving mechanism housing portion 21 may be provided with packing for the moving mechanism housing portion that seals the periphery of the front opening 21c of the moving mechanism housing portion 21 when the filter cover 21 is closed. According to this, it is possible to more reliably prevent lint, dust, and the like from entering the moving mechanism housing portion 21 . Further, clogging determination means for determining the clogging state of the filter member 15 is provided, and when the clogging determination means determines that the clogging of the filter member 15 has increased, the user is notified and the filter member 15 is clogged. It is good also as composition which prompts cleaning.

In addition, the washing/drying machine is not limited to the drum type, but may be a so-called vertical shaft type in which the axes of the water tub and the rotating tub are oriented in the vertical direction. Also, the clothes dryer may be configured without a washing function. A heat pump (refrigerating cycle) may be provided as dehumidifying means, or a hot air supply device without dehumidifying means may be used. Various modifications are also possible for the configuration of the dry air circulation duct. Each of the embodiments described above is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

In the drawings, 1 is an outer box, 7 is a filter unit, 8 is an upper duct, 9 is an outlet, 10 is a case, 10a is a filter member mounting plate, 10b is a smooth surface, 11 is a filter panel, 15 is a filter member, 16 17 is an inlet portion, 17 is a filter cover, 18 is an air passage packing, 20 is a duct peripheral wall portion, 21 is a moving mechanism accommodating portion, 21c is a front opening, 23 is an upper packing, 24 is a cleaning member, and 25 is an operating member. , 25a is a pressing portion, 25b is an extrusion portion, 26 is a support, 26a is an opening, 27 and 41 are blades, 27a is a scraping portion, 28 is a rotating shaft, 29 is a moving mechanism, 34 is a projecting piece, Reference numeral 35 denotes a finger hook recess, 36 a projection, 38 a projecting wall, and 39 an internal packing.

Claims (7)

a storage tank provided in the main body in which clothes are stored;
a dry air circulation duct provided in the main body for circulating and supplying dry air to the storage tank;
a filter unit that can be put in and taken out from an outlet on the upper surface of the main body and arranged in the middle of the dry air circulation duct in a state of being attached to the main body to capture lint contained in the dry air. and
The filter unit is
a case having a dry air inlet and an outlet connected to the dry air circulation duct;
a filter panel provided on the upper surface of the case and closing the outlet when the filter unit is attached to the main body;
a filter member provided on the filter member mounting wall of the case for catching lint;
a cleaning member that is movably provided in the case and moves to scrape off lint deposited on the filter member;
a non-motorized operating member operated by a user for moving the cleaning member to perform a scraping action;
The operation member is arranged below the filter panel and inside the outlet when viewed in the vertical direction ,
The filter unit is provided with a filter cover that can be opened and closed at the inlet of the case. An air passage packing is provided to keep the dry air circulation duct in an airtight state in close contact with the wall,
When the operation member is operated, the filter cover is opened in conjunction with the movement of the cleaning member, and when the filter cover is closed from the open state, the cleaning member and the operation member return to their original positions. configured to return and
Even if the filter cover is in an incompletely closed state, the duct surrounding wall portion relatively presses the filter cover as the filter unit is attached to the main body, thereby closing the filter cover. A clothes dryer configured to: The filter unit is provided with an upper packing for airtightly sealing with the outlet,
2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the operating member is arranged below the upper packing and inside the upper packing when viewed in the vertical direction. The case of the filter unit has a finger hooking recess located on a side surface on which the operating member is arranged, for hooking a finger other than the finger pressing the operating member when the user operates the operating member. 3. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. The clothes dryer according to claim 3, wherein the finger hooking recess is provided below the pressing portion of the operating member and on the side of the inlet serving as a discharge port for discharging the lint. The duct peripheral wall portion is provided with a protrusion,
When the filter unit is attached to the main body while the filter cover is in an incompletely closed state, the protrusion relatively presses the filter cover to bring it into a closed state. 5. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The filter cover is provided with a convex rib,
When the filter unit is attached to the main body while the filter cover is in an incompletely closed state, the rib relatively presses the duct peripheral wall portion to close the filter cover. 5. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is configured to: When the filter unit is arranged on the right side of the center of the main body, the operation member is provided on the left side surface of the case,
7. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein when the filter unit is arranged on the left side of the center of the main body, the operation member is provided on the right side surface of the case. machine.

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