JP7370528B2 - clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a clothes dryer.

Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a clothes dryer that is attached to the ceiling of a laundry room in a residence. The clothes dryer includes a blowing means for blowing air into the washroom and changing room, and a weight detecting means for detecting the weight of clothes hung on hangers in the washroom and changing room. When the drying operation of the clothes dryer is started, air is blown toward the clothes in the washroom by the air blower. When the rate of change in the weight of the clothes detected by the weight detection means before and after a predetermined period of time in the drying operation falls below a predetermined value, it is assumed that the clothes are dry and the drying operation is stopped.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-167889

Clothes with wrinkles may be dried in some cases, but under simple operating conditions such as the clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 that blows air at a constant air volume to the clothes in the washroom, it is difficult to dry the clothes. In addition, it is difficult to smooth out wrinkles.

This invention was made against this background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer that can not only dry clothes but also smooth out wrinkles.

The present invention includes a storage chamber for storing clothing, a blower section that sends air into the storage chamber, a heating section that heats the air sent into the storage chamber, and a control section that controls the blower section and the heating section. , a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature inside the accommodation chamber and inputs the detected temperature to the control unit, wherein the control unit detects an air volume that is larger than a predetermined air volume when the temperature inside the accommodation chamber is a first set temperature. After performing a wrinkle smoothing process in which the air is sent into the storage chamber by the air blower, a main drying process is performed in which the temperature in the storage chamber is set to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature by the heating unit. It's a clothes dryer.

The present invention also provides a storage chamber that stores clothing, a blower section that sends air into the storage chamber, a heating section that heats the air that is sent into the storage chamber, and a control that controls the blower section and the heating section. a temperature detection section that detects the temperature inside the storage chamber and inputs it to the control section; and a humidity detection section that detects the humidity inside the storage chamber and inputs it to the control section. is higher than the first set humidity, the controller causes the air blower to send air into the housing chamber at a volume greater than a predetermined air volume when the temperature inside the housing chamber is the first set temperature. When the stretching process is executed and the humidity in the housing chamber becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity, the control section ends the wrinkle smoothing process and causes the heating unit to adjust the temperature inside the housing chamber to the first set temperature. The controller executes the main drying process to set a second set temperature higher than the first set humidity, and when the humidity in the storage chamber becomes equal to or lower than the second set humidity lower than the first set humidity, the control unit ends the main drying process. , a clothes dryer.

Further, in the present invention, when the first upper limit time has elapsed after starting the wrinkle smoothing process, the control unit terminates the wrinkle smoothing process even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not lower than the first set humidity. when the second upper limit time elapses after the start of the main drying process, the control unit executes the main drying process even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not lower than the second set humidity. It is characterized by ending.

According to the present invention, in the clothes dryer, in order to dry the clothes stored in the storage chamber, the blower section sends air into the storage chamber, and the heating section heats this air. During the drying operation of the clothes dryer, during the first wrinkle smoothing process, a large amount of air is poured onto the clothes, which are relatively moist and easily smooth out wrinkles, while the temperature inside the storage chamber is at the first set temperature. , it is possible to use the water contained in clothing to smooth out wrinkles in clothing. In the main drying process after the wrinkle smoothing process, the temperature in the storage chamber becomes a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature, so that wrinkle-free clothing can be quickly dried. By combining such wrinkle smoothing treatment and main drying treatment, wrinkles can be smoothed out in addition to drying clothes.

Further, according to the present invention, in the clothes dryer, in order to dry the clothes stored in the storage chamber, the blower section sends air into the storage chamber, and the heating section heats this air. During the drying operation of the clothes dryer, if the humidity in the storage chamber is higher than the first set humidity, that is, if the clothes in the storage chamber are relatively damp, the temperature in the storage chamber is lowered to the first setting by the wrinkle smoothing process. In a state where the temperature is set at 1, a large amount of air is blown onto the clothing which is relatively moist and tends to unwrinkle. Thereby, wrinkles in clothing can be smoothed out using the moisture contained in the clothing. Then, when the humidity in the housing chamber becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity, the wrinkle smoothing process is completed and the main drying process is started. In this drying process, since the temperature in the storage chamber becomes the second set temperature higher than the first set temperature, it is possible to quickly dry the wrinkle-free clothes. When the humidity in the accommodation chamber becomes equal to or lower than the second set humidity, which is lower than the first set temperature, as the clothes are dried, the main drying process ends. By combining such wrinkle smoothing treatment and main drying treatment, wrinkles can be smoothed out in addition to drying clothes.

Further, according to the present invention, when the first upper limit time elapses after the start of the wrinkle smoothing process, the wrinkle smoothing process ends and the main drying process is executed even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not lower than the first set humidity. Ru. When the second upper limit time period elapses after the start of the main drying process, the main drying process ends even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not lower than the second set humidity. Therefore, for example, if the drying operation is started when the clothes are insufficiently dehydrated, the drying operation can be prevented from being unnecessarily prolonged by appropriately ending the wrinkle smoothing process and the main drying process.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional right side view of the clothes dryer. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the clothes dryer. FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing a drying operation performed in a clothes dryer. FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing the drying operation. FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes over time in each parameter of the clothes dryer during drying operation. FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing a drying operation according to a modification. FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing a drying operation according to a modification.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a clothes dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The left-right direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the left-right direction X of the clothes dryer 1, the direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-back direction Y of the clothes dryer 1, and the up-down direction in FIG. It is called direction Z. In the left-right direction X, the left side in FIG. 1 is referred to as left side X1, and the right side in FIG. 1 is referred to as right side X2. In the front-rear direction Y, the front side in the paper of FIG. 1 is referred to as the front side Y1, and the back side in the paper of FIG. 1 is referred to as the rear side Y2. In the vertical direction Z, the upper side is referred to as upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as lower side Z2. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional right side view of the clothes dryer 1.

The clothes dryer 1 according to this embodiment is different from a washer dryer and is a closet-type dedicated machine that only performs a clothes drying operation, and is arranged, for example, next to a washing machine. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a clothes dryer 1 includes a casing 2 that forms the outer shell of the dryer 1, a support section 3 that supports clothes L within the casing 2, and a structure that generates air flow within the casing 2. and a heating section 5 that heats the air inside the housing 2. In addition, in this embodiment, a shirt is assumed as the clothing L to be dried, but of course clothing other than shirts may be dried.

The housing 2 is formed, for example, in the shape of a vertically long box. The casing 2 is constructed between a front wall 2A, a left wall 2B and a right wall 2C extending from both ends of the front wall 2A in the left-right direction X to the rear side Y2, and rear ends of the left wall 2B and right wall 2C. It has a rear wall 2D. The housing 2 includes a top wall 2E connected to the upper ends of each of the front wall 2A, left wall 2B, right wall 2C, and rear wall 2D, and each of the front wall 2A, left wall 2B, right wall 2C, and rear wall 2D. It has a bottom wall 2F connected to the lower end of. In this embodiment, the front wall 2A extends obliquely so as to recede toward the upper side Z1, but it may extend vertically. Each of the left wall 2B, right wall 2C, and rear wall 2D extends vertically. The top wall 2E and the bottom wall 2F extend horizontally.

The casing 2 includes a horizontal plate 2G disposed right above the bottom wall 2F in the casing 2 and extending parallel to the bottom wall 2F, and a horizontal plate 2G disposed on the front side Y1 of the rear wall 2D in the casing 2. It further includes a vertical plate 2H extending parallel to the vertical plate 2H. The front end of the horizontal plate 2G is connected to the lower part of the front wall 2A. The lower end of the vertical board 2H is connected to the rear end of the horizontal board 2G, and the upper end of the vertical board 2H is connected to the rear end of the ceiling wall 2E.

The internal space of the casing 2 is formed by the horizontal plate 2G and the vertical plate 2H into a storage chamber 2L that stores the clothes L, and a circulation path 2M that circulates the air by taking out the air in the storage chamber 2L and returning it to the storage chamber 2L. partitioned into The storage chamber 2L is a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped-shaped space, which is blocked from the left and right direction X by a left wall 2B and a right wall 2C, from the front and back direction Y by a front wall 2A and a vertical plate 2H, and from a top wall 2E and a horizontal direction. It is blocked from the vertical direction Z by the plate 2G. A vertically long rectangular entrance/exit 2AA is formed in the front wall 2A, occupying almost the entire area thereof (see FIG. 1). A door 6 for opening and closing the entrance/exit 2AA is connected to the front wall 2A via a hinge 7. At least a portion of the door 6 is made of glass or the like and is therefore transparent or translucent, allowing the user to visually see the inside of the storage chamber 2L through the closed door 6.

The circulation path 2M is an inverted L-shaped space when viewed from the right side, and is blocked from the left and right direction X by the left wall 2B and the right wall 2C, and is blocked from the front and rear direction Y by the vertical plate 2H and the rear wall 2D. , is blocked from the vertical direction Z by the top wall 2E, the bottom wall 2F, and the horizontal plate 2G. In the circulation path 2M, a region sandwiched between the bottom wall 2F and the horizontal plate 2G and extending in the front-rear direction Y is referred to as a horizontal region 2MA. In the circulation path 2M, a region sandwiched between the vertical plate 2H and the rear wall 2D and extending in the vertical direction Z is referred to as a vertical region 2MB.

The horizontal area 2MA is located on the lower side Z2 of the storage chamber 2L, and the vertical area 2MB is located on the rear side Y2 of the storage chamber 2L. The rear end of the horizontal area 2MA and the lower end of the vertical area 2MB are in a connected state. A suction port 2GA that communicates the accommodation chamber 2L and the horizontal area 2MA is formed, for example, in the middle of the horizontal plate 2G. An air outlet 2HA that communicates the accommodation chamber 2L and the vertical region 2MB is formed at the upper end of the vertical plate 2H. A plurality of air outlets 2HA may be provided, and in this embodiment, four air outlets 2HA are provided side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction X (see FIG. 1).

The support part 3 is constructed between a center part 3A provided at the upper part of each of the left wall 2B and the right wall 2C, an arm part 3B extending from each center part 3A to the upper side Z1, and an upper end of each arm part 3B. It has a cylindrical hook portion 3C that extends linearly in the left-right direction X. Each center portion 3A is rotatably supported by the left wall 2B or the right wall 2C around a horizontal axis in the left-right direction X. Thereby, the entire support portion 3 is rotatable around the center portion 3A. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the position of the support portion 3 when the arm portion 3B extends vertically from the center portion 3A toward the upper side Z1 is referred to as a storage position. The user can rotate the support part 3 from the storage position to the draw-out position (not shown) by grasping the hook part 3C and pulling it out to the front side Y1 while the door 6 is open.

When the support part 3 is in the drawer position, the hook part 3C is close to the user, so the user can easily hook the hook F of the hanger H on which the clothing L is hung onto the hook part 3C, or move the hook F to the hook part 3C. It can be removed from 3C. The user can rotate the support part 3 to the storage position by grasping the hook part 3C and pushing it toward the rear side Y2. When the support part 3 is in the storage position, the clothing L caught on the hook part 3C via the hanger H hangs from the hook part 3C and faces either the left or right direction X, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is stored in the storage chamber 2L in this state. The number of clothes that can be stored at one time in the storage chamber 2L can be set arbitrarily, and in this embodiment, a maximum of five clothes L can be stored in the storage chamber 2L in a state where they are lined up in the left-right direction X. Thereby, the clothes dryer 1 can dry a plurality of clothes L at once.

As the blowing section 4, a known electric blower fan having built-in rotating blades (not shown) can be used. The rotation speed of the rotary blade is referred to as the rotation speed of the blower section 4. The air blower 4 includes a first air blower 4A and a second air blower 4B. Since the first blower section 4A is heavier than the second blower section 4B, it is arranged in the lateral region 2MA of the lower side Z2 in the circulation path 2M. Since the second blower section 4B is relatively light, one second blower section 4B is provided at each blower outlet 2HA at the upper end of the vertical region 2MB of the circulation path 2M. Therefore, in this embodiment, there are four second blowers 4B. When these air blowers 4 operate, as shown by the thick broken line arrows in FIG. The air rises inside and is sent into the storage chamber 2L so as to blow down from each air outlet 2HA toward the front side Y1. The air within the housing 2 is thus circulated by sequentially flowing through the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M. In the flow direction of the circulating air, the horizontal area 2MA is located upstream of the vertical area 2MB.

As the heating unit 5, a known heater such as an electric heater can be used. Since the heating unit 5 is a heavy object like the first blowing unit 4A, it may be placed at any position in the lateral area 2MA of the lower Z2 in the circulation path 2M, for example, on the downstream side of the first blowing unit 4A in the air flow direction. Ru. When the heating section 5 operates, the temperature becomes high, so that the air flowing through the circulation path 2M and sent into the storage chamber 2L is heated and becomes hot air as it passes around the heating section 5. The hot air in the circulation path 2M is sent into the storage chamber 2L from the outlet 2HA and is sprayed onto the clothes in the storage chamber 2L, thereby drying the clothes in the storage chamber 2L.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the clothes dryer 1. As shown in FIG. The clothes dryer 1 includes a control unit 10 that controls the operation of the clothes dryer 1, a display operation unit 11 that is operated by the user and provides information for the user, and detects the temperature inside the storage chamber 2L. The temperature detection unit 12 further includes a temperature detection unit 12 for detecting temperature. The control unit 10 is configured as a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU 13, a memory 14 such as a ROM or RAM, and a timer 15 for measuring time, and is built in the housing 2. The display operation unit 11 is composed of a switch, a liquid crystal panel, a buzzer, etc., and is provided on the front wall 2A of the housing 2 and the door 6. As the temperature detection section 12, a known temperature sensor can be used. Although the temperature detection unit 12 is fixed to the ceiling wall 2E in the housing 2 in FIG. 2, it may be arranged in a region closer to the air outlet 2HA in the circulation path 2M.

Each of the blower section 4 , heating section 5 , display/operation section 11 , and temperature detection section 12 is electrically connected to the control section 10 . The control unit 10 generates wind by operating the air blowing unit 4, and circulates the air between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M. The control unit 10 activates the heating unit 5 to heat the air circulating between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M to turn it into hot air. When the user operates the display operation section 11, the control section 10 accepts the operation. The control unit 10 controls the display and buzzer of the display operation unit 11. Information on the temperature inside the storage chamber 2L detected by the temperature detection unit 12 is input to the control unit 10 in real time.

4A and 4B are flowcharts showing the drying operation performed in the clothes dryer 1. FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes over time in various parameters of the clothes dryer 1 during drying operation. In the graph of FIG. 5, the horizontal axis shows the elapsed time from the start of the drying operation, the left vertical axis shows the temperature and humidity inside the storage chamber 2L, and the right vertical axis shows the rotation of each blower 4. Show the number. The temperature within the storage chamber 2L is referred to as the internal temperature, and the humidity within the storage chamber 2L is referred to as the internal humidity. The unit of the elapsed time is minutes, the unit of rotation speed of the blower section 4 is rpm, the unit of temperature inside the refrigerator is °C, and the unit of humidity inside the refrigerator is %. Note that the humidity in this embodiment is relative humidity. The drying operation will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5.

When the user instructs execution of the drying operation by operating the display operation section 11, the control section 10 starts the drying operation mainly by controlling the blower section 4 and the heating section 5. The drying operation includes a first half of the wrinkle smoothing process in which the wrinkles of the clothing L are smoothed out and a second half of the main drying process in which the clothing L is dried.

With the start of the drying operation, the control unit 10 sets a first operating time t1 indicating the time from the start to the end of the wrinkle smoothing process, and a first operating time t1 that is a target value of the rotation speed of each blower unit 4 during the wrinkle smoothing process. A rotation speed R1 and a first set temperature T1, which is a target value of the internal temperature during the wrinkle smoothing process, are determined (step S1). The first operating time t1, the first rotation speed R1, and the first set temperature T1 are determined according to the type and number of clothes L stored in the storage chamber 2L. The first operating time t1, the first rotation speed R1, and the first set temperature T1 may be determined in advance and stored in the memory 14. In that case, the control unit 10 stores these values in step S1. It is not determined by calculation but is acquired from memory 14.

The first operating time t1 is, for example, 20 minutes. The first rotation speed R1 is relatively high, for example, 7000 rpm. The first set temperature T1 has a range, and the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 is, for example, 45°C, and the lower limit of the first set temperature T1 is, for example, 40°C.

Next, the control unit 10 operates each blower 4 and controls the rotation speed of each blower 4 to become the first rotation speed R1 (step S2). As a result, the air within the housing 2 circulates between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M (see the thick broken line arrow in FIG. 2). As mentioned above, since the first rotation speed R1 is relatively high, the air volume is larger than the predetermined air volume and the air flowing vigorously is thrown from the circulation path 2M onto the clothing L in the storage chamber 2L, thereby eliminating wrinkles in the clothing L. It's being stretched. In particular, the hot air blown out from the air outlet 2HA located at a higher position than the clothing L is applied to the clothing L from the upper side Z1, so that the hot air is directed from the nape of the upper side Z1 to the cuffs of the lower side Z2 on the surface of the clothing L. Since it flows, the clothing L can be stretched well (see FIG. 2). At this time, the clothing L may be stationary or may be fluttering toward the front side Y1.

With the blower unit 4 operating in this manner, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 (step S3). If the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 (YES in step S3), the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to heat the air in the housing 2 (step S4). On the other hand, if the temperature inside the refrigerator is higher than the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 while the heating section 5 is in operation (NO in step S3), the control section 10 stops the heating section 5 in order to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator. (Step S5), it is checked whether the temperature inside the refrigerator is below the lower limit value of the first set temperature T1 (Step S6). If the temperature inside the refrigerator is below the lower limit of the first set temperature T1 (YES in step S6), the temperature inside the refrigerator has fallen too much, and the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to reduce the temperature inside the housing 2. Air is heated (step S4).

After the operation of the heating unit 5 (step S4), the control unit 10 repeats the processing from step S3 until the first operating time t1 has elapsed (NO in step S7). Further, even if the heating unit 5 is stopped but the internal temperature is between the upper limit and lower limit of the first set temperature T1 (NO in step S6), the heating unit 5 is stopped until the first operating time t1 elapses. During this period (NO in step S7), the control unit 10 repeats the processing from step S3 onwards. As a result, during the wrinkle smoothing process, the temperature inside the refrigerator changes between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the first set temperature T1 in a state in which each blower section 4 operates at high speed at the first rotation speed R1, and the temperature inside the refrigerator Humidity gradually decreases (see Figure 5).

When the first operating time t1 has elapsed (YES in step S7), the control unit 10 ends the wrinkle smoothing process (step S8) and starts the main drying process. The control unit 10 may temporarily stop the blower unit 4 and the heating unit 5 upon completion of the wrinkle smoothing process.

With the start of the main drying process, the control unit 10 sets a second operating time t2 indicating the time from the start to the end of the drying operation, and a second operating time t2 that is the target value of the rotation speed of each blower unit 4 during the main drying process. The rotation speed R2 and the second set temperature T2, which is the target value of the internal temperature during the main drying process, are determined (step S9). The second operating time t2, the second rotation speed R2, and the second set temperature T2 are determined according to the type and number of clothes L stored in the storage chamber 2L. The second operating time t2, the second rotation speed R2, and the second set temperature T2 may be determined in advance and stored in the memory 14. In that case, the control unit 10 stores these values in step S9. It is not determined by calculation but is acquired from memory 14.

The second operating time t2 is, for example, 40 minutes. The difference between the second operating time t2 and the first operating time t1 is the same as the time from the start to the end of the main drying process. This difference may be regarded as the second operating time t2. The second rotation speed R2 is lower than the first rotation speed R1, for example, 5000 rpm. The second set temperature T2 is higher than the first set temperature T1. The second set temperature T2 has a range, and the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 is, for example, 65°C, and the lower limit of the second set temperature T2 is, for example, 60°C.

Next, the control unit 10 operates each blower 4 and controls the rotation speed of each blower 4 to become the second rotation speed R2 (step S10). Thereby, the air within the housing 2 circulates between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M. In addition, each ventilation part 4 may continue to operate from the wrinkle smoothing process, and in that case, in each ventilation part 4, the rotation speed is reduced to the second rotation speed R2 in step S10, and the operation is continued thereafter. . Since the second rotation speed R2 is relatively low, the power consumption for operating each blower section 4 can be kept low. Incidentally, since the drying speed of clothes L that have dried to a certain extent is mainly affected by the temperature inside the refrigerator, it does not matter if the rotational speed of each air blower 4, that is, the air volume, is small.

With the blower unit 4 operating in this manner, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 (step S11). If the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 (YES in step S11), the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to heat the air in the housing 2 (step S12). On the other hand, if the temperature inside the refrigerator is higher than the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 while the heating section 5 is in operation (NO in step S11), the control section 10 stops the heating section 5 in order to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator. (Step S13), it is confirmed whether or not the internal temperature is below the lower limit value of the second set temperature T2 (Step S14). If the temperature inside the refrigerator is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the second set temperature T2 (YES in step S14), the temperature inside the refrigerator has fallen too much, and the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to reduce the temperature inside the housing 2. Air is heated (step S12).

After the operation of the heating unit 5 (step S12), the control unit 10 repeats the processing from step S11 until the second operating time t2 has elapsed (NO in step S15). Furthermore, even if the heating unit 5 is stopped but the internal temperature is between the upper limit and lower limit of the second set temperature T2 (NO in step S14), the heating unit 5 is stopped until the second operating time t2 elapses. During this period (NO in step S15), the control unit 10 repeats the processing from step S11 onwards. As a result, during the main drying process, when each blower section 4 operates at a low speed at the second rotation speed R2, the temperature inside the refrigerator changes between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the second set temperature T2. The humidity will further decrease (see Figure 5).

When the second operating time t2 has elapsed (YES in step S15), the control unit 10 ends the main drying process by stopping the blower unit 4 and heating unit 5 (step S16), and ends the entire drying operation. .

As described above, in the drying operation, the control unit 10 executes the wrinkle smoothing process (steps S1 to S8) and then executes the main drying process (steps S9 to S16). As the wrinkle smoothing process, the control unit 10 sends air at a volume larger than a predetermined air volume into the housing chamber 2L using the blower unit 4 while the temperature inside the housing chamber 2L is the first set temperature T1. As the main drying process, the control unit 10 uses the heating unit 5 to set the temperature in the storage chamber 2L to a second set temperature T2 higher than the first set temperature T1.

Therefore, in the drying operation, in the first wrinkle smoothing process, in a low temperature state where the temperature in the storage chamber 2L is the first set temperature T1, a large amount of air is transferred to the clothing L, which is relatively moist and easily smooths out wrinkles. Since the clothing L is sprayed with water, the wrinkles of the clothing L can be smoothed out using the moisture contained in the clothing L. In the main drying process after the wrinkle smoothing process, the temperature in the storage chamber 2L becomes a second set temperature T2 higher than the first set temperature T1, so the wrinkle-free clothing L is quickly dried in a high temperature environment. be able to. By combining such wrinkle smoothing processing and main drying processing, the wrinkles can be smoothed out in addition to drying the clothing L.

Incidentally, once the clothing L is almost completely dry, it is difficult to smooth out the wrinkles remaining on the clothing L unless it is moistened once. In this embodiment, by performing the wrinkle smoothing process while the clothing L is damp to some extent, the wrinkles can be removed from the clothing L using the moisture contained in the clothing L itself, and the clothing L can be finished well. For this purpose, in the wrinkle smoothing process, it is necessary to allow a large amount of strong wind to be applied to the damp clothing without rapidly drying the clothing L. Therefore, the first set temperature T1 in the wrinkle smoothing process is set to a low temperature such that the drying speed of the clothing L is lower than the drying speed in the main drying process, and the air volume that is higher than the predetermined air volume described above is It is set to a value that can smooth out the wrinkles of clothing L. Moreover, since the clothes dryer 1 does not need to be equipped with a humidifying device for moistening the clothes L in order to smooth out wrinkles, costs can be reduced.

Next, a drying operation according to a modification will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The clothes dryer 1 according to the modification further includes a humidity detection section 16 that detects the humidity in the storage chamber 2L, that is, the humidity inside the storage chamber, and inputs the detected humidity to the control section 10 (see FIG. 3). As the humidity detection section 16, a known humidity sensor can be used.

With the start of the drying operation according to the modified example, the control unit 10 sets the first upper limit time Max1 indicating the upper limit of the time from the start to the end of the wrinkle smoothing process, and the rotation speed of each blower unit 4 during the wrinkle smoothing process. the first rotation speed R1 which is the target value of the temperature, the first set temperature T1 which is the target value of the internal temperature during the wrinkle smoothing process, and the first set humidity W1 which is the target value of the internal humidity during the wrinkle smoothing process. (Step S21). The first upper limit time Max1, the first rotation speed R1, the first set temperature T1, and the first set humidity W1 are determined according to the type and number of clothes L stored in the storage chamber 2L. The first upper limit time Max1, the first rotation speed R1, the first set temperature T1, and the first set humidity W1 may be determined in advance and stored in the memory 14. In that case, the control unit 10 in step S21 , these values are obtained from memory 14 rather than being determined by calculation.

The first upper limit time Max1 is, for example, 30 minutes, which is longer than the first operating time t1 described above. The first rotation speed R1 is relatively high, for example, 7000 rpm. The first set temperature T1 has a range, and the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 is, for example, 45°C, and the lower limit of the first set temperature T1 is, for example, 40°C. The first set humidity W1 is, for example, 50%.

Next, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal humidity is equal to or lower than the first set humidity W1 (step S22). At the start of the drying operation, the clothes L are in a damp state, so the humidity inside the refrigerator is higher than the first set humidity W1. In this case (NO in step S22), the control unit 10 operates each blower 4 and controls the rotation speed of each blower 4 to become the first rotation speed R1 (step S23). Thereby, the air within the housing 2 circulates between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M. As mentioned above, since the first rotation speed R1 is relatively high, the air volume is larger than the predetermined air volume and the air flowing vigorously is thrown from the circulation path 2M onto the clothing L in the storage chamber 2L, thereby eliminating wrinkles in the clothing L. It's being stretched.

With the blower unit 4 operating in this manner, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 (step S24). If the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 (YES in step S24), the control unit 10 activates the heating unit 5 to heat the air in the housing 2 (step S25). On the other hand, if the temperature inside the refrigerator is higher than the upper limit of the first set temperature T1 while the heating section 5 is in operation (NO in step S24), the control section 10 stops the heating section 5 in order to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator. (Step S26), it is confirmed whether the internal temperature is below the lower limit of the first set temperature T1 (Step S27). If the temperature inside the refrigerator is below the lower limit of the first set temperature T1 (YES in step S27), the temperature inside the refrigerator has fallen too much, and the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to reduce the temperature inside the housing 2. Air is heated (step S25).

The control unit 10 checks whether the internal humidity is equal to or lower than the first set humidity W1 when the heating unit 5 is activated (step S25) or when the heating unit 25 is stopped (step S26). (Step S28). When the internal humidity becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity W1 as the clothes L dry (YES in step S28), the control unit 10 ends the wrinkle smoothing process (step S29) and starts the main drying process. . The control unit 10 may temporarily stop the blower unit 4 and the heating unit 5 upon completion of the wrinkle smoothing process.

If the internal humidity is higher than the first set humidity W1 (NO in step S28), the control unit 10 performs the processing from step S24 until the first upper limit time Max1 has elapsed (NO in step S30). repeat. On the other hand, when the first upper limit time Max1 has elapsed (YES in step S30) even though the internal humidity is higher than the first set humidity W1 (NO in step S28), the control unit 10 forcibly terminates the wrinkle smoothing process. (Step S29), and the main drying process is started.

With the start of the main drying process, the control unit 10 sets a second upper limit time Max2 indicating the upper limit of the time from the start to the end of the drying operation, and a target value of the rotation speed of each blower unit 4 during the main drying process. A certain second rotation speed R2, a second set temperature T2 that is the target value of the temperature inside the refrigerator during the main drying process, and a second set humidity W2 that is the target value of the humidity inside the refrigerator during the main drying process are determined. (Step S31). The second upper limit time Max2, the second rotation speed R2, the second set temperature T2, and the second set humidity W2 are determined according to the type and number of clothes L stored in the storage chamber 2L. The second upper limit time Max2, the second rotation speed R2, the second set temperature T2, and the second set humidity W2 may be determined in advance and stored in the memory 14. In that case, the control unit 10 in step S31 , these values are obtained from memory 14 rather than being determined by calculation.

The second upper limit time Max2 is, for example, 60 minutes, which is longer than the second operating time t2 described above. The difference between the second upper limit time Max2 and the first upper limit time Max1 indicates the upper limit value of the time from the start to the end of the main drying process. This difference may be regarded as the second upper limit time Max2. The second rotation speed R2 is lower than the first rotation speed R1, for example, 5000 rpm. The second set temperature T2 is higher than the first set temperature T1. The second set temperature T2 has a range, and the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 is, for example, 65°C, and the lower limit of the second set temperature T2 is, for example, 60°C. The second set humidity W2 is lower than the first set humidity W1, for example, 30%.

Next, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal humidity is equal to or lower than the second set humidity W2 (step S32). At the start of the main drying process, since the clothes L are still in a damp state, the internal humidity is higher than the second set humidity W2. In this case (NO in step S32), the control unit 10 operates each blower 4 and controls the rotation speed of each blower 4 to become the second rotation speed R2 (step S33). Thereby, the air within the housing 2 circulates between the storage chamber 2L and the circulation path 2M. In addition, each ventilation part 4 may continue to operate from the wrinkle smoothing process, and in that case, in each ventilation part 4, the rotation speed is reduced to the second rotation speed R2 in step S33, and the operation is continued thereafter. . Since the second rotation speed R2 is relatively low, the power consumption for operating each blower section 4 can be kept low.

With the blower unit 4 operating in this manner, the control unit 10 checks whether the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 (step S34). If the internal temperature is below the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 (YES in step S34), the control unit 10 activates the heating unit 5 to heat the air in the housing 2 (step S35). On the other hand, if the temperature inside the refrigerator is higher than the upper limit of the second set temperature T2 while the heating section 5 is in operation (NO in step S34), the control section 10 stops the heating section 5 in order to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator. (Step S36), it is confirmed whether or not the internal temperature is below the lower limit of the second set temperature T2 (Step S37). If the temperature inside the refrigerator is below the lower limit of the second set temperature T2 (YES in step S37), the temperature inside the refrigerator has fallen too much, and the control unit 10 operates the heating unit 5 to reduce the temperature inside the housing 2. Air is heated (step S35).

The control unit 10 checks whether the internal humidity is equal to or lower than the second constant humidity when the heating unit 5 is activated (step S35) or when the heating unit 5 is stopped (step S36). (Step S38). When the humidity inside the refrigerator becomes equal to or lower than the second set humidity W2 as the clothes L dry (YES in step S38), the control section 10 stops the blower section 4 and the heating section 5 and normally ends the main drying process. (Step S39), and the entire drying operation is ended.

If the internal humidity is higher than the second set humidity W2 (NO in step S38), the control unit 10 does not perform the processing from step S34 until the second upper limit time Max2 has elapsed (NO in step S40). repeat. On the other hand, when the second upper limit time Max2 has elapsed (YES in step S40) even though the internal humidity is higher than the second set humidity W2 (NO in step S38), the control unit 10 is unable to dry the clothes L. An error is notified by the display operation section 11 or the like (step S41), and the main drying process is forcibly terminated (step S39).

As described above, in the drying operation according to the modified example, when the humidity in the storage chamber 2L is higher than the first set humidity W1, the control unit 10 executes the wrinkle smoothing process (steps S21 to S30). In the wrinkle smoothing process, the control unit 10 sends air at a volume larger than a predetermined air volume into the storage chamber 2L using the blower unit 4 in a state where the temperature inside the storage chamber 2L is the first set temperature T1. Then, when the humidity in the accommodation chamber 2L becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity W1 (YES in step S28), the control unit 10 ends the wrinkle smoothing process (step S29) and executes the main drying process. In the main drying process, the control unit 10 uses the heating unit 5 to set the temperature in the storage chamber 2L to a second set temperature T2 higher than the first set temperature T1. Then, when the humidity in the storage chamber 2L becomes equal to or lower than the second set humidity W2, which is lower than the first set humidity W1 (YES in step S38), the control unit 10 ends the main drying process (step S39).

Therefore, in the drying operation related to the drying operation, when the humidity in the storage chamber 2L is higher than the first set humidity W1, that is, when the clothing L in the storage chamber 2L is in a relatively damp state, the wrinkle smoothing process is performed. Therefore, in a low-temperature state where the temperature in the storage chamber 2L is below the first set temperature T1, a large amount of air is poured onto the clothing L, which is relatively moist and tends to unwrinkle. Thereby, the wrinkles of the clothing L can be smoothed out using the water contained in the clothing L. In the main drying process, which is performed with the humidity inside the storage chamber 2L reduced to a certain extent, the temperature inside the storage chamber 2L becomes a second set temperature T2 higher than the first set temperature T1, so that wrinkles are eliminated. Clothes L can be quickly dried in a high temperature environment. By combining such wrinkle smoothing processing and main drying processing, the wrinkles can be smoothed out in addition to drying the clothing L.

In the drying operation according to the embodiment described above (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), the end timing of the wrinkle smoothing process and the main drying process is determined based on the first operating time t1 and the second operating time t2, whereas the deformation In the drying operation according to the example, the end timing of the wrinkle smoothing process and the main drying process is determined based on the internal humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 16 instead of these set times. Therefore, although the parameters for determining the end timing are different between the drying operation according to the modification and the drying operation according to the embodiment described above, the essence is the same.

Therefore, if the drying operation is normal, when the first operating time t1 has elapsed (YES in step S7), the internal humidity becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity W1 (YES in step S28). Further, when the second operating time t2 has elapsed (YES in step S15), the humidity inside the refrigerator becomes equal to or lower than the second set humidity W2 (YES in step S38). Therefore, even in the drying operation according to the modified example, the internal temperature, the internal humidity, and the rotation speed of the blower section 4 actually change in the same way as in the drying operation of the embodiment described above (see FIG. 5).

Then, when the first upper limit time Max1 has elapsed after starting the wrinkle smoothing process (YES in step S30), the control unit 10 starts the wrinkle smoothing process even if the humidity in the accommodation chamber 2L is not lower than the first set humidity W1. After finishing, execute the main drying process. Then, when the second upper limit time Max2 has elapsed after the start of the main drying process (YES in step S40), the control unit 10 starts the main drying process even if the humidity in the accommodation chamber 2L is not lower than the second set humidity W2. finish. Therefore, for example, when the drying operation is started in a state where the clothes L are insufficiently dehydrated, the drying operation can be prevented from being unnecessarily prolonged by appropriately ending the wrinkle smoothing process and the main drying process.

This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims.

For example, the number of blowers 4 can be changed arbitrarily. Moreover, in the case where a plurality of air blowers 4 are present, the first rotation speed R1 and the second rotation speed R2 described above may be different values for each air blower 4.

1 Clothes dryer 2L Storage chamber 4 Ventilation section 5 Heating section 10 Control section 12 Temperature detection section 16 Humidity detection section L Clothes Max1 First upper limit time Max2 Second upper limit time T1 First setting time T2 Second setting time W1 First setting Humidity W2 Second set humidity

Claims (3)

A storage room for storing clothing;
a support part that supports clothing within the storage chamber;
a blower unit that sends air into the storage chamber from an outlet located above the supporter;
a heating unit that heats the air sent into the storage chamber;
a control unit that controls the blower unit and the heating unit;
a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature inside the storage chamber and inputs it to the control unit,
The control unit executes a wrinkle smoothing process in which the air blowing unit sends air with an air volume larger than a predetermined air volume into the storage chamber in a state where the temperature inside the storage chamber is a first set temperature, and then A clothes dryer that executes a main drying process in which the temperature in the accommodation chamber is set to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature by the heating unit while air is sent into the accommodation chamber by the air blowing unit. A storage room for storing clothing;
a support part that supports clothing within the storage chamber;
a blower unit that sends air into the storage chamber from an outlet located above the supporter;
a heating unit that heats the air sent into the storage chamber;
a control unit that controls the blower unit and the heating unit;
a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature inside the storage chamber and inputs the detected temperature to the control unit;
a humidity detection unit that detects humidity in the storage chamber and inputs the detected humidity to the control unit,
When the humidity in the storage chamber is higher than the first set humidity, the control section causes the blower to blow air at an air volume larger than a predetermined air volume in a state where the temperature inside the storage chamber is the first set temperature. Execute the wrinkle smoothing process to send it into the containment chamber,
When the humidity in the storage chamber becomes equal to or lower than the first set humidity, the control section ends the wrinkle smoothing process, and causes the heating section to blow the air into the storage chamber while sending the predetermined amount of air into the storage chamber using the blowing section. Executing the main drying process to set the temperature in the storage chamber to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature,
In the clothes dryer, when the humidity in the accommodation chamber becomes equal to or lower than a second set humidity that is lower than the first set humidity, the control unit ends the main drying process. When a first upper limit time has elapsed after starting the wrinkle smoothing process, the control unit may end the wrinkle smoothing process and perform the main drying process even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not lower than the first set humidity. execute,
The control unit terminates the main drying process even if the humidity in the storage chamber is not below the second set humidity when a second upper limit time elapses after starting the main drying process. clothes dryer.

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