JP7457492B2 - clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to clothes dryers.

BACKGROUND ART A drum-type washer/dryer that employs a heat pump is conventionally known as a clothes dryer (for example, see Patent Document 1). A heat pump is constructed by connecting a compressor, a condenser, a throttle device, and an evaporator in a closed loop through refrigerant piping. are arranged in order. This allows the humid air discharged from the drum to be dehumidified by passing through the evaporator, then heated by passing through the condenser, and then supplied into the drum again as high-temperature dry air. It has become.

At this time, in the evaporator, dehumidification is performed by heat exchange, so the water vapor condenses to form condensation on the surface, generating drain water that falls downward. Therefore, conventionally, a drain tank is provided below the evaporator and condenser to collect the drain water, and a drain pump is driven at appropriate times to discharge the drain water outside the machine.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-150997

By the way, in a washer/dryer using this type of heat pump, it is desired to increase the amount of circulating drying air to improve the drying capacity and shorten the drying time. However, if an attempt is made to shorten the drying time by increasing the air volume in this way, the amount of drain water generated per unit time increases, the amount accumulated in the drain tank increases, and the wind speed increases. As a result, the drain water that has accumulated in the drain tank is easily blown up by the wind that blows into the drain tank, and is further carried by the wind and flows through the circulation air path, which can eventually adhere to clothing in the drum. There is a concern that problems may occur.

Therefore, we provide a clothes dryer that is equipped with a heat pump and can prevent drain water in the drain tank from being blown up even when the drying air volume is increased.

The clothes dryer of the embodiment includes a drying chamber in which clothes are stored, an exhaust port for discharging air from the drying chamber, and an air supply port for blowing air into the drying chamber, communicating with each other on the outside of the drying chamber. a circulating air passage provided to cause the air to flow through the drying chamber; a blower device for circulating air in the drying chamber through the circulating air passage; and a compressor and a compressor arranged in the circulating air passage in order from the windward front side. A heat pump including an evaporator and a condenser; a drain tank provided below the evaporator and condenser and shaped like a container with an open top for storing drain water; and a drain tank provided on the top surface of the drain tank. and a tank cover in which a water passage hole is formed to allow drain water falling from the evaporator to flow down into the drain tank. The tank cover is provided with a cover rib that stands up between the evaporator and the condenser, and the tank cover is provided with a cover rib that stands between the evaporator and the condenser, and the upper rear end of the drain tank and the condenser A closing member is provided to close the gap between the evaporator and the rear lower end , and the water passage hole has a large opening corresponding to the entire lower part of the evaporator. Alternatively, the circulation air passage includes an evaporator inlet duct whose tip side is disposed at the inlet of the evaporator, and the evaporator inlet duct has a tip close to the inlet of the evaporator and is connected to the evaporator. The water passage hole is configured so that wind enters at right angles to the evaporator, and the water passage hole is wide open to correspond to the entire lower part of the evaporator. Alternatively, a tank rib is provided in the drain tank to partition the inside into front and rear parts, and the tank rib is disposed at a position shifted toward the condenser from a position between the evaporator and the condenser, and The water passage hole has a large opening corresponding to the entire lower part of the evaporator .

This is a vertical right side view schematically showing the internal configuration of the washer/dryer according to the first embodiment. Vertical rear view schematically showing the internal configuration of the washer/dryer including the heat pump Schematic longitudinal sectional front view of heat pump duct part This shows the second embodiment, and is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of the heat pump duct part. FIG. 13 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of a heat pump duct portion according to a third embodiment. This shows the fourth embodiment, and is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of a heat pump duct part. This shows the fifth embodiment, and is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of a heat pump duct part.

Below, several embodiments of a drum-type washer/dryer equipped with a heat pump and having both a washing function and a drying function will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, common parts will be given the same reference numerals, and new illustrations and repeated explanations will be omitted.

(1) First Embodiment The first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 and 2 show the overall configuration of a washer/dryer 1 as a clothes dryer according to this embodiment. Here, an outer box 2 constituting the main body of the washer/dryer 1 has a substantially rectangular box shape, and inside the outer box 2 is a cylindrical water tank 3 that serves as a drying chamber and is inclined backwards. It is supported via a non-elastic support mechanism. A cylindrical drum 4, which accommodates laundry, is rotatably supported within the water tank 3. The drum 4 is configured to rotate around an inclined axis extending in the front-rear direction and inclined slightly backward from the horizontal.

As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of holes 4a for water passage and ventilation are formed in the peripheral wall and rear wall of the drum 4, and the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 4 has holes 4a for stirring the laundry. A plurality of baffles (not shown) are provided. Although not shown in detail, the front of the drum 4 is provided with a circular opening through which clothes are put in and taken out, and the front of the water tank 3 is provided with an input port 3a that is connected to the opening. ing. A door 5 is provided on the front surface of the outer box 2 to open and close the input port 3a. An operation panel 6 is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the outer box 2. Although not shown in detail, the operation panel 6 is provided with an operation section for making various settings, etc., and is also provided with a display section for making necessary displays.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a drum motor 8 comprising a drive mechanism, for example, an outer rotor type brushless motor, is disposed at the rear of the water tank 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the tip of the rotating shaft of this drum motor 8 penetrates through the back surface of the water tank 3, projects into the water tank 3, and is connected and fixed to the center of the rear part of the drum 4. With such a configuration, the drum 4 is directly rotationally driven by the drum motor 8. In this case, the drum 4 is continuously rotated in the normal rotation direction, that is, in the clockwise direction when viewed from the front, during the dewatering process. In the washing process, rinsing process, drying process, etc., the drum 4 is repeatedly rotated forward and reversed.

Although not shown in detail, a water supply mechanism is provided in the upper part of the outer box 2 for supplying water from a tap as a water source into the water tank 3 and the like. This water supply mechanism includes a water supply valve. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a drain pipe 12 is connected to the lower part of the water tank 3, and a drain valve 13 is provided in the middle of the drain pipe 12. When water is supplied into the water tank 3 by the water supply mechanism with the drain valve 13 closed, the water is stored in the water tank 3. At this time, the water level in the water tank 3 is detected by a water level sensor (not shown). As the drain valve 13 is opened, the water stored in the water tank 3 is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain pipe 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the water tub 3 is provided with an exhaust port 17 at the upper right of the front part for discharging air from inside the drum 4, and an air intake port 18 at the upper left of the rear part for supplying dry air into the drum 4. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a hot air supply mechanism 19 is provided inside the outer box 2 for circulating and supplying dry air, i.e., hot air, into the drum 4 to perform the clothes drying operation.

The hot air supply mechanism 19 is located outside the water tank 3 and includes a circulation air path 20. The inlet of the circulating air passage 20 is connected to the exhaust port 17 of the water tank 3, and the outlet of the circulating air passage 20 is connected to the air supply port 18. The hot air supply mechanism 19 includes a heat pump 15 that dehumidifies and heats the circulating air to generate dry air. At the same time, a blowing fan 16 is operated as a blowing device that circulates the air discharged from the exhaust port 17 in the direction of arrow A within the circulation air path 20 and supplies the air from the air supply port 18 to the water tank 3 and eventually into the drum 4. We are prepared.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the circulation air passage 20 includes an upper exhaust duct 21, a rear exhaust duct 22, an evaporative inlet duct 23, a heat pump duct 24, and an air supply duct 25. It is equipped with As shown in FIG. 1, the upper exhaust duct 21 has its base end connected to the exhaust port 17 and extends rearward in the upper right side of the outer box 2, and has a rear exhaust duct at its tip. The upper ends of 22 are connected. A well-known lint filter 26 is provided in the middle of the upper exhaust duct 21 to capture lint from the drying air.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an exhaust opening is located at the upper part of the middle part of the upper exhaust duct 21 and is located behind the lint filter 26 to exhaust the internal air from the upper surface of the main body 2. 9 is provided. Along with this, as shown in FIG. 1, an exhaust damper 10 for opening and closing the exhaust opening 9 is provided. The exhaust damper 10 is opened and closed by a drive mechanism including a motor (not shown). With this, by opening the exhaust damper 10, a part of the air flowing in the circulation air passage 20 can be discharged to the outside of the outer box 2 through the exhaust opening 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear exhaust duct 22 extends downward behind the water tank 3, and its tip, ie, lower end, is connected to the proximal end of the evaporator inlet duct 23. The tip side of the evaporative inlet duct 23 is connected to the right end portion, which is the base end portion, of the heat pump duct 24. The heat pump duct 24 has a rectangular cross section and extends in the left-right direction from a rear portion of the bottom inside the outer box 2 . A drain tank 35 is provided at the bottom of the heat pump duct 24 to receive drain water D generated by dehumidification. The structure of this drain tank 35 portion will be described later.

The blower fan 16 is provided on the outlet end side (the right end side in FIG. 2) of the heat pump duct 24. The blower fan 16 includes, for example, a centrifugal fan 33 in a fan casing 32 and a fan motor 34 for driving the centrifugal fan 33. A lower end portion, which is a base end portion, of the air supply duct 25 is connected to an outlet portion of the fan casing 32 . The air supply duct 25 extends upward behind the water tank 3 on the left side in the outer box 2, and its upper end, which is its tip, is connected to the air supply port 18. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the heat pump duct 24, an evaporator 27 and a condenser 28 that constitute the heat pump 15 are arranged in order from right to left (left and right in FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat pump 15 is configured by connecting a compressor 29, the condenser 28, a throttle valve 30 serving as a pressure reducing means, and the evaporator 27 in a closed loop through a refrigerant pipe 31. has been done. A required amount of refrigerant is sealed inside the heat pump 15 and circulates through the refrigerant piping 31 . At this time, the condenser 28 functions as a heating means for heating the drying air, and the evaporator 27 functions as a dehumidifying means for removing moisture from the drying air. In this embodiment, the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28 are constituted by, for example, a well-known so-called fin tube type heat exchanger in which refrigerant pipes are arranged in a meandering manner and heat exchange fins are attached. It is constructed in the shape of a slightly thin rectangular block in the direction of air flow.

In this heat pump 15, as the flow of refrigerant is shown by arrow B in FIG. It is condensed into a liquid refrigerant through heat exchange at . The liquid refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 28 is expanded by the throttle valve 30 to form a mist, and the atomized refrigerant flows into the evaporator 27 . Then, in the evaporator 27 , the refrigerant is vaporized by heat exchange with outside air, and the gaseous refrigerant is returned to the compressor 29 . Further, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 29 and discharged at high temperature and high pressure, thereby performing a circulation.

When the heat pump 15 is driven and the blower fan 16 is driven, the air in the water tank 3, that is, the drum 4, is moved from the exhaust port 17 to the upper part, as shown by the arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 2. It passes through the exhaust duct 21, the rear exhaust duct 22, and the Eva inlet duct 23 in order to reach the heat pump duct 24. At this time, when the air passes through the upper exhaust duct 21, the lint, that is, lint contained in the air is captured by the lint filter 26 and the like.

The air that has passed through the evaporator inlet duct 23 flows through the heat pump duct 24, passes through the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28 in order, then flows into the air intake duct 25, and is supplied to the drum 4 through the air intake port 18 and the hole 4a. This air circulation causes the air that has absorbed moisture from the water tub 3, i.e., the clothes in the drum 4 and contains a large amount of steam, to be cooled through the evaporator 27 in the heat pump duct 24, where the steam is condensed or sublimated, and dehumidified. The dehumidified air is heated by passing through the condenser 28, becoming dry hot air, which is then supplied back into the drum 4 to dry the clothes. Condensation occurs on the surface of the evaporator 27 due to the condensation of water vapor, and the generated drain water D falls into the drain tank 35 below and is stored there. Although not shown, a drain pump is also provided to discharge the drain water D in the drain tank 35 to the outside of the machine through the drain pipe 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer box 2 contains a control device 11, which is mainly composed of a computer, for example, and controls the entire washer/dryer 1. The control device 11 controls the water supply valve, drain valve 13, drum motor 8, fan motor 34 of blower fan 16, compressor 29 and throttle valve 30 of heat pump 15, drain pump, etc. Although not shown, each part in the circulating air duct 20 and each part of heat pump 15 are provided with a plurality of temperature sensors that detect the temperature of each part. Detection signals from these temperature sensors are input to the control device 11.

With the above configuration, the control device 11 controls each mechanism of the washer/dryer 1 based on the input signals from each sensor and the control program stored in advance, according to the operation course set by the user at the operation unit. It automatically executes the washing operation, which consists of the washing process, rinsing process, and spin-drying process, as well as the drying process. At this time, the control device 11 controls the compressor 29 of the heat pump 15, the blower fan 16, etc. based on the detected temperature of each temperature sensor, and executes the drying operation by rotationally driving the drum 4. .

Now, the configuration of the drain tank 35 provided in the heat pump duct 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In the following description, when referring to directions in relation to the heat pump duct 24, for convenience, the windward side (right side in FIG. 3) of the dry air flowing in the direction of arrow A will be referred to as the front, and the leeward side (left side in FIG. 3) as the rear. As shown in FIG. 3, within the heat pump duct 24, an evaporator 27 is disposed at the front, and a condenser 28 is disposed next to it with a small gap between them. A blower fan 16 is provided behind the condenser 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drain tank 35 is provided below the evaporator 27 and condenser 28, and is a shallow rectangular container with an open top that is large enough to receive the entire evaporator 27 and condenser 28. It is structured like this. Therefore, the front wall of the drain tank 35 corresponds to and is located almost directly below the front end of the evaporator 27, and the rear wall of the drain tank 35 corresponds to and is located almost directly below the rear end of the condenser 28. It is located in

A thin plate-shaped tank rib 36 is integrally provided in the middle of the drain tank 35 at a position that separates the lower part of the evaporator 27 from the lower part of the condenser 28, i.e., at the boundary between the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28. The tank rib 36 is provided so as to rise upward from the bottom surface of the drain tank 35 to the upper end, but does not separate the entire drain tank 35 from wall to wall on both sides, and is partially open. Therefore, within the drain tank 35, drain water D can flow on both sides of the tank rib 36. Although not shown in detail, the bottom wall of the drain tank 35 is inclined downward toward the rear (left in the figure) so that it is deeper toward the rear, and the suction pipe of the drain pump is located at its deepest part.

A tank cover 37 is provided on the upper surface of the drain tank 35. The tank cover 37 is generally in the shape of a rectangular plate large enough to cover the upper opening of the drain tank 35, and is provided with a water passage hole 37a for allowing the drain water D falling from the evaporator 27 to flow down into the drain tank 35. In this case, the water passage hole 37a is provided so as to open widely in a rectangular shape corresponding to the entire lower part of the evaporator 27. A cover rib 38 is integrally provided on the upper surface of the tank cover 37, standing between the evaporator and the condenser. The cover rib 38 is provided at a height that minimizes the obstruction of the air flow through the circulating air passage 20, for example, at a height of about 1 to 2 cm.

Furthermore, a closing member 39 is provided on the upper surface of the rear side of the tank cover 37 to close the gap S1 between the rear upper end of the drain tank 35 and the rear lower end of the condenser 28. The closing member 39 has a rectangular prismatic shape in cross section, and is provided so as to close the entire upper end of the rear side of the drain tank 35, and its upper end is in contact with the lower rear end of the condenser 28. This closing member 39 is made of silicone rubber, for example, and is resistant to corrosion due to adhesion of water even in a place where drain water D accumulates, and can be easily attached by a method such as adhesion or welding. Although not shown in detail, this tank cover 37 also has a portion below the condenser 28, that is, on the rear side of the cover rib 38, so that the drain water D that has been dripped on the top surface of the tank cover 37 is allowed to fall into the drain tank 35. A plurality of small holes are formed for this purpose.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a wind direction plate 40 is provided at the inlet portion of the evaporator 27 in the circulation air passage 20 to direct the wind direction upward in the lower part of the circulation air passage 20. At this time, the evaporator inlet duct 23 has a duct shape with a square cross section, and the left end in the figure, which is the tip, extends diagonally downward from the right in the figure, and the base end of the heat pump duct 24. Connected to the right end in some illustrations. In this way, the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 23 is arranged so as to directly face the inlet of the evaporator 27.

In this embodiment, the part of the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 23 that constitutes the bottom is raised slightly (for example, 1 to 2 cm) above the lower end of the evaporator 27. A wind direction plate 40 is integrally provided. The wind direction plate 40 is provided across the entire width direction of the Eva inlet duct 23. Thereby, the position where the wind enters the evaporator 27 is configured to be above the lower end of the evaporator 27 by a predetermined height. At this time, a gap S2 of, for example, about 1 to 3 mm is provided between the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 23 and the evaporator 27 for dimensional accuracy.

Next, the functions and effects of the above configuration will be described. In the washer/dryer 1, for example, when a washing operation for washing clothes in the drum 4 is completed, a drying operation is subsequently started. In this drying operation, the drum 4 is driven by the drum motor 8 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions at low speed, the compressor 29 is driven, and the heat pump 15 is operated. At the same time, the blower fan 16 is driven. As a result, as shown by arrow A in FIGS. 1 to 3, the air inside the drum 4 is circulated from the exhaust port 17 through the circulation air passage 20, through the air supply port 18, and returned into the drum 4. be exposed.

In this circulation of dry air, the moist air discharged from inside the drum 4 passes through the upper exhaust duct 21, rear exhaust duct 22, and evaporator inlet duct 23 in order to the heat pump duct 24, where it is dehumidified by passing through the evaporator 27. The dehumidified air then passes through the condenser 28, where it is heated to become high-temperature dry air, and is supplied to the drum 4 from the air intake duct 25 through the air intake port 18. At this time, water vapor condenses mainly on the surface of the evaporator 27, causing dew, and drain water D falls downward. As shown in FIG. 3, the drain water D passes through the water passage hole 37a of the tank cover 37 and is stored in the drain tank 35.

Here, it is desired to increase the rotation speed of the blower fan 16 to increase the volume of dry air circulating in the dry air duct 20 and improve the drying capacity. However, if an attempt is made to shorten the drying time by increasing the air volume in this way, the amount of drain water D generated in the evaporator 27 per unit time increases, the amount that accumulates in the drain tank 35 increases, and the wind speed of the circulating air increases. As a result, there is a risk that the drain water D that has accumulated in the drain tank 35 will be blown up by the wind blown into the drain tank 35, and will then be carried by the wind and flow through the circulating air duct 20, eventually adhering to the clothes in the drum 4.

However, in this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. It is also configured such that the angle is upward. This makes it difficult for wind to enter the lower end side of the evaporator 27, and the wind that tends to blow up the drain water D into the drain tank 35 itself is suppressed.

Even when wind blows into the drain tank 35 to blow up the drain water D, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. That is, the lower part of the evaporator 27 and the leeward side, that is, the lower part of the condenser 28 are partitioned off. Furthermore, the tank cover 37 is also provided with a cover rib 38 rising between the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28. Therefore, even if the drain water D is blown up by the wind blown into the front side of the drain tank 35, it hits the tank rib 36 in the drain tank 35 and is prevented from flowing any further toward the condenser 28 side.

Furthermore, even when the drain water D passes through the water passage hole 37a of the tank cover 37 and flies up toward the lower part of the evaporator 27, it is blocked by the cover rib 38 and flows further toward the leeward side, that is, the condenser 28 side. This is prevented, and the drain water D stays at the lower part of the evaporator 27. Furthermore, even if the drain water D attempts to move directly from the lower part of the evaporator 27 to the condenser 28 side due to the wind, the cover rib 38 of the tank cover 37 still prevents the drain water D from moving any further toward the condenser 28 side. Ru.

On the other hand, it is conceivable that the wind will blow in behind the tank rib 36 in the drain tank 35 as air is blown in, causing the drain water D in the drain tank 35 to be blown up into the circulating air passage 20, i.e., to the condenser 28 or its leeward side. However, a blocking member 39 is provided between the rear upper end of the drain tank 35 and the rear lower end of the condenser 28, blocking the gap S1 between them. This prevents the drain water D from flowing through that gap. In this way, the drain water D is prevented from being blown up into the circulating air passage 20 from either the front or rear of the drain tank 35, and remains in the drain tank 35.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the tank rib 36 is provided in the drain tank 35, the cover rib 38 is provided in the tank cover 37, and the blockage is further provided between the rear upper end of the drain tank 35 and the rear lower end of the condenser 28. The structure is such that a member 39 is provided. This has the excellent effect of suppressing the drain water D in the drain tank 35 from being blown up into the circulation air path 20 even if the drying air volume is increased in a device equipped with the heat pump 15. Obtainable. Moreover, especially in this embodiment, by providing the wind direction plate 40 at the inlet portion of the evaporator 27, the effect of suppressing the drain water D in the drain tank 35 from being blown up can be further enhanced.

(2) Second embodiment Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of an air direction plate 42 provided in an evaporator inlet duct 41 that constitutes part of the circulation air passage 20. That is, the evaporator inlet duct 41 has a rectangular cross section and is duct-shaped, with its tip end (left end in the figure) extending diagonally downward from the right in the figure and connected to the base end (right end in the figure) of the heat pump duct 24. At this time, the bottom side of the evaporator inlet duct 41 is butted against the bottom side of the heat pump duct 24 for connection.

In the second embodiment, a separate wind direction plate 42 is attached to the bottom wall of the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 41 to direct the wind direction upward. The wind direction plate 42 has a V-shaped cross section and is provided across the entire width of the evaporator inlet duct 41. In this way, the wind direction plate 42 is configured such that the position where the wind enters the evaporator 27 is above the lower end of the evaporator 27.

This configuration also makes it difficult for wind to enter the lower end side of the evaporator 27, and it is possible to suppress the wind blowing into the drain tank 35 that tends to blow up the drain water D. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, which is equipped with the heat pump 15, the drain water D in the drain tank 35 is not blown up even if the drying air volume is increased, as in the first embodiment. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect of further increasing the effect of suppressing the drain water D in the drain tank 35 from being blown up.

(3) Third Embodiment FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the evaporator inlet duct 51 that forms part of the circulation air passage 20. It is in. That is, the tip portion (left end portion in the figure) of the evaporative inlet duct 51 has a duct shape with a square cross section, and is configured to extend in the horizontal direction and connect to the heat pump duct 24. As a result, the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 51 is close to the inlet of the evaporator 27, and the wind is configured to enter the evaporator 27 at right angles. Further, the drain tank 35, tank cover 37, closing member 39, etc. have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

According to this configuration, since the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 51 is close to the inlet of the evaporator 27, the gap S3 between the tip of the bottom wall of the evaporator inlet duct 51 and the lower end of the evaporator 27 is reduced. Since the gap S3 is small, it becomes difficult for wind to enter through the gap S3. Since the tip of the evaporator inlet duct 51 extends horizontally, wind enters the evaporator 27 at right angles. This makes it difficult for wind to enter below the evaporator 27, and it is possible to suppress wind blowing into the drain tank 35 that tends to blow up the drain water D. Therefore, according to the third embodiment, even if the drying air volume is increased in a device equipped with the heat pump 15, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing the drain water D in the drain tank 35 from being blown up. be able to.

(4) Fourth Embodiment FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the drain tank 61. That is, the drain tank 61 is configured as a shallow rectangular container with an open top and is large enough to receive the entire lower part of the evaporator 27 and condenser 28, and a tank rib 62 is integrally formed to partition the inside of the tank into front and rear parts. It is provided. At this time, the tank rib 62 is disposed at a position shifted toward the condenser 28 from a position between the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28. The tank rib 62 is partially open so that the drain water D can flow between the front and back inside the drain tank 61.

As for the tank cover 37 provided to cover the upper surface of the drain tank 61, a cover rib 38 is provided between the evaporator 27 and the condenser 28, as in the first embodiment. A closing member 39 is provided. Further, in this embodiment, a wind direction plate is not provided at the tip of the EVA inlet duct 41, and similarly to the EVA inlet duct 41 of the second embodiment, the lower side of the EVA inlet duct 41 is connected to the lower side of the heat pump duct 24. are butted and connected.

According to this, when wind blows into the drain tank 61 from the evaporator 27 side to cause the drain water D to fly up, the drain water D hits the wall surface of the tank rib 62 and tries to jump up. However, the tank rib 62 is provided at a position shifted to the condenser 28 side, and the drain water D that splashes up against the wall surface of the tank rib 62 hits the lower surface of the tank cover 37 in the lower part of the condenser 28 and flows down. Therefore, the drain water D does not flow toward the condenser 28, that is, toward the circulation air path 20 side. As a result, according to the fourth embodiment, even if the drying air volume is increased in a device equipped with the heat pump 15, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing the drain water D in the drain tank 61 from being blown up. be able to.

(5) Fifth Embodiment and Other Embodiments FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, in this embodiment, the evaporator 71 constituting a part of the heat pump 15 is also of the fin tube type, and the fins are extended downward, so that the evaporator 71 is slightly larger vertically. The evaporator 71 is arranged such that its lower end penetrates into the upper part of the drain tank 72 through the water passage hole 37a of the tank cover 37.

The drain tank 72 is slightly deeper than the drain tank 35 of the first embodiment, etc., by the amount that the evaporator 71 is extended downward, and inside, a thin plate-shaped tank rib 73 is located at the boundary between the evaporator 71 and the condenser 28 and is integrally provided extending to the upper end. The tank cover 37 is configured to have a cover rib 38 and a blocking member 39, as in the first embodiment. Also, as in the evaporator inlet duct 41 of the second embodiment, the lower side of the evaporator inlet duct 41 is butted against and connected to the lower side of the heat pump duct 24.

In this fifth embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the heat pump 15 is provided, and even if the drying air volume is increased, the drain water D in the drain tank 72 will be blown up. can be suppressed. In particular, in this embodiment, the size of the portion of the evaporator 71 that performs heat exchange increases downward, so there is no need to reduce the heat exchange area between the evaporator 71 and the drying air. High-capacity dehumidification can be performed within the dehumidifying area. By deepening the tank ribs 73, the amount of drain water D stored can be increased, making it difficult for the drain water D to be blown up.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the wind direction plates 40 and 42 are provided, but the wind direction plates may be provided as necessary. Further, in the third and fourth embodiments described above, the drain tank is provided with a tank rib, and the tank cover is provided with a cover rib and a closing member, but some or all of these tank ribs, cover ribs, and blocking member are omitted. It may also be used as a configuration. In the fourth embodiment, the above-mentioned plurality of features are adopted, such as providing a wind direction plate in the evaporator inlet duct 41, or adopting the configuration of the evaporator 71 as in the fifth embodiment in the third embodiment. It is also possible to combine the characteristic components of the embodiments.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the blocking member 39 is integrally provided with the tank cover 37, but the blocking member may be provided separately and attached between the rear upper end of the drain tank and the rear lower end of the condenser. In the above embodiments, a so-called fin tube type evaporator and condenser are used, but a so-called multi-flow type heat exchanger may also be used. The shape of the evaporator inlet duct can also be modified in various ways. It can also be applied to a clothes dryer that does not have a washing function and is only for drying. The overall configuration of the heat pump, for example the configuration of the circulation air duct, may be configured so that the heat pump is located at the top inside the outer box.

The above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

In the drawing, 1 is a washer/dryer (clothes dryer), 2 is an outer box, 3 is a water tank (drying room), 4 is a drum, 15 is a heat pump, 16 is a blower fan (air blower), 17 is an exhaust port, 18 is an air supply port, 20 is a circulation air passage, 21 is an upper exhaust duct, 22 is a rear exhaust duct, 23, 41, 51 are Eva inlet ducts, 24 is a heat pump duct, 25 is an air supply duct, 27, 71 are evaporators , 28 is a condenser, 35, 61, 72 is a drain tank, 36, 62, 73 are tank ribs, 37 is a tank cover, 37a is a water hole, 38 is a cover rib, 39 is a closing member, 40, 42 is a wind direction plate, D indicates drain water.

Claims (3)

a drying room where clothes are stored;
a circulation air passage provided outside the drying chamber to communicate between an exhaust port that discharges air from the drying chamber and an air supply port that blows air into the drying chamber;
a blower device that circulates air in the drying chamber through the circulation air path;
A heat pump configured to include a compressor, and an evaporator and a condenser arranged in order from the windward front side in the circulating air passage;
a drain tank provided below the evaporator and condenser, which is shaped like a container with an open top and stores drain water;
a tank cover provided on the upper surface of the drain tank and having a water passage hole formed therein for allowing drain water falling from the evaporator to flow down into the drain tank;
A tank rib is provided in the drain tank to partition a lower part of the evaporator and a lower part of the condenser into front and rear parts,
The tank cover is provided with a cover rib located between the evaporator and the condenser, and
A closing member is provided that closes a gap between a rear upper end of the drain tank and a rear lower end of the condenser,
In the clothes dryer, the water passage hole has a large opening corresponding to the entire area below the evaporator. A wind direction plate is provided at the inlet portion of the evaporator in the circulation air passage to direct the wind direction upward in the lower part of the circulation air passage, and the position where the wind enters the evaporator is at the lower end of the evaporator. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the clothes dryer is configured to be located above. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover rib stands up from an end of the water passage hole on the condenser side.

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