JPH0351085A - Clothing drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the drying effect, shorten the drying time, and reduce the energy cost by concurrently using hot air and ultrasonic waves. CONSTITUTION:When a valve 11 adjusting the quantity of air sucked through a suction port 12 is inclined to the left lower side to clog a left side passage, the outside air is sucked through a suction port 12 on a rear cover and fed to a heater 5 via a duct 7 by a blast fan 9. The air heated by the heater 5 is guided into a drum 2 through a drum hot air intake port 18 and discharged to the outside through an exhaust port 13. When the valve 11 is inclined to the right lower side to clog a right side passage, the heated air is circulated in the drum 2. Ultrasonic waves generated by a ultrasonic generator 6 are radiated to the clothing in the drum 2 during operation. The drying time is shortened, and the energy cost can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention provides a clothes dryer that promotes the release of moisture from clothes by irradiating the clothes with ultrasonic waves in addition to hot air drying. This creates a synergistic effect with the wind.

[Background of the invention]

Traditional clothes dryers require relatively long drying times and have high energy costs.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to increase the drying effect, shorten the drying time, and reduce energy costs by using hot air and ultrasonic waves in combination.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is an outer frame of the dryer, 2 is a clothes storage or a drum rotatably installed inside the outer frame 1, and 3 is a front surface for putting the items to be dried into the drum 2. A door, 4 is an operation control switch panel attached to the door 3, 5 is a heater installed in the middle of the drying air passage and generates hot air, and 6 is an ultrasonic oscillator and a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators. An ultrasonic generator, 7 a duct for guiding drying air to the heater 5, 8 a motor for driving the drum 2 and the ventilation fan 9
is connected to the motor 8 and is a blower fan for sending drying air to the heater 5; 10 is a pulley attached to the motor 8 and a belt wound around the drum 2, which is installed so that the drum is rotated. . 11 is a valve for controlling the flow of drying air, and when the valve 11 is tilted to the lower left side and blocks the passage on the left side during operation in FIG. is taken in and sent to the heater 5 via the duct 7 by the blower fan 9.
The air heated by the heater 5 is guided into the drum 2 through the drum hot air intake port 18, and contributes to drying the clothes within the drum, while the humid air passes through the filter 15 and exits the drum. It is discharged. At this time, since the valve 11 closes the circulation passage on the lower left side, the air discharged from the drum is exhausted to the outside of the machine from the exhaust port 13.

On the other hand, when the valve 11 is tilted to the lower right side and closes the right passage, the air discharged from the drum is guided by the blower fan, passes through the heater, and circulates back into the drum. 16
is a fan for discharging air from the drum, and also functions as a circulation fan during exhaust or circulation to the outside of the machine. Furthermore, by locating the valve 11 midway between the lower left side and the lower right side, the amount of air taken in through the intake port 12 can be adjusted. Reference numeral 14 denotes a rotating shaft that supports the drum 2 and allows it to rotate freely, and is fixed to the outer frame 1.

During operation, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic generating device 6 are irradiated onto the clothing inside the drum, but are partially irradiated onto the inner wall of the drum on the opposite side. In order to protect the drum and increase ultrasonic energy efficiency, a reflecting plate 17 is installed in a ring shape with a certain width on the inner wall portion of the drum that receives this irradiation.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The effects of the clothes dryer according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

Drying is performed by vaporizing water molecules attached to clothing with hot air, but the purpose of conventional drum rotation is to uniformly and efficiently apply warm air to the stored clothing. .

On the other hand, in addition to these hot air and the rotation of the drum, when the ultrasonic generator 6 irradiates the clothes with ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic vibrations propagate to the clothes, causing water molecules inside the clothes to gush out to the surface. Furthermore, when the surface of clothing is irradiated with ultrasound, the relative speed between water molecules attached to the surface and air molecules with high energy levels increases, which increases the frequency of collisions between molecules and increases the exchange of energy. It will be done. This accelerates the vaporization of water molecules and increases the drying rate, making it much more effective than when no ultrasonic waves are used.

Further, by providing a reflecting plate 17 on the inner wall of the drum, ultrasonic energy is prevented from being absorbed by the inner wall, protecting the drum from fatigue, and increasing energy efficiency by reusing reflected waves.

In addition, in conventional clothes dryers, the amount of outside air taken in is always constant during operation, but in reality it is desirable to change it as the drying process progresses. In order to reduce the drying temperature and bring the temperature to high temperature quickly, it is desirable to reduce the amount of outside air intake to zero and operate in circulation mode. By gradually increasing the amount of outside air intake according to the progress of drying, It is possible to shorten drying time and reduce energy consumption. This intake amount of outside air can be adjusted by an intake control valve 11, which is operated automatically or manually.

Next, a process for automatically controlling the intake control valve using a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor will be described.

The process includes ■operation start process, ■operation process, ■
There are three stopping processes. The modes related to intake control include ① circulation mode, ② outside air intake mode, and ② mixing mode, each of which is determined by the operating position of the intake control valve.

In the start-up process, the drum is operated in circulation mode, and when the temperature t inside the drum exceeds the set temperature t1, the operation process begins.

During the operation process, the temperature inside the drum is also the set temperature t.
1 and the humidity inside the drum becomes higher than the set humidity hl, the mode shifts to the outside air suction mode, and the circulation mode and the outside air suction mode are alternately repeated with these set temperature tl and set humidity h1 as boundaries. It is also possible to adjust the intake control valve to a medium level and perform optimal control in mixed mode.

The transition to the stop process is as follows: (1) During the operation process, the humidity inside the drum is reduced to the humidity level after drying.

or (2) the temperature inside the drum t
(3) when the time after the start of operation has passed a certain set time T.

As described above, automatic control using humidity and temperature sensors promotes the exchange of air inside the drum in overhumid conditions, and conversely limits exhaust air at low temperatures, resulting in efficient drying and safety. Driving is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front sectional view. 2...Drum, 5...Heater 6...
Ultrasonic generator, 7...Blower duct, 8...Motor 9...Blower fan, 10...Drum drive belt, 11...Intake control valve, 12...Intake port, 13...
...Exhaust port, 14...Rotation shaft, 15...Filter 17...Reflector, 19...Humidity/temperature sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A clothes dryer that stores clothes and has a mechanism for supplying hot air to a rotationally driven drum, which is equipped with an ultrasonic generating device consisting of an ultrasonic vibrator and an oscillator, and uses ultrasonic vibrations to remove clothes from clothes. A clothes dryer that helps release moisture and accelerates drying. (2) A clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that an ultrasonic reflecting plate is provided on the inner wall of the drum to which ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transmitting device are irradiated. (3) In a clothes dryer with a mechanism for storing clothes and supplying hot air to a rotationally driven drum, there are two cases in which the warm air exhausted from the drum is directly exhausted outside the dryer, and two cases in which the warm air is exhausted from the heater side. Clothes equipped with a mechanism that allows switching between cases where the hot air is circulated again to the heater side, or where a portion of this warm air is circulated to the heater side and a portion of the air is sent to the heater side from the outside air intake port. Dryer. (4) A clothes dryer according to claim 3, which has a function of controlling the air flow by a humidity sensor provided in the drum, or by a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor. .