JPH07116394A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove an odor adhering to clothes at the drying process thereof and efficiently warm the clothes as well. CONSTITUTION:A clothes dryer is equipped with a drying chamber 2 for housing clothes, a hot air unit 3 having a fan and a heater 11 at the intermediate position of an air passage 3a for heating the air introduced from a fresh air inlet 3b at one end as well as for blowing the heated air from a diffuser 3d at the other end toward the drying chamber 2, and an exhaust port 8 formed in the chamber 2. Regarding this dryer, the hot air unit 3 is provided with an internal air inlet 3c for introducing the air from the chamber 2 to an air passage 3d. In addition, a damper 9 is formed for the selection of air introduction mode between the inlets 3b and 3c. Also, a deodorizing unit 15 is formed between the damper 9 and the inlet 3c.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes contained in a drying chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a clothes dryer, for example, one described in JP-A-55-122595 is known.

This conventional clothes dryer has a structure in which warm air is blown from a warm air unit to a drying chamber, and the warm air that has absorbed moisture in the drying chamber is discharged to the outside through a discharge port.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, after washing, clothes may be kept wet for a while,
Alternatively, if the clothes get wet with rain, the clothes may smell.

In such a case, the conventional dryer cannot simply remove the odor by simply drying the clothes.

The above-mentioned conventional dryer is a device only for drying clothes. For example, when it is desired to warm the clothes on a cold winter day and then wear the clothes,
Although it is possible to warm the clothes with warm air blown out from the warm air unit, the heat efficiency is poor because the warm air is constantly discharged from the drying chamber to the outside. Incidentally, as a device for only warming clothes, a device for warming clothes described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-115197 is known, but this device cannot dry clothes.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems. When the clothes are dried, the smell attached to the clothes can be removed and the clothes can be efficiently warmed. An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes drying device that can be used.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a drying chamber for storing clothes, a blower and a heating element in the middle of the air passage, from the outside air intake port on one end side. In the clothes dryer having a warm air unit that heats the taken-in air and blows warm air toward the drying chamber from the blowing port on the other end side, and an exhaust port formed in the drying chamber, The unit is provided with an inside air inlet for taking in the air in the drying chamber into the air passage, and a switching means for switching between a state of taking in from the inside air inlet and a state of taking in from the outside air inlet, and further, the inside air inlet of the air passage. A deodorizing means for removing the odor of the air flowing through the air passage is provided in the middle of the path from the air blower to the air outlet.

[0009]

When only wet clothes are simply dried, air is taken in from the outside air intake by the switching means, and then the blower and the heating element of the warm air unit are operated. As a result, warm air is blown out from the blowing port of the warm air unit to the drying chamber, the warm air evaporates the water content of the wet clothes, and then is discharged from the discharge port, so that the clothes are quickly dried.

When the clothes with odor are dried, if the clothes are extremely wet, the clothes are once dried to the dry state by the above-mentioned drying operation. After the air is taken in from the inside air intake, the blower and heating element of the warm air unit are activated. Therefore, after the air in the drying chamber is sucked into the warm air unit and heated, it is dried by circulating the air in the drying chamber, such as blowing out from the air outlet, and the deodorizing provided in the middle of the circulation path at this time. The odor is absorbed by the means.

When warming cold clothes, air is taken in from the inside air intake by the switching means as in the case of deodorizing, and then the blower and heating element of the warm air unit are operated. Therefore, the warm air is circulated to efficiently warm the clothes. By the way, in this case, since the total amount of air in the drying chamber does not change, the air in the drying chamber is hardly discharged even if the exhaust port is left open.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Structure of Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a clothes dryer of an embodiment of the present invention in a longitudinal sectional side view, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing the clothes dryer of the embodiment. Clothes dryer
A drying chamber 2 that is opened and closed by a door 1 is provided, and a warm air unit 3 that generates warm air is provided at the bottom of the drying chamber 2.

A hanger 4 for hanging clothes is provided on the ceiling of the drying chamber 2. This hanger 4
Is provided with rollers 5 and 6 at both left and right ends,
A guide rail 7 for guiding the rolling of the rollers 5 and 6 is extended on the side surface of the drying chamber 2 in the front-rear direction at a height sandwiched between the rollers 5 and 6, whereby the hanger 4 is provided. Can be slid back and forth to be taken in and out of the drying chamber 2. Further, on the left and right of the upper portion of the drying chamber 2, there are provided outlets 8 for discharging the warm air inside the drying chamber 2 to the outside.

The hot air unit 3 has an air flow passage 3a.
Are extended in the front-back direction. An outside air inlet 3b opened to the outside and an inside air inlet 3c opened to the drying chamber 2 are provided at one end of the air passage 3 while the other end of the air passage 3a is provided. Is provided with a blower opening 3d opened to the drying chamber 2. A damper 9 is provided at each of the inlets 3b and 3c so that when one is opened, the other is closed. Further, the fan 10 and the heater 11 are provided in the middle of the air flow passage 3a.
And are provided in series, and one of the intakes 3b, 3
After the air is taken in from c and heated, the warm air can be blown out from the blower port 3d.

Further, a deodorizing unit 15 is provided between the damper 9 and the opening end of the inside air intake 3c to the drying chamber 2. The deodorizing unit 15 is provided with a deodorizing agent inside the case, and deodorizes by absorbing the odor contained in the air passing through the deodorizing unit 15.

The damper 9, fan 19 and heater 11
Is the controller 13 based on the operation of the operation operation unit 12.
The operation is controlled by this controller 13
The control flow of the above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The operation operation unit 12 includes a start switch 12a for starting the embodiment dryer, a drying mode and a heating / heating mode.
Mode selector switch 1 for selecting one of the deodorizing modes
2b and time setting dial 12c for setting the operating time
And a temperature setting switch 12d for setting the temperature. Further, although the controller 13 is provided inside the dryer of the embodiment, it is shown outside the dryer in the drawing, and the operation operation unit 12 is also provided on the upper surface of the dryer in practice. Shown outside the dryer.

In step S1, it is determined whether or not the operating time is set, and if YES, the process proceeds to step S2, where N
Repeat step S1 with O. In step S2, the timer is started, and in the next step S3, it is determined whether or not the drying mode is selected. If YES, the process proceeds to step S4, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S4,
The damper 9 is arranged at the outside air intake position where the inside air intake 3c is closed as shown by the solid line in FIG. Operate according to. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the measurement time T ₀ started in step S2 reaches the operation time T of the time setting dial 12c, and if YES, step S8
And proceeds to step S7 if NO. In step S7, it is determined whether or not an OFF operation has been performed on the activation switch 12a, the process proceeds to step S8 if YES, and returns to step S6 if NO. In step S8, the operation of the fan 10 and the heater 11 is stopped. Step S9
Then, determine whether the heating / deodorization mode has been selected,
If YES, the process proceeds to step S10, and if NO, the process returns to step S3. In step S10, the damper 9 is placed at the inside air intake position where the outside air intake 3b is closed as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The setting switch 12d is operated according to the operation.

In step S12, it is determined whether or not the measurement time T ₀ started in step S2 reaches the operation time T of the time setting dial 12c. If YES, step S12
8. If NO, proceed to step S13. Step S1
At 3, it is determined whether or not the start switch 12a is turned off. If YES, the process proceeds to step S8, and N
If O, the process returns to step S12.

(Operation of Embodiment) a) Drying When drying wet clothes, the start switch 12a is turned on, the mode changeover switch 12b is used to select the drying mode, and the time and temperature are set.

According to this setting, in the warm air unit 3, the damper 9 is arranged at the outside air intake position and the fan 1
0 and the heater 11 operate to warm the air taken in from the outside, and the warm air is blown out from the blower port 3d. In this case, since the amount of air in the drying chamber 2 increases by the amount of the outside air blown into the drying chamber 2, the increased amount of air is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 8 on the upper side.
The air flows as shown by a in FIG. 1, and therefore, the warm air blown from the blower port 3d is discharged from the exhaust port 8 after containing the moisture for drying the clothes.

After that, when the set time T elapses or the start switch 12a is turned off, the operation of the warm air unit 3 is stopped.

B) During deodorization / heat storage When drying clothes that have a smell, such as being wet with rain, or leaving them wet for a long time after washing, the clothes will be very wet. If the clothes are in a dry state, if the clothes are in a dry state, the clothes are put in the drying chamber 2 as they are, and then the start switch 12a is turned on and the mode changeover switch is operated. In 12b, the heating / deodorizing mode is selected, and the temperature and time are set.

According to this setting, in the warm air unit 3, the damper 9 is arranged at the inside air intake position and the fan 1
0 and the heater 11 operate to take in the air in the drying chamber 2 from the inside air intake port 3c into the air passage 3a to warm it and blow it out from the blower port 3d. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1b, the air in the drying chamber 2 is circulated while passing through the deodorizing unit 15 and gradually dried while being deodorized. By the way, in this case, in the drying chamber 2, the same amount of air as that taken in from the inside air intake port 3c is blown out from the blower port 3d, and since there is no change in the air amount, warm air is discharged from the exhaust port 8. It is something that is circulated without being.

After that, when the set time T elapses or the start switch 12a is turned off, the operation of the warm air unit 3 is stopped.

When warming cold clothes, the same operations and operations are performed. Put the clothes to be warmed in the drying chamber 2 and, as described above, turn on the start switch 12a.
Selection of heating / deodorizing mode of the mode selector switch 12b,
When the temperature and time are set and the air in the drying chamber 2 is circulated and heated, the warm air warms the clothes to a predetermined temperature. In this case, the warm air is discharged through the exhaust port 8 as described above. Since it is not discharged from the outside, heat does not easily escape to the outside, and clothes can be warmed efficiently and promptly.

As described above, in this embodiment, the clothes dryer is provided with the inside air intake 3c for taking in the air in the drying chamber 2, and the inside air intake 3c and the outside air intake 3b are provided. A damper 9 for switching is provided, and further,
Since the deodorizing unit 15 is provided inside the inside air intake port 3c, the air in the drying chamber 2 is circulated while being warmed and deodorized, so that the function of drying clothes does not change, and clothes with odors are not changed. It is possible to dehumidify while drying and to warm the clothes efficiently and promptly.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the present invention includes a design change and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the embodiment, the exhaust port 8 is kept open during the heating / deodorizing mode, and it is still possible to circulate the warm air, but the exhaust port 8 also has a damper. The exhaust port 8 may be closed in the warming mode and opened in the dry mode.

Further, the air intake state of the warm air unit 3 is
A damper 9 for switching between the outside air intake state and the inside air intake state
May be separately provided at each of the intakes 3b and 3c, and the switching of the intake state may be manually performed by the user instead of being performed by the controller as in the embodiment.

In the embodiment, the deodorizing unit 15 is provided between the inside air intake 3c and the damper 9, but
The deodorizing unit 15 is provided with a ventilation port 3 from the inside air intake 3c.
It may be provided at any position on the way to the route up to d.

Further, in the embodiment, the example in which the exhaust port 8 is formed on the side surface of the drying chamber 2 is shown. However, the position of providing the exhaust port 8 may be set arbitrarily, for example, when the door 1 is closed. A space may be intentionally formed between the drying chamber 2 and this space to serve as an exhaust port. In this case, processing is easy,
The exhaust port does not appear in the appearance, and the appearance improves. In addition, it is unlikely that it will be blocked by an adjacent wall or the like.

[0031]

As described above, in the clothes dryer according to the present invention, the outside air taken in from the outside air intake is heated by the warm air unit and blown into the drying chamber, and the warmed temperature is maintained in the drying chamber. A clothes dryer configured to discharge air from the exhaust port is provided with an inside air intake port for taking in the air in the drying chamber, and a switching means for switching between a state where the air is taken in from the inside air intake port and a state where the air is taken in from the outside air intake port. In addition, by providing deodorizing means for removing the odor of the air flowing through the air passage in the middle of the path from the inside air intake of the air passage to the air outlet, hot air is circulated between the drying chamber and the warm air unit. Since it is possible to deodorize while keeping the function of drying clothes unchanged, it is possible to remove the smell attached to clothes when drying clothes and improve efficiency. Promptly effect is obtained that it is possible to heat the garment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view showing a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an example dryer.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the embodiment dryer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Drying room 3 Warm air unit 3a Air passage 3b Outside air intake 3c Inner air intake 3d Air outlet 8 Exhaust port 9 Damper (switching means) 10 Fan (blower) 11 Heater (heating element) 15 Deodorizing unit (deodorizing means)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A drying chamber for accommodating clothes, a blower and a heating element in the middle of an air passage, and heats air taken in from an outside air intake port on one end side to a drying chamber from a ventilation port on the other end side. In a clothes dryer having a warm air unit for blowing warm air toward the drying chamber and an exhaust port formed in the drying chamber, the warm air unit is provided with an inside air intake port for introducing air in the drying chamber into an air passage. At the same time, a switching means for switching between a state of taking in from the inside air intake and a state of taking in from the outside air intake is provided, and the odor of air flowing through the air passage is provided in the middle of the route from the inside air intake of the air passage to the air blower. A clothes dryer, characterized in that it is provided with a deodorizing means for removing.