JPH07265596A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To minimally suppress a damage and a noise due to mechanical power as well as certainly cool clothes stating in a rotary drum, by controlling a cooling down to be performed through high-power airflow or over a long time only when an ambient temperature is high. CONSTITUTION:A clothes dryer performs a cooling down operation subsequently after a drying operation is completed. That is, when the drying operation is judged to be completed by a microcomputer 40, at first, an electric supply to a heating heater 18 is stopped while driving to a motor 20 is continued. Secondly. an operation time for performing a cooling down is determined by referring to a cooling down operation time table based on a given drying operation time and an outlet temperature. At this time, when an ambient temperature read from an ambient temperature sensor 29L is judged to be higher than a threshold value, the motor 20 is controlled to have its maximum rotating speed so as to perform cooling down of high temperature mode.

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 rotary drum.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been used a clothes dryer for supplying heated air to a rotating drum containing clothes and rotating the rotating drum to dry clothes. Such a clothes dryer is generally provided with a fan, and the air inside the clothes dryer is circulated by the rotation of the fan through a circulation duct connected to a rotating drum. A heating heater is attached near the inlet of the rotating drum. The heating heater heats the air sent into the circulation duct to generate heated air, and the generated heating air is supplied to the rotating drum. It In the rotating drum, heat is exchanged between the supplied heated air and the clothes, whereby the moisture impregnated in the clothes is evaporated. The moisture-containing air is exhausted from the rotary drum to the circulation duct, and the moisture contained therein is condensed by a predetermined cooling means. The dehumidified air is sent to the outlet side of the circulation duct by the rotation of the fan again. The condensed water is drained to the outside of the clothes dryer through a predetermined drain port.

In the above clothes dryer, since the clothes are dried by the heated air, the clothes are heated to a high temperature immediately after the completion of the drying. Therefore, in the clothes dryer, cold air operation (cool down) is often performed after the completion of drying in order to easily take out high-temperature clothes. A clothes dryer that cools down after drying is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-60-10099.
No. 9 publication. In the clothes dryer disclosed in this publication, when the drying is completed, the energization of the heater is stopped, while the operation of the fan is continued.
As a result, unheated air is supplied into the rotary drum, and this air cools the high-temperature clothes in the rotary drum.

The cool-down is automatically stopped when the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum becomes 40 ° C. or lower, or when 10 minutes have elapsed from the start of the cool-down. The temperature of the clothes is detected by a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the air exhausted from the rotary drum, which is attached near the outlet of the rotary drum. The temperature of the air exhausted from the rotating drum can be considered to be almost the same as the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum, because heat is exchanged between the air and the clothes in the rotating drum. Therefore, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum.

[0005]

However, in the clothes dryer, for example, when the ambient temperature (usually room temperature) where the clothes dryer is installed is high, for example, when driving in the summer or in a narrow sealed place. When a clothes dryer is installed in the machine and the amount of clothes to be dried is large, the cooldown ends even though the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum is not below 40 ° C. There is a risk. That is, as described above, the cooldown is stopped when the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum becomes 40 ° C. or lower, or when 10 minutes have elapsed from the start of the cooldown, so that the ambient temperature is high, etc. However, there is a risk that 10 minutes will elapse before the temperature becomes 40 ° C. or lower and the cool down will end. In such a case, the clothes in the rotary drum are still hot and cannot be taken out immediately.

In order to deal with this, it is conceivable to set the cooldown stop time longer than 10 minutes, for example, about 20 minutes. According to this, even if the ambient temperature is high,
Since the clothes in the rotary drum exchange heat with the air for a long time, the clothes can be sufficiently cooled. However, if the cooldown time becomes long, a new problem occurs that the clothes in the rotary drum are more damaged by the mechanical force of the rotary drum than in the case where the cooldown time is short. Especially in winter, when the ambient temperature is low, the damage will be large even though it is sufficiently cooled in about 10 minutes.
Not very good.

The cool down time is kept as it is,
It is also conceivable to cool down the fan at high speed. According to this, even if the ambient temperature is high, the air is supplied in a large amount into the rotary drum, so that the clothes can be sufficiently cooled even in a short time. However, if the fan is rotated at a high speed, a new problem occurs in that noise accompanying the rotation increases. Particularly in winter when the ambient temperature is low, noise is increased despite sufficient cooling at low rotation, which is not preferable.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, to reliably cool the clothes in the rotating drum, and to minimize damage and noise caused by mechanical force. It is to provide a dryer.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a clothes dryer according to claim 1 has a rotating drum for containing clothes, a heating means for generating heated air, and a heating means for generating the heated air. While supplying the heated air into the rotary drum, the blowing means for exhausting the heated air supplied to the rotary drum to the outside of the rotary drum, the outlet temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the air exhausted from the rotary drum, The driving means for rotating the rotary drum and driving the blower means, the end determining means for determining whether or not the drying process is finished, and the heating when the drying process is determined to be finished by the end determining means The drive is stopped until the outlet temperature detected by the outlet temperature detecting means becomes equal to or lower than the first reference temperature or for a predetermined time while the power supply to the means is stopped. A clothes dryer including a cool-down control means for continuing the driving of the steps, wherein the ambient temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature detection means when the end determination means determines that the drying process is completed. Temperature determining means for determining whether or not the ambient temperature detected by the means is equal to or higher than a predetermined second reference temperature, the cooldown control means is configured to detect the ambient temperature by the temperature determining means. When it is determined that the detected ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature, the driving means is driven at a predetermined high output.

Further, in the clothes dryer according to the second aspect, the cooldown control means determines that the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection means by the temperature determination means is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature. Then, it is characterized in that the predetermined time for continuing the drive of the drive means is extended. The end determining means may determine whether or not the drying process is completed based on whether or not the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. Good.

[0011]

In the above structure, when the completion determining means determines that the drying process has been completed, the heating means is de-energized, the rotating drum is rotated, and the driving means is driven. However, it is continued until the outlet temperature of the rotating drum becomes equal to or lower than the first reference temperature or for a predetermined time.

At this time, in the structure according to claim 1, if the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature, the driving means is driven at a predetermined high output. When the driving means is driven with high output, unheated air is supplied to the rotary drum in a large air volume. for that reason,
Even if the ambient temperature is high, the clothes in the rotating drum are surely cooled.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature, the predetermined time for continuing the driving of the driving means is extended. When the drive of the drive means is extended, a long heat exchange takes place between the clothes in the rotating drum and the unheated air. Therefore, even if the ambient temperature is high, the clothes in the rotating drum can be cooled reliably.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned structure of claim 1 or 2, since the cool down is performed with a large air flow or for a long time only when the ambient temperature is high, the inside of the rotary drum is cooled. The clothes can be reliably cooled, and damage and noise due to mechanical force can be minimized as compared with the case where the cooldown is always performed with a large air volume or for a long time.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Dryer body 1
A drying chamber 2 is formed inside, and a rotating drum 3 for accommodating clothes is installed in the drying chamber 2. A door 4 is attached to the center of the front surface of the dryer main body 1 so as to be openable and closable, and clothes are thrown into the rotary drum 3 through the door 4.

The rotary drum 3 is rotatably supported by the dryer main body 1 via a felt or the like by a drum support plate 5 made of an annular metal plate, the front side of which is attached so as to surround the door 4, and the rear side of the rotary drum 3. It is rotatably supported on the dryer main body 1 by a shaft 6. An inlet 7 for introducing heated air, which will be described later, is formed in the lower portion of the front surface. Further, an air exhaust port 8 is formed near the center of the rear surface thereof, and this air exhaust port 8 is covered with a lint filter 9. Reference numeral 10 is a seal member that seals between the drying chamber 2 and a fan chamber described later so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port 8 does not enter the drying chamber 2.

At the rear of the rotary drum 3, a fan chamber 12 containing a heat exchange type double-sided fan 11 fixed to the shaft 6 is defined by a fan casing 13. The double-sided fan 11, which will be described later in detail, serves to circulate the air in the dryer main body 1 and also to function as a blowing unit for removing moisture from the circulated air. The fan casing 13 is provided with a partition plate 14 made of synthetic resin so as to surround the double-sided fan 11. The double-sided fan 11 is accommodated in the circular opening in the center of the partition plate 14, and thus the internal space of the fan chamber 12 is divided into the drying air passage 12a and the cooling air passage 12b.

At the periphery of the double-sided fan 11, a dry air passage 12 is provided.
A concentric circular groove group 15 that opens toward a and the cooling air passage 12b is integrally formed. The rotary groove group 15 is loosely fitted in the fixed groove group 16 formed integrally with the partition plate 14 in a non-contact state. That is, the rotary groove group 15 and the fixed groove group 16 form a labyrinth connection. Therefore, air cannot come and go between the dry air passage 12a and the cooling air passage 12b.

A circulation duct 17 is provided below the dryer main body 1.
Is provided. This circulation duct 17 is used for the dry air duct 1.
2a is connected to the inlet 7, and a heater 18 that functions as a heating unit is disposed near the inlet 7. Further, a drain port 19 for draining condensed water, which will be described later, to the outside of the dryer main body 1 is formed at the lowest portion of the circulation duct 17.

At the bottom of the dryer main body 1, a motor 20 functioning as a driving means is provided. The motor 20
The belt 21 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotary drum 2 is given a rotational force via a pulley 22 while the pulley 23 and a belt 24 are applied to the shaft 6 to which the double-sided fan 11 is fixed. As a result, the rotary drum 3 and the double-sided fan 11 are rotated. A rotation sensor 25 for detecting the number of rotations of the motor 20 is attached to the pulley 23. The idler pulley 26 applies tension to the belt 21 when the rotary drum 3 rotates,
The purpose is to prevent the belt 21 from slipping.

When the double-sided fan 11 rotates, air is sent from the drying air passage 12a to the circulation duct 17. The air sent to the circulation duct 17 is heated by the heater 18 to become heated air, which is introduced into the rotary drum 3 through the inlet 7. In the rotary drum 3, heat exchange is performed between the introduced heated air and the clothes. As a result, the moisture contained in the clothes is evaporated. The air containing moisture is sent to the drying air passage 12a again by the rotation of the double-sided fan 11. In other words, the rotation of the double-sided fan 11 causes the air to flow into the dry air passage 12
a, circulating duct 17 and rotating drum 3 are circulated.

When the double-sided fan 11 rotates, the outside air is taken into the cooling air passage 12b through the outside air inlet 27 formed at the center of the rear surface of the dryer body 1. At this time, the double-sided fan 11 is cooled by this outside air. The taken-in outside air is exhausted from an outside air exhaust port 28 formed below the dryer main body 1. The air inside the dry air passage 12a is a double-sided fan 1.
When it contacts 1, it is cooled. That is, since the double-sided fan 11 is cooled by the outside air, the air in the drying air passage 12a is cooled by coming into contact with the double-sided fan 11. Therefore, the moisture in the air exhausted from the rotary drum 3 is condensed. The dehumidified air is a double-sided fan 11
Is sent to the circulation duct 17 again. The condensed water flows down through the dry air passage 12a and is drained from the drain port 19.

In the vicinity of the air exhaust port 8 of the rotary drum 3,
An outlet temperature sensor 29H that detects the exhaust temperature from the rotary drum 3 is arranged. An ambient temperature sensor 29L is arranged at the bottom of the dryer body 1. The ambient temperature sensor 29L is for detecting the ambient temperature of the clothes dryer. The outlet temperature sensor 29H and the ambient temperature sensor 29L are composed of a heat sensitive element such as a thermistor. These outlet temperature sensors 29H
The dry state of the clothes in the rotary drum 2 is determined based on the outputs of the ambient temperature sensor 29L. In this embodiment, the outlet temperature sensor 29H corresponds to the outlet temperature detecting means, and the ambient temperature sensor 29L corresponds to the ambient temperature detecting means.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical construction of the clothes dryer. The clothes dryer is provided with a microcomputer 40 for controlling the operation of each part of the clothes dryer. This microcomputer 4
Reference numeral 0 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a timer, which are not shown, and performs a predetermined control according to a program stored in the ROM. In this embodiment, the microcomputer 40 functions as an end determination means, a cooldown control means, and a temperature determination means.

In the microcomputer 40, a rotation speed detection circuit 41 to which a rotation sensor 25 is connected, an input key circuit 42 to which input keys such as a start key and a dry course selection key are connected, and opening / closing of the door 4 are detected. A door switch 43, an LED lighting circuit 44 to which an LED indicator for displaying the progress of the drying process is connected, and a reset circuit 4 to which a stop key for stopping the drying operation such as a temporary stop is connected.
5, and a clock oscillation circuit 46 for generating a clock are connected.

Further, the microcomputer 40 is connected with a power supply circuit 47 connected to a commercial power supply, a power supply voltage determination circuit 48 for determining the voltage of the power supply circuit 47, and a buzzer for notifying the completion of the drying operation. Buzzer circuit 49,
And a commercial power source zero-cross signal detection circuit 50 for detecting the zero-cross of the commercial power source is connected. Further, the microcomputer 40 has an outlet temperature sensor 29H,
A heater 1 including an ambient temperature sensor 29L, a motor 17, a first heater 18a, and a second heater 18b.
8, and a load drive circuit 5 for driving an auto power off (APO) 51 that automatically ends the drying operation
2 and are connected. Only one of the first heater 18a and the second heater 18b is energized when drying is performed at a relatively low temperature, and both are energized when drying is performed at a relatively high temperature.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the cool-down operation after the drying operation in the clothes dryer is finished. The judgment criteria for the end of the drying operation differ depending on the drying course selected by the user. That is, when the user selects a course with a limited time such as a 30-minute course or a 60-minute course, the microcomputer 4 indicates that the time has elapsed.
When 0 is detected, the drying operation ends. When the user selects the ironing course or the like, the drying operation ends when the microcomputer 40 determines that the dry state of the clothes accommodated in the rotating drum 3 matches the dry state of the course. . The determination of whether or not the dry state of the clothes matches the dry state of the course is performed by determining the outlet temperature and the ambient temperature sensor 29 detected by the outlet temperature sensor 29H.
This is performed depending on whether or not the temperature difference from the ambient temperature detected by L reaches a preset temperature difference.

The cooldown after the drying operation is
It is mainly performed for the purpose of cooling the clothes contained in the rotating drum 3. That is, since the clothes accommodated in the rotary drum 3 at the end of the drying operation are generally hot, the cool down is performed so that the user can easily take out the clothes. When it is determined that the drying operation has been completed (step S1), energization of the heater 18 is stopped and driving of the motor 20 is continued (step S2). At this time, the rotation speed of the motor 20 is the same as that during the dry operation, and is 1200 (rpm), for example. As a result, unheated air is introduced into the rotary drum 3 by the rotation of the double-sided fan 11, and the cool down is started.

When the cool down is started, the time t ₁ during which the drying operation is performed and the outlet temperature T of the rotary drum 3 are
1 is given from the timer and the outlet temperature sensor 29H to the microcomputer 40 (step S).
3). In the microcomputer 40, based on the given drying operation time t ₁ and the outlet temperature T1, the above R
By referring to the cool down operation time table stored in the OM, the operation time t ₂ for performing the cool down is acquired (step S4). This cooldown operation time table shows the dry operation time t ₁ and the outlet temperature T1.
It is composed of the correspondence relationship with. Table 1 below shows an example of the cooldown operation time table.

[0030]

[Table 1]

In Table 1, the drying operation time t ₁ is x1
When ≦ t ₁ <x2, it is regarded as x1 and the outlet temperature T1
Is considered to be y1 if y1 ≦ T1 <y2. In the microcomputer 40, the cool down operation time t ₂
Is acquired, the ambient temperature T2 indicates the ambient temperature sensor 29L.
Is read from (step S5). Then, it is judged whether or not the read ambient temperature T2 is higher than a preset second threshold temperature T _th1 (for example, T _th1 = 20 ° C.) (step S6).

As a result, the ambient temperature T2 is the threshold temperature T
_If it is determined that it is smaller than _th1 , the low temperature mode cool down is performed. Cooling down in the low temperature mode means that the rotation speed of the motor 20 remains the same and that the above step S4 is performed.
It is the normal cooldown that is performed at the cooldown operation time t ₂ acquired in. In the cool down in the low temperature mode, the outlet temperature T1 of the rotary drum 3 is a preset first threshold temperature T _th2 (for example, T _th2).
= 40 ° C.) or less (step S7) or whether the cooldown time t ₂ has elapsed (step S)
When the microcomputer 40 detects 8), the process ends.

On the other hand, as a result of the discrimination in step S6,
When it is determined that the ambient temperature T2 is higher than the threshold temperature T _th1 , the high temperature mode is cooled down. That is, in the microcomputer 40, the load drive circuit 52 is controlled so that the rotation speed of the motor 20 becomes maximum (for example, 1400 (rpm)) (step S9). As a result, the rotation of the double-sided fan 11 is maximized and the rotating drum 3
A large amount of air is introduced into the rotary drum 3
Is rotated at a high speed, and the air is often in contact with the clothes. Therefore, the clothes can be cooled rapidly.
Further, the microcomputer 40 obtains the time t ₂ ′ at which the cooldown should be extended by referring to the extension time table stored in the ROM (step S10). This extension time table is configured by the correspondence relationship between the drying operation time t ₁ and the ambient temperature T2. Table 2 below shows an example of the extension time table.

[0034]

[Table 2]

In Table 2, the drying operation time t ₁ is x1
When ≦ t ₁ <x2, it is regarded as x1, and the ambient temperature T2
Is considered to be y1 if y1 ≦ T1 <y2. Then, cool down correction time t ₃ is calculated extra time is acquired t ₂ 'is added to the cool-down operation time t ₂ obtained in In step S4 (step S11), and the correction time t ₃ when is the determined As a reference, the high temperature mode cooldown continues. As a result, the heat exchange between the clothes and the air is performed in the rotary drum 3 for a long time. Therefore, the clothes can be cooled rapidly.

The cool down in the high temperature mode is performed by the rotating drum.
The exit temperature T1 of No. 3 is the preset threshold temperature T_th2
Is it below (step S12), or
Correction time t₃Has passed (step S13)
Is terminated when the microcomputer 40 detects
It As described above, according to the clothes dryer of this embodiment,
The temperature T2 is the threshold temperature T _th1Only when higher than
Performing a large amount of air down for a long time
It Therefore, a large amount of air is supplied into the rotary drum 3.
Heat is exchanged between the clothing and its air.
Therefore, the clothes can be surely cooled. Shi
Maybe even when the ambient temperature is high
A large amount of air flow is always maintained as the cooldown is performed for a long time.
Or when you want to cool down for a long time
In comparison, the mechanical force of the rotating drum 3 damages clothes and causes noise.
The sound can be minimized.

The embodiment of the present invention is as described above.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the moisture in the air, which contains the moisture contained in the clothes and becomes high in humidity, is condensed, and the dehumidified air is reheated by the heater 18 and returned to the rotary drum 3. I explained the dehumidification type clothes dryer,
The present invention is applicable to other than this type of dryer.

In the above embodiment, clothing was described as an example of the material to be dried, but the present invention is also applicable to, for example, blankets, sheets, and other material to be dried. Further, in the above embodiment, when the ambient temperature T2 is higher than the threshold temperature T _th1 , the cool down is performed with a large air flow for a long time.
The present invention is also applicable to, for example, a case where a cooldown is performed with a large air volume without extending the time, or a case where a cooldown is performed with an extended time without increasing the air volume.

Other various design changes can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0040]

As described above, according to the clothes dryer of the first or second aspect, the cool down is performed with a large air flow or for a long time only when the ambient temperature is high. The clothes in the drum can be reliably cooled, and damage and noise due to mechanical force can be minimized as compared with the case where the cooldown is always performed with a large air volume or for a long time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the clothes dryer.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining a cool down operation in the clothes dryer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Dryer Main Body 3 Rotating Drum 11 Double-sided Fan 17 Circulation Duct 18 Heating Heater 20 Motor 29H Outlet Temperature Sensor 29L Ambient Temperature Sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Kazushi Kawamura 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor ▲ Hiro ▼ Tatsuya Ta, Keihanmoto, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture 2-5-5 Tsudori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Aoki Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasushi Kawamura Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Minoru Kishi 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rotary drum for containing clothes, a heating means for generating heated air, the heated air generated by the heating means is supplied into the rotary drum, and the heating is supplied to the rotary drum. Blower means for exhausting air to the outside of the rotary drum, outlet temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the air exhausted from the rotary drum, drive means for rotating the rotary drum and driving the blower means, drying process is completed If the end determination means determines whether or not the drying process is completed, the power supply to the heating means is stopped and the outlet temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection means is determined. Is a clothes dryer including a cool-down control means for continuing the driving of the driving means until the temperature becomes equal to or lower than a first reference temperature or for a predetermined time. When the ambient temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature and the end determining means determine that the drying process is completed, the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than a second reference temperature which is set in advance. And a temperature determining unit that determines whether the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting unit by the temperature determining unit is the second temperature.
A clothes dryer, characterized in that, when it is determined that the temperature is equal to or higher than a reference temperature, the driving means is driven at a predetermined high output. 2. The cool-down control means continues driving the driving means when the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means is determined to be equal to or higher than the second reference temperature by the temperature determining means. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time to be performed is extended.