JPH08257295A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] If the humidity outside the device is low and the user can tolerate the release of steam to the outside of the device, or if the device is used in a place where it may be released to the surroundings, it is recommended To provide a clothes dryer capable of drying clothes by discharging them to the outside of the apparatus to shorten the drying time of clothes. [Configuration] It is determined that the outside air humidity measured by the humidity sensor 25 is lower than a preset set humidity, and the measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor 18 is equal to the preset set temperature in the drying chamber, or When the temperature is high, the first damper 27 and the second damper 29 are controlled so as to open the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28,
Further, regardless of the humidity, the first damper 27 and the second damper 2 are closed so that the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28 are closed when the measured temperature is lower than the set temperature.
Control 9

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 while dehumidifying them in a drying chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, indoors such as dual-income households and single-family households are out of the house during the day, or due to many reasons such as sunshine and other housing conditions, allergies to pollen, privacy, weather, season, dust, etc. There is a great need for clothes dryers to dry laundry in the country. Therefore, as a typical clothes dryer that meets these demands, a drum-type dryer installed in the space above the washing machine has become widespread. This drum dryer opens the front door, randomly puts the laundry in the cylindrical drum and starts the operation, blows the air heated by the heater into the drum and rotates the drum. Then, the laundry is repeatedly rotated and dropped to evaporate water.

On the other hand, on the back surface of the drum, there is mounted a thin-walled disk having a large number of radial concave and convex grooves that rotate at a high speed coaxially with the drum, and both disks function as a centrifugal impeller. , The air passage is configured so that the air inside the drum passes on the inside surface and the outside air passes on the opposite surface, but because the inside air and the outside air are separated by the thin disk The disk also functioned as a heat exchanger. As a result, the air in the drum that has been sucked through the filter from the central opening flows along the groove on the disk, but since the outside air is flowing on the opposite surface,
It is cooled through a thin wall, condensed on a disk, dehumidified and circulated inside the machine. Then, the grown water droplets are scattered from the disk by centrifugal force, so they are collected and drained. Thus, the evaporation and the dehumidification were performed in parallel, so that the drying was quickly performed.

In this type of clothes dryer, warm air is blown to the moist clothes in the drying chamber to raise the temperature and evaporate the moisture contained in the clothes. And, the damp air inside the drying room
By cooling with a heat exchanger and dew condensation on the heat exchange surface to collect water droplets, the clothes are dried without directly releasing water vapor from the clothes to the outside of the apparatus.

[0005]

However, in the conventional clothes dryer as described above, the humidity outside the device is low,
Even if the user can tolerate the release of water vapor to the outside of the device or use it in a place where the water vapor can be released to the surroundings, dehumidification is performed in the clothes dryer until the clothes are dry, and it is necessary. As described above, there is a problem that the drying time becomes long.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and when the humidity outside the apparatus is low and the user can tolerate releasing the water vapor to the outside of the apparatus, or when the water vapor is emitted to the surroundings. An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer capable of shortening the drying time of clothes by discharging water vapor to the outside of the apparatus when used in a place where it may be used.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, in the clothes dryer of the present invention, the air in the drying chamber is warmed by the heating means while dehumidifying in the drying chamber, and the heated air is sent to the blowing means. An inner air outlet opening / closing means for opening and closing an inner air outlet for discharging the inner air in the drying chamber to the outside of the drying chamber; Humidity detection means for detecting the outside air humidity, comparing the outside air humidity detected by the humidity detection means with a preset humidity set, whether the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity. When the outside air humidity is judged to be lower than the set humidity by the judging means for judging and the judging means, the inside air discharge port is opened and the outside air humidity is set to the set humidity. If it is determined that a higher, and a control means for controlling the inside air outlet opening and closing means to close the inside air discharge port.

Further, there is provided an outside air inlet opening / closing means for opening / closing an outside air inlet for taking in outside air into the drying chamber, and the control means determines that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity by the determining means. When it is determined, the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port are opened, and when the outside air humidity is determined to be higher than the set humidity, the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port are closed. The outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means may be controlled.

Further, it is desirable that the outside air intake port is installed near the air blowing means, and the inside air discharge port is installed above the drying chamber.

Further, the temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in the drying chamber is provided, and the control means determines that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity by the determining means, and measures by the temperature measuring means. When the measured temperature is equal to or higher than the preset temperature in the drying chamber, the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet are opened, and the measured temperature is the same regardless of the judgment of the judgment means. The outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means may be controlled so as to close the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet when the temperature is lower than the set temperature.

[0011]

In the clothes dryer of the present invention having the above structure,
When the determining means determines that the outside air humidity measured by the humidity detecting means is lower than the preset set humidity, the control means controls the inside air outlet opening / closing means to open the inside air outlet and heats the inside air outlet. The steam generated from the clothes warmed by the means is discharged from the inside air discharge port to the outside of the drying chamber. On the other hand, when the determining means determines that the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity, the control means controls the inside air outlet opening / closing means so as to close the inside air outlet, so that the water vapor is outside the drying chamber. Not discharged to.

Further, when the judgment means judges that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity, the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port are opened to actively discharge the water vapor to the outside of the drying chamber. Thus, the control means controls the outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means.

Further, the outside air suction port is installed in the vicinity of the air blowing means to positively take in the outside air, and the inside air discharge port is installed in the upper part of the drying chamber, and the steam that has been warmed and accumulated in the upper part of the drying chamber is installed. Are easily discharged to the outside.

Further, when the judging means judges that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity and the measured temperature measured by the temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than the preset set temperature in the drying chamber. A control means controls the outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means to open the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet,
Regardless of the judgment of the judgment means, the control means controls the outside air intake opening / closing means and the inside air to close the outside air intake opening and the inside air discharge opening when the measured temperature is lower than the set temperature. Control the outlet opening / closing means.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a clothes dryer embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of a clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment.

The housing 12 of the clothes dryer 1 according to this embodiment.
Is made of waterproof, heat-insulating plate-shaped synthetic metal or the like, and constitutes a drying chamber 4 together with a front door 3 that can be opened and closed and a heat exchange member 19 described later. On the top of the clothes dryer 1,
An operation panel (not shown) is provided. Each of the plurality of laundry items 5 is hung on a hanger 6 and hung on a clothes rod 7.

In the lower rear part of the drying chamber 4, an indoor cross-flow fan 8 as a slender cylindrical blower, and a sheathing as a spiral slender heating means for discharging a large amount of heat at a relatively low temperature of red heat or less. -And 9 are arranged. The indoor crossflow fan 8 is driven by a motor (not shown), and air in the upper space of the drying chamber 4 is formed at a position adjacent to the indoor crossflow fan 8 while being partitioned from the drying chamber 4 by the partition wall 10. Wind path 1
It is configured so that it is sucked in through 1 and is blown vigorously to the sheath heater 9 side. Indoor cross flow fan 8
The air blown by the air is heated by the sheath heater 9 and passes through the air passage 13 provided in the drying chamber bottom portion 33 provided substantially parallel to the bottom surface 32 with a predetermined distance, and passes through the blower opening 14 to the hanger 6 The laundry 5 hung on the clothes is directly sprayed to evaporate the water content of the laundry 5. In this way, the air containing water vapor and having a high humidity and rising is taken in from the opening 17 in the upper part of the drying chamber 4, passes through the air passage 11, and is sucked into the indoor crossflow fan 8. .

In the vicinity of the opening 17 above the drying chamber 4, a temperature sensor 18 is installed as a temperature measuring means in which a thermistor element for measuring the temperature inside the drying chamber 4 is housed in a package.

A heat exchange member 19 made of a thin aluminum plate is arranged on the left side of the air passage 11. The heat exchanging member 19 separates the inside of the drying chamber 4 and the outside of the drying chamber 4 into a sealed state, and forms a part of the air passage 11 on the indoor side heat exchanging surface. Further, in FIG. 1, an outdoor crossflow fan 21 similar to the indoor crossflow fan 8 is arranged on the upper left side portion of the clothes dryer 1 and is driven by a motor (not shown) to drive the clothes dryer 1. The outdoor air passage 23 from the outside air suction port 24 provided on the lower left side
The outdoor cross flow fan 21
It is configured to be discharged to the outside from an outside air outlet 22 provided at the upper part of the.

Further, below the heat exchange member 19, there is provided a water receiving portion 20 that is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and receives water droplets that have grown due to dew condensation on the indoor heat exchange surface and receive water. It is configured to be collected in a drain tank (not shown) connected to the lowermost end of the portion 20.

A humidity sensor 25 as a humidity detecting means for measuring the humidity outside the clothes dryer 1 is installed near the outside air outlet 22. Further, an outside air intake port 26 as an outside air intake port for taking the outside air into the drying chamber 4 is provided below the outside air intake port 24, and an outside air intake port opening / closing means for opening / closing the outside air intake port 26. It is configured to be opened and closed by the first damper 27 as. Further, on the upper surface 2 of the clothes dryer 1, an inside air discharge port 28 for discharging the air in the drying chamber 4 to the outside is provided.
Is provided and is configured to be opened and closed by a second damper 29 as an inside air outlet opening / closing means. The first damper 27 and the second damper 29 are controlled by a control unit 57 described later.

Next, regarding the configuration of the control system of this embodiment,
This will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

The control unit 57 includes a ROM 51 in which a program for controlling the entire clothes dryer 1 is stored and an operation panel 3.
RAM 5 for storing data input by 0
2, an operation panel 30, a temperature sensor 18, fan drive circuits 32 and 34 for driving and stopping both the indoor and outdoor crossflow fans 8 and 21, and a heater drive for driving and stopping the sheath heater 9. Circuit 33 and first damper drive circuit 3 for driving the first damper 27
5 and a second damper drive circuit 36 for driving the second damper 29, and is connected to a control circuit 31 for controlling each of these components.

From the operation panel 30, the user can set the drying time,
The outside air permissible humidity as the preset set humidity, the preset temperature in the drying chamber, etc. can be set, and the signals detected by the temperature sensor 18 and the humidity sensor 25 are sent to the control circuit 31. It is like this. The control circuit 31 controls the fan drive circuit 32, the heater drive circuit 33, the outdoor fan drive circuit 34, the first damper drive circuit 35, and the second damper drive circuit 36, and each drive circuit respectively controls the indoor crossflow fan 8 and the sheath. Heater 9, outdoor cross flow fan 21, first damper 2
7. The second damper 29 is driven.

Next, the clothes dryer 1 thus constructed
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Hang the laundry 5 to be dried on the hanger 6,
When the clothes are hung on the clothes line 7, the power is turned on, the operating temperature of the clothes dryer 1 is operated from the operation panel 30, and the internal temperature of the drying chamber 4 when drying is set (step 100, hereinafter, step is represented by S), In order to drive the sheath heater 9, the indoor crossflow fan 8, and the outdoor crossflow fan 21, the control circuit 31 outputs a signal to the heater drive circuit 33, the indoor fan drive circuit 32, and the outdoor fan drive circuit 34, and the drying time The internal timer for measuring is driven (S102). The inside air discharge port 28 and the outside air intake port 26 are always closed when the power is turned on.

Then, the temperature in the drying chamber 4 gradually rises, and a large amount of air heated by the sheath heater 9 begins to circulate in the drying chamber 4. Then, the temperature of the laundry 5 rises, the evaporation of moisture from the laundry 5 starts, and the inside of the drying chamber 4 becomes in a high humidity state.

The temperature in the drying chamber 4 is measured by the temperature sensor 18, and when the measured temperature becomes higher than the set temperature, the heater driving circuit 33 receiving the signal from the control circuit 31 causes the sheath heater to operate. Turn off the energization of 9.
Then, when the temperature in the drying chamber 4 drops and falls below the set temperature, the sheath heater 9 is energized again. By repeating this, the inside of the drying chamber 4 is maintained at a substantially constant temperature.

At least a part of the air circulating in the drying chamber 4 is taken in from the opening 17 and passes through the air passage 11, but the outdoor heat exchange surface of the heat exchange member 19 forming a part of the air passage 11. Since it is forcibly cooled by the outdoor cross flow fan 21 with the outside air, it is dehumidified by causing dew condensation while flowing along the indoor heat exchange surface. The dehumidified air is sucked into the indoor cross-flow fan 8 to be dried in the drying chamber 4
Circulate inside. The water droplets that have grown due to dew condensation travel down the indoor heat exchange surface, flow into the water receiving portion 20 arranged below, and are collected in the drain tank. Therefore, the laundry 5 can be dried without directly releasing the steam from the laundry 5 to the outside of the apparatus.

Next, it is determined whether or not the input drying time has elapsed (S104), and when it is determined that the input time has elapsed (YES in S104), the control circuit 31 causes the sheath heater 9 and the indoor cloth to cross. In order to stop the flow fan 8 and the outdoor cross flow fan 21, the heater drive circuit 3
3, indoor fan drive circuit 32, outdoor fan drive circuit 34
To notify the user that the drying of the laundry 5 is completed (S106).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the input time has not elapsed (NO in S104), the temperature inside the drying chamber 4 is measured by the temperature sensor 17 (S108), and whether or not the measured temperature has reached the set temperature. It is determined (S110). When it is determined that the set temperature has not been reached (N in S110
O), the process proceeds to step S104 so as to continue the drying operation. On the other hand, when it is determined that the measured temperature has reached the set temperature (YES in S110), the humidity sensor 25
According to the above, the humidity outside the drying chamber 4 is measured (S112), and it is determined whether the outside air humidity is higher than a preset humidity (S114). If the outside humidity is higher than the preset humidity, (YES in S114), outside air intake 26
And a signal is output to the first damper drive circuit 35 and the second damper drive circuit 36 to close the inside air discharge port 28 (S
118), in order to continue drying the laundry 5, S10
The process is moved to step 4.

On the other hand, when the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity (NO in S114), the first damper drive circuit 35 and the second damper drive circuit 36 are used to discharge the water vapor in the drying chamber 4 to the outside of the drying chamber 4. Is output to rotate the first damper 27 and the second damper 29, and the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28 are opened (S11).
6). The opening areas of the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28 are set so that the temperature in the drying chamber 4 does not decrease, and the air taken in from the outside air intake port 26 and heated by the sheath heater 9 is blown out. 14 is blown into the drying chamber 4 and is blown vigorously toward the laundry 5 to be dried. Then, the water is evaporated from the laundry 5. A part of the air that has evaporated due to the water content of the damp laundry 5 and has become high in humidity is taken in from the opening 17 and passes through the air passage 11 and circulates in the drying chamber 4, but most of it is dried. It is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from the inside air discharge port 28 in the upper part of the chamber 4. Therefore, the relative humidity in the drying chamber 4 can be kept low, and the water is actively evaporated from the laundry 5. In order to continue this state, the process proceeds to step S104.

The step of S114 is performed by the humidity sensor 2
The outside air humidity detected by 5 is compared with a preset set humidity to function as a judging means for judging whether the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity.
In step 6 and S118, the inside air discharge port 28 is opened when it is determined that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity, and the inside air discharge port 28 is closed when it is determined that the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity. So as to control the second damper 29.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment, it is determined that the outside air humidity measured by the humidity sensor 25 is lower than the preset humidity, and the temperature sensor 18 is used. When the measured temperature measured in step 1 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature in the drying chamber, the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28
The first damper 27 and the second damper 29 are controlled so as to open so that the steam generated from the laundry 5 warmed by the sheath heater 9 is discharged from the inside air discharge port 28 to the outside of the drying chamber 4, and Regardless of humidity, when the measured temperature is lower than the set temperature, the first damper 27 and the second damper 29 are controlled to close the outside air intake port 26 and the inside air discharge port 28, so that the humidity is low and the device is low. If the user can tolerate the release of water vapor,
When using in a place that may release water vapor around,
The water vapor is discharged to the outside of the apparatus to dry the laundry 5 and the drying time of the laundry 5 can be shortened.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in this embodiment, the outside air intake 26 and the inside air outlet 28 are opened or closed by using the outside air humidity by the humidity sensor 25 and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 18. , Outside air intake 2
6 may be configured to be always closed. In this case, outside air that is cooler than the air in the drying chamber 4 enters from the inside air outlet 28, and as a result, water vapor in the drying chamber 4 is discharged from the inside air outlet 28. Therefore, as compared with the case of the present embodiment described above, since the forced discharge is not performed, the discharge amount of water vapor is reduced. In order to increase the discharge amount of the water vapor, it is preferable to enlarge the opening of the inside air discharge port 28.

Further, the outside air intake port 26 is abolished from the side wall of the clothes dryer 1, and when it is determined that the outside air humidity measured by the humidity sensor 25 is lower than the preset set humidity, the inside air discharge port 28 is opened. The first damper 29 is controlled so as to open, and the steam generated from the laundry 5 warmed by the sheath heater 9 is discharged to the outside of the drying chamber 4 by the outside air entering from the inside air discharge port 28, and the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity. If it is judged to be high, the inside air outlet 28
The first damper 29 may be controlled to close so as to prevent the steam in the drying chamber 4 from being discharged to the outside.

In the present embodiment, the set humidity is stored in the main body of the clothes dryer 1 in advance.
It may be configured so that it can be input by. With this configuration, when the steam is discharged to the outside of the drying chamber 4, for example, when used outdoors, by changing the set humidity to 100%, the steam is dried.
It can be constantly discharged to the outside, and the drying time of the laundry 5 can be shortened.

A plurality of values, for example, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% of the set humidity are stored in the ROM 51, and a changeover switch for changing over these values is installed on the operation panel. You may.

Further, the humidity sensor 2 as the humidity detecting means
Although 5 is installed inside the clothes dryer 1 main body, the humidity sensor 25 is arranged outside the clothes dryer 1 main body, and the detected value by the humidity sensor 25 can be input to the control circuit 31 by wire or wirelessly. It may be configured as follows.

[0042]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the clothes dryer of the present invention, the judging means judges that the outside air humidity measured by the humidity detecting means is lower than the preset set humidity. In this case, the control means controls the inside air outlet opening / closing means so as to open the inside air outlet, so that the steam generated from the clothes warmed by the heating means is discharged from the inside air outlet to the outside of the drying chamber, and the outside air humidity is increased. When it is determined that is higher than the set humidity, the control means controls the inside air outlet opening / closing means so as to close the inside air outlet, so even if the humidity is low and the steam is released outside the device, the user When it is permissible or when it is used in a place where steam may be discharged to the surroundings, steam can be discharged to the outside of the apparatus to dry clothes, and the drying time of clothes can be shortened.

When the judgment means judges that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity, the control means opens the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port, and the control means opens and closes the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port. Since the opening / closing means is controlled, water vapor generated from the clothes can be actively discharged to the outside of the device.

Further, the outside air intake port is installed in the vicinity of the air blowing means to actively take in outside air, and the inside air discharge port is installed above the drying chamber, and the steam that has been warmed and accumulated in the drying chamber upper part is installed. Is more easily discharged to the outside, so that the water vapor can be discharged to the outside more positively, and the drying time can be shortened.

Further, when the judging means judges that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity, and the measured temperature measured by the temperature measuring means is equal to or higher than the preset set temperature in the drying chamber, The control means controls the outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means so as to open the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet, and the measured temperature regardless of the judgment of the judgment means. When the temperature is lower than the set temperature, the control means controls the outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means so as to close the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet. In the initial stage when the temperature does not reach the set temperature, outside air is not taken into the drying chamber, only dehumidification from clothes can be performed, and the temperature inside the drying chamber reaches the set temperature. In so abundant water vapor occurs in the drying chamber, and discharging the water vapor to the drying chamber outside can be efficiently dried clothes, it is possible to obtain an effect such as can be shortened the drying time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes dryer.

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

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clothes dryer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Drying Room 5 Laundry 18 Temperature Sensor 25 Humidity Sensor 26 Outside Air Intake 27 First Damper 28 Inside Air Outlet 29 Second Damper 30 Operation Panel 31 Control Circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A clothes dryer for drying clothes by heating the air in the drying room by a heating means while dehumidifying the clothes in the drying room and blowing the heated air to the clothes by a blowing means. Inside air outlet opening / closing means for opening / closing an inside air outlet for discharging the inside air of the outside of the drying chamber, humidity detecting means for detecting outside air humidity outside the drying chamber, and detection by the humidity detecting means The determined outside air humidity is compared with the preset set humidity, and the outside air humidity is higher than the set humidity, and the outside air humidity is set by the determination means. If it is determined that the humidity is lower than the humidity, open the inside air outlet,
And a control means for controlling the inside air outlet opening / closing means to close the inside air outlet when the outside air humidity is determined to be higher than the set humidity. 2. An outside air inlet opening / closing means for opening / closing an outside air inlet for taking in outside air into the drying chamber, wherein the control means determines that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity by the determining means. When it is determined, the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port are opened, and when the outside air humidity is determined to be higher than the set humidity, the outside air intake port and the inside air discharge port are closed. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means are controlled. 3. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, wherein the outside air intake port is installed near the blower, and the inside air discharge port is installed above the drying chamber. 4. A temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature in the drying chamber, wherein the control unit determines that the outside air humidity is lower than the set humidity by the determining unit, and measures by the temperature measuring unit. When the measured temperature is equal to or higher than the preset temperature in the drying chamber, the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet are opened, and the measured temperature is the same regardless of the judgment of the judgment means. The outside air inlet opening / closing means and the inside air outlet opening / closing means are controlled so as to close the outside air inlet and the inside air outlet when the temperature is lower than a set temperature. The described clothes dryer.