JPH09173678A - Drum type washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drum type washing and drying machine for which drying efficiency is excellent and drying time is short. SOLUTION: A drying operation is performed by circulating drying air from a circulation air path to the inside of a drum 2 while rotating the drum 2 at a low speed and circulating drum as well. That is, the air sucked from the suction ports 25a and 25b of a water tank 13 to the inside of an air sending duct 8 by the drive of an air blowing fan 12 is dehumidified by a dehumidifier 4. The dehumidified air is turned to the drying air, returned to the drum 2 and mixed with high-temperature air heated by a heater 3 inside the drum 2. Then, the mixed air vaporizes the moisture contained in laundry and is turned to the state of low temperature/high temperature itself, sent to the dehumidifier 4 and dehumidified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a drum type washing / washing machine.
Regarding the dryer, more specifically, a drum type washing / washing process in which laundry (clothes to be washed and dried) is stored in a drum, and a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process and a drying process are performed.
Regarding dryers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A drum type washer / dryer has a structure in which a drum rotates about a horizontal axis in a water tank. The same drum can perform washing (washing and rinsing) and drying of the laundry stored in the drum. For this reason, the drum type washer / dryer is a typical washer / dryer having a washing function, a dehydrating function, and a drying function. Such a drum type washer / dryer can also be used as a so-called full-auto laundry, which does not require any manual intervention after the laundry is put into the drum and then dried.

A schematic structure of a conventional drum type washer / dryer is shown in FIG. The drum type washer / dryer 51 includes a water tank 13 suspended by a spring 18 in an outer box 14, and the water tank 1
3 and a drum 2 that rotates about a horizontal axis 7 inside. The water tank 13 is floatably supported by a spring 18 and a shock absorber 19, and absorbs vibration generated during operation. Further, it has a mechanism for storing and discharging the washing liquid and the dehydrated liquid. A large number of small holes 17 are formed in the drum 2 over the entire circumference thereof so that water can be supplied during washing, drainage during dehydration, dehumidified water during drying, and dry air. And on the inner surface of the drum around the drum 2,
A plurality of baffles 20 for agitating the laundry are projected.

The drum type washer / dryer 51 is provided with a water injection valve 6 for injecting water from the upper part of the water tank 13 during the washing operation and the rinsing operation. Separately from this, a water supply valve 26 for supplying cooling water for dehumidifying the air in the water tank 13 during the drying operation is provided. And
The water supply valve 26 and the side wall of the water tank 13 are connected by a water injection pipe 27. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a heater 43 is provided between the peripheral wall of the drum 2 and the peripheral wall of the water tank 13. That is, the heater 43 is fixed to the inner surface of the circumferential wall of the water tank 13.

The operation of the drum type washer / dryer 51 will be described below with reference to FIG. First, in the washing step (during a washing operation), laundry is put into the drum 2 through the upper lid 21, the water tank lid 22 and the drum lid 23. Then, the washing liquid in which the detergent is dissolved is supplied from above the water tank 13 to impregnate the laundry. Thereafter, the drum 15 is rotated at a low speed by driving the motor 15, and the washing operation is executed. At this time, the laundry in the drum 2 is urged toward the peripheral wall by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the drum 2. And baffle 20
After being lifted up to the vicinity of the uppermost part in the drum 2 by the above, it falls to the bottom part of the drum 2 due to its own weight (these operations are hereinafter referred to as “tumbling”). By repeating this tumbling, the laundry is hit and washed by the impact force when it falls.

In the rinsing step (during the rinsing operation), the same operation as in the washing operation is performed, but in this case, water injection from the water injection valve 6 and drainage from the drain valve 16 are simultaneously performed. And dehydration process (during dehydration operation)
In, the drum 2 is rotated at a high speed, and the laundry is strongly pressed against the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 2 by the centrifugal force. Due to the centrifugal force of this high speed rotation (600 to 1000 rpm), the water contained in the laundry is separated from the laundry and is sprayed from the small holes 17 in the peripheral wall of the drum 2 toward the water tank 13. This water is guided to the bottom of the water tank 13 through the inner surface thereof, and is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain valve 16.

Subsequently, in the drying process (during the drying operation), the drum 2 is rotated at a low speed and the heater 43 is energized. Then, the air in the water tank 13 and the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 2 are heated, and the temperature of the laundry increases accordingly. Furthermore, a small amount of cooling water is supplied from the water supply valve 26 to the water tank 1.
Continuous injection into 3 At this time, the air inside and outside the drum 2 flows through the small holes 17. Then, the humid air in the water tank 13 that has contained a large amount of water due to the evaporation of water in the laundry is cooled by the cooling water. Then, the moisture in the humid air is condensed into water droplets, which are discharged through the drain valve 16.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
In the drying beach 51, the dry air outside the drum 2 and the humid air inside the drum 2 which are heated by the heater 43 during the drying operation and are dehumidified by the cooling water are exchanged through the small holes 17 of the drum 2 by natural ventilation. It was However, due to natural ventilation, the air inside and outside the drum 2 may not efficiently flow from the small holes 17. In addition, the heater 43
Is disposed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the water tank 13 between the inner wall of the drum 2 and the inner wall of the water tank 13, so that the water tank 13 is directly heated when it is dried for a long time by natural ventilation. Then, the amount of heat radiated from the outer surface of the water tank 13 increases, and the maturation efficiency may decrease. That is, the above-mentioned drum type washer / dryer 51 cannot be said to be excellent in drying efficiency for laundry due to the use of the dehumidifying system and heating system as described above, and in general, drying of laundry is not possible. I needed a long time.

Generally, when clothes are used, it is necessary to remove stains, and it is also necessary to remove wrinkles due to the use of clothes and wrinkles during storage, or to remove odors due to insect repellents during storage of clothes. However, in the conventional washer / dryer, a means for removing wrinkles generated during use of clothes and wrinkles due to storage of clothes, and removing odors attached to clothes by insect repellent during storage of clothes (refreshing means for clothes) ) Was not equipped. Therefore, the clothes are refreshed by removing wrinkles on the neck with a portable steamer or a steam iron.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washer / dryer having excellent drying efficiency and a short drying time.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a water tank suspended in an outer box and a drum rotatably supported in the water tank about a horizontal axis and capable of accommodating laundry. Wash the washing liquid by heating it and heat the air in the drum.
Drum type laundry that dries the laundry by dehumidifying
In the dryer, the dehumidifying / blowing means, which is provided outside the drum, includes a dehumidifier and a blower, and is connected to the drum through a ventilation duct in a closed loop shape, and is provided at the lower inside of the water tank to control washing and drying. A heater for heating the washing liquid in accordance with the process and heating the air between the drum and the water tank is provided, and the air between the drum and the water tank is heated by the heater while flowing by the rotation of the drum Is introduced to dry the laundry, and dehumidifying is performed by circulating air between the inside and outside of the drum through the dehumidifying / blowing means.

In the drum type washer / dryer according to the present invention, in the drying step, the dehumidifying / blowing means outside the drum and the drum are connected in a closed loop via the water tank and the blowing duct. Therefore, the air in the drum is circulated and blown between the heater and the dehumidifying / blowing means and the drum to heat and
Dehumidified. Thereby, the laundry in the drum is efficiently dried. The means for blowing air into the drum is composed of two means: a blower fan in the circulation path, and means for collecting the wind generated by the rotation of the drum in the lower part of the water tank, heating it with a heater, and sending it into the drum.

Further, the drum type washing / drying beach of the present invention is preferably provided with the following steam control means. That is, the amount of water that immerses the heater without impairing the rotation of the drum is supplied between the drum and the water tank, steam is generated by heating the water with the heater, and the generated steam is generated by the rotation of the drum. It is preferable that the steam control means is introduced into the drum by the above movement to heat and humidify the clothes in the drum. In the steam treatment step, a water level detector or the like detects a water level sufficient for water supplied from a water supply valve or the like to contact the heater and generate steam, thereby controlling the water level. Therefore, the generated steam can be introduced into the drum together with the wind generated by the rotation of the drum without hindering the rotation of the drum or wetting the clothes for refreshing. At this time, the ventilation of the ventilation circulation system is not required. The refreshed clothes in the drum are tumbled in the drum, and steam removes wrinkles and deodorizes.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition,
The following embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. 1 and 2, elements common to those of the conventional drum type washer / dryer 51 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, the drum type washer / dryer 1 is
The basic structure is the same as that of the conventional drum type washer / dryer 51. The difference from the conventional drum-type washing / drying machine 51 is that the air discharged from the drum 2 is blown to the outside of the drum 2 by the water-cooling dehumidifier 4 that dehumidifies the air discharged from the drum 2. That is, the blower fan 12 is installed. The water-cooled dehumidifier 4, the blower fan 12 and the drum 2 are connected in a closed loop via the blower duct 8. As a result, circulating air is blown between the dehumidifier 4, the blower fan 12 and the drum 2.

The lower part of the water tank 13 is a water reservoir V. Then, the air is heated in the water reservoir V by the heater 3 fixed to the water tank 13. Heated air
The wind (the broken line arrow in FIG. 2) caused by the rotation of the drum 2 (clockwise direction in FIG. 2) is introduced into the drum 2 through the small holes 17 of the drum 2 as shown by the white arrow N (FIG. 1). . The side wall 2a of the drum 2 is provided with a large number of ventilation holes 11 for guiding the dry air into the drum (m arrow) through the air outlet 24 from which the air from the fan 12 is blown.

The wind Nm introduced into the drum 2 goes out of the drum 2 through a large number of ventilation holes 11 in the other side wall 2b. Then, it is dehumidified by the sprinkling water S supplied from the dehumidifying water electromagnetic valve 36. Dehumidifying water Sl is supplied into the dehumidifier 4 by the water spray nozzle 101 by the water supply pressure. This enhances the contact effect with the circulating hot air.

A water tank 13 arranged near the outside of the drum 2.
A circulation air passage is formed by the blower duct 8 along the outside of the. The ends of the circulating air passage are connected to the outlet 24 and the suction ports 25a and 25b of the water tank 13, respectively. Further, the dehumidifier 4 and the blower fan 12 are arranged in this circulation air passage. The dehumidifier 4 cools and dehumidifies the air circulating in the circulation air passage with the sprinkling water S.
That is, the dehumidifier 4, the blower fan 12, the drum rotation raising air W, the heater 3, and the sprinkling water S are dehumidification heating blowers. Needless to say, the circulation air passage is arranged at a position where it does not hinder the loading and unloading of laundry into and from the drum 2. The end of the peripheral wall of the drum 2 is formed so as to project toward the side wall of the water tank 13 as the projecting portion 10 over the entire circumference.

On the other hand, a bead 9 is formed on the side wall of the water tank 13 facing the side wall 2a of the drum 2 so as to project toward the side walls 2a and 2b of the drum 2. The bead 9 is formed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the inner circumference of the overhanging portion 10 and is configured to fit in the overhanging portion 10 in a non-contact manner. The beads 9 are simultaneously manufactured by drawing when the side walls of the water tank 13 are manufactured. The gap between the bead 9 and the side walls 2a, 2b of the drum 2 is set to a minimum gap that does not contact each other due to the rotation of the drum 2. In this case, the outlet 24 is provided so as to open in the side wall of the water tank 13 which is closer to the shaft center than the bead 9.

The clearance between the overhang 10 and the side wall of the water tank 13 is also set to the minimum clearance as described above. As described above, since the gap between the drum 2 and the water tank 13 is narrowed by the overhanging portion 10 of the drum 2 and the bead 9 of the water tank 13,
The warm air sent from the blower fan 12 has a structure that does not easily leak to the circumferential side of the drum 2. Therefore, the drum 2
Due to the rotation of, the wind W forms a substantially independent blowing means. Then, the drum blast W heated by the heater 3 provided in the water reservoir of the water tank 2 is
The function of the involute structure of No. 3 makes it less likely to be affected by the circulating wind m. A hopper 31 is provided at the lower end of the dehumidifier 4. The hopper 31 allows dehumidified cooling water to flow downward, but does not allow circulating hot air to pass therethrough. The dehumidifying water is discharged together with the dehumidifying / sprinkling water S by the hopper 31.

In order to carry out the washing operation to the drying operation using the drum type washer / dryer 1, first, the laundry is put into the drum 2 through the upper lid 21 and the drum lid 23. afterwards,
The washing operation and the rinsing operation similar to the conventional one are performed on the laundry. Then, when the rinse operation is completed, the rinse water in the water tank 13 is discharged through the drain valve 16.
Then, the drum 2 is rotationally driven at a high speed, and the centrifugal force is utilized to perform the dehydration operation.

The drying operation in the drum type washer / dryer 1 is performed by rotating the drum 2 at a low speed to circulate the dry air from the circulation air passage into the drum 2 and the drum blast W as well. That is, the blower fan 1
The air sucked into the blower duct 8 from the suction ports 25a and 25b of the water tank 13 by driving 2 is dehumidified by the dehumidifier 4. This air becomes dry air and is returned to the drum 2, and is mixed with the high temperature air heated by the heater 3 in the drum 2. In this case, the overhang portion 10 and the bead 9 described above are used.
A light seal is provided between the drum 2 and the water tank 13 by. Therefore, the dry air blown out from the air outlet 24 is forcedly blown into the drum 2 through the ventilation holes 11 of the drum 2.

The dry air blown into the drum 2 is mixed with the hot air generated by the drum blast W in the drum 2. Then, the water contained in the laundry is vaporized to become a low temperature / high humidity state, and is sent to the dehumidifier 4 to be dehumidified. At this time, the laundry in the drum 2 is lifted to the vicinity of the uppermost portion in the drum 2 by tumbling. The laundry is then dropped by its own weight and loosened and brought into contact with uniform hot air and dry air. The water condensed in the dehumidifier 4 is discharged out of the machine together with the dehumidifying cooling water.

As described above, this drum type washer / dryer forcibly circulates the dry air and the high temperature air to the drum 2 by the forced circulation system, so that the drying efficiency of the laundry can be improved. . Thereby, the drying time of the laundry can be shortened.

The beads 9 of the water tank 13 can be processed at the same time when the side walls of the water tank 13 are manufactured without increasing the number of processing steps. The beads 9 are also useful in reinforcing the water tank 13 or improving the vibration damping property.

Next, when refreshing the clothes, first, water is supplied from the water supply valve 6 so as not to wet the clothes contained in the drum 2. Then, this water is caused to flow down along the wall surface of the water tank 13. At this time, the water level sensor 32 controls a small amount of water that does not contact the drum 2. Then
While rotating the drum 2 in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2, the heater 3 is energized to generate steam. The generated steam is accompanied by the drum wind W and the small holes 17 of the drum 2.
Through the drum 2 into the drum 2 as indicated by the arrow N. Then, this steam heats and humidifies the tumbled clothes. As a result, wrinkles on the clothes are removed and deodorization proceeds. In this case, the circulation blower fan 12 does not need to be operated and the dehumidifying sprinkling water S is not required.

[0027]

Since the drum type washer / dryer of the present invention is constructed as described above, it is possible to improve the drying efficiency for the laundry and to shorten the drying time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory view of a drum type washer / dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration explanatory view of the washer / dryer shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration explanatory view of a conventional drum type washer / dryer as viewed from the front.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heater mounting portion of the washer / dryer shown in FIG. 3, as viewed from a side surface.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 Drum type washer / dryer 2 Drum 3 Heater 4 Dehumidifier 7 Horizontal shaft 8 Air duct 9 Bead 10 Overhang 11 Air vent 12 Air blow fan 13 Water tank 16 Drain valve 17 Small hole 26 Water supply valve 32 Water level Sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine, comprising: a water tank suspended in an outer box; and a drum, which is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis in the water tank and is capable of accommodating laundry, and is capable of heating a washing liquid. In a drum-type washer / dryer that dries the laundry by heating and dehumidifying the air in the drum, the drum-type washer / dryer is provided outside the drum and includes a dehumidifier and a blower, and is connected to the drum via a water tank and a blower duct. A dehumidifying / blowing means connected in a closed loop, and a heater provided in the lower inside of the water tank to heat the washing liquid and heat the air between the drum and the water tank in accordance with the washing and drying control process. The air between the drum and the water tank is heated by the heater while flowing the air by the rotation of the drum, and then introduced into the drum to dry the laundry, and the inside and outside of the drum are dehumidified through the dehumidifying / blowing means. Drum-type washing and drying machine and performs dehumidification by circulating air between. 2. An amount of water that immerses the heater without impairing the rotation of the drum is supplied between the drum and the water tank, steam is generated by heating the water by the heater, and the generated steam is rotated by the drum. 2. The drum type washer / dryer according to claim 1, further comprising steam control means for introducing the air into the drum by the movement of air generated by the steam control means to heat and humidify the clothes in the drum.