WO2022059224A1

WO2022059224A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2022059224A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/005662
Authority: WO
Inventors: 諒高橋; 圭三川村; 道太菅原; 慎勇希北; 駿河原崎; 博紀長谷川
Original assignee: 日立グローバルライフソリューションズ株式会社
Priority date: 2020-09-18
Filing date: 2021-02-16
Publication date: 2022-03-24
Also published as: CN115803490A; EP4215667A1; JP2022050759A

Abstract

The present invention provides a washing machine which improves drying efficiency as well as prevents wrinkles and gives good drying finishing.　The present invention comprises an outer tank 10 housed in a housing 1, an inner tank 9 housed in the outer tank 10, a rotary blade 11 rotatably provided on the inner bottom part of the inner tank, a driving part for rotatably driving the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11, a drying part that is housed in the housing 1 and blows dry air from above the inner tank 9 toward the outside of the lower central part of the inner tank 9, and a control part for controlling a washing step, a rinsing step, a dehydration step, and a drying step, wherein: the drying step has a first drying step of moving laundry in the inner tank 9 to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, and a second drying step of diffusing the laundry on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 into the inner tank 9 after the first drying step; and the first drying step and the second drying step are taken as one cycle and are repeatedly executed.

Description

washing machine

The present invention relates to a washing machine.

Generally, in a vertical washer-dryer, a rotary wing is provided at the bottom of an inner tub that houses clothes, and the rotary wing is rotated in the forward and reverse directions with water stored in the inner tub and the outer tub that rotationally supports the rotary wing. And wash. Then, in the drying step after the inner tank is rotated at high speed to complete the dehydration, the warm air heated by the heater is blown to the clothes by the blower fan. Moisture contained in clothes evaporates due to warm air, air containing moisture is guided to a circulation path, and the moisture is removed by a dehumidifying mechanism provided in this circulation path.

For example, in order to effectively dry clothes, in Patent Document 1, the drying process is divided into three steps of 1, 2 and 3, and the inner tank is rotated at a high speed (about 700 r / min) to centrifuge the moisture of the clothes. The operation of blowing warm air while blowing with force is performed for at least 20 minutes, the operation of blowing warm air while rotating the inner tank at a low speed (about 35 r / min) is performed for at least 10 minutes in the drying process 2, and the operation of blowing warm air is performed in the drying process 3 for stirring. It is disclosed that the operation of inverting the wings and blowing warm air while stirring the clothes is performed in order.

Further, in Patent Document 2, in the drying step, the washing / dehydrating tub is rotated at a high speed (300 r / min) for 1 minute, clothes are spread, a hole is made in the center of the washing / dehydrating tub, and then a low speed (150 r / min) is formed. ) Is rotated for 14 minutes to dry the clothes, and finally, only the rotary blade is rotated 7 times back and forth to replace the clothes, which is disclosed to be repeated twice.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-014806 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-101206

A vertical washer-dryer such as these is provided with a step of moving the clothes in the inner tub to the outer peripheral side by high-speed rotation of the tub and then rotating the clothes at low speed for a certain period of time to proceed with drying. Therefore, the clothes that are moved to the outer peripheral side by high-speed rotation and are piled up may be dried in that posture, and the creases due to the overlap may adhere as wrinkles.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the drying efficiency, suppress wrinkles, and provide a washing machine having a good drying finish.

In order to achieve the above object, the washing machine of the present invention includes an outer tub housed in a housing, an inner tub housed in the outer tub, a rotary wing rotatably provided at the inner bottom of the inner tub, and an inner tub. A drive unit that drives the tank and rotary blades to rotate, a drying unit that is housed in a housing and blows dry air from above the inner tank to the outside from the lower center of the inner tank, and a washing process, rinsing process, and dehydration process. , And a control unit that controls the drying process. The drying process includes a first drying step of moving the laundry in the inner tub to the outer peripheral side of the inner tub, and a washing of the outer peripheral side of the inner tub after the first drying step. It has a second drying step of diffusing an object into an inner tank, and the first drying step and the second drying step are repeatedly executed as one cycle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the drying efficiency, suppress wrinkles, and provide a washing machine having a good drying finish.

It is an external perspective view which shows the washing machine of 1st Example. It is a vertical sectional view of the washer-dryer shown in FIG. It is an external perspective view which shows the rotary blade which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of the control process of the washer-dryer of 1st Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of the control process of the washer-dryer of 1st Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of the control process of the washer-dryer of 1st Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation of the 1st tank rotation, the 2nd tank rotation, and the rotary blade rotation which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the operation of the 1st tank rotation, the 2nd tank rotation, and the rotor blade rotation which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the intermittent rotation operation in the 2nd tank rotation which concerns on 1st Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation of the 1st tank rotation, the 2nd tank rotation, and the rotary blade rotation which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the operation of the 1st tank rotation, the 2nd tank rotation, and the rotor blade rotation which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the effect of the difference in the tank rotation direction which concerns on the 2nd Example. It is a time chart which shows the case which carried out the tank rotation direction which concerns on the 2nd Example in both forward and reverse directions. It is a time chart which shows the case which carried out the tank rotation direction which concerns on the 2nd Example in both forward and reverse directions. It is a time chart which shows the case which carried out the tank rotation direction which concerns on the 2nd Example in both forward and reverse directions. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case which the wind is blown by tilting the blowing part which concerns on 2nd Example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and various modifications and applications are included in the technical concept of the present invention. Is also included in that range.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the washer / dryer 100, which is a washing machine, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the washer / dryer 100. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the rotary blade. The washer / dryer 100 includes a housing 1 constituting the outer shell, a power switch 5 and a detergent / finishing agent container 28 on the front side of the top cover 2 on the upper part of the housing 1, a water supply solenoid valve 4 and a heater 20 on the rear side. , Blower fan 19 and other parts related to water supply and drying are built-in. Further, the housing 1 is provided with an outer lid 3 so as to cover the clothes inlet 2a. A handle 3a and an operation panel 8 provided with an operation switch 6 and a display 7 are provided on the front side of the outer lid 3, and when the handle 3a is pulled upward, it is in the center as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is designed to be folded and opened. The operation panel 8 is electrically connected to the control device 14 provided at the bottom of the housing 1.

The inner tank 9 of the washing / dehydrating tank housed in the outer tank 10 and storing the clothes 56 has a large number of small through holes 9a for water passage and ventilation in the outer peripheral wall, and the bottom wall thereof has water passage and ventilation. It has a plurality of through holes 9b for the purpose, a fluid balancer 9c is provided at the upper edge thereof, a rotary blade 11 is rotatably provided at the inner bottom portion of the inner tank 9, and a rotary blade 11 for stirring the clothes 56 is installed. The rotary wing 11 is formed with a gently sloping surface 11h and a raised portion 11a in which an upward component force is repeatedly applied to the clothing 56 thrown onto the rotary wing 11 by rotating, and water flows through the sloping surface 11h. And a number of small through holes 11c for ventilation are provided. The inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are rotationally driven independently or integrally by a drive mechanism which is a drive unit composed of a clutch mechanism 12 and a washing / dehydrating drive motor 13.

The outer tank 10 housed in the housing 1 and containing the inner tank 9 is supported by four corner plates (not shown) locked to the corner plates (not shown) provided at the four corners of the upper end of the outer frame of the housing 1 and hung down. By engaging the four directions of the outer tank 10 with the rod via a shock absorber (not shown) and supporting them evenly, the rod is suspended from the substantially central portion of the housing 1. A drive mechanism is attached to the lower part of the outer tank 10.

The drive mechanism, which is the drive unit, incorporates a washing / dehydration drive motor 13 using an inverter drive motor or a reversible rotary condenser phase-differential single-phase induction motor, a clutch mechanism 12, and a planetary gear reduction mechanism. By controlling the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13 and the clutch mechanism 12, the washing drive mode in which the rotor blades 11 are repeatedly rotated in the forward and reverse directions while the inner tub 9 is stationary or released so that it can rotate freely, and the inner tub 9 It has a drive function for executing a dehydration drive mode in which the rotor 11 is integrally rotated in the same direction. A vibration sensor 27 for detecting the vibration of the outer tub 10 during washing or dehydration is provided on the outside of the side surface of the outer tub 10.

Further, an air trap 21a is provided on the bottom surface of the outer tank 10, and the pressure inside the air trap 21a is transmitted to the water level sensor 21 via the tube 21b to detect the water level of the water stored in the outer tank 10.

A clothing inlet 31a is provided in a portion about two-thirds from the front side of the tank cover 31 provided on the upper surface of the outer tank 10, and a water supply inlet (not shown) and a circulating water inlet 33 are provided in the rear surface 31b. .. Further, a detergent / finishing agent inlet 28a is provided in front of the tank cover 31. The inner lid 23 is attached to the clothes inlet 31a so as to be openable and closable by the hinge 23b. By lifting the handle 23a upward, the inner lid 23 is unlocked (not shown), opened as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, and locked by pushing the handle 23a downward. The rear surface 31b is provided with a blowout portion 54 that guides warm air into the inner tank 9, and the upstream side of the blowout portion 54 is connected to the heater 20 via a bellows tube 29b. Further, the downstream side of the blowout portion 54 is provided with an end portion toward the outer peripheral bottom portion of the inner tank 9, and the dry air is blown toward the outer peripheral bottom portion of the inner tank 9.

It is desirable that the clothes inlet 31a be wide in order to facilitate the loading and unloading of the clothes 56, and for this reason, the blowout portion 54 is installed on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9.

The drying mechanism, which is housed in the housing 1 and is a drying portion for drying clothes 56 by blowing dry air from above the inner tank 9 to the outside from the lower center of the inner tank 9, is a blower fan 19 and a heater 20. It is composed of a drying duct 22 and a dehumidifying mechanism 22a. The drying duct 22 connects between the water passage port 10b and the outlet portion 54. A dehumidifying mechanism 22a, a lint filter (not shown), a blower fan 19, a heater 20, and a temperature sensor 26 are provided in the middle of the drying duct 22. When the blower fan 19 is operated and the heater 20 is energized, warm air is blown from the blowout portion 54 into the inner tank 9 through the bellows tube 29b, warming the clothes 56 and evaporating the water content. The hot and humid air passes through the through holes 9a and 9b, goes out to the outer tank 10, is sucked into the drying duct 22 from the water passage port 10b, is cooled and dehumidified by the cooling water flowing down the dehumidifying mechanism 22a, and dried. It becomes low-temperature air, is heated again by the heater 20, and circulates so as to be blown into the inner tank 9. The air that has been cooled and dehumidified in the drying duct 22 is collected with lint through a lint filter (not shown). Further, during drying, the drainage solenoid valve 15 is opened, and the cooling water flowing down the dehumidifying mechanism 22a and the dehumidified water are discharged to the outside through the drainage hose 24.

The rubber bellows

tubes

29a, 29b, 29c, 29d, 29e, and 29f are the outer tank 10 and the tank cover 31 that vibrate and displace, and the drying duct 22 and the water supply electromagnetic wave provided on the fixed side (outer frame 1, top cover 2, etc.). It is used for connection with a valve 4, a circulation pump 16, and the like.

In this embodiment, the water supply solenoid valve 4 uses a quadruple valve so that water can be supplied in four directions. The first is a washing water supply solenoid valve, which is connected to the water supply inlet and supplies water to the inner tank 9. The second is a detergent water supply solenoid valve, which is connected to the detergent input chamber of the detergent / finishing agent container 28. The third is a finishing agent water supply solenoid valve, which is connected to the finishing agent charging chamber of the detergent / finishing agent container 28. The detergent / finishing agent container 28 is connected to the detergent / finishing agent inlet 28a, and the detergent and the finishing agent are supplied into the outer tank 10. The fourth is connected to the dehumidifying mechanism 22a described later.
The washing water circulation pipe 17 connects between the water passage port 10b provided at the bottom of the outer tub and the circulating water inlet 33. In the middle of the circulation pipe 17, there is a circulation pump 16 and a foreign matter trap 18 provided at the bottom of the machine body, and a drainage hose 24 is connected to the foreign matter trap 18 via a drainage solenoid valve 15. When the circulation pump 16 is operated, the washing water in the outer tub 10 is carried from the water passage port 10b provided at the bottom of the outer tub to the upper part of the outer tub 10 through the circulation pipe 17, and circulates on the rear surface 31b of the tub cover 31. The water inlet 33 enters the circulating water cover 30 installed on the inner tank 9 side of the rear surface 31b, and water is sprinkled from the nozzle 34 into the inner tank 9.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit of the washer / dryer 100. The microcomputer 40 is connected to an operation button input circuit 41 connected to each switch 6a such as the operation switch 6, a water level sensor 21, a temperature sensor 26, and a vibration sensor 27, and is used in a user's button operation, washing process, and drying process. Receives various information signals from. The output from the microcomputer 40 is connected to the drive circuit 42, and is connected to the water supply solenoid valve 4, the clutch mechanism 12, the drainage solenoid valve 15, the circulation pump 16, the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13, the blower fan 19, the heater 20, and the like. It controls the opening / closing, rotation, and energization of these. Further, it is connected to a 7-segment light emitting diode display 25 for notifying the user of the operating state of the washing machine, a display 7 such as a light emitting diode, and a buzzer 43.

The microcomputer 40, which is a control unit, is activated when the power switch 5 is pressed and the power is turned on, and basic control of the washing process, the rinsing process, the dehydration process, and the drying process as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is performed. Execute the processing program. The control flow will be described below. First, the washing and dehydrating steps will be described.

<< Step S101 >>
Check the status of the washer / dryer and make initial settings.

<< Step S102 >>
The display 7 on the operation panel 8 is lit and displayed, and the washing course is set according to the instruction input from the operation switch 6. If there is no instruction input, the standard washing course or the previous washing course is automatically set.

<< Step S103 >>
The process is branched by monitoring the instruction input from the start switch 6a on the operation switch 6 of the operation panel 8.

<< Step S104 >>
Detergent amount detection process is executed. This detergent amount detection is based on the amount of rotational load acting on the rotary blade 11 when the rotary blade 11 is rotated in one direction with the inner tank 9 stationary in the dry cloth state before the washing water is supplied. The washing / dehydrating drive motor 13 and the clutch mechanism 12 in the drive mechanism are controlled so as to detect the cloth amount of the clothes 56, and an appropriate amount of detergent (detergent amount) is obtained based on the detected cloth amount.

The amount of detergent is determined by referring to the preset control table for the amount of cloth and the amount of detergent. Specifically, in the configuration in which the inverter-driven motor is used as the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13, the amount of cloth is detected by detecting the reached rotation speed when power is supplied for a predetermined time so as to rotate the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13. conduct. In a configuration using a condenser phase-dividing single-phase induction motor as the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13, the coasting rotation deceleration characteristic after power is cut off while the washing / dehydrating drive motor 13 is supplied with power to increase it to the saturated rotation speed is detected. Do it by. Then, the preferable amount of detergent is obtained by referring to the control table of the amount of cloth and the amount of detergent set in advance.

The amount of washing water is set so that when the amount of cloth is within the range (appropriate amount) of the predetermined amount of cloth, the water level does not exceed the rotary blade 11 and is collected at the bottom of the outer tub 10. In addition, the washing time is obtained and set based on this detection result (cloth amount). When the cloth amount detection is not performed, a standard washing time is set.

<< Step S105 >>
The obtained amount of detergent is displayed on the 7-segment light emitting diode display 25 of the operation panel 8.

<< Step S106 >>
The detergent water supply solenoid valve is opened, and detergent water is supplied to the detergent input chamber of the detergent / finishing agent container 28. The user puts the indicated amount of powder detergent or liquid detergent into the detergent / finishing agent container 28 detergent charging chamber, and then operates to close the outer lid 3. The powder detergent or liquid detergent charged into the detergent charging chamber in which the detergent water is flowing passes through the detergent / finishing agent inlet 28a together with the detergent water and falls to the bottom of the outer tank 10.

<< Step S107 >>
When the detergent is dissolved and the water is supplied to the water level, the water supply is stopped. The detergent-dissolving water level is an amount of water sufficient to stir the water supplied at the bottom of the inner tank 9 and the detergent when the inner tank 9 is rotated in the subsequent detergent-dissolving step (step S108), and the water surface. Is set to be lower than the height of the lower surface of the rotary blade 11 (the clothing 56 does not get wet before the detergent is dissolved).

<< Step S108 >>
By integrally rotating the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 in one direction at a slow speed, the detergent-dissolved water charged into the bottom of the outer tank 10 and the powder detergent or liquid detergent are agitated at the bottom surface of the inner tank 9. Perform a detergent dissolve, which produces a high detergent concentration of wash water.

≪Step S109≫
Perform a pre-wash. In this pre-washing, stirring is intermittently performed to rotate the rotary blade 11 forward and reverse while the inner tank 9 is stationary, and the circulation pump 16 is operated during the forward and reverse rotation of the rotary blade 11 to operate the outer tank 10. The detergent water at the bottom is poured from the nozzle 34 onto the clothing 56. At this time, since the high-concentration detergent water is sprayed on the clothes 56, the detergent permeates the clothes 56 evenly due to the penetrating action of the detergent. The high-concentration detergent water that has permeated the clothes 56 has a high oil-dissolving ability, dissolves oil-and-fat stains such as sebum stains, and has a very large effect of raising the stains from the clothes 56, so that high detergency can be obtained. Next, during the stop period of the rotary blade 11 and the circulation pump 16, the detergent water supply solenoid valve and the washing water supply solenoid valve are opened while referring to the detection signal of the water level sensor 21, and water is supplied so that the water level does not exceed the set water level. .. By repeating this operation a plurality of times, the clothes 56 are soaked in washing water and dispersed on the rotor blade 11.

<< Step S110 >>
Perform a main wash. In this main washing, first, the cloth amount is detected by the same method as described above, and the set washing time is corrected and set. After that, the circulation pump 16 is operated while rotating the rotary blade 11 in the forward and reverse directions with the inner tank 9 stationary, and the washing water collected at the bottom of the outer tank 10 is dropped from the nozzle 34 onto the clothing 56. And the cloth loosening stirring in which the rotary blade 11 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions in a state where the operation of the circulation pump 16 is stopped and the circulation of the washing water is stopped is repeated. Due to the forward and reverse rotation of the rotary blade 11, the clothing 56 is replaced in the circumferential direction and the radial direction in the inner tank 9, and is washed evenly. Finally, with the operation of the circulation pump 16 stopped and the circulation of the washing water stopped, uniform stirring for rotating the rotary blades 11 in the forward and reverse directions is executed to end the main washing time.

<< Step S111 >>
Perform the first pool rinse. In this reservoir rinsing, first, the drain solenoid valve 15 is opened to drain the washing water accumulated at the bottom of the outer tank 10, and then the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are integrally rotated in one direction to make the clothes 56. Centrifuge the wash water contained in. The rotation speeds of the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 at the time of dehydration of the washing water are set in the same manner as the rotation speed (about 1100 r / min) in the final dehydration described later, and the dehydration operation is performed so as to realize a high dehydration rate.

After that, while closing the drain solenoid valve 15 and rotating the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 at a slow speed in one direction, the washing water supply solenoid valve is opened and tap water is sprinkled from the sprinkler port to the clothes 56 on the rotary blade 11. Water is supplied so that it falls on.

Next, with the rotation of the inner tank 9 and the rotor blade 11 stopped, rinse water is supplied so that the water level at the bottom of the outer tank 10 does not exceed the set water level.

Next, as in the case of push-washing stirring in the main washing, the circulation pump 16 is operated while the rotary blade 11 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions while the inner tank 9 is stationary, and the rinse water accumulated in the bottom of the outer tank 10 is discharged. Rinse water circulation stirring rinsing is performed, which is circulated so as to fall from the nozzle 34 onto the clothing 56 on the rotor 11.
Next, with the rotation of the rotary blade 11 and the operation of the circulation pump 16 stopped, water is supplied so that the water level does not exceed the set water level while detecting the water level of the rinse water accumulated at the bottom of the outer tank 10.

Next, while the rotary blade 11 is rotated forward and reverse while the inner tank 9 is stationary, the circulation pump 16 is operated to remove the rinse water collected at the bottom of the outer tank 10 from the nozzle 34 to the clothing 56 on the rotary blade 11. Perform a rinsing water circulation stirring rinse that circulates so that it falls on the water. As in the case of washing, the clothes 56 in the inner tank 9 are switched in the circumferential direction and the radial direction, so that the rinse water is evenly applied to the clothes 56, and the detergent content is diluted.

After that, with the circulation pump 16 stopped and the circulation of the rinse water stopped, uniform stirring is performed to continue the forward and reverse rotation of the rotary blade 11.

<< Step S112 >>
Perform the second pool rinse. In this second reservoir rinse, the softener water supply solenoid valve is opened to supply water to the softener charging chamber in the detergent / finishing agent container 28, so that the softener in the softener charging chamber is supplied to the outer tank 10. Add control to introduce to the bottom of. Other operations are performed in the same manner as in the first pool rinsing.

<< Step S113 >>
Perform the final dehydration process. In the final dehydration, with the drainage solenoid valve 15 open, the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are integrated, and the drive mechanism is operated so as to rotate at high speed in one direction, and the clothes in the inner tank 9 are operated. 56 is centrifugally dehydrated. At this time, the rotation speed of the inner tub 9 is gradually increased from the low rotation speed at which the clothes 56 just start to move, that is, the first rotation speed for moving the clothes that are laundry to the outer peripheral side of the inner tub 9. , The clothing 56 in the inner tank 9 is slowly moved to the outer peripheral side. By doing so, the clothes 56 are evenly pressed against the wall without being biased, and the dehydration efficiency is improved. Specifically, it starts at about 140 r / min, gradually increases in speed, and finally rotates at a high speed of about 1100 r / min, that is, faster than the first rotation speed for removing water from clothes that are laundry. At the second rotation speed, the clothes 56 are attached to the wall surface of the inner tank 9 and the water contained in the clothes 56 is removed. At least two types of rotation speeds, the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed, are provided in the dehydration step.
The operation time of this final dehydration is set to a time at which a desired dehydration rate can be obtained.

Further, the rotation speed of the first tank rotation operation in the drying process is set higher than the rotation speed of the first rotation operation in the dehydration process.

<< Step S114 >>
Check if the washing / drying course is set and branch the process. If the washing / drying course is not selected, washing is completed and this control flow ends. On the other hand, if the washing / drying course is selected, the drying process is started. FIG. 7 is a control flow of this drying process.
This control flow will be described below.

≪Step S200≫
In the drying step, the inner tank 9 is rotated at high speed in order to further dehydrate the clothes 56. If sufficient dehydration has been performed in the previous washing step, this step can be omitted.

<< Step S201 >>
This is a process for performing step S200 for a predetermined time, and the dehydration step is executed until a predetermined predetermined time elapses. This step can also be omitted if sufficient dehydration has been performed in the previous washing step.

<< Step S202 >>
The blower fan 19 is operated to blow dry air from the blowout portion 54 to the clothes 56 in the inner tank 9. At this time, in order to obtain a high force for spreading the clothes 56 and smoothing out wrinkles, it is desirable to directly blow the clothes 56 with a wind as high as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, by rotating the impeller of the blower fan 19 at a high speed of about 26000 r / min, an air volume of 2.3 m ³ / min and a wind speed of about 120 m / s or more at the outlet of the blowout portion 54 are introduced. It is sprayed on the clothes 56 in the tank 9. At this time, compression heat is generated by compressing the air in the blower fan 19, and the air having a temperature sufficient to heat and dry the clothes 56 is blown from the blowing portion 54 without energizing the heater 20. It is sprayed into the tank 9.

Further, at this time, the blowing portion 54 is directed to the outer peripheral bottom portion of the inner tank 9, and the high-speed drying air 51 is blown to the outer peripheral bottom portion.

<< Step S203 >>
Intensive spray drying, which is a feature of the present invention, is carried out. The intensive spray drying consists of two steps, a clothes concentration step of the first drying step and a clothes diffusion step of the second drying step, and these two steps are repeatedly executed as one cycle. In the clothes concentration step of the first drying step, the clothes 56 which are laundry are collected (moved) to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 by the high speed rotation of the inner tub 9, and in the clothes diffusion step of the second drying step, the first After the clothes concentration step in the drying step, the clothes 56, which is the laundry collected on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, is diffused into the inner tank, that is, the clothes 56 is blown with the drying air 51 to break the pile and break the clothes. Spread 56 in the center of the inner tank 9. As a result, the clothes 56 are collected on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, and then are repeatedly scattered in the inner tank 9 while being pushed and spread by the dry air 51, so that the clothes 56 are fixed in one posture. Drying progresses while the wrinkles are further smoothed by the wind.

In this embodiment, as the clothes concentration step of the first drying step, the first tank rotation operation is performed in which the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are integrally rotated at high speed to move the clothes 56 to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9. .. Further, as a clothing diffusion step in the second drying step, the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are integrally rotated at a low speed to spread the clothing 56 by the force of the wind, and after the second tank rotation operation. Only the rotary wing 11 is rotated, specifically, the rotary wing 11 is rotated relative to the inner tank 9, and the ridges of the clothing 56 are completely unraveled and leveled.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing these three operations, showing the first tank rotation operation (a), the second tank rotation operation (b), and the rotor blade rotation operation (c), respectively. FIG. 9 is a time chart showing these three operations. Hereinafter, these three operations will be described.

First, the first tank rotation operation, which is the clothing concentration process, is carried out. In the first tank rotation operation, the inner tank 9 and the rotor 11 are integrally rotated in the positive direction 70a at a predetermined rotation speed, here at high speed, and the centrifugal force 71 is applied to the clothing 56 on the rotor 11. As a result, the clothes 56 are lifted while moving toward the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, and a pile of clothes 56 is completed along the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9. At this time, if the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 is slow, that is, if the centrifugal force 71 acting on the clothes 56 is weak, the clothes 56 will not move or it will take time to move to the outer peripheral side, which is effective. Therefore, it cannot be moved to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9. Therefore, it is preferable to set the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 to be higher than the rotation speed at which the clothing 56 just starts to move, that is, the rotation speed of the low-speed rotation performed in the dehydration treatment (step S113) described above.

On the other hand, if the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 is too fast or the rotation time is too long, the clothes 56 are strongly pressed against the wall surface of the inner tank 9, so that the clothes 56 are strongly wrinkled and the finish is deteriorated. .. Therefore, it is desirable that the rotation speed and time of the inner tank 9 are relatively high and short. The optimum rotation speed and time of the inner tank 9 vary depending on the inner diameter of the inner tank 9 and the amount of cloth of the clothes 56, but when the diameter of the inner tank 9 is about 520 mm and the amount of cloth is about 2 kg or less, the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 If the speed is 150 to 500 r / min and the rotation time is 15 to 40 seconds, the clothes 56 can be collected on the outer peripheral side without pressing against the wall surface of the inner tank 9.

Next, move to the clothing diffusion process. In the clothes diffusion step, the second tank rotation operation and the rotary blade rotation operation are performed, and the clothes 56 collected on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 by the clothes concentration process are blown with dry air 51, and the clothes 56 are blown by the force of the wind. The clothes 56 are moved from the outer peripheral side to the central side of the inner tank 9 by leveling the piles of the clothes 56 while spreading or replacing the clothes 56 by stirring.

First, the second tank rotation operation will be explained. In the second tank rotation operation, the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 are integrally rotated in the positive direction 70b at a rotation speed lower than the predetermined rotation speed of the first tank rotation operation. Here, the reason why the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 is reduced is that the force 72 that effectively spreads the clothes is applied by prolonging the time for the clothes 56 to receive the wind downstream of the dry wind 51. As a result, unlike the rotation operation of the first tank, the wrinkles of the clothes 56 are smoothed by the force of the wind without moving the clothes 56 to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, and the clothes 56 are further lifted up and spread in the tank 9. Can be done.

Therefore, it is desirable that the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 in the second tank rotation operation is slow. Specifically, it is preferable to set it to 35 r / min or less. Further, by taking a long rotation time, the clothes 56 can be spread and wrinkles can be smoothed. Therefore, it is better to take at least longer than the rotation time of the first tank rotation operation (the execution time of the first tank rotation operation is). , Shorter than the execution time of the second tank rotation operation).

However, if the blowing is continued for a certain period of time, the upper surface side of the clothing 56 will be completely stretched, and the effect of wrinkle smoothing will be saturated. Further, since the lower surface side of the clothes 56 is hard to be exposed to the wind and is hard to dry, it leads to uneven drying and reattachment of wrinkles. Therefore, it is better to shift to the next rotary blade rotation operation without taking too long the time of the second tank rotation operation. In the case of this embodiment, if the rotation time is within 60 to 180 seconds, the wind can be blown without causing uneven drying while sufficiently extending the upper surface side of the clothes 56.

The higher the wind speed of the dry wind 51 blown onto the clothes 56, the higher the force to spread the clothes, and the easier it is to move the clothes 56. Therefore, in order to suppress the decrease in the wind speed of the dry air 51 and blow it onto the clothes 56, it is desirable to blow the clothes 56 directly at a short distance as much as possible. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the blowout portion 54 directly above the clothes 56 collected by the rotation operation of the first tank, that is, on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9.

Further, when the dry wind 51 is blown toward the center, the wind does not hit the clothes 56 and the cloth movement becomes poor. Therefore, it is better to spray it toward the lower part of the vertical direction and its vicinity. As described above, if the blowout portion 54 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9, the clothes charging port 31a can be widened. Therefore, it is effective to provide the blowout portion 54 on the outer peripheral side in that respect as well.

In this embodiment, the inner tank 9 is continuously rotated to blow wind on the clothes 56, but the inner tank 9 may be rotated intermittently by providing a rest period.

FIG. 10 is a time chart showing a case where the inner tank 9 is intermittently rotated in the second tank rotation operation. By providing the tank rest time in this way, the clothes 56 are placed downstream of the dry air 51. Since it is possible to secure more time to stay and receive the wind, the force 72 that pushes the clothes more acts, and wrinkles can be effectively smoothed.

Finally, the rotary blade rotation operation will be explained. In the rotary blade rotation operation, with the inner tank 9 stationary, only the rotary blade 11 is rotated in both forward and reverse directions 73, and the clothes 56 are replaced by stirring while leveling the entire clothes 56. In the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation described above, the dry air 51 is intensively blown on the upper surface side of the clothes 56, and the wind is less likely to hit the lower surface side. Therefore, by periodically stirring the clothes 56 and switching the top and bottom, it is possible to blow dry air 51 over the clothes 56 to smooth out wrinkles and suppress uneven drying of the clothes. At this time, if the rotation time of the rotary blade 11 is lengthened or the number of times of stirring is increased to strengthen the stirring, it is easy to switch the top and bottom of the clothes 56 with one rotation, but on the other hand, it faces the rotary blade 11. The clothes 56 are dragged, and the clothes are easily twisted or entangled. Therefore, it is preferable to suppress the rotation time and the number of times of stirring of the rotary blade 11, suppress the twisting and entanglement of the clothes by weak stirring, and replace the top and bottom of the clothes. That is, the execution time of the rotary blade rotation operation is shorter than the execution time of the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation.

For example, if the amount of cloth is 2 kg, the rotation time is 0.5 to 1.0 second, and the number of stirrings is in the range of 2 to 8 reciprocations, the clothes can be replaced while suppressing the twisting and entanglement of the cloth. can. Further, even if the upper and lower parts of the clothes 56 are not exchanged, the upper and lower parts are gradually exchanged while repeating the cycle of the clothes concentration process and the clothes diffusion process, so that the dry air 51 is blown to the entire clothes 56 without any problem. be able to.

Further, when the rotary blade 11 is rotated, the clothing 56 is lifted by the gently inclined surface 11h of the rotary blade 11, so that the distance between the blowout portion 54 and the clothing 56 is reduced. Therefore, since the wind speed of the drying air 51 blown to the clothes 56 increases, a stronger force 72 for pushing the clothes 56 is obtained, and wrinkles generated during drying are further reduced.

In this embodiment, the inner tank 9 is stationary as the rotary blade rotation operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotary blade is in a state where the clutch mechanism 12 is released and the inner tank 9 rotates freely. Only 11 may be rotated.

Here, the time taken for one cycle of the clothes concentration process and the clothes diffusion process will be described.

In the present invention, the clothes 56 are repeatedly moved to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 by the clothes concentration step and to the center of the inner tank 9 by the clothes diffusion step. At this time, if the clothes concentration step or the clothes diffusion step takes a long time and the clothes 56 are dried without moving in the inner tank 9, the clothes 56 are folded or twisted and dried as they are. These become wrinkles and adhere, and the finish deteriorates. Therefore, it is desirable to frequently move the clothes 56 in the inner tank 9 and dry them while changing their shapes.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the cycle of the clothes concentration step and the clothes drying step is rotated within the time T, where T is the time when the degree of dryness of clothes (= weight of dry cloth / weight of poultice × 100) increases by 1%. .. The execution time of one cycle is shorter than the time when the dryness of the clothes 56, which is the laundry, changes by 1%. That is, if the change in the dryness is within 1%, the clothes are wrinkled due to creases or twists. Since it does not settle on the 56, wrinkling is suppressed and the finish of the garment is improved by finely changing the shape of the garment 56.

Of course, the time T differs depending on the amount of cloth in the inner tank 9. When the amount of cloth is 2 kg, the drying time is 120 minutes, and the degree of drying of the clothes after the final dehydration is about 65%. Therefore, if the drying time of 120 minutes is divided by the remaining 35%, the time T can be obtained, which corresponds to about 4 minutes. If the amount of cloth is large, the drying time becomes long, so that the time T naturally becomes long. However, in any case, the time taken for one cycle should be within T.

In this way, the first tank rotation operation of moving the clothes 56 toward the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 and the second tank rotation of blowing the dry air 51 onto the clothes 56 and moving them to the center of the inner tank 9 while spreading them. The operation and the rotary blade rotation operation for leveling and replacing the clothes 56 are performed within the time T when the wrinkles of the clothes 56 are not fixed, and this is repeated. As a result, the clothes 56 are blown with the dry air 51 while the upper surfaces thereof are frequently replaced. That is, since the dry air 51 is evenly blown onto the clothes 56, the temperature of the clothes rises while the wrinkles are smoothed out as a whole.

<< Step S204 >>
Step S203 is executed until the elapsed time from the start of drying reaches a predetermined time or the temperature of the hot air is monitored by the temperature sensor 26 and the rate of temperature change reaches a predetermined value. This predetermined time and the predetermined value of the temperature change are set at the timing when the dryness of the clothes exceeds 90%. This is because when the dryness of the clothes becomes 90% or more, the wrinkles of the clothes are fixed and the wrinkles cannot be removed in the subsequent steps. Therefore, it is important to sufficiently spread the clothes and smooth out the wrinkles before the degree of dryness becomes 90% (step S203). Conversely, in the subsequent steps, even if the sleeves and body are slightly twisted or entangled, the degree of wrinkling is weak and the clothes are dried with a good finish.

At the time of actual drying, clothes of different materials and thicknesses are dried at the same time, so the time for the degree of drying to reach 90% varies depending on the clothes. Therefore, in this embodiment, the time is set so that the dryness of the thin cotton garment, which is most likely to wrinkle, is about 80 to 85%. That is, one cycle is performed until the dryness of the laundry clothes reaches at least 80%. Further, since the time for the dryness to reach 90% differs depending on the amount of cloth, it is of course necessary to set the time according to the amount of cloth.

Further, in step S203, the temperature of the clothes 56 is raised evenly to reduce temperature unevenness and dry unevenness, so that there is an advantage that the detection of temperature change is stable. This enables accurate and fine control.

≪Step S205≫
At the same time that the heater 20 is energized, the impeller of the blower fan 19 is rotated at a speed lower than the rotation speed of step S202. In the case of this embodiment, it is rotated at a low speed of about 15,000 r / min. Here, the reason why the rotation speed of the fan is lowered is to prevent the allowable current value from being exceeded.

≪Step S206≫
By integrally rotating the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 or rotating the rotary blade 11 in the forward and reverse directions with the inner tank 9 stationary, finish drying is performed in which the entire clothes 56 are heated while stirring. As mentioned above, since the dryness of the garment 56 exceeds 90%, even if the garment is caught in the rotation of the rotary wing 11 and the sleeves and the body are slightly twisted, the degree of wrinkling is weak and the finish remains good. , The drying of clothes progresses.

<< Step S207 >>
It is executed while monitoring the temperature of the warm air by the temperature sensor 26, and when the rate of temperature change reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the drying is completed. If the clothes 56 are not dry, the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 in step S206 are rotated, and the determination in step S207 is performed again.

<< Step S208 >>
After turning off the heater 20, the blower fan 19 is further turned off, the rotation of the inner tank 9 and the rotary blade 11 is stopped, and the drying process is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the drying step, the first tank rotation operation of moving the clothes 56 toward the outer peripheral side of the inner tank 9 until the degree of drying of the clothes becomes 90% or more and the finish is fixed. The second tank rotation operation of blowing the drying air 51 onto the clothes 56 to spread the clothes and the rotary blade rotation operation of stirring the clothes 56 to promote the replacement are repeatedly executed to dry the clothes while suppressing twisting and entanglement. Since the wind 51 is blown onto the clothes 56, it is possible to provide the user with clothes having a good finish and less uneven drying.

Although the heater 20 has been described as the heat source in the example of the present embodiment, the same effect can be obtained even if the heat source is a heat pump.

[Example 2]
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the three steps to be performed in step S203, and shows the first tank rotation operation (a), the second tank rotation operation (b), and the rotor blade rotation operation (c), respectively. Further, FIG. 12 is a time chart showing these three operations.

The duplicate description will be omitted for the configuration common to the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that in step S203 of the drying step, only the second tank rotation operation is carried out in the clothes diffusion step.

In the second embodiment, the first tank rotation operation is performed in the clothing concentration process, the second tank rotation operation is performed in the clothing diffusion process, this is executed for several cycles, and then the rotary blade rotation operation is performed, and the first The frequency of performing the rotary blade rotation operation is reduced with respect to the embodiment of. When the wind speed of the dry wind 51 blown on the clothes 56 is relatively high and the amount of cloth is small, the clothes 56 can be blown up by the force of the wind, so that the rotary blade rotation operation is not performed every cycle. The clothes 56 are stirred little by little to obtain the effect of swapping the top and bottom. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of twisting and entanglement of the cloth caused by the rotation of the rotary blade 11, so that it is possible to provide clothing with a higher finish.

In the case of this embodiment, a wind having a wind volume of 2.3 m ³ / min and a wind speed of about 120 m / s is blown at the outlet of the blowing portion 54. At this time, if the rotation speed of the inner tank 9 in the second tank rotation operation is 35 r / min or less, the clothes 56 can be spread and wrinkles can be smoothed, but if it is 20 r / min or less, the clothes 56 can be spread. Not only can it be pushed out, but it can also be made to rise further. This is because the clothes 56 stay downstream of the dry wind 51 for a long time, and the clothes 56 are susceptible to the force of the wind.

Further, when the amount of cloth is small, for example, when the amount of cloth is 1 kg, the clothes are sufficiently agitated by the force of the wind without performing the rotary blade rotation operation, but when the amount of cloth is 2 kg or more, it is close to the rotary blade 11. The wind may not reach the bottom surface and the clothes may not be sufficiently agitated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotary blade rotation operation is provided every 10 cycles. This suppresses uneven drying and shortens the drying time.

Further, in this embodiment, since the transition from the tank rotation operation to the rotary blade rotation operation and the transition from the rotary blade rotation operation to the tank rotation operation are minimized, the number of times the clutch mechanism 12 of the drive unit is switched is also set. It can be minimized and wear can be suppressed.

In the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation, the rotation direction of the inner tank 9 is not limited to the forward directions 70a and 70b, and may be rotated in both forward and reverse directions. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing that the movement of clothes differs depending on the difference in the rotation direction of the inner tank 9. As shown in FIG. 13, when the garment 56A is overlapped on the garment 56B, when the inner tank 9 is rotated in the positive direction (FIG. 13A), the force 72 for spreading the garment is generated. It acts in the direction of lifting the garment 56A and promotes the movement of the cloth, but when it is rotated in the opposite direction (FIG. 13 (b)), the force of the wind acts in the direction of pressing the garment 56A against the garment 56B, so that the cloth Is hard to move. Therefore, by moving the inner tank 9 in both directions, it becomes easier to lift the clothes and the clothes can be agitated more.

For example, FIG. 14 is a time chart when the inner tank 9 is rotated in both forward and reverse directions in the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation. By carrying out in this way, the clothes can be effectively used. Can be agitated. Of course, the rotation in both the forward and reverse directions may be performed in either the first tank rotation operation or the second tank rotation operation.

For example, FIG. 15 is a time chart when the inner tank 9 is rotated in both forward and reverse directions in the second tank rotation operation. By doing so, it is not necessary to switch the rotation direction in the first tank rotation operation having a relatively high rotation speed, so that the torque applied to the drive unit is reduced and wear can be suppressed.

Further, FIG. 16 shows a time chart when the direction of tank rotation is switched for each cycle. By doing so, the number of times the operation direction is switched is further reduced, so that the wear of the drive unit can be further suppressed. The method of operating the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation is not limited to these, and of course, any combination thereof may be used.

In this embodiment, the rotation speeds of the first tank rotation operation and the second tank rotation operation in each cycle are fixed, but the rotation speed is not limited to this, and the rotation speed may be changed for each cycle. .. For example, the rotation speed of the first tank rotation operation may be gradually increased for each cycle. As the drying progresses and the clothes 56 become lighter, the centrifugal force acting on the clothes 56 becomes weaker, so that the clothes 56 can be easily moved to the outer peripheral side by gradually increasing the rotation speed.

Further, in this embodiment, the dry air 51 is blown substantially vertically below the clothes 56 at the shortest distance, but the direction of blowing is not limited to substantially vertically below. For example, FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing a case where the blowing portion 54 is tilted and the dry air 51 is blown toward the circumferential direction of the inner tank 9. By blowing the clothes 56 in a headwind direction in the moving direction in this way, the wind blown to the clothes 56 becomes relatively fast, and the clothes 56 can be agitated and the force to spread the clothes 56 can be obtained higher. Drying efficiency is improved and wrinkles are reduced.

1 ... Housing, 2 ... Top cover, 2a ... Clothing slot, 3 ... Outer lid, 8 ... Operation panel, 9 ... Inner tank, 10 ... Outer tank, 11 ... Rotating blade, 12 ... Clutch mechanism, 13 ... Washing and drainage Drive motor, 14 ... control device, 15 ... drainage solenoid valve, 16 ... circulation pump, 19 ... blower fan, 20 ... heater, 22 ... drying duct, 23 ... inner lid, 24
... drain hose, 26 ... temperature sensor, 27 ... vibration sensor, 31 ... tank cover, 3
3 ... Circulating water inlet, 34 ... Nozzle, 40 ... Microcomputer, 42 ... Drive circuit, 51 ... Dry air, 54 ... Blowout part, 56, 56A, 56B ... Clothing, 70,
70a, 70b ... forward direction, 71, 71a, 71b ... centrifugal force, 72 ... spreading force, 73 ... both forward and reverse directions, 100 ... washer / dryer

Claims

With the housing
The outer tank housed in the housing and
The inner tank housed in the outer tank and
Rotor blades rotatably provided at the bottom of the inner tank,
A drive unit that rotationally drives the inner tank and the rotary blade,
A drying portion housed in the housing and blowing dry air from above the inner tank to the outside from the lower center portion of the inner tank.
It is equipped with a control unit that controls the washing process, rinsing process, dehydration process, and drying process.
The drying step is
The first drying step of moving the laundry in the inner tub to the outer peripheral side of the inner tub, and
After the first drying step, it has a second drying step of diffusing the laundry on the outer peripheral side of the inner tub into the inner tub.
A washing machine that repeatedly executes the first drying step and the second drying step as one cycle.
The washing machine according to claim 1.
The first drying step is
It has a first tank rotation operation in which the rotor blade and the inner tank are integrally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed.
The second drying step is
A washing machine having a second tank rotation operation for rotating at a rotation speed lower than the predetermined rotation speed of the first tank rotation operation.
The washing machine according to claim 2.
The second drying step is
A washing machine having a rotary blade rotation operation that rotates only the rotary blade after the second tank rotation operation.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 3.
The washing machine, wherein the execution time of the one cycle is shorter than the time when the dryness of the laundry changes by 1%.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 4.
The washing machine, in which the execution time of the first tank rotation operation is shorter than the execution time of the second tank rotation operation.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 3 to 5.
The washing machine, wherein the execution time of the rotary blade rotation operation is shorter than the execution time of the first tank rotation operation.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6.
The dehydration step has at least two types of rotations: a first rotation speed for moving the laundry to the outer peripheral side of the inner tank, and a second rotation speed for removing water from the laundry, which is faster than the first rotation speed. Have a number,
A washing machine in which the rotation speed of the first tank rotation operation is higher than the first rotation speed of the dehydration step.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The cycle is carried out until the laundry is at least 80% dry.
washing machine.