CN107849796A - Clothes drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

Equipped with: suction path (25), which is used to supply drying air from the suction port (23) to the rotary drum; and exhaust path (26), which is used to supply air in the rotary drum to the exhaust port (24). Drying air after drying clothes. A first abutment surface (38a) and a second abutment surface (38b) are provided, and the first abutment surface (38a) and the second abutment surface (38b) pass through the suction path (25) and the exhaust path (26) The heat exchange part where the drying air can exchange heat with each other.

Description

clothes dryer

technical field

The present invention relates to a clothes drying device which supplies air from the outside of the machine into a rotary drum containing clothes and discharges the air deprived of moisture from the clothes to the outside of the machine to dry the clothes.

Background technique

When drying clothes in a clothes dryer or a washing and drying machine, the clothes are stirred by rotating a rotary drum containing the clothes, and air is blown into the rotary drum so that the air contacts the clothes. Then, the moisture of the clothes is deprived by the blown air to dry the clothes (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a conventional clothes drying device described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9 , in the conventional clothes drying apparatus, the electric motor 103 is energized after the clothes are stored in the rotary drum 101 and the door 102 is closed. When the motor 103 is energized, the rotation of the motor 103 is transmitted to the rotary drum 101 by the drum rotating pulley 104 and the drum belt 105 , and the clothes in the rotary drum 101 are started to rotate by the baffle 106 .

On the other hand, the rotation of the motor 103 is also transmitted to the fan rotation pulley 107 , the fan belt 108 , and the fan pulley 109 to rotate the fan 110 . By the rotation of the fan 110 , external air is sucked in from a slit-shaped air inlet 112 provided on the front surface of the filter storage 111 . The sucked outside air passes through filter 113 and suction duct 114 and is heated by self-heating heater 115 .

The heated hot air is guided into the rotary drum 101 through a plurality of hot air suction holes 116 provided in the rotary drum 101 . The heated air guided into the rotary drum 101 absorbs moisture of the laundry while passing between the laundry. Thereby, the drying process of clothes is performed using heated air. The hot air containing moisture after finishing the clothes drying process passes through the plurality of filter hot air exhaust holes 118 and the filter 119 provided in the filter housing 117 . The hot air further passes through the hot air exhaust hole 120 arranged at the rear of the rotary drum 101 , and is discharged out of the machine through the exhaust air channel 121 from the hot air exhaust port 122 arranged on the back surface of the housing 100 .

Clothes are dried by continuously performing such a process.

However, in the conventional structure described above, when the heated air taken in from the outside of the machine dries the clothes and then is discharged outside the machine, heat is also discharged outside the machine at the same time. Therefore, there is a problem that the drying efficiency is lowered, or the indoor environment in which the clothes drying device is installed is deteriorated.

In addition, external air is introduced into the machine through a filter 113 provided on the front surface of the housing 100 . On the other hand, the hot air in the rotary drum 101 is discharged to the outside through the filter 119 provided at the rear of the rotary drum 101 . Therefore, the two filters exist in different places, and the user must clean the two places separately.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-143068

Contents of the invention

The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide clothes that improve the drying efficiency of the clothes drying device, maintain a comfortable environment in which the clothes drying device is installed, and improve the workability of cleaning the lint filter. Drying device.

Specifically, a clothes drying device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body; a rotary drum rotatably provided in the main body; an air inlet for taking in drying air; and an air suction path for It is used to supply drying air from the suction port to the rotating drum; the heating part is arranged on the suction path for heating the drying air; the air supply part is arranged on the suction path for rotating Drying air is blown into the drum; an exhaust port is used to discharge the drying air; an exhaust path is used to supply the drying air to the exhaust port after drying the clothes in the rotating drum; and the control unit is configured to Used to control the air supply section and the heating section. This clothes drying device is further provided with a heat exchange unit in which the drying air passing through the intake path and the exhaust path can exchange heat.

With this structure, the heat discarded together with the discharged air is recovered by the sucked air, so the drying efficiency can be improved. In addition, since heat discharge to the outside of the clothes drying device can be suppressed, deterioration of the environment in which the clothes drying device is installed due to heat discharge can be reduced.

The clothes drying device according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the air inlet opens toward the inside of the main body. Accordingly, warmer air inside the main body can be sucked in, and large foreign objects and the like can be prevented from entering the air intake path from the outside of the clothes drying device.

A clothes drying device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention further includes a first lint filter unit for collecting foreign matter. The first lint filter unit has a first suction part and a first discharge part, the first suction part and the first discharge part are connected through a connection part, and a connection part between the first suction part and the first discharge part is provided with a A first adjoining portion of the heat exchange portion is formed. With this configuration, heat exchange is facilitated between the drying air taken in from outside the machine and the drying air discharged outside the machine through the first lint filter unit.

In a clothes drying device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, a first filter sheet is provided on at least the first discharge part of the first suction part and the first discharge part of the first lint filter unit. With this structure, lint can be efficiently collected.

A clothes drying device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention further includes a second lint filter unit on the downstream side of the first lint filter unit. The second lint filter unit has a second suction part provided on the suction path and a second discharge part provided on the exhaust path. The second suction part is connected to the second discharge part, and the second filter sheet is provided on both the second suction part and the second discharge part. With such a structure, it is possible to reliably capture foreign matter, lint, etc. contained in the sucked drying air and a large amount of lint from clothes contained in the drying air discharged from the rotary drum.

In a clothes drying device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, a heat generator is installed on the downstream side of the first lint filter unit on the air intake path and the exhaust path and on the upstream side of the heating portion of the air intake path. The second adjoining part of the exchange part. With such a configuration, heat exchange between the drying air taken in from outside the machine and the drying air discharged outside the machine can be performed more reliably.

In addition, the clothes drying device according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a filter housing portion detachably housing the first lint filter unit. The filter housing is configured to have a suction port communicated with the intake path and a discharge port communicated with the exhaust path.

In addition, the second lint filter unit of the laundry drying device according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention is detachably provided in the filter housing portion.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention seen from above.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 2 .

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the drying path of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and viewing this part from above.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 4 of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Fig. 4 of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 7A is a perspective view of a first lint filter unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

7B is a perspective view of a second lint filter unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

7C is a perspective view of a cross-section of the filter housing part of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

8 is a graph showing the exhaust temperature of the drying air after performing the drying process in the drum type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a conventional clothes drying device.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by taking a drum type washing and drying machine as an example with reference to the drawings. In addition, this indication is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)

Embodiment 1 shows a drum-type washing and drying machine in which the clothes drying device according to the present invention is applied to a drum-type washing machine. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the drum-type washing and drying machine viewed from above. 3 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to Embodiment 1 taken along line 3-3 in FIG. A structure that realizes the drying function. In addition, in FIGS. 1-6, the orientation of at least any one of the front, the right, and the upper direction corresponding to each figure is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 according to Embodiment 1 is provided with a rotary drum 2 inside a washing machine casing 6 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , the opening of rotary drum 2 (laundry inlet and outlet 11 ) is provided on the front side (front side) of washing machine casing 6 facing obliquely upward, and rotary drum 2 is configured as an inclined drum. A door 9 for taking out laundry from and putting laundry into the rotary drum 2 is freely openable and closable on the front of the washing machine casing 6 (see FIGS. 1 and 3 ). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , an operation unit 17 for the user to select and input the operation of the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 is arranged above the door body 9 . When viewed from the front of the washing machine housing 6, a detergent injection portion 18 for injecting detergent is provided on the upper left side. A first lint filter unit 21 is arranged on the upper right side of the washing machine casing 6 , and the first lint filter unit 21 is arranged so as to be able to be pulled out from the washing machine casing 6 for maintenance. The first lint filter unit 21 is disposed on the top portion 7 of the washing machine casing 6 to facilitate maintenance by the user.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in washing machine casing 6 , water tub 3 housing rotary drum 2 is provided so as to be supported by a suspension structure such as a shock absorber 5 . The rotary drum 2 is driven to rotate by a motor 14 arranged at the rear of the water tank 3 .

Next, the washing operation performed by the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of this embodiment will be described.

The user opens the door body 9 to insert the laundry into the rotary drum 2 from the laundry inlet and outlet 11 , and puts detergent into the detergent input portion 18 . Then, when the user operates the operation unit 17 to input an operation program selection input and an operation start instruction, detergent mixed water mixed with detergent injected into the detergent input unit 18 is supplied into the water tank 3 . When water is supplied according to the amount of laundry, the rotary drum 2 is driven to rotate. Thereafter, a washing step of hammer washing is performed in which the laundry is lifted up by the stirring blade 4 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotary drum 2 and then dropped from above. When the cleaning process is finished, the drain valve 12 is opened to discharge the dirty washing water from the drain pipe 13 to the outside of the rotary drum 2 . The steps of rinsing and spin-drying are carried out after the washing step, and these steps are well-known operations, so the description of these steps will be omitted.

In the drum type washing and drying machine 1, when the user operates the operation unit 17 to select a program including a drying process as an operation program, after the spin-drying process is completed, it shifts to the drying process of drying the laundry. In addition, the operation unit 17 can be operated so that only the drying step of drying the wet clothes put into the rotary drum 2 is performed, so that the drum type washing and drying machine 1 can be operated as a clothes dryer. That is, the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 according to Embodiment 1 has a function of drying laundry as a clothes drying device. The drying function of the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 will be described below.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the drying path of the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention and viewed from above, and FIG. 5 is a view of the drum-type washing and drying machine along FIG. Figure 6 is a sectional view of the drum-type washing and drying machine along 6-6 in Figure 4, and Figure 7A is a view of the first lint filter unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine 7B is a perspective view of the second lint filter unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the filter housing part of the drum-type washing and drying machine.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the upper part of the washing machine housing 6 is provided with a drying function structure including the components shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 for realizing the drying function of the drum type washing and drying machine 1. Element 8.

The air inlet 23 for taking in the air flowing into the washing machine housing 6 from the outside of the washing machine housing 6 as air for drying clothes is provided to open into the washing machine housing 6 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). In addition, the exhaust port 24 is provided to open to the outside of the washing machine casing 6, and the exhaust port 24 is an opening for discharging the drying air after drying the clothes in the rotary drum 2 (refer to FIGS. Figure 4 and Figure 6). In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 , the path from the intake port 23 to the exhaust port 24 is configured as a drying path 19 for drying air. Drying path 19 is composed of air intake path 25 , water tank 3 , rotary drum 2 , and exhaust path 26 .

The air intake path 25 is a path for supplying the drying air sucked in from the air intake port 23 into the rotary drum 2 from the air intake port 23 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). In the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the suction path 25 is composed of the suction port 23, the filter housing part 35, the suction port 33, the suction duct 27, the first connecting hose 29, and the water tank 3. The blower inlet 15 is configured (refer to FIG. 5 ).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , exhaust path 26 is a path for exhausting drying air after drying clothes in rotary drum 2 from inside rotary drum 2 toward exhaust port 24 . In the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the exhaust path 26 is composed of the blower outlet 16 provided on the water tank 3, the second connecting hose 30, the filter housing part 35, the discharge port 34, and the exhaust port 24. A connected exhaust pipe 28 is formed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , a grid-shaped cover 24 a is provided at the exhaust port 24 to prevent foreign matter from entering the washing machine casing 6 .

As shown in FIG. 4, in the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of this embodiment, the filter housing part 35 has the structure which attached the 1st lint filter unit 21 and the 2nd lint filter unit 22 inside. Therefore, the intake path 25 is constituted by the first intake portion 21 a of the first lint filter unit 21 , the second intake portion 22 a of the second lint filter unit 22 , and the intake port 33 in the filter housing portion 35 . In addition, the exhaust path 26 is constituted by the first discharge portion 21 b of the first lint filter unit 21 , the second discharge portion 22 b of the second lint filter unit 22 , and the discharge port 34 in the filter housing portion 35 .

As shown in FIG. 7A, the first lint filter unit 21 is configured by connecting the first suction part 21a and the first discharge part 21b in parallel, and the connecting part 49 between the first suction part 21a and the first discharge part 21b A first abutment surface (first abutment portion) 38a is provided at the position. In the first lint filter unit 21, the first filter sheet 37a is provided only in the first discharge part 21b, and the first filter sheet 37a is not provided in the first suction part 21a.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7B, the 2nd lint filter unit 22 is comprised so that the 2nd suction part 22a and the 2nd discharge part 22b may be connected in parallel. The second lint filter unit 22 is provided with a second filter sheet 37b at the second suction portion 22a and the second discharge portion 22b. The 1st lint filter unit 21 and the 2nd lint filter unit 22 are accommodated in the filter accommodating part 35, respectively (refer FIG. 7C).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the air intake duct 27 on the air intake path 25 is provided with a heater 39 as a heating portion and a blower fan 20 as a blower portion.

For the heater 39, a PTC heater characterized by low cost and having a temperature self-control function is used.

In addition, as the blower fan 20, a centrifugal fan is used. In the case of using a fan, in order to obtain a large flow, it is necessary to increase the rotation speed of the fan or use a fan with a larger fan diameter. However, when the number of rotations of the fan is increased, noise and vibration also increase. Therefore, in the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of the present embodiment, a fan with a fan diameter of about 250 mm is used as the blower fan 20, and the rotation speed of the fan is set within an allowable range even if noise or vibration is generated.

In the drum type washing and drying machine 1 according to this embodiment, the air blowing fan 20 is driven to rotate, whereby drying air is sucked in from the air inlet 23 . The sucked drying air is heated by the heater 39 provided in the suction duct 27 , and is blown into the water tank 3 from the blower inlet 15 . Thereby, heated drying air flows into rotary drum 2 . The drying air flowing into rotary drum 2 contacts laundry or clothes (hereinafter, collectively referred to as clothes), deprives the clothes of moisture, and becomes drying air after absorbing moisture. This moisture-absorbed drying air is exhausted from the exhaust port 24 to the outside of the washing machine casing 6 . Thereby, the laundry accommodated in rotary drum 2 is dried.

In addition, the motor 14, the heater 39, the blower fan 20, etc. are controlled by the control part (not shown) arrange|positioned in the washing machine casing 6, such as a microcontroller. The control unit controls the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 in accordance with an operation instruction input from the operation unit 17 .

Next, details of the configurations of the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 in the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7C .

Intake path 25 is provided with intake rectifier 40 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ) that rectifies drying air passing through filter housing 35 at intake port 33 that is an inlet of intake duct 27 . In addition, on the exhaust path 26, an exhaust rectifying part 41 (referring to Fig. 4 and Fig. 4 and Fig. Image 6).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 , a heater 39 is provided on the intake path 25 at a position about 20 mm downstream of the intake rectifying portion 40 . Regarding the air duct at the suction port 33 and the air duct at the position where the heater 39 is arranged, the horizontal width of the air duct at the suction port 33 is larger than the horizontal direction of the air duct at the position where the heater 39 is disposed. The width (refer to Figure 4). Thereby, the heating efficiency of the heater 39 is improved. Furthermore, the heater 39 is configured to increase the heat dissipation area by arranging a large number of heat dissipation plates 39a on the surface of the heater 39, thereby improving heating efficiency. In general, when the heat radiation area of the heater 39 is increased, the pressure loss of the air in the heater 39 portion increases, resulting in a decrease in the flow rate of the air flowing through the air duct.

In the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , a heater rectifying plate 42 is used in the heater 39 portion. Thus, the air passage is divided into the first air passage 43 passing through the heater 39, and the other air passage 44a ( the upper side of the first air duct 43) and other air ducts 44b (the lower side of the first air duct 43). With this configuration, the balance between the maintenance of the heating efficiency of the heater 39 and the flow rate can be maintained with respect to the drying air.

In addition, the end portion 42 a of the heater rectifying plate 42 on the side of the suction port 33 is formed so as to expand in the vertical direction as it goes to the side of the suction port 33 . Accordingly, the air passage is configured so that the drying air easily flows into the first air passage 43 and the drying air flowing into the first air passage 43 uniformly passes through the heater 39 portion. In addition, the heater rectifying plate 42 is made of a non-combustible resin, so that the spread of burning caused by the heat generated by the heater 39 is prevented.

Moreover, the lead wire 48 connected to the heater 39 is comprised so that the connection part (not shown) connected to the heater 39 and the connection part (not shown) connected to the control part may be connected. The lead wire 48 is configured to pass from the other air duct 44 a provided on the first air duct 43 and from the top surface of the suction duct 27 between the connection part connected to the heater 39 and the connection part connected to the control part. A through hole (not shown) passes through and leads out of the suction duct 27 .

According to this structure, the lead wire 48 is always cooled by the cool dry air sucked in from the suction port 23 . In addition, the temperature of the connecting portion connecting the heater 39 and the lead wire 48 also decreases due to heat conduction from the cooled lead wire 48 . Therefore, the performance of the heater 39 can be improved, and the quality of the connection portion between the heater 39 and the lead wire 48 can also be ensured.

As described above, in the drum type washing and drying machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the air intake port 23 , the heater 39 , and the blower fan 20 are arranged in this order from the upstream side on the air intake path 25 . With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the drying air flowing into the intake path 25 from being affected by the transfer heat and compression heat generated by the blower fan 20 . In addition, the drying air passes through the heater 39 evenly and is heated efficiently. Furthermore, since there is no heater 39 that causes pressure loss of the air flowing through the air duct downstream of the blower fan 20 , it is possible to increase the wind flow of the drying air passing through the air duct and reduce air flow noise.

Next, heat exchange of drying air between the intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 will be described.

The air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 are formed in the filter accommodating portion 35 (refer to FIG. An adjacent portion) 38a and adjacent (refer to FIG. 7A). In addition, the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 are configured such that the portion between the suction port 33 and the heater 39 and the portion on the downstream side of the discharge port 34 are formed on the second adjacent surface ( second adjoining portion) 38b (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 7C ). The first adjoining surface 38a and the second adjoining surface 38b are configured to form a heat exchange portion for heat exchange between the drying air passing through the suction path 25 and the drying air passing through the exhaust path 26 (refer to Figure 7C).

In addition, in this embodiment, the second adjacent surface (second adjacent portion) 38b is formed on the downstream side of the suction port 33 and the discharge port 34 of the filter housing portion 35, but if the first lint filter unit 21 On the downstream side of the suction port 33 and the upstream side of the discharge port 34, a second abutment surface (second abutment portion) 38b may be formed. Also, the second adjacent surface (second adjacent portion) 38b may be made of a member different from the member constituting the filter housing portion 35, and the second adjacent surface (second adjacent portion) may not be formed in the filter housing portion 35. Part) 38b.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A , the first adjacent surface 38 a is formed by the first lint filter unit 21 detachably attached to the filter housing portion 35 . In addition, an adjacent surface may be formed on the upstream side of the first lint filter unit 21 of the filter housing portion 35 .

In addition, in the portions of the first abutment surface 38a and the second abutment surface 38b, the abutment distance as the distance between the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 is such that the air passing through the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 can The close distance of the degree of mutual heat exchange. In the present embodiment, the adjacent distance, that is, the thickness of the first adjacent surface 38 a and the second adjacent surface 38 b is configured to be about 1 mm to 2 mm, but the distance is as long as the distance passing through the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 The distance at which the air can exchange heat with each other is sufficient. In addition, the heat exchange part is not limited to a single substantially planar shape, and may be formed with a plurality of surfaces or curved surfaces.

Next, the filter structure of the drum-type washing-drying machine 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5-7C.

As shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the first lint filter unit 21 and the second lint filter unit 22 are configured to be able to be pulled out from the top surface portion 7 of the washing machine housing 6 to the outside of the washing machine housing 6 . It is easy to perform maintenance such as cleaning of the filter. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7A , the decorative plate 45 of the first lint filter unit 21 is configured to be flush with the outer surface of the top surface portion 7 of the washing machine casing 6 . At the center of the decorative panel 45 is provided a rotating panel 46 whose surface is flush with the surface of the decorative panel 45 . When the upper part of the rotating panel 46 is lightly pressed with a finger, the rotating panel 46 biased by the spring rotates relative to a rotating shaft (not shown) located below the rotating panel 46 . As a result, fingers can be inserted into the lower interior of the decorative panel 45 . Also, when the decorative panel 45 is pulled with fingertips, the first lint filter unit 21 is pulled out to the outside of the washing machine casing 6 .

As shown in FIG. 7B , on the upper portion of the second lint filter unit 22, a convex portion 22c and two claw portions 22d protruding toward the back side are provided. Moreover, the convex part 22e is provided in the lower part of the 2nd lint filter unit 22. As shown in FIG. The convex part 22e is fitted into the concave part provided at the bottom of the filter housing part 35, and the claw part 22d is fitted into the filter housing part 35, whereby the second lint filter unit 21 is placed on the back side of the first lint filter unit 21. The filter unit 22 is fixedly attached to the filter housing portion 35 . In addition, when the convex portion 22c is pulled forward in the state where the first lint filter unit 21 is pulled out, the gap between the upper claw portion 22d of the second lint filter unit 22 and the filter housing portion 35 Chimeric disengagement between. Then, by pulling the second lint filter unit 22 upward in this state, the second lint filter unit 22 is pulled out to the outside of the washing machine casing 6 .

The first lint filter unit 21 is configured such that a sealing member 47 is provided around the lower portion of the decorative plate 45 to prevent drying air from leaking out of the washing machine casing 6 from the outer periphery of the decorative plate 45 (see FIG. 7A ).

Next, the air intake port 23 serving as the inlet of the air intake path 25 will be described. The air inlet 23 is arranged above the inside of the washing machine casing 6 and is configured to open toward the inside of the washing machine casing 6 (see FIGS. 2 and 5 ). And, the air that flows into the machine mainly through the gap including the lower part of the washing machine casing 6 is sucked into the suction path 25 from the suction port 23 as drying air. The air inlet 23 is disposed above the washing machine casing 6 , thereby sucking warmer air above the washing machine casing 6 and preventing large foreign objects from entering the washing machine casing 6 .

When the blower fan 20 operates, the air in the washing machine casing 6 is drawn in through the air intake port 23 in the air intake path 25 as drying air. The sucked drying air passes through the suction path 25, that is, the first suction part 21a of the first lint filter unit 21, the second suction part 22a of the second lint filter unit 22, the suction rectification part 40, the heating 39, suction duct 27, blower fan 20, first connection hose 29, and blower inlet 15 to be blown into the rotary drum 2 (refer to FIG. 5 ).

The drying air blown into the rotary drum 2 passes through the exhaust path 26, that is, the air outlet 16, the second connecting hose 30, and the first lint filter unit 21 after depriving the clothes of moisture to dry the clothes. The first discharge part 21b, the second discharge part 22b of the second lint filter unit 22, and the exhaust rectification part 41 are discharged from the exhaust port 24 to the outside of the washing machine casing 6 (see FIG. 6 ).

Next, details of the first lint filter unit 21 and the second lint filter unit 22 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7A , both the first suction portion 21 a and the first discharge portion 21 b of the first lint filter unit 21 are configured to have mesh-like openings. Moreover, only the opening part of the 1st discharge part 21b among the 1st suction part 21a and the 1st discharge part 21b of the 1st lint filter unit 21 is attached with the 1st filter sheet 37a.

As shown in FIG. 7B , both the second suction portion 22 a and the second discharge portion 22 b of the second lint filter unit 22 are configured to have mesh-like openings. Moreover, the 2nd filter sheet 37b is attached to the opening part of the 2nd suction part 22a and the 2nd discharge part 22b.

Regarding the suction path 25, the drying air sucked from the washing machine casing 6 contains relatively few foreign substances, so the second filter installed in the second suction part 22a of the second lint filter unit 22 is used in consideration of cost and the like. The device sheet 37b is used to catch foreign matter. On the other hand, the exhaust path 26 contains a large amount of foreign matter such as lint because the drying air after drying the clothes passes through the exhaust path 26 . Therefore, foreign substances are collected by the first filter sheet 37a and the second filter sheet 37b attached to both the first discharge part 21b and the second discharge part 22b, respectively.

In addition, in this embodiment, regarding the suction path 25, only the second filter sheet 37b attached to the second suction portion 22a of the second lint filter unit 22 is used to collect foreign matter, but it may be The first suction portion 21a of the lint filter unit 21 is also provided with the first filter sheet 37a, and foreign matter is captured by the first filter sheet 37a and the second filter sheet 37b. That is, the first lint filter unit 21 only needs to provide the first filter sheet 37a at least in the first discharge portion 21b.

The first lint filter unit 21 is provided such that the first suction portion 21 a and the first discharge portion 21 b are located downstream of the suction port 23 and upstream of the discharge port 34 , respectively. The first suction portion 21a and the first discharge portion 21b are connected via the first adjacent surface 38a.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7A , in the present embodiment, the first lint filter unit 21 is constituted by a half shell-shaped container. In consideration of workability, strength, ease of handling, etc., the container is made of polypropylene material, but it may be made of other materials. On the side and bottom of this half-shell-shaped container, openings formed in a grid-like pattern are formed of a plurality of openings. Thereby, the strength of a container can be ensured, and the wide opening surface for trapping lint can be ensured.

In addition, the bottom of the first lint filter unit 21 is constituted by the bottom of the first discharge part 21b and the bottom of the first suction part 21a. The bottom of the first discharge portion 21 b has an inclined portion inclined with respect to the surface of the decorative plate 45 above the first lint filter unit 21 . In addition, a step is provided between the bottom of the first discharge portion 21b and the bottom of the first suction portion 21a. Furthermore, the slope and the step of the bottom of the first lint filter unit 21 are configured such that the shape of the bottom of the first lint filter unit 21 matches the shape of the bottom of the filter housing portion 35 . Accordingly, the first lint filter unit 21 can be efficiently installed in a limited space in the washing machine casing 6, and thus a filter having a wider opening area can be configured in the same space.

In the present embodiment, the first filter sheet 37a or the second filter sheet 37b is attached to the first discharge portion 21b of the first lint filter unit 21 and the bottom of the second lint filter unit 22 by insert molding. The inner surfaces of the openings of the second suction portion 22 a and the second discharge portion 22 b formed in a mesh shape, that is, the surfaces on the upstream side of the suction path 25 and the exhaust path 26 . Thereby, there are no protrusions such as a mesh shape on the surface of the first filter sheet 37a and the second filter sheet 37b on which the lint is collected (surface on the upstream side), so that the user can easily Remove lint during maintenance.

As shown in Figure 7C, in the filter housing portion 35, a filter inlet and outlet 36 is provided on the top of the filter housing portion 35, and the filter inlet and outlet 36 are used to take out and put in the first lint filter unit 21 and the second filter unit. Two lint filter unit 22 openings.

In addition, the suction port 33 which is a part of the air intake path 25 and the discharge port 34 which is a part of the exhaust path 26 are configured to be adjacent to each other in the filter housing part 35 . Moreover, in the filter housing part 35, the 2nd adjacent surface 38b is formed in the downstream side of the suction port 33 and the discharge port 34. As shown in FIG.

The first adjoining surface 38a formed on the first lint filter unit 21 and the second abutting surface 38b formed on the filter housing portion 35 form a gap for drying air between the suction path 25 and the exhaust path 26. A heat exchange unit for heat exchange. With such a configuration, heat exchange can be performed between the air sucked in from the air intake port 23 and the air discharged from the blower outlet 16 . That is, the drying air taken in from the air inlet 23 is heated between the air inlet 23 and the heater 39 . On the other hand, since the drying air in the exhaust path 26 is cooled, the exhaust temperature of the drying air discharged from the exhaust port 24 is lowered.

In this embodiment, the first adjoining surface 38a formed as the heat exchange portion is made of polypropylene material, whereby the first abutting surface 38a can be integrally manufactured with the first lint filter unit 21 . Thereby, manufacturing becomes easy and cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, the first adjacent surface 38a and the second adjacent surface 38b may of course be made of a steel material with high heat exchange efficiency or the like.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7A , the first adjacent surface 38 a formed on the first lint filter unit 21 is arranged obliquely with respect to the blowing direction of the air intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 . By configuring the first adjoining surface 38a like this, the direction of the flow of the drying air through the intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 is changed, and the drying air through the intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 is connected with the first drying path. The contact area where an abutment surface 38a contacts becomes large. Therefore, heat exchange between the drying air passing through the intake path 25 and the exhaust path 26 can be performed more efficiently.

In addition, when the first lint filter unit 21 is inserted into the filter housing portion 35 , the filter inlet and outlet 36 is sealed by the sealing member 47 provided on the first lint filter unit 21 . Furthermore, the first lint filter unit 21 is securely fixed to the filter accommodating portion 35 so that the filter inlet and outlet 36 is blocked by the convex portion formed on the side surface of the sealing member 47 .

In the present embodiment, the heater 39 is provided at a position about 20 mm downstream of the suction port 33 . In addition, an intake rectifying portion 40 is arranged on the downstream side of the suction port 33 . Therefore, even when the first lint filter unit 21 and the second lint filter unit 22 are taken out from the filter housing portion 35 , the heater 39 is not exposed, and a user can be prevented from accidentally touching the heater 39 .

Next, the drying process of the drum type washing and drying machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

Fig. 8 is a graph showing the exhaust temperature of the drying air after the drying step of the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 8 shows the measurement results of the exhaust gas temperature under the conditions of an indoor temperature of 20°C and an indoor humidity of 60%. For the heater 39, a PTC heater is used as described above. The output of the heater 39 changes at 200W, 400W, and 600W. In addition, by controlling the operation of the blower fan 20, the air volume of the blower fan 20 is changed at intervals of 0.5 m ³ /min between 0.5 m ³ /min and 4.0 m ³ /min. FIG. 8 shows the measurement results of the discharge temperature of the drying air discharged from the discharge port 24 to the outside of the machine under the above conditions.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the discharge temperature decreases as the air volume increases regardless of the heater output. In addition, regardless of the air volume, the exhaust gas temperature decreases as the heater output decreases. In addition, the difference in exhaust gas temperature due to the difference in heater output becomes smaller as the air volume becomes larger.

Here, it is known empirically that when the indoor temperature is higher than +20 deg (° C., the same below) the indoor temperature before the drying process by performing the drying process, the user will feel uncomfortable in the indoor environment. That is, the exhaust gas temperature is preferably equal to or less than the indoor temperature + 20 deg, and more preferably equal to or less than the indoor temperature + 10 deg.

In order to suppress the exhaust gas temperature to the above temperature, the output of the heater 39 should be as low as possible. However, if the output of the heater 39 is too low, it will be difficult to dry the clothes, and the drying process will take a long time. On the other hand, if the output of the heater 39 is too high, the exhaust gas temperature becomes too high as in the case of 600 W in FIG. 8 . In addition, if the temperature of the drying air in contact with the clothes is too high, shrinkage or damage of the clothes may occur. Therefore, as the output of the heater 39, about 400W is most suitable, and even if it is high, it is 500W, that is, it is preferable to be 500W or less.

Next, the air volume when the output of the heater 39 is set to 500W or less, preferably 400W is considered. As described above, in order to keep the exhaust temperature below the indoor temperature ⁺²⁰ deg, more preferably below the indoor temperature +10 deg, as can be seen from FIG. Thereby, the rise of indoor temperature is suppressed to 20 deg or less. In addition, the clothes can be dried by loosening the wrinkles of the clothes with a large amount of drying air blown by the blower fan 20 .

In addition, even if the air volume is set too high, the effect is saturated as shown in FIG. 8 , so the air volume of the blower fan 20 is preferably 3 m ³ /min.

In addition, in the above, the conditions of the output of the heater 39 and the air volume of the blower fan 20 have been considered so that the exhaust temperature is not more than the room temperature + 20 deg, more preferably not more than the room temperature + 10 deg. Even if the output of the heater 39 and the air volume of the blower fan 20 are set such that the temperature of the drying air that passes through the heater 39 and contacts the clothes is not more than the room temperature + 20 deg. Below +10deg, the same effect can also be obtained.

Next, the drying process of the drum type washing and drying machine 1 set as above will be described.

By rotationally driving the blower fan 20 , drying air is first sucked in from the air inlet 23 . The sucked drying air passes through the first air duct 43 passing through the heater 39 provided in the air intake duct 27 and the other air ducts 44a, 44b directly connected to the blower fan 20 without passing through the heater 39 . At this time, only the drying air passing through the first air duct 43 is heated by the heater 39 . After that, the heated drying air is mixed with the unheated drying air passing through the other air ducts 44a and 44b, and then is blown into the water tank 3 from the blowing inlet 15. As described above, the output of the heater 39 at this time is 500 W or less, preferably 400 W, and the air volume is 2 m ³ /min or more, preferably 3 m ³ /min.

As the drying air passes through the heater 39, the pressure loss in the heater 39 part becomes larger, and the flow rate decreases. However, in the drum type washing and drying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the air passage is divided into the first air passage 43 and the other air passages 44a, 44b in the part of the heater 39 of the air intake path 25, so that the drying air can be The balance between the maintenance of the heating efficiency of the heater 39 and the air flow rate is maintained. Therefore, a large air volume can be maintained for the drying air.

The drying air passes through the first air passage 43 formed in the heater 39 and the other air passages 44a, 44b, and then flows into the rotary drum 2 driven by the motor 14 to rotate. Then, the drying air contacts the rotating clothes in the rotary drum 2 to deprive the clothes of moisture, thereby becoming the drying air that has absorbed the water. The air for drying after moisture absorption is exhausted from the exhaust port 24 to the outside of the machine. Thereby, the laundry accommodated in rotary drum 2 is dried. As described above, the exhaust gas temperature at this time is designed to be room temperature + 20 deg or less, more preferably room temperature + 10 deg or less.

In addition, since the output of the heater 39 constituted by the PTC heater is set to 500W or less, the temperature rise in the rotary drum 2 is small, and the shrinkage and damage of the clothes can be suppressed. In addition, since the air volume of the blower fan 20 is a large air volume of 2 m ³ /min or more, the clothes can be dried by loosening the wrinkles of the clothes. In addition, since the exhaust temperature of the drying air discharged outside the machine is set to room temperature + 20 deg or less, the temperature rise in the room where the drum type washing and drying machine 1 is arranged is small, and dew condensation in the room can be prevented thereby. Therefore, the environment in which the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 is installed can be kept comfortable.

Industrial availability

As described above, in the present invention, since the air intake path and the exhaust path are adjacently arranged, heat exchange between the drying air passing through the air intake path and the exhaust path is facilitated. Therefore, since the sucked drying air can be heated efficiently, it is possible to increase the volume of the drying air and reduce the noise of the blower fan. In addition, since heat discharge to the outside of the machine can be suppressed, deterioration of the environment in which the equipment is installed due to heat discharge can be reduced. Accordingly, the present invention can be widely used in clothes dryers, vertical washing and drying machines, and the like.

Explanation of reference signs

1: Drum type washing and drying machine; 2: Rotating drum; 3: Sink; 4: Stirring blade; 5: Vibration absorber; 6: Washing machine shell; 7: Top face; ;11: Washing inlet and outlet; 12: Drain valve; 13: Drain pipe; 14: Motor; 15: Air inlet; 16: Air outlet; 17: Operation part; 18: Detergent input part; 19: Drying path; 20: Blower fan (blower part); 21: First lint filter unit; 21a: First suction part; 21b: First discharge part; 22: Second lint filter unit; 22a: Second suction 22b: second discharge part; 22c, 22e: convex part; 22d: claw; 23: suction port; 24: exhaust port; 24a: grid-shaped cover; 25: suction path; Exhaust path; 27: suction duct; 28: exhaust duct; 29: first connecting hose; 30: second connecting hose; 33: suction port; 34: discharge port; 35: filter housing; 36 : filter inlet and outlet; 37a: first filter sheet; 37b: second filter sheet; 38a: first adjacent surface (first adjacent portion); 38b: second adjacent surface (second adjacent portion); 39: heating 39a: radiator plate; 40: suction rectification part; 41: exhaust rectification part; 42: heater rectification plate; 43: first air duct; 44a, 44b: other air ducts; 45: decoration plate; 46: rotating panel; 47: sealing member; 48: lead wire; 49: connection part; 100: casing; 101: rotating drum; 102: door; 103: motor; 104: drum rotating pulley; 105: drum belt; 106 : baffle; 107: fan rotation pulley; 108: fan belt; 109: fan pulley; 110: fan; 111: filter storage device; 112: suction port; 113: filter; 114: suction duct; 115: Self-heating heater; 116: hot air suction hole; 117: filter container; 118: filter hot air exhaust hole; 119: filter; 120: hot air exhaust hole; 121: exhaust air duct; 122: hot air exhaust breath.

Claims (8)

1. A clothes drying device, comprising: main body; a rotating drum rotatably disposed inside the main body; A suction port for taking in drying air; an air suction path for supplying the drying air from the air suction port into the rotary drum; a heating unit, which is arranged on the suction path and is used to heat the drying air; an air supply part, which is arranged on the air suction path, and is used to blow the drying air into the rotating drum; an exhaust port for exhausting the drying air; an exhaust path for supplying the drying air after drying the laundry in the rotary drum to the exhaust port; and a control unit for controlling the air supply unit and the heating unit, The clothes drying device further includes a heat exchange unit in which the drying air passing through the intake path and the exhaust path can exchange heat. 2. The clothes drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The suction port opens toward the inside of the main body. 3. The clothes drying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Also equipped with a first lint filter unit for trapping foreign matter, The first lint filter unit has a first suction portion provided on the suction path and a first discharge portion provided on the exhaust path, The first suction part and the first discharge part are connected via a connection part, The connection portion between the first suction portion and the first discharge portion is provided with a first abutment portion forming the heat exchange portion. 4. The clothes drying device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first lint filter unit is provided with a first filter sheet at least on the first discharge portion. 5. The clothes drying device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, A second lint filter unit is further provided on the downstream side of the first lint filter unit, The second lint filter unit has a second suction part provided on the suction path and a second discharge part provided on the exhaust path, the second suction part and the second discharge part are connected , The second filter sheet is provided on both the second suction portion and the second discharge portion. 6. The clothes drying device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: On the suction path and the exhaust path, downstream of the first lint filter unit and at a position upstream of the heating portion of the suction path, a A second adjoining portion of the heat exchange portion. 7. The clothes drying device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein: further comprising a filter accommodating portion for detachably accommodating the first lint filter unit, The filter housing has a suction port communicating with the suction path and a discharge port communicating with the exhaust path. 8. The clothes drying device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second lint filter unit is detachably installed in the filter housing part.