JP4698750B2 - Washing machine and dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine for washing laundry and a dryer for drying laundry.

In the sanitary space where the washing / drying machine is installed, moisture is easily raised because water vapor is released from the washing / drying machine. In addition, the sanitary space is likely to be contaminated by carrying laundry contaminated with sweat, sebum, and the like. From the above, mold or malodor may occur in the sanitary space.
In order to keep the sanitary space clean, ventilation and cleaning of the sanitary space is indispensable. However, it is difficult for the user of the washing / drying machine to routinely ventilate or clean a narrow place and a high place in the sanitary space (for example, a gap between the washing / drying machine and the wall and a ceiling). It is.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a drum-type washing / drying machine including a drum for storing laundry and an ion generator that generates positive ions and negative ions (hereinafter, positive and negative ions) has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). The drum-type washing and drying machine described in Patent Document 1 uses the positive and negative ions generated by the ion generator when drying laundry to deodorize and disinfect laundry stored in the drum. .

Conventionally, floor-standing air purifiers that include an ion generator that generates positive and negative ions and a housing that houses the ion generator have been widely used. In such an air cleaner, a suction port for sucking indoor air is formed in the peripheral wall of the casing, and positive and negative ions are released toward the air sucked into the casing.
Further, in such an air purifier, a blower opening for blowing air containing positive and negative ions into the room is formed in the top wall of the housing, and the air that has passed through the blower is blown upward. The The air blown upward through the air vent circulates throughout the room along the ceiling, wall, and floor, and further passes through the air inlet and is sucked into the housing. As a result, it is possible to improve the air circulation efficiency and thus the indoor air cleaning efficiency.

  Positive and negative ions released into the air kill or inactivate fungi (for example, mold) and viruses (for example, influenza virus) floating in the air, and also cause substances that cause malodor (for example, acetaldehyde) Such organic compounds (hereinafter referred to as odorous substances) can be decomposed. Therefore, it is conceivable that air containing positive and negative ions is blown from the washing / drying machine equipped with the ion generator to the sanitary space to help keep the sanitary space clean. Since positive and negative ions released into the air in the sanitary space naturally move to narrow places and high places, etc., kill or inactivate fungi and viruses that exist in such places, and further, smell substances Can be disassembled.

JP 2009-66054 A

In general, the washing and drying machine is a floor-standing type. For this reason, it is conceivable to form an air outlet on the top wall of the case of the washing and drying machine, as in the case of a conventional air cleaner. In this case, the air containing positive and negative ions is circulated through the entire sanitary space after being blown to the ceiling through the blower opening.
However, the sanitary space is particularly prone to contamination of the floor on the near side of the laundry dryer (hereinafter simply referred to as the floor on the near side) because dirty laundry before washing is placed on the floor. Moreover, it is apt to be polluted by splashing of water due to taking in and out of laundry and leakage of moisture from the lower part during drying. Therefore, it is desirable to blow air containing a large amount of positive and negative ions to the front floor.

However, when the air vent is formed in the top wall of the housing, air containing a large amount of positive and negative ions is blown to the ceiling side, so that the positive and negative ions decreased while circulating in the sanitary space on the floor on the front side. Air is blown. For this reason, the problem that the near floor which is a place where it is especially contaminated cannot be deodorized and sterilized efficiently occurs.
In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to form an air outlet in the lower part of the front wall of the housing. In this case, air containing a large amount of positive and negative ions can be blown directly to the floor on the near side.
However, in this case, if the air containing positive and negative ions does not rise from the floor to the ceiling, sterilization and deodorization in the vicinity of the ceiling are not performed. That is, it becomes difficult to sanitize and deodorize the sanitary space as a whole.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its main object is to provide ions blown from a blower opening that opens toward the top wall of the boundary between the top wall and the peripheral wall of the housing. Washing that can keep the entire sanitary space clean while efficiently deodorizing and sterilizing a sanitary space that is particularly susceptible to contamination, by guiding the air containing air downward along the housing. It is to provide a dryer and a dryer .

  A washing machine according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores laundry, an ion generator, a top wall and a peripheral wall, and a housing that houses the storage unit and the ion generator. In the washing machine for washing the stored laundry, an air outlet for blowing air containing ions generated by the ion generator to the outside of the machine is a boundary portion between the outer surface of the top wall and the outer surface of the peripheral wall In order to guide at least a part of the air blown from the blower opening downward along the outer surface of the housing, being arranged on the top wall side of the opening and opening toward the boundary portion, The boundary portion has an arc shape.

  In the washing machine according to the present invention, a surface of the washing machine is arranged in the middle of the air blowing path guided along the outer surface of the casing, and the surface further includes an operation panel along the outer surface of the casing. It is characterized by that.

  A dryer according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores laundry, an ion generator, a ceiling wall and a peripheral wall, and a housing that houses the storage unit and the ion generator. In the drier for drying the stored laundry, the air outlet for blowing the air containing the ions generated by the ion generator to the outside is a boundary portion between the outer surface of the top wall and the outer surface of the peripheral wall In order to guide at least a part of the air blown from the blower opening downward along the outer surface of the housing, being arranged on the top wall side of the opening and opening toward the boundary portion, A dryer characterized in that the boundary portion has an arc shape.

In the present invention, the washing machine (or dryer) includes a storage unit, an ion generator, a housing, and an air outlet, and launders (or dries) the laundry stored in the storage unit.
The housing here corresponds to an outer box of a drum type washing and drying machine described in Patent Document 1, for example.
The air containing the ions generated by the ion generator is blown out of the apparatus through the blower opening. The blower opening is arranged on the top wall side of the boundary portion (hereinafter simply referred to as the boundary portion) between the outer surface of the top wall of the housing and the outer surface of the peripheral wall, and opens toward the boundary portion. For this reason, the air containing an ion is ventilated from the top | upper surface side of a boundary part to a boundary part, after passing a ventilation opening.

  If the boundary portion has a right angle, there is a high possibility that the air containing ions travels diagonally downward from the top wall and the peripheral wall. For this reason, there is a high possibility that the point where the lowered air reaches the floor is largely separated from the housing. The air that has reached the floor diffuses along the floor to the entire floor, but air containing a large amount of ions hardly reaches the floor in the vicinity of the washing machine (or dryer).

On the other hand, in the washing machine (or dryer) of the present invention, the boundary portion has an arc shape. For this reason, the air containing ions has a high possibility of curving the traveling direction smoothly along the boundary portion and finally descending along the outer surface of the peripheral wall. That is, at least a part of the air blown out of the machine from the washing machine (or dryer) is guided downward along the outer surface of the housing.
The point where the lowered air reaches the floor is likely to be close to the housing. That is, air containing ions is blown directly to the floor near the washing machine (or dryer). As a result, air containing a large amount of ions is blown into a sanitary space that is particularly susceptible to contamination.

  On the other hand, the air that has not descended along the outer surface of the peripheral wall is likely to diffuse to the wall side, the ceiling side, etc., for example, with convection in the sanitary space after being separated from the housing. That is, the air containing ions does not need to rise for a long distance from the floor to the ceiling, and may rise for a short distance from the height of the top wall of the housing to the ceiling. As a result, air including ions is blown uniformly throughout the sanitary space.

In the present invention, the washing machine further includes an operation panel.
A general operation panel has various operation keys for operating the washing machine. For this reason, the user's hand of a washing machine frequently contacts the surface of the operation panel. Therefore, there is a problem that the surface of the operation panel is easily contaminated.
In order to solve this problem, in the washing machine of the present invention, the surface of the operation panel is arranged in the middle of the air blowing path guided along the outer surface of the housing. For this reason, the air containing ions naturally contacts the surface of the operation panel. As a result, the operation panel can be deodorized and sterilized. That is, not only the sanitary space but also the operation panel can be kept clean by the ions generated by the ion generator.

By the way, since the surface of the operation panel is along the outer surface of the housing, it does not hinder the progress of air guided along the outer surface of the housing. That is, by disposing the operation panel in the middle of the ventilation path, the deodorization efficiency and the sterilization efficiency of the sanitary space are not reduced .

  In the case of the washing machine (or dryer) of the present invention, the entire washing machine (or dryer) to the sanitary space and directly to the floor on the near side of the washing machine (or dryer), Air containing ions can be blown. For this reason, the deodorizing effect and sterilizing effect of ions can be exerted not only on the inside of the laundry and the washing machine (or dryer) but also on the sanitary space. In addition, it is possible to efficiently deodorize and disinfect a particularly easily contaminated place. Therefore, the washing machine (or dryer) of the present invention can keep the entire sanitary space clean.

The typical longitudinal section explaining the state where the washing drier as a washing machine (or dryer) concerning an embodiment of the invention is blowing the air containing positive and negative ions outside the machine, drying the laundry It is. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the washing dryer as a washing machine (or dryer) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the external appearance structure of the washing dryer as a washing machine (or dryer) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of the state which removed the top wall of the washing-drying machine as a washing machine (or dryer) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view which shows the internal structure of the state which removed the rear wall of the washing-drying machine as a washing machine (or drying machine) which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 shows a washing / drying machine 1 as a washing machine (or drying machine) according to an embodiment of the present invention blowing air containing positive and negative ions to the outside of the machine while drying the laundry L, L,. It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining a state. FIG. 1 is also a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a main configuration of the washing / drying machine 1. The arrows shown in FIG. 1 represent the air blowing direction.
2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view showing an external configuration of the washing / drying machine 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the washer / dryer 1 with a ceiling wall 6a (described later) removed, and FIG. 5 shows the internal configuration of the washer / dryer 1 with each rear wall 6c (described later) removed. FIG. The white arrow shown in FIG. 4 represents the air blowing direction.
The washing / drying machine 1 is installed on a floor G of an indoor sanitary space with a washing machine waterproof pan or a washing machine tray (not shown) interposed therebetween.
The washing / drying machine 1 is a so-called oblique drum type washing / drying machine, and executes a washing process, a first drying process, and a second drying process shown in FIG.
In the washing process, the laundry L, L,... Is washed with tap water and detergent and rinsed with tap water. Hereinafter, tap water used for washing may be referred to as washing water.

In both the first drying step and the second drying step, the laundry L, L,... Is dried by blowing hot air containing positive and negative ions. At this time, deodorization and sterilization by positive and negative ions are also performed.
However, in the first drying step, drying, deodorization, and sterilization of the laundry L, L,. On the other hand, in the second drying step, the sanitary space is deodorized and sterilized along with the drying, deodorization, and sterilization of the laundry L, L,.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the washing / drying machine 1 will be described in detail.

The washing / drying machine 1 includes a housing 6, and the housing 6 includes a control unit 10, a housing unit 2, a circulation path 3, a dust collection filter 40, a blower 41, an ion generator 42, a heater 43, and a blower path 5. Is built-in. An operation panel 7 is disposed at a boundary portion 6d between the top wall 6a and the front wall 6b of the housing 6. The front wall 6b functions as a peripheral wall in the embodiment of the present invention.
The control unit 10 is a control center of the washing / drying machine 1 and is disposed in the vicinity of the operation panel 7.
The top wall 6a and the boundary portion 6d of the housing 6 form a step. Specifically, the ceiling wall 6a is high and the boundary portion 6d is low. A blower port 5a, which will be described later, is opened at the center in the left-right direction between the front end of the top wall 6a and the rear end of the boundary portion 6d. Although this shape is optimal for blowing air containing ions evenly around the washing machine, the step between the ceiling wall 6a and the boundary portion 6d may be only the portion of the air blowing port 5a for design reasons. The position of the air blowing port 5a may not be the center.

In the front wall 6b of the housing 6, the laundry L, L,... Is put into the housing 6 and a loading port 61 for taking out the laundry L, L,. Is formed.
The insertion port 61 is closed by the outer door 60 so as to be freely opened and closed. During the execution of the washing process, the first drying process, and the second drying process, the insertion port 61 is closed by the outer door 60.
A boundary portion 6d between the top wall 6a and the front wall 6b has an arcuate curved surface when viewed from the side.

The surface of the operation panel 7 has an arcuate curved surface when viewed from the side, and constitutes at least the center in the left-right direction of the boundary portion 6d.
A plurality of operation keys are arranged in parallel on the operation panel 7. Each operation key outputs an operation signal to the control unit 10 each time it is pressed by the user. The control unit 10 controls each unit of the washing / drying machine 1 according to the input operation signal.
Here, each operation key has a convex shape that deforms into a concave shape when pressed. However, the protruding amount of each operation key is a level that does not hinder the flow of air traveling along the surface of the operation panel 7.

The accommodating portion 2 includes an inner door 20, each bottomed tubular water tank 21 and a drum 22, and a drum rotating mechanism 23.
Each of the water tank 21 and the drum 22 has an inclined position in which the opening is directed toward the inlet 61 of the housing 6, the bottom wall is directed toward the rear wall 6 c of the housing 6, the opening is high, and the bottom wall is low. Arranged in the center of the body 6.
The water tank 21 is elastically fixed and supported on the housing 6 by a spring and a support leg (not shown).
The opening of the water tank 21 is closed by the inner door 20 so as to be freely opened and closed. During the execution of the washing process, the first drying process, and the second drying process, the opening of the water tank 21 is closed by the inner door 20.

  The inner door 20 and the outer door 60 can be opened and closed simultaneously. Therefore, for example, when the user presses the outer door 60 from the outside and closes the outer door 60 in a state where the outer door 60 and the inner door 20 are open, the inner door 20 and the outer door 60 are interlocked to form a water tank. The opening portion 21 and the insertion port 61 of the housing 6 are closed.

A supply port 211 is provided at the upper edge of the opening of the water tank 21. The front end opening (downstream side opening) of the supply port 211 is directed to the inside of the drum 22, and the air blown to the proximal end opening (upstream side opening) of the supply port 211 passes through the supply port 211. Then, the air is blown into the drum 22 from the front end opening of the supply port 211.
An exhaust port 212 that is always open is formed at the bottom of the bottom wall of the water tank 21, and water supplied from the cooling duct 31 side described later passes through the exhaust port 212.
A drainage port (not shown) is formed at the lowermost peripheral wall of the water tank 21, and the drainage port is closed during the execution of the washing process, and the washing water is stored in the water tank 21, and the first drying process and the second drying process are performed. It is opened during the execution of each drying step, and the water supplied from the cooling duct 31 is drained. The water drained from the drain outlet is sent to, for example, a sewer.

An electric motor portion of the drum rotation mechanism 23 is disposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the water tank 21, and the rotation shaft portion of the drum rotation mechanism 23 passes through the center position of the bottom wall of the water tank 21. However, there is no possibility that washing water or air inside the water tank 21 leaks out of the water tank 21 from a portion that is penetrated by the rotating shaft portion of the drum rotating mechanism 23.
The drum 22 is housed inside the water tank 21 and houses the laundry L, L,... Thrown through the opened charging port 61 and the opened opening of the water tank 21.
A plurality of through holes 220, 220,... Through which washing water and air can easily pass are formed in the peripheral wall of the drum 22. For this reason, the washing water and the air can freely enter and leave the drum 22 inside and outside.

  At the center position of the bottom wall of the drum 22, the tip end portion of the rotating shaft portion of the drum rotating mechanism 23 is connected. For this reason, when the drum rotation mechanism 23 operates, the drum 22 rotates in the circumferential direction. At this time, the laundry L, L,... Accommodated in the drum 22 is repeatedly moved from the lower side to the upper side with rotation of the peripheral wall of the drum 22, for example, and repeatedly dropped from the upper side to the lower side by its own weight. The laundry L, L,... Is stirred and washed and dried.

The circulation path 3 constitutes a circulation path through which air circulates in order to suck out air from the inside of the housing portion 2 and blow it into the housing portion 2. An internal path for feeding into the drum 22 which is a laundry storage unit is configured. For this reason, the circulation path 3 has the connection duct 30, the cooling duct 31, the communication duct 32, and the ventilation duct 33 in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side.
The connection duct 30 connects the exhaust port 212 of the water tank 21 and the upstream opening of the cooling duct 31. As a result, the water tank 21 and the cooling duct 31 are communicated.

The cooling duct 31 is arranged in a vertical posture. The lower end of the upstream opening (that is, the lower opening) of the cooling duct 31 is located at a height that is the same as or slightly above the water inlet 212 of the water tank 21. For this reason, no water remains in the cooling duct 31. On the other hand, the downstream opening (that is, the upper opening) of the cooling duct 31 is located at the same height as the uppermost end of the bottom wall of the water tank 21.
Washing water or air inside the water tank 21 flows into the cooling duct 31 through the water inlet 212 and the connecting duct 30. In particular, during the washing of the laundry L, L,.
Detergent foam also flows in. However, due to the height difference between the water inlet 212 of the water tank 21 and the downstream opening of the cooling duct 31, the washing water or foam that has flowed into the cooling duct 31 passes through the cooling duct 31 and enters the downstream side unnecessarily. Inconvenience is suppressed.

  Such a cooling duct 31 has a water-cooled air dehumidifying function. During the execution of the first drying process and the second drying process, a water supply of several hundred cc per minute is supplied from the water supply port 311 provided in the middle of the cooling duct 31 to the inside of the cooling duct 31 through a water supply channel (not shown). Water is supplied. The supplied tap water contacts the air passing through the cooling duct 31 while flowing down from the upper side to the lower side. The air in contact with the tap water is cooled and becomes supersaturated, so that moisture in the air is condensed and condensed to return to the water, and as a result, dehumidified. And the tap water which reached the downstream opening part of the cooling duct 31 passes the connection duct 30 and the exhaust port 212, and is drained out of the machine from the drain port of the water tank 21.

  The communication duct 32 connects the cooling duct 31 and the ventilation duct 33 by connecting the downstream opening of the cooling duct 31 and the upstream opening of the ventilation duct 33.

The ventilation duct 33 is piped near the top wall 6 a of the housing 6. In the ventilation duct 33, a dust collection filter 40, a blower 41, an ion generator 42, and a heater 43 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side. The downstream opening of the ventilation duct 33 is connected to the proximal opening of the supply port 211 of the water tank 21. That is, the ventilation duct 33 and the water tank 21 communicate with each other via the supply port 211.
A vent hole 3 a is formed in the peripheral wall located between the ion generator 42 and the heater 43 of the ventilation duct 33. The vent 3a is provided with the air passage 5 described above, which is a branch path that communicates with the air vent 5a that communicates with the outside of the washing / drying machine 1 and communicates therewith. However, the vent 3a is closed so as to be freely opened and closed by a flap or a shutter (not shown). The controller 10 controls the opening and closing of the vent 3a. During at least the first drying step, the vent 3a is closed. Further, at least during the second drying step, the vent 3a is opened. Thereby, not only the accommodating part 2, but it branches from the vent 3a, and is sent out of the washing dryer 1 from the ventilation port 5a.

The dust collection filter 40 filters air passing through itself. As a result, foreign matter contained in the air adheres to the dust collection filter 40. This foreign material is, for example, the laundry L, L,..., Lint and cotton dust generated from the laundry.
The ceiling wall 6a is provided with an opening / closing door (not shown). With the opening / closing door open, the dust collection filter 40 to which foreign matter has adhered is removed from the ventilation duct 33, and then a new or cleaned dust collection filter 40 is installed. After being attached to the ventilation duct 33, the door is closed.

The reason why the dust collection filter 40 is arranged at the most upstream position of the ventilation duct 33 is that foreign matter contained in the air reaches the blower 41, the ion generator 42, the heater 43, or the supply port 211. It is for suppressing.
If the dust collection filter 40 is not disposed at the most upstream position of the ventilation duct 33, the foreign matter that has reached the blower 41 is entangled with the blower 41 or clogs the blower 41, thereby reducing the blowing ability of the blower 41. Let The foreign matter that has reached the ion generator 42 is heated by plasma discharge to generate a strange odor or flame, or prevents the generation of ions. The foreign matter that has reached the heater 43 is heated to generate a strange odor or a flame. The foreign matter that has reached the supply port 211 clogs the supply port 211, thereby inhibiting the blowing of air into the drum 22.

The blower 41 includes a fan motor arranged between the ventilation duct 33 and the ceiling wall 6a and a fan arranged inside the ventilation duct 33, and the fan rotates when power is supplied to the fan motor. The rotational speed of the blower 41 in operation can be switched between at least two levels. Such a blower 41 blows air inside the ventilation duct 33 by sucking air from its upstream side and discharging it to its downstream side. When the blower 41 blows air, the air circulates in the circulation path 3.

  The ion generator 42 includes an ion generating element disposed inside the ventilation duct 33 and a power supply circuit disposed between the ventilation duct 33 and the ceiling wall 6a. By applying a voltage, the ion generating element is plasma-discharged. As a result, the ion generating element generates clustered positive and negative ions. The generated positive and negative ions are released into the air inside the ventilation duct 33. Positive and negative ions generated by the ion generator 42 have a deodorizing effect and a sterilizing effect.

In the heater 43 as a heating source, an electric heater (for example, a sheathed heater) that generates a high temperature is arranged inside the ventilation duct 33. The air in contact with the electric heater is heated, and as a result, the humidity of the air is further reduced to a low humidity state.
The reason why the heater 43 is arranged at the most downstream position of the ventilation duct 33 is to prevent high-temperature air from deforming or causing failure of the dust collection filter 40, the blower 41, or the ion generator 42. It is.

  The upstream opening of the air duct 5 coincides with the vent 3 a of the ventilation duct 33. For this reason, when the vent 3a is closed, the air passage 5 and the ventilation duct 33 are disconnected, and when the vent 3a is opened, the air passage 5 and the ventilation duct 33 are separated. It is communicated. The air outlet 5a which is the downstream side opening of the air passage 5 opens toward the boundary portion 6d of the housing 6 (and thus the surface of the operation panel 7). A dust collection filter may be arranged in the middle of the air passage 5. In this case, the air blown out of the machine can be clean air with less dust.

Next, the first drying step will be described in detail (see FIG. 1).
After completion of the washing process, the washing / drying machine 1 proceeds to the first drying process.
In the first drying step, the drum rotating mechanism 23, the blower 41, the ion generator 42, and the heater 43 are operated. Further, tap water is supplied to the cooling duct 31. Further, the vent 3a is closed.

Since the drum rotating mechanism 23 is operating, the drum 22 rotates. At this time, the laundry L, L, ... accommodated in the drum 22 is agitated.
Low-humidity and high-temperature air is blown into the drum 22 through the supply port 211.
The hot air blown in contact with the laundry L, L,... Being stirred, and raises the temperature inside the drum 22. As a result, the moisture contained in the laundry L, L,.
The evaporated water vapor is contained in the air inside the water tank 21. That is, the blown-in low-humidity air becomes high-humidity air by absorbing moisture.

High-humidity and high-temperature air is sucked out of the drum 22 through the opening of the drum 22 or through holes 220, 220,..., And further to the outside of the water tank 21 through the exhaust port 212. Sucked out to 30.
The sucked high-humidity and high-temperature air is sent to the cooling duct 31 through the connection duct 30.
The high-humidity and high-temperature air blown to the cooling duct 31 is cooled while passing through the cooling duct 31, and the moisture in the air condenses and condenses, so that the supersaturated moisture is removed and the humidity is low. Of air. The low-temperature air is blown from the cooling duct 31 through the communication duct 32 to the ventilation duct 33.

  The low-temperature air blown to the ventilation duct 33 is filtered by the dust collection filter 40, and then is sucked into the blower 41 from the upstream side and discharged to the downstream side. Thereafter, the low-temperature air is heated by the heater 43 to become a high temperature and the amount of saturated water vapor increases. As a result, the air becomes low-humidity and high-temperature air, and from the ventilation duct 33 through the supply port 211, the drum 22 is blown into the interior.

  By the way, positive and negative ions generated by the ion generator 42 are released into the air inside the ventilation duct 33 on the downstream side of the blower 41. As a result, air containing positive and negative ions circulates inside the circulation path 3. The positive and negative ions contained in the circulating air are blown into the drum 22 to efficiently deodorize and disinfect the stirred laundry L, L,. However, the deodorization and sterilization of the laundry L, L,... Are a part of positive and negative ions contained in the air blown into the drum 22, and the remainder is the drum 22, the water tank 21, and The inside of the circulation path 3 is deodorized and sterilized.

Next, the second drying step shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail.
After the end of the first drying process, the laundry dryer 1 proceeds to the second drying process. The timing at which the first drying process ends is the timing at which the laundry L, L,. The dryness of the laundry L, L,... Is determined by the control unit 10 based on the humidity detected by a humidity sensor (not shown) installed in the water tank 21, for example. When the humidity inside the aquarium 21 reaches a predetermined humidity or less, it can be considered that the laundry L, L,.

In the second drying process, the drum rotating mechanism 23, the blower 41, the ion generator 42, and the heater 43 continue to operate. Further, tap water continues to be supplied to the cooling duct 31.
However, the rotational speed of the blower 41 in the second drying step needs to ensure not only the necessary amount of air to circulate in the machine, but also a sufficient amount of air to blow outside the machine. Therefore, the rotational speed of the blower 41 in the first drying process may be increased.
Further, the vent 3a is opened.
In the second drying step, the heater 43 may be deactivated in order to cool the inside of the machine.

  The circulation of air in the first drying process and the circulation of air in the second drying process, except that the amount of air blown into the drum 22 is smaller in the second drying process than in the first drying process. Are the same. For this reason, the description about the circulation of air in a 2nd drying process is abbreviate | omitted.

Part of the air blown to the downstream side of the ion generator 42 is blown from the ventilation duct 33 to the blower passage 5 through the vent 3a. The air blown to the blower passage 5 passes through the blower passage 5 and is blown out of the machine from the blower port 5a.
Since the air vent 3a is arranged between the ion generator 42 and the heater 43, the air blown out of the apparatus from the air outlet 5a contains a large amount of positive and negative ions. The temperature of the air blown out of the machine is low. Moreover, the humidity of the air blown out of the machine is higher than the humidity outside the machine. This is because the air blown out of the machine is the moisture remaining in the machine without being dehumidified by the cooling duct 31 among the moisture inside the machine (for example, the water vapor evaporated from the laundry L, L,...). ) Is included.

Positive and negative ions contained in the air blown out of the machine deodorize and disinfect the sanitary space. At this time, although the humidity of the sanitary space increases, the deodorizing effect and the sterilizing effect of positive and negative ions are improved accordingly, so that the deodorizing efficiency and the sterilizing efficiency in the sanitary space are improved.
If the vent 3a is arranged on the upstream side of the ion generator 42, the air blown out of the machine contains only a small amount of ions. Therefore, the sanitary space may not be sufficiently deodorized and sterilized.
Further, if the vent 3a is disposed on the downstream side of the heater 43, the air blown out of the machine is hot. For this reason, there is a possibility that the temperature of the sanitary space will rise unnecessarily, or the user of the washer / dryer 1 may be burned.

The remaining part of the air blown to the downstream side of the ion generator 42 is blown to the heater 43 side without going to the blower path 5 side, and circulates in the circulation path 3 again.
When the laundry L, L,... Is completely dried, the second drying process ends. At this time, the drum rotation mechanism 23, the blower 41, the ion generator 42, and the heater 43 each stop operating. Further, the supply of tap water to the cooling duct 31 is stopped.
The vent 3a may remain open, but is closed at the latest when a new first drying step is performed.
After the end of the second drying process, the user opens the outer door 60 and the inner door 20 and takes out the laundry L, L,.

By the way, in the sanitary space, the floor G on the front side of the washing / drying machine 1 (that is, the front side of the front wall 6b) is particularly easily contaminated. This is because the user often leaves the floor G on the front side, the laundry L, L,... Is placed on the floor G, and the detergent or tap water often spills out.
Further, the user directly contacts the surface of the operation panel 7. For this reason, the surface of the operation panel 7 is easily contaminated by fungi and viruses attached to the user's hand, and sweat and sebum secreted by the user's hand.
From the above, the floor G on the near side and the operation panel 7 are places where mold or bad odor is likely to occur.

Here, the flow of the air blown out of the machine from the blower opening 5a in the second drying step will be described in detail.
The air immediately after passing through the air blowing port 5a advances from the air blowing port 5a toward the boundary portion 6d, and further reaches the end of the boundary portion 6d on the ceiling wall 6a side.
As indicated by solid arrows, a part of the air that has reached the end of the boundary portion 6d on the side of the top wall 6a has its traveling direction curved in an arc along the boundary portion 6d, and further before the boundary portion 6d. It reaches the end of the wall 6b.
The air that has reached the end portion on the front wall 6b side of the boundary portion 6d descends along the front wall 6b and further reaches the floor G on the near side of the front wall 6b.

The air that has reached the floor G on the near side diffuses over the floor G along the floor G around the arrival point.
As indicated by the broken arrows, the remaining air that has reached the end of the boundary portion 6d on the side of the top wall 6a continues to move away from the housing 6. The air thus advanced diffuses to the wall side facing the washing / drying machine 1, the ceiling side, and the like along with the convection in the sanitary space.
As described above, the air blown out of the apparatus from the blower opening 5a is guided along the housing 6 and diffuses throughout the sanitary space.

  The surface of the operation panel 7 is disposed in the boundary portion 6d (that is, in the middle of the air blowing path guided along the housing 6). Positive and negative ions contacting the surface of the operation panel 7 can kill or inactivate fungi and viruses attached to the surface of the operation panel 7. That is, antibacterial properties can be imparted to the surface of the operation panel 7. Further, positive and negative ions coming into contact with the surface of the operation panel 7 can decompose odorous substances adhering to the surface of the operation panel 7.

The laundry dryer 1 as described above can perform not only washing, drying, deodorization, and sterilization of the laundry L, L,... But also deodorization and sterilization of the sanitary space. In addition, the washing / drying machine 1 can perform not only deodorization and sterilization of the inside of the storage unit 2 and the circulation path 3 but also deodorization and sterilization of the operation panel 7.
As a result, the user can obtain clean laundry L, L,. Moreover, the washing / drying machine 1 and the sanitary space can be kept clean without frequent cleaning or ventilation.

The washing / drying machine 1 may be configured to blow air containing negative ions instead of positive and negative ions to the outside of the machine. In this case, the relaxation effect in the sanitary space is prioritized over the deodorization and sterilization in the sanitary space.
Further, when the washing / drying machine 1 is installed in an outdoor sanitary space, the user may be able to change the setting to not execute the second drying step by operating the operation panel 7.

Furthermore, the washing / drying machine 1 guides a part of the air that has passed through the air blowing port 5a to the boundary portion 6d side by a fixed louver provided in the air blowing port 5a, and the remaining part other than the boundary portion 6d side (for example, the ceiling side) ) May be used. Furthermore, the washing / drying machine 1 periodically uses the movable louver provided at the air blowing port 5a to guide the air that has passed through the air blowing port 5a to the boundary part 6d side and the case to guide the air other than the boundary part 6d side. The structure which switches automatically may be sufficient.
Here, in the washing / drying machine 1 according to the present invention, in the first drying process and the second drying process, the ion generator 42 is operated (the blower 41 is also operated) to generate ions, and the container 2 and The point that the generated ions are sent out of the apparatus has been described. However, also in the process of washing, the ion generator can be operated (the blower 41 is also operated), and air can be blown also to the housing unit 2 and the outside of the machine.
In order to realize this, a ventilation hole for venting the outside is formed in the communication duct 32 of the circulation path 3, and a shutter or the like for opening and closing the ventilation hole is separately provided, and a washing process (a process including washing, rinsing, dehydration, etc.) Sometimes the vents are opened and the vents are closed during the drying process.

  With this configuration, the circulation path 3 can be used as an internal path even during the washing process, and external air can be sucked in through the dust collection filter 40 and sent into the housing unit 3 by operating the blower 41. Therefore, the ions generated by the ion generator 42 can be released to the storage unit 3. Moreover, the ion produced | generated through the ventilation path 5 which is a branch path | route can be sent out from the ventilation port 5a.

In addition, if the water tank 21 is sealed with the inner door 20, and the part of the exhaust port 212 provided with the connection duct 30 of the circulation path 3 is configured so as not to be closed with water, the blower 41 is provided. Air can be sent from.
A special course for blowing (releasing) positive and negative ions to the outside of the machine can be provided separately. That is, not only the ions are released during the washing and drying processes described above, but the user can deodorize and disinfect the sanitary space when desired. For example, it can be used for deodorization when things that are particularly odorous are dried in a room (including a sanitary space).

  Further, as described above, air containing ions is guided downward. As an advantage, the sanitary space can be deodorized and sterilized without causing discomfort to the person. In a narrow sanitary space, since a person is located near the washing machine, it is easy to give an uncomfortable feeling when the air blown directly hits the person. For this reason, it is possible to avoid giving unpleasant feelings to the person by directing a part downward without hitting all the air sent from the blower opening, and at the same time, it is possible to send out ions. And can be sterilized.

The embodiment disclosed this time is to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not intended to include the above-described meanings, but is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope of the claims. For example, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the oblique drum type washing and drying machine, and may be a vertical drum type or a horizontal drum type. Further, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a washing and drying machine, and may be a washing machine that does not have a drying function or a drying machine that does not have a washing function.
In addition, as long as the effect of the present invention is obtained, the washing / drying machine 1 may include components that are not disclosed in the embodiment.

1 Laundry dryer (washing machine, dryer)
2 Housing part 42 Ion generator 5a Blower 6 Housing 6a Top wall 6b Front wall (peripheral wall)
6d boundary part 7 operation panel L laundry

Claims (3)

A storage section for storing laundry;
An ion generator;
A washing machine that has a top wall and a peripheral wall, and includes a housing that houses the housing portion and the ion generator, and is configured to wash the laundry housed in the housing portion,
An air outlet for blowing air containing ions generated by the ion generator to the outside of the machine is disposed on the ceiling wall side of the boundary portion between the outer surface of the ceiling wall and the outer surface of the peripheral wall, and Open towards the boundary,
The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the boundary portion has an arc shape so as to guide at least a part of the air blown from the blower opening downward along the outer surface of the housing.   The surface of the air is guided along the outer surface of the housing, and the surface further includes an operation panel along the outer surface of the housing. The washing machine as described in. A storage section for storing laundry;
An ion generator;
A dryer having a top wall and a peripheral wall, the housing having the housing part and the ion generator built therein, and drying the laundry housed in the housing part,
An air outlet for blowing air containing ions generated by the ion generator to the outside of the machine is disposed on the ceiling wall side of the boundary portion between the outer surface of the ceiling wall and the outer surface of the peripheral wall, and Open towards the boundary,
The drier according to claim 1, wherein the boundary portion has an arc shape to guide at least a part of the air blown from the blower opening downward along the outer surface of the housing.

Images