JP7562460B2 - Clothes drying device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer that dries wet clothes.

A known clothes drying device is equipped with a drying chamber that can accommodate clothes, a drying air supply section that can supply drying air to the drying chamber, and an exhaust section that exhausts the air in the drying chamber to the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the clothes drying device described in Patent Document 1, the drying air supply unit is equipped with a burner that can generate high-temperature air by burning fuel gas. The high-temperature air generated by this burner is supplied to the drying chamber as drying air, thereby drying the clothes in the drying chamber.

JP 2020-92754 A

There are many types of clothes, including delicate clothes that are sensitive to heat and easily damaged when drying air is passed through them. In the past, clothes dryers have been proposed that can perform a delicate drying operation for drying delicate clothes in addition to the normal drying operation for drying normal clothes. In the delicate drying operation, the temperature of the drying air supplied to the drying chamber is lowered, for example, to gently dry the clothes by reducing the amount of heat required for drying compared to the normal drying operation.

However, if the user has delicate clothes in their laundry, they must run a special drying cycle for drying the delicate clothes in addition to the normal drying cycle for drying regular clothes, which increases running costs and time, and does not allow the user to efficiently dry clothes, including delicate clothes.

In view of this situation, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer that can dry clothes efficiently without incurring running costs or labor, even when the clothes include delicate clothes.

The first characteristic feature of the present invention is that it is provided with a drying chamber capable of freely storing clothes, an exhaust section for exhausting air from the drying chamber to the outside, a partition section for dividing the drying chamber into a first drying space and a second drying space, a drying air supply section for supplying drying air to one of the first drying space and the second drying space in the drying chamber, and an air flow section for circulating air from the drying space on the side to which the drying air is supplied by the drying air supply section to the drying space on the opposite side.

According to this configuration, drying air is supplied by the drying air supply unit to one of the first and second drying spaces partitioned by the partition unit, and the air is passed from one side of the first and second drying spaces to the other side by the air passage unit. As a result, the drying air passes from one side of the first and second drying spaces to the other side, and the temperature drops during the passage process, resulting in a lower temperature of the drying air on the other side of the first and second drying spaces than on one side.

In this way, a temperature difference can be actively created in the drying air between the first drying space and the second drying space, so that in one drying run, normal clothes can be stored in the drying space with a higher temperature, and delicate clothes can be stored in the drying space with a lower temperature, allowing normal clothes and delicate clothes to be dried simultaneously. Therefore, even if the clothes include delicate clothes, there is no need to run a drying run for delicate clothes in addition to the normal drying run, and clothes can be dried efficiently without incurring running costs or effort.

In a second characteristic configuration of the present invention, the partitioning portion partitions the drying chamber into an inner space at the center side of the drying chamber and an outer space surrounding the inner space, one of the inner space and the outer space being a first drying space and the other being a second drying space,
The drying air supply section is configured to supply drying air to the outer space of the inner space and the outer space.

According to this configuration, the partition divides the drying chamber into an inner space and an outer space, so the partition can have a simple shape, such as a cylindrical shape. Moreover, the drying air supply unit supplies drying air to the outer space of the inner and outer spaces, so that the equipment for generating drying air can be efficiently arranged by utilizing the space outside the outer space, while the distance from these equipment to the outer space to which the drying air is supplied can be shortened. Therefore, the configuration for supplying drying air to the outer space can also be simplified, and the configuration can be effectively simplified.

The third characteristic feature of the present invention is that a rotating drum that can be rotated freely is provided, and the internal space of the rotating drum is provided as the drying chamber.

According to this configuration, the internal space of the rotating drum is provided as a drying chamber, so that the clothes can be efficiently dried by moving them through both the first and second drying spaces as the rotating drum rotates, without the clothes remaining in a fixed position.

Furthermore, as described above, the dry air supply section is configured to supply dry air to the outer space of the inner and outer spaces, so that the dry air supplied to the outer space is circulated through the air flow section into the inner space, and the temperature of the dry air in the inner space is lower than that of the outer space. This allows the inner space to be used as a space for storing delicate clothing.

The magnitude of the centrifugal force that accompanies the rotation of the rotating drum differs between the outer space and the inner space, with a greater centrifugal force acting on the outer space than on the inner space. As a result, it is thought that clothes stored in the outer space will be subjected to a greater impact force due to the rotation of the rotating drum than clothes stored in the inner space. In this regard, by using the inner space as a space to store delicate clothes, damage to delicate clothes that are easily damaged can be appropriately prevented.

The fourth characteristic feature of the present invention is that, in the drying space on the side where drying air is supplied by the drying air supply section, the air flow section does not allow air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at the downstream side in the air flow direction, but allows air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at the upstream side in the air flow direction.

The drying air supply unit supplies drying air to one of the first and second drying spaces, so that the drying air flows through the drying space on one side, ventilating the clothes and drying them. As a result, the temperature of the drying air drops significantly in the downstream area of the drying space in the direction of air flow. Therefore, even if this drying air, which has a large temperature drop, is passed through the drying space on the opposite side by the air flow unit, it may not be possible to dry the clothes (delicate clothes) stored in the drying space on the opposite side.

Therefore, according to this configuration, in the drying space on the side where drying air is supplied by the drying air supply unit, the air flow section does not allow air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at the downstream part in the air flow direction, but allows air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at the upstream part in the air flow direction. This allows the drying air before the degree of temperature drop becomes significant to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at the air flow section, and clothes (delicate clothes) stored in the drying space on the opposite side can also be properly dried.

The fifth characteristic feature of the present invention is that the partition is provided so as to be detachable from the drying chamber.

According to this configuration, the partition is not always attached to the drying chamber, but can be removed from the drying chamber as needed. This allows the user to attach the partition to the drying chamber when they want to dry both regular and delicate clothes at the same time, and conversely, when they want to dry only regular clothes without delicate clothes, they can remove the partition from the drying chamber, using the entire drying chamber as storage space for regular clothes and efficiently drying a large number of clothes.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes drying device; Side view showing the rotating drum Front view showing the rotating drum Side view showing attachment of compartment to filter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a clothes drying device according to the present invention will be
As shown in Fig. 1, the clothes dryer 1 dries wet clothes 2 after dehydration or the like using high-temperature air K1 generated by combustion of fuel gas N. The clothes dryer 1 is provided with a box-shaped housing 3, which is provided with a drying chamber 4 capable of accommodating the clothes 2, a drying air supply section 5 capable of supplying high-temperature air K1 (drying air) to the drying chamber 4, and an exhaust section 6 for exhausting the air K in the drying chamber 4 to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 1, a single-wing door 7 is supported on the front side of the housing 3 so that it can be opened and closed freely. By opening and closing this door 7, a clothing insertion opening 8 provided in the front part of the housing 3 can be closed and opened. With the door 7 open, the user can insert the clothing 2 into the drying chamber 4 or remove the clothing 2 from the drying chamber 4 through the clothing insertion opening 8.

The drying chamber 4 is formed by a rotating drum 11 that can be rotated. The rotating drum 11 has a cylindrical internal space with a larger diameter than the circular clothes inlet 8, and this internal space is provided as the drying chamber 4. The rotating drum 11 has a front opening 11a that is open at the front side, and the front opening 11a is connected to the clothes inlet 8. The rotating drum 11 is supported by a support shaft (not shown) that extends in a substantially horizontal direction so that it can rotate freely around the rotation axis P. In order to rotate the rotating drum 11, a drive motor 12 and a first transmission belt 14 are provided. The first transmission belt 14 is wound around a first drive pulley 13 of the drive motor 12 and the outer periphery of the rotating drum 11. The first drive pulley 13 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 12, and the first transmission belt 14 is wound, thereby transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 12 to the rotating drum 11, and rotating the rotating drum 11.

The drying air supply unit 5 is provided with a burner 21 that burns fuel gas N, and a high-temperature air supply passage 22 that supplies high-temperature air K1 (drying air) generated (heated) by the combustion of the burner 21 to the drying chamber 4. A fuel supply passage 23 is provided to supply fuel gas N to the burner 21, and fuel gas N is sprayed from a fuel nozzle 24 provided at the downstream end of the fuel supply passage 23 to supply fuel gas N to the burner 21. A fuel supply valve 25 is provided at a midpoint of the fuel supply passage 23, and the supply of fuel gas N is interrupted, making it possible to freely adjust the supply amount of the fuel gas N. Incidentally, although one fuel supply valve 25 is illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, two valves may be provided: an interrupt valve that interrupts the supply of fuel gas N, and a supply amount adjustment valve that adjusts the supply amount of fuel gas N.

An opening 26 is formed on the underside of the housing 3, and air K can freely flow into the housing 3 from the opening 26. The burner 21 uses the air K as combustion air to combust fuel gas N supplied through the fuel supply path 23, generating high-temperature air K1 (drying air). The high-temperature air supply path 22 is connected to the drying chamber 4 through an air inlet 27 formed on the lower front side of the rotating drum 11, and the high-temperature air K1 (drying air) generated by the burner 21 can be freely supplied into the drying chamber 4.

The exhaust section 6 is equipped with an exhaust fan 31 and an exhaust passage 32 that exhausts the air K in the drying chamber 4 to the outside. To drive the exhaust fan 31, a drive motor 12 and a second transmission belt 16 are provided. The second transmission belt 16 is wound around the second drive pulley 15 of the drive motor 12 and the exhaust fan 31. The drive motor 12 drives and rotates the second drive pulley 15 to wind the second transmission belt 16, thereby transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 12 to the exhaust fan 31 and operating the exhaust fan 31. In this way, the driving force of one drive motor 12 is transmitted to the rotating drum 11 and the exhaust fan 31, allowing two devices, the rotating drum 11 and the exhaust fan 31, to be freely operated.

The exhaust fan 31 is disposed on the rear side of the rotating drum 11 and is configured to suck in the air K in the drying chamber 4. The exhaust passage 32 is equipped with an internal passage portion 33 in the housing 3 and an external passage portion 34 outside the housing 3, and the internal passage portion 33 is connected to the external passage portion 34 (exhaust pipe) to form the exhaust passage 32 that exhausts the air K in the drying chamber 4 to the outdoors. By operating the exhaust fan 31, a flow of air K is generated in which air K is taken in from the opening 26 on the bottom surface of the housing 3 into the inside of the housing 3, the taken-in air K is supplied into the drying chamber 4 via the burner 21, and the air K in the drying chamber 4 is exhausted to the outdoors through the exhaust passage 32.

A filter 41 is disposed on the rear side of the rotating drum 11 at a position where the air K exhausted from the drying chamber 4 passes through. The filter 41 is disposed downstream (exhaust side) of the drying chamber 4 and upstream of the exhaust fan 31 in the flow direction of the air K, and removes foreign matter such as dust and lint contained in the air K exhausted from the drying chamber 4. The filter 41 is disposed in a state where it closes an opening formed in the rear wall portion 11b of the rotating drum 11, and is provided so as to be freely rotatable integrally with the rotating drum 11.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the drying chamber 4 is not only a single drying space, but is divided into two drying spaces, a first drying space 51 and a second drying space 52, so that clothes 2 can be dried in both the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52. Fig. 2 is a side view showing only the main parts such as the rotating drum 11, and Fig. 3 is a front view showing only the main parts such as the rotating drum 11 when the housing 3 is viewed from the front side.

The first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52 will be described below.
2 and 3, the drying chamber 4 is provided with a partition 53 that divides the drying chamber 4 into a first drying space 51 and a second drying space 52. The partition 53 is formed in a cylindrical shape and divides the drying chamber 4 into an inner space at the center of the drying chamber 4 and an outer space surrounding the inner space, with the outer space being the first drying space 51 and the inner space being the second drying space 52.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the high-temperature air supply passage 22 can freely supply the high-temperature air K1 (drying air) generated by the burner 21 into the drying chamber 4 through the air inlet 27 formed on the front lower side of the rotating drum 11 to supply high-temperature air K1 (drying air) to the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52. As a result, the high-temperature air supply passage 22 in the drying air supply unit 5 supplies high-temperature air K1 only to the first drying space 51, rather than supplying high-temperature air K1 to both the first drying space 51, which is the outer space, and the second drying space 52, which is the inner space.

Therefore, in order to supply high-temperature air K2 to the second drying space 52 as well, an air flow section 54 is provided to allow high-temperature air K2 (air) to flow from the first drying space 51 to the second drying space 52. The air flow section 54 is composed of a plurality of holes 55 (see FIG. 4) formed in the cylindrical partition section 53. The cylindrical partition section 53 has a plurality of holes 55 formed at regular intervals around its entire circumference.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the high-temperature air K1 generated by the combustion of the burner 21 is supplied from the air intake 27 to the first drying space 51, and the high-temperature air K2 that has passed through the first drying space 51 is passed from the first drying space 51 to the second drying space 52 at the air passage 54. In this way, the high-temperature air is supplied in the order of the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52, and the temperature of the high-temperature air drops during the passage process, so that the high-temperature air supplied to the second drying space 52 is high-temperature air K2 that is lower in temperature than the high-temperature air K1 supplied to the first drying space 51.

The temperature of the air in the second drying space 52 can therefore be made lower than the temperature of the air in the first drying space 51. In the second drying space 52, the clothes 2 can be dried gently with a lower amount of heat required for drying than in the first drying space 51, making it suitable for drying delicate clothes 2a (see FIG. 1).

1 and 2, a filter 41 is disposed on the rear side of the drying chamber 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the portion of the filter 41 corresponding to the first drying space 51 is the first filter portion 41a, and the portion corresponding to the second drying space 52 is the second filter portion 41b. The first filter portion 41a removes foreign matter such as dust and lint from the air when the air of the first drying space 51 is passed through the exhaust passage 32. The second filter portion 41b also removes foreign matter such as dust and lint from the air when the air of the second drying space 52 is passed through the exhaust passage 32. In this way, both the air of the first drying space 51 and the air of the second drying space 52 pass through the filter 41 and pass through the exhaust passage 32.

In the first drying space 51, as shown in FIG. 2, high-temperature air K1 is supplied from the air intake port 27 arranged on the front side of the drying chamber 4 and flows through the first drying space 51, and the air K in the first drying space 51 that has flowed through is exhausted from the first drying space 51 through a filter 41 arranged on the rear side of the drying chamber 4. In the first drying space 51, the air K (high-temperature air K1) flows from the front side to the rear side of the drying chamber 4, and the flow direction of the air K is from the front side to the rear side of the drying chamber 4.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the multiple holes 55 are formed in the partition 53 only in the front portion in the front-rear direction of the housing 3. As a result, the air passage portion 54 consisting of the multiple holes 55 does not allow high-temperature air K2 to flow into the second drying space 52 in the downstream portion of the first drying space 51 in the flow direction of the air K (high-temperature air K1), but allows high-temperature air K2 to flow into the second drying space 52 in the upstream portion of the flow direction of the air K.

In the first drying space 51, the supplied high-temperature air K1 flows through it, causing the temperature of the high-temperature air K1 to drop, and the longer the flow distance, the greater the degree of temperature drop. Therefore, the air flow section 54 flows high-temperature air K2 upstream in the flow direction of the air K into the second drying space 52 before the degree of temperature drop becomes significant. As a result, high-temperature air K2 at a temperature that can sufficiently dry the clothes 2 flows through the second drying space 52 as well, and the clothes 2 can be properly dried by the high-temperature air K2.

The relationship between the volumes of the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52 can be set so that the first drying space 51 has a larger volume than the second drying space 52, or conversely, the second drying space 52 has a larger volume than the first drying space 51, and can be appropriately set by adjusting the diameter of the partition 53, etc.

For example, if the first drying space 51, which is the outer space, is made larger in volume than the second drying space 52, which is the inner space, the second drying space 52, which has a smaller volume, will be able to dry the clothes 2 more efficiently. Therefore, even if the clothes 2 are dried in the second drying space 52, which is at a lower temperature than the first drying space 51, the drying time will not be long and the clothes 2 can be dried appropriately.

The partition section 53 is not always attached to the drying chamber 4, but is provided so as to be freely attached and detached to the drying chamber 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end of the partition section 53 is provided with an engaging attachment section 56, and the filter 41 is provided with an attachment receiving section 57 for attaching the engaging attachment section 56. This allows the partition section 53 to be freely attached to the filter 41 by attaching the attachment section 56 of the partition section 53 to the attachment receiving section 57 of the filter 41. FIG. 4(A) shows the state before the partition section 53 is attached to the filter 41, and FIG. 4(B) shows the state after the partition section 53 is attached to the filter 41.

In the filter 41, an insertion/removal hole 61 is formed at the attachment target portion where the partition section 53 is attached, allowing the partition section 53 to be inserted and removed. The insertion/removal hole 61 is formed in a circular ring shape into which the cylindrical partition section 53 can be inserted and removed, and the attachment section 56 of the partition section 53 is attached to the attachment receiving section 57 of the filter 41 by inserting the partition section 53 into the insertion/removal hole 61. A plurality of attachment sections 56 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the partition section 53, and a plurality of attachment receiving sections 57 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the insertion/removal hole 61.

The mounting portion 56 of the partition portion 53 is provided with an elastically deformable engaging claw portion 58. The engaging claw portion 58 is provided with an engaging portion 60 that engages with an engaged portion 59 provided on the mounting receiver portion 57. By engaging the engaging portion 60 of the engaging claw portion 58 with the engaged portion 59 of the mounting receiver portion 57, the partition portion 53 is locked in a state attached to the filter 41.

When attaching the partition 53 to the filter 41, as shown in FIG. 4A, the user holds the partition 53 and moves the partition 53 toward the rear side of the filter 41 while inserting the partition 53 into the insertion hole 61. At this time, the engaging claw 58 of the mounting portion 56 of the partition 53 abuts against the engaged portion 59 of the mounting receiving portion 57 of the filter 41, and elastically deforms toward the radially inward side of the partition 53. This elastic deformation allows the engaging portion 60 of the engaging claw 58 to overcome the engaged portion 59 of the mounting receiving portion 57 and move toward the rear side of the filter 41 beyond the engaged portion 59. When the engaging portion 60 moves toward the rear side of the filter 41 beyond the engaged portion 59, the abutment with the engaged portion 59 is released, and the engaging claw 58 is returned to the radially outward side of the partition 53 by the biasing force applied by the elastic deformation. This return movement of the engaging claw 58 causes the engaging portion 60 of the engaging claw 58 to engage with the engaged portion 59 of the mounting receiver 57, as shown in FIG. 4(B), locking the partition 53 in a state where it is attached to the filter 41.

When removing the partition section 53 from the filter 41, the user presses the engaging claw section 58 of the mounting section 56, causing the engaging claw section 58 to elastically deform radially inward of the partition section 53. This elastic deformation allows the engaging section 60 of the engaging claw section 58 to climb over the engaged section 59 of the mounting receiver section 57 and move forward of the engaged section 59 on the filter 41. Therefore, with the engaging claw section 58 in a state of elastic deformation, the user can remove the partition section 53 from the filter 41 by moving the partition section 53 toward the front side of the filter 41.

The control of the clothes drying apparatus 1 will now be described.
1, a control unit 9 that controls the operating state of each device is provided at the front lower portion of the housing 3. The control unit 9 can execute a plurality of operations by controlling the operating state of each device, but is mainly configured to execute a drying operation for drying the clothes 2 stored in the drying chamber 4 by operating the drying air supply unit 5 and the exhaust unit 6.

Although not shown, the front of the housing 3 is equipped with an operation unit and a display unit. The operation unit is equipped with various switches, such as a power switch, a selection switch for selecting an operation or operation course, a switch for starting and pausing the drying operation, and a setting switch for setting the drying time of the drying operation. The display unit is equipped with various display units, such as a display unit that displays the operating status and a digital display unit that displays an estimate of the remaining drying time, etc.

In the drying operation, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 9 controls the fuel supply valve 25 in the drying air supply unit 5 to perform combustion by the burner 21, and controls the operating state of the drive motor 12 to operate the exhaust fan 31 in the exhaust unit 6. In this drying operation, the control unit 9 operates the drive motor 12 to operate the exhaust fan 31 and rotates the rotating drum 11 to move the clothes 2 in the drying chamber 4 without stopping them in a fixed position, thereby drying the clothes 2 efficiently.

When a set time has elapsed since the start of the drying operation, the control unit 9 controls the fuel supply valve 25 in the drying air supply unit 5 to stop combustion in the burner 21, and controls the operating state of the drive motor 12 to stop the exhaust fan 31 in the exhaust unit 6, thereby terminating the drying operation.

The set time can be, for example, a preset initial setting time, or the preset initial setting time can be changed based on the amount and weight of the clothes 2 put into the drying chamber 4. In addition, the condition for ending the drying operation is not limited to the elapse of the set time, but the drying operation can also be ended, for example, when the completion of drying of the clothes 2 is detected based on the detection information of a dryness sensor that can freely detect the dryness of the clothes 2.

The clothes 2 include multiple types of clothes, such as normal clothes 2a (see FIG. 1) and delicate clothes 2b (see FIG. 1). The delicate clothes 2b can be clothes that are sensitive to heat and are easily damaged when drying air is passed through them. Thus, multiple operation courses are provided for the drying operation, such as a normal operation course for drying normal clothes 2a and a delicate operation course for drying delicate clothes 2b. The user can select an operation course to be executed from the multiple operation courses by operating the operation unit.

For example, the amount of heat used to dry clothes is different between the normal operation course and the delicate operation course. The delicate operation course dries clothes with a lower amount of heat used to dry them, for example by lowering the temperature of the high-temperature air K1 (drying air) supplied to the drying chamber 4 compared to the normal operation course.

For example, in the normal operation course, the control unit 9 controls the fuel supply valve 25, etc. to adjust the combustion temperature by the burner 21 so that the temperature of the high-temperature air K1 (drying air) supplied to the drying chamber 4 becomes the set temperature for the normal operation course. In contrast, in the delicate operation course, the control unit 9 also controls the fuel supply valve 25, etc. to adjust the combustion temperature by the burner 21 so that the temperature of the high-temperature air K1 (drying air) supplied to the drying chamber 4 becomes the set temperature for the delicate operation course, but the set temperature for the delicate operation course is set to a temperature lower than the set temperature for the normal operation course. In this case, the drying time can also be set to a different time for the normal operation course and the delicate operation course.

As described above, since multiple operation modes are provided for the drying operation, the user can select the operation mode of his/her choice as necessary to dry the clothes. In addition to being able to select the operation mode, the user can also select whether or not to attach the partition section 53 to the drying chamber 4, thereby selecting whether to dry the clothes using the entire drying chamber 4 as one drying space, or to dry the clothes using the drying chamber 4 as two drying spaces, the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52.

For example, when performing the drying operation, there are three possible cases: when the user wants to dry only regular clothes 2a, when the user wants to dry regular clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b at the same time, and when the user wants to dry only delicate clothes 2b. Each case will be explained.

When the user wishes to dry only regular clothes 2a, the partition 53 is removed from the drying chamber 4, and the entire drying chamber 4 is treated as a single drying space for drying. This allows the entire drying chamber 4 to be used to dry many regular clothes 2a at once. In this case, the user selects the regular operating course, and the drying operation is performed under the regular operating course by placing regular clothes 2a into the drying chamber 4, which is a single drying space, without attaching the partition 53 to the drying chamber 4.

When a user wishes to dry both normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b at the same time, as shown in FIG. 1, the partition 53 is attached to the drying chamber 4, and the drying chamber 4 is divided into two drying spaces, a first drying space 51 and a second drying space 52. This allows drying to be performed in each of the first drying space 51 and the second drying space 52, and normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b can be dried at the same time, improving work efficiency.

In this case, the user can select the normal operation course, just as when only normal clothes 2a are to be dried. In the normal operation course, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, high-temperature air K1 at the set temperature for the operation course is supplied to the first drying space 51, but the temperature of the high-temperature air K2 circulated from the first drying space 51 to the second drying space 52 by the air flow section 54 is lower than the high-temperature air K1 at the set temperature for the operation course (for example, it is lowered to the same temperature as the set temperature for the delicate operation course), so that the amount of heat required for drying can be reduced in the second drying space 52 compared to the first drying space 51.

When placing the clothes 2 in the drying chamber 4, normal clothes 2a are placed in the first drying space 51, which is the outer space, and delicate clothes 2b are placed in the second drying space 52, which is the inner space. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, normal clothes 2a can be properly dried in the first drying space 51, while clothes 2 can be gently dried in the second drying space 52 with a lower amount of heat required for drying than in the first drying space 51, and delicate clothes 2a can also be properly dried.

In this way, even when it is desired to simultaneously dry normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b, the control unit 9 can execute the drying operation in the normal operation course, just as in the case of drying only normal clothes 2a. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated operation course for simultaneously drying normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b, and normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b can be dried simultaneously by using the same control content as the normal operation course, while simplifying the control configuration.

Incidentally, if it is desired to simultaneously dry normal clothes 2a and delicate clothes 2b, a display such as "Put delicate clothes in the inner space" can be provided on the partition 53 or the like so that the user can recognize that the second drying space 52, which is the inner space, is the drying space for putting delicate clothes 2b, in order to prevent the user from putting the clothes 2 in the wrong drying space. This display is not limited to being provided on the partition 53, but can also be provided on, for example, the front part of the housing 3, and its installation location can be changed as appropriate.

When the user wishes to dry only delicate clothes 2b, the partition 53 is removed from the drying chamber 4, and the entire drying chamber 4 is treated as a single drying space for drying. This allows the entire drying chamber 4 to be used to dry many delicate clothes 2b at once. In this case, the user selects the delicate operation course, and the drying operation is performed in the delicate operation course by placing the delicate clothes 2b in the drying chamber 4, which is a single drying space, without attaching the partition 53 to the drying chamber 4.

[Another embodiment]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied alone, but may also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

(1) In the above embodiment, high-temperature air K1 (drying air) is generated by combustion of the burner 21. However, for example, high-temperature air (drying air) can also be generated by heating with an electric heater. The heating unit for generating the high-temperature air K1 is not limited to a burner, and other heating units can also be used.

(2) In the above embodiment, the rotating drum 11 is rotated around a rotation axis P that is approximately horizontal, but the rotating drum can also be rotated around a rotation axis that is approximately vertical, and the setting of the rotation axis of the rotating drum can be changed as appropriate.

(3) In the above embodiment, the internal space of the rotating drum 11, which can be rotated freely, is provided as the drying chamber 4, but the drying chamber 4 can also be provided in a fixed state.

(4) In the above embodiment, the partition 53 divides the drying chamber 4 into an inner space and an outer space. However, for example, the drying chamber can be divided into a right space and a left space in the left-right direction, or into an upper space and a lower space in the up-down direction. The way in which the drying chamber is divided can be changed as appropriate.

(5) In the above embodiment, the drying air supply unit 5 supplies high-temperature air K1 (drying air) to the first drying space 51, which is the outer space. Conversely, the drying air supply unit 5 can also supply high-temperature air K1 (drying air) to the second drying space 52, which is the inner space. In this case, the air flow unit 54 flows high-temperature air from the second drying space 52, which is the inner space, to the first drying space 51, which is the outer space. Therefore, the first drying space 51, which is the outer space, is at a lower temperature than the second drying space 52, which is the inner space. Therefore, delicate clothes can be placed in the first drying space 51, which is the outer space, and normal clothes can be placed in the second drying space 52, which is the inner space, to dry delicate clothes and normal clothes at the same time.

(6) In the above embodiment, the operation courses for drying operation are exemplified as having a normal operation course and a delicate operation course, but for example, the delicate operation course can be omitted, and the operation courses provided can be changed as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 1 Clothes drying device 2 Clothes 4 Drying chamber 5 Drying air supply section 6 Exhaust section 11 Rotating drum 51 First drying space 52 Second drying space 53 Partition section 54 Air flow section K Air K1 High-temperature air (drying air)
K2 High temperature air (drying air)

Claims (6)

the drying chamber capable of accommodating clothes; an exhaust section for exhausting air from the drying chamber to the outside; a partition section for partitioning the drying chamber into a first drying space and a second drying space; a drying air supply section for supplying drying air to one of the first drying space and the second drying space in the drying chamber; and an air flow section for flowing air from the drying space on the side to which the drying air is supplied by the drying air supply section to the drying space on the opposite side ;
A clothes drying device in which, when the drying chamber is divided into the first drying space and the second drying space by the partition, the first drying space is provided with a first drying space side communication portion that communicates with the exhaust portion, and the second drying space is provided with a second drying space side communication portion that communicates with the exhaust portion . the drying chamber capable of accommodating clothes; an exhaust section for exhausting air from the drying chamber to the outside; a partition section for partitioning the drying chamber into a first drying space and a second drying space; a drying air supply section for supplying drying air to one of the first drying space and the second drying space in the drying chamber; and an air flow section for flowing air from the drying space on the side to which the drying air is supplied by the drying air supply section to the drying space on the opposite side;
A clothes drying device in which, when the drying chamber is divided into the first drying space and the second drying space by the partition, the first drying space is provided with a first drying space side opening that communicates with a clothing input port to enable clothing to be input into the first drying space, and the second drying space is provided with a second drying space side opening that communicates with the clothing input port to enable clothing to be input into the second drying space . the partition section partitions the drying chamber into an inner space at the center of the drying chamber and an outer space surrounding the inner space, one of the inner space and the outer space being a first drying space and the other being a second drying space;
3. The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying air supply section is configured to supply drying air to the outer space of the inner space and the outer space. 4. The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a rotary drum that is rotatably driven, the internal space of the rotary drum being provided as the drying chamber. 5. The clothes drying device according to claim 1, wherein the air flow section, in a drying space on the side to which drying air is supplied by the drying air supply section, does not allow air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at a downstream portion in the air flow direction, but allows air to flow to the drying space on the opposite side at an upstream portion in the air flow direction. The clothes drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the partition is provided so as to be detachable from the drying chamber.

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