Dryer

Abstract

The present invention provides a dryer that can efficiently direct hot air from a heater onto a mat-like material placed on a mounting surface, thereby drying the mat-like material. [Solution] The dryer is a vaulting box-shaped mounting section 3 housed in a drying space D of a housing 20, with an internal space T defined inside, the mounting section 3 having a curved surface formed at its upper end and inclined surfaces on both sides connected to the curved surface as the mounting surface, on which a mat-like member F is placed, a group of holes 311 provided in the area excluding the outer circumference of the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides, and a blowing means 21. When the mat-like member F is placed on the mounting section 3, the mat-like member F is placed on the mounting section 3 such that its width direction is the short side direction of the mounting surface and its length direction is the long side direction of the mounting surface, and the width of the area on both sides of the long side of the mounting surface where the group of holes 311 is not formed is longer than the width of the area on both sides of the short side of the mounting surface where the group of holes is not formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a dryer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a dryer for drying mat-like members such as futons and mattresses containing moisture by washing or the like. As such a dryer, a drying space into which heated air from a gas heater flows is defined in its housing, a placement portion for the mat-like member is arranged in the drying space, an internal space defined inside the placement portion is communicated with the drying space, and the mat-like member placed thereon is dried by passing the heated air through the mat-like member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] [[ID=z43]]The problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a dryer capable of efficiently drying a mat-like member placed on a placement portion by applying warm air from a gas heater to the mat-like member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The dryer of the embodiment comprises a housing that defines a drying space, a vaulting box-shaped mounting section housed in the drying space of the housing and having an internal space defined inside, the mounting section having a curved surface formed at its upper end and inclined surfaces on both sides connected to the curved surface as mounting surfaces, on which a mat-like member is placed, a group of holes provided in the area excluding the outer periphery of the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides, and a blowing means for sending hot air into the drying space of the housing, wherein when the mat-like member is placed on the mounting section, the bent portion of the mat-like member makes surface contact with the curved surface at the upper end, and the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides are in contact with the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides to prevent the hot air from leaking out. The peripheral edge of the mat-like member is located in an area of ​​the slope where the aforementioned holes are not formed, the warm air sent into the drying space from the blowing means passes through the mat-like member and is drawn into the internal space through the holes provided on the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides, the mat-like member is placed on the aforementioned mounting surface such that its width direction is the short side direction of the aforementioned mounting surface and its length direction is the long side direction of the aforementioned mounting surface, and the width of the area on both sides of the aforementioned mounting surface in the long direction where the aforementioned holes are not formed is longer than the width of the area on both sides of the aforementioned mounting surface in the short direction where the aforementioned holes are not formed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a dryer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing the configuration of a dryer according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the configuration of the dryer according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the mounting section according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing the configuration of the mounting section according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing the configuration of the mounting section according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a front view showing the mounting section on which the futon according to the embodiment is placed. [Figure 8] This is a side view showing the mounting section on which the futon according to the embodiment is placed. [Figure 9] This is an overall side view of the dryer according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] This diagram shows the flow direction of the hot air flowing from the gas heater of the dryer according to the embodiment to the upper wall. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the flow direction of hot air from the upper wall portion to the drying space of the main body of the dryer according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a side view showing the overall hot air flow of the dryer according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0008] (Overall structure) First, the overall configuration of the dryer according to this embodiment will be described. Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a plan view, respectively, showing the configuration of the dryer according to this embodiment. Hereafter, the front side of the dryer 1 will be referred to as the front, the rear side as the rear, and the directions perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down directions will be referred to as the left-right directions.

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the dryer 1 according to this embodiment comprises a main body 2 and a movable mounting section 3 housed within the main body 2 for placing the futon to be dried by the dryer 1. The mounting section 3 is movable in the front-to-back direction (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1) within the drying space D of the main body 2. In other words, when a futon is placed on the mounting section 3, it is pulled out from the drying space D of the main body 2, and after placement, it is returned to its original position.

[0010] The main body 2 includes a housing 20, a gas heater 21, an exhaust fan 22, and a control unit 24. The housing 20 is formed as a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped box as a whole, and a drying space D surrounded by an upper wall portion 25 (see FIG. 9 etc.), a pair of side wall portions 26, a rear wall portion 27, a bottom wall portion 28, and a door portion 29 is defined inside. A movable mounting portion 3 can be accommodated in this drying space D.

[0011] The door portion 29 is attached to one of the side wall portions 26 by a hinge or the like so as to be openable and closable, and enables the mounting portion 3 to be taken in and out of the drying space D from the front side. A part of the door portion 29 is formed as a window portion 291 having light transmissivity such as glass, for example, and a gripping portion 292 for the user to open and close the door portion 29 is provided.

[0012] The gas heater 21 is provided above the upper wall portion 25 and at the rearmost part of the housing 20, has a gas burner, heats air by the gas burner, and supplies the heated air (warm air) to an intake air passage 251 (see FIG. 12) described later through a connection pipe 253 (see FIG. 3). Note that the gas heater 21 may be replaced by another device that heats air by another method.

[0013] The exhaust fan 22 is provided in front of the gas heater 21, has a check damper 221 for preventing the reverse flow of air, sucks the air in the drying space D, and discharges it to the outside through the check damper 221.

[0014] The control unit 24 is provided in front of the exhaust fan 22, that is, at the foremost part of the housing 20, has an operation panel 241 for the user to perform an instruction operation regarding the operation of the dryer 1, and is provided so that the operation panel 241 faces forward. The control unit 24 controls the operations of the gas heater 21, the exhaust fan 22, and a jet nozzle 23 (see FIG. 9) described later based on the operation made on the operation panel 241.

[0015] The movable placement section 3 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction. When using the placement section 3, the user opens the door section 29 and moves the placement section 3 housed in the drying space D forward to pull out the placement section 3 from the drying space D in the direction of the arrow outside in FIG. 1 to a certain extent, and places the futon thereon. After placement, the placement section 3 is moved backward (the housing direction) and housed again in the drying space D, and the door section 29 is closed. Then, the user operates the operation panel 241 to cause the dryer 1 to perform a desired drying operation, whereby the futon can be dried.

[0016] Note that the bottom wall portion 28 of the housing 20 functions as a part of the travel path when the placement section 3 is moved back and forth, and functions as an exhaust flow path when the placement section 3 is housed in the drying space D. The bottom wall portion 28 will be described in detail later in conjunction with the description of the configuration of the placement section 3 below.

[0017] (Placement section 3) The configuration of the movable placement section 3 will be described in detail. FIGS. 4 to 6 are perspective views, front views, and side views showing the configuration of the placement section 3, respectively. FIGS. 7 and 8 are front views and side views showing the placement section on which the futon F is placed, respectively. FIG. 9 is a side view of the entire dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow direction of the warm air flowing from the gas heater to the upper wall portion in the dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow direction of the warm air flowing from the upper wall portion to the drying space of the main body portion in the dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side view showing the flow of the warm air of the entire dryer according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the placement section 3 includes a placement table 31, a pedestal portion 32, and a pressing belt 33.

[0018] The mounting platform 31 is formed as a hollow, roughly triangular prism shape (for example, a vaulting box shape) with its top and bottom surfaces facing in the front-to-back direction, and one side facing the sharpest angle of the vertex pointing downwards. In the following description, the front side of the top and bottom surfaces of the triangular prism will be referred to as the front of the mounting platform 31, the other side as the back of the mounting platform 31, and the downward-pointing side of the triangular prism as the bottom of the mounting platform 31. The other two inclined sides and the curved surface formed at the top end will be referred to as the mounting surface of the mounting platform 31. Therefore, the mounting surface will have a shape in which a plane is folded so that a virtual fold line facing in the front-to-back direction is positioned at the top end. The bottom surface of the mounting platform 31 is connected to the top surface of the base portion 32.

[0019] As shown in Figure 6, the mounting base 31 has dimensions such as 100 cm in width and 100 cm in height. On both sides of the mounting base 31, there are groups of punched holes 311 consisting of multiple circular holes that connect the internal space P (see Figure 5 or Figure 12, etc.) of the mounting base 31 to the drying space D. Air flows between the drying space D and the internal space P through these groups of punched holes 311. These groups of punched holes 311 are provided over a predetermined distance from the top end of the mounting base 31, and this predetermined distance is preferably more than half the longitudinal width of the futon. Here, it is formed by joining three metal plates such as stainless steel. The joints of the metal plates (the joint between the upper and lower plates shown in Figure 6) are bent inward (towards the internal space P) to reinforce the strength.

[0020] The mounting base 31 has areas 311a, 311b, and 311c on the front, back (left and right in Figure 6), and bottom sides where the punching holes 311 are not formed. The back side of Figure 6 has the same shape. The width of areas 311a and 311b is, for example, 60 mm to 150 mm (approximately 140 mm). The width of area 311c is 100 mm to 250 mm (approximately 200 mm). The edges of the futon placed on the mounting base 31 are located in these areas 311a, 311b, and 311c. At the edges of the futon, a certain degree of airtightness is necessary to prevent hot air from leaking. By providing areas 311a, 311b, and 311c, there is no need to worry about hot air leaking. On the other hand, hot air flows into the small gap between the edges of the futon and the contact surfaces of areas 311a, 311b, and 311c, allowing the edges of the futon to be dried as well.

[0021] Each hole in the punching hole group 311 has a curved surface at its periphery on the side facing the drying space D, i.e., the side that the futon F contacts (upper side in the figure), so that the diameter widens towards the drying space D side. Therefore, the opening diameter (hole diameter) of each hole in the punching hole group 311 is wider on the drying space D side than the opening diameter on the internal space P side. Alternatively, a tapered surface may be formed so that the diameter widens towards the drying space D side instead of a curved surface.

[0022] Furthermore, the front of the mounting platform 31 is provided with a gripping section 312 for the user to hold when moving the mounting section 3.

[0023] When placing the futon F to be dried onto the mounting table 31, as shown in Figure 7, the shorter side of the futon F is oriented in the front-to-back direction of the mounting table 31, and it is placed on the mounting surface of the mounting table 31 so as to cover the group of punched holes 311. At this time, the futon F is folded to conform to the slope of the mounting surface.

[0024] The upper end of the mounting table 31 is formed as a curved surface with curvature, and it is preferable that the radius of curvature be at least 0.9 times the thickness of the futon F placed on it. By forming a curved surface with such a radius of curvature, when the futon F is folded and placed on it, the folded portion of the futon F can be made surface contact along the curved surface, and the stress applied there can be well distributed. If the upper end of the mounting table 31 is formed as an acute angle or as a curved surface with a smaller radius of curvature, stress may concentrate on a part of the folded portion of the futon F that is in contact with the upper end. When such stress concentration occurs, the part is compressed and its density increases, which can reduce air permeability and, consequently, reduce drying efficiency. However, by having the mounting table 31 have the radius of curvature described above, such a decrease in drying efficiency can be avoided. Furthermore, since the group of punching holes 311 can be formed on the curved surface, improvement in drying efficiency can also be achieved.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the base portion 32 is formed in a hollow, roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an opening 321a is formed on its upper surface to connect the internal space T of the base portion 32 to the internal space P of the mounting base 31. On the other hand, an opening 321b is formed on the lower surface of the base portion 32 to connect the internal space T to the downward exhaust passage 281 (described later) formed in the bottom wall portion 28 of the housing 20. These openings 321a and 321b allow air from the internal space P to flow into the downward exhaust passage 281 (see Figure 12).

[0026] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the base portion 32 has two front wheel casters 322a provided on the lower surface of its front end, spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a stepped portion 322c is formed on the lower surface of its rear end, recessed upward over substantially the entire left-right area, on which two rear wheel casters 322b are provided, spaced apart in the left-right direction. The front wheel casters 322a are formed to be larger in diameter than the rear wheel casters 322b, and their lower ends are positioned below the rear wheel casters 322b. The rear wheel casters 322b are in contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 28 of the housing 20 so as to be able to move.

[0027] A sloping surface 323 is formed behind the front wheel caster 322a on the base portion 32, extending in the left-right direction and sloping downward from front to rear. When the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D, the front end of the sloping surface 323 is located at the position where the support caster 285, described later, makes contact. Due to the formation of this sloping surface 323, the base portion 32 has a shape that protrudes slightly downward in the area near the opening 321b, specifically from the rear end of the sloping surface 323 to the front end of the stepped portion 322c, compared to its front and rear ends.

[0028] As shown in Figure 12, a similar inclined surface 283 is formed on the bottom wall portion 28 of the housing 20 that forms the running surface of the rear wheel caster 322b. The inclined surface 283 has the same inclination angle, direction, and length as the inclined surface 323 of the base portion 32, and is formed so that the rear end of the inclined surface 283 is located at the position where the rear wheel caster 322b makes contact when the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D. Therefore, the bottom wall portion 28 has a shape in which the area in front of the inclined surface 323 protrudes slightly upward. It is preferable to set the height of the inclined surface 283 and the inclined surface 323 so that a small gap is formed between this area and the area near the opening 321b when the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D.

[0029] Furthermore, a caster base 284 with a roughly U-shaped cross-section and an open bottom is provided at the front end of the bottom wall portion 28, and two support casters 285 are provided on its upper surface, spaced apart in the left-right direction, that slidably contact the lower surface of the base portion 32. When the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D, the support casters 285 are located at the front end of the inclined surface 323 and contact and support the base portion 32. When the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D, the front side of the mounting portion 3 is supported by these support casters 285, so in this embodiment, the front wheel caster 322a is slightly spaced away from the installation surface of the dryer 1. Notches 286 are formed in the caster base 284 at the corresponding positions so as not to contact the front wheel caster 322a of the base portion 32.

[0030] As described above, the inclined surface 283 is formed on the bottom wall 28 corresponding to the rear wheel caster 322b of the base 32, and the inclined surface 323 is formed on the base 32 corresponding to the support caster 285 of the bottom wall 28. This allows each caster to travel simultaneously on the opposing inclined surface when the mounting unit 3 is pulled out of the drying space D. This allows the base 32 to be moved upward by the height of the inclined surface while maintaining parallelism between the base 32 and the bottom wall 28, and also enables stable horizontal movement. Furthermore, the rear wheel caster 322b and the support caster 285 are positioned at the same location in the left-right direction. Therefore, the forward movement of the rear wheel caster 322b is restricted by the support caster 285, preventing the entire mounting unit 3 from coming out of the drying space D when the user moves the mounting unit 3 forward.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the bottom wall portion 28 has a downward exhaust passage 281 defined inside, and an opening 282 for connecting the downward exhaust passage 281 to the internal space T is formed on its upper surface, and an opening 287 located behind the opening 282 for fluidly connecting the vertical passage 271 (described later) to the downward exhaust passage 281 is formed. When the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D, the opening 282 is formed in a position opposite to the opening 321b of the base portion 32 and is substantially the same shape as it is.

[0032] A sealing member 288 is provided on the periphery of the opening 282. When the mounting portion 3 is housed in the drying space D, the periphery of the opening 321b of the base portion 32 comes into contact with the sealing member 288, allowing the opening 282 and the opening 321b of the base portion 32 to be airtightly connected via the sealing member 288. The sealing member 288 is fixed immovably to the bottom wall portion 28 by fasteners such as screws or adhesive, and any material can be used as long as it can airtightly connect the opposing openings. For example, felt or an elastic material can be used as the sealing member 288. The sealing member 288 may also be provided on the periphery of the opening 321b.

[0033] As described above, the mounting section 3 is supported by the support casters 285 and its rear casters 322b contact the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20, allowing it to move relative to the housing 20 in the front-rear direction to be placed in and removed from the drying space D. Furthermore, when the mounting section 3 is placed in the drying space D, it can move relative to the housing, allowing the openings 321b and 282 to be airtightly connected.

[0034] As the mounting section 3 is pulled out from the drying space D, the rear casters 322b approach the support casters 285, causing the front side to tilt downwards. However, this tilt causes the front casters 322a to make contact with the mounting surface, and the rear casters 322b remain in constant contact with the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20. Therefore, even when the mounting section 3 is pulled out to a certain extent, it can be driven stably.

[0035] The pressing strip 33 is a flexible, elongated strip-shaped member provided at both ends of the mounting base 31 in the front-rear direction, and each presses the shorter end of the futon F against the mounting surface of the mounting base 31. The pressing strip 33 extends from one side of the mounting base 31 in the left-right direction (left side in Figure 7) through the upper curved surface of the mounting base 31 to the other side (right side in Figure 7), and one end in the longitudinal direction is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting base 31. On the other hand, the other end in the longitudinal direction of the pressing strip 33 is provided with a connecting member 331 that can be detachably connected to a connecting device 313 provided on the other side of the mounting base 31.

[0036] An example of a connecting mechanism using such a connecting device 313 and connecting member 331 is one that uses a buckle device and tongue, as used in seat belts, etc. The tongue is a flat plate member with holes or notches formed therein, and can be locked inside the buckle device by inserting it into an insertion opening provided in the buckle device. On the other hand, the locking of the tongue can be released by pressing the release button on the buckle device. In addition, a mechanism that uses hooks to lock the two together or uses hook-and-loop fasteners may also be used, and any detachable connecting mechanism may be used.

[0037] Furthermore, the pressing band 33 has an expandable portion 332 formed on a part of it that is expandable and contractible in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when pressing the short end of the placed futon F, the pressing band 33 is laid along the short end, so the pressing band 33 separates from the placement surface according to the thickness of the futon F, and the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313 separate. However, the expandable portion 332 extends by the distance of this separation, so the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313 can be connected. Moreover, when the expandable portion 332 is extended, a restoring force is constantly generated when the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313 are connected, so this restoring force allows the pressing band 33 to uniformly press the futon F toward the placement surface. The expandable portion 332 is preferably made of an elastic material such as a coil spring or rubber, and the entire pressing band 33 may be made of an expandable portion 332.

[0038] The jet nozzle 23 shown in Figure 9 is a nozzle that sprays liquid containing chemicals such as deodorizers, disinfectants, and mite repellents. The chemicals discharged from the jet nozzle 23 are blown into the futon F along with the warm air in the drying space D, so that the futon F can be dried and disinfected at the same time.

[0039] (Flow path and operation in a dryer) The hot air flow path in the dryer will be explained using Figures 10 to 12. First, Figure 10 shows the flow direction of the hot air flowing from the gas heater 21 to the upper wall portion 25 of the dryer according to this embodiment. In the intake passage 251, which is the space formed between the flat plate portion 25a and the upper wall portion 25, the hot air from the gas heater 21 passes through the connecting pipe 253 and is sent toward the flat plate portion 25a. As a result, a vortex (tornado) is generated in the intake passage 251 and sent from the inlet hole group 255 to the drying space D.

[0040] Figure 11 shows the flow direction of the hot air flowing from the upper wall portion of the dryer according to the embodiment into the drying space D of the main body. As shown in Figure 11, the hot air from the intake passage 251 swirls in the drying space D and is sent to the futon F, and the air in the drying space D passes through the futon F via the group of punching holes 311 provided on both sides of the mounting table 31 and is drawn into the mounting section 3.

[0041] Figure 12 is a side view showing the overall hot air flow of the dryer according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, two horizontally extending and parallel flat plates 25a and 25b are provided above the upper wall portion 25 of the housing 20, and a gas heater 21 and an exhaust fan 22 are mounted on the uppermost flat plate portion 25b, respectively. Two spaces are divided vertically by a flat plate portion 25a located below the flat plate portion 25b. The space defined between the flat plate portion 25a and the upper wall portion 25 is used as the intake air passage 251, and the space defined between the flat plate portion 25a and the flat plate portion 25b is used as the upper exhaust air passage 252. The upper exhaust air passage 252 extends slightly behind the intake air passage 251 and is fluidly connected to the vertical air passage 271. Since the intake air passage 251 and the upper exhaust air passage 252 are formed vertically with respect to the flat plate portion 25a, it is preferable that the flat plate portion 25a is made of an insulating material.

[0042] The vertical flow path 271 is the gap between the rear wall portion 27 and the flat plate portion 27a which is parallel to the rear wall portion 27 and located in front of it. When viewed from above, it is formed as a space with a rectangular cross-section that is elongated in the left-right direction and extends in the vertical direction. The vertical flow path 271 is fluidically connected to the upper exhaust flow path 252 and the lower exhaust flow path 281, and together they form a single exhaust flow path.

[0043] As shown in Figure 10, a connecting pipe 253 is connected to the intake passage 251, and a connecting pipe 254 is connected to the upper exhaust passage 252. The connecting pipe 253 is formed in correspondence with the gas heater 21 and is fluidically connected to the intake passage 251, allowing air heated by the gas heater 21 to be drawn into the intake passage 251. The connecting pipe 254 is formed in correspondence with the exhaust fan 22 and is fluidically connected to the upper exhaust passage 252, allowing the exhaust fan 22 to discharge the air from the upper exhaust passage 252.

[0044] Furthermore, the upper wall portion 25 is formed with a group of inlet holes 255 that connect the intake air passage 251 and the drying space D, and allow air heated by the gas heater 21 to flow into the drying space D. This group of inlet holes 255 consists of multiple punched holes and is formed over a predetermined range in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the drying space D. The predetermined range here is approximately the entire area below the intake air passage 251, and more specifically, the range from above the rear end of the mounting base 31 in the front-rear direction to the front end of the intake air passage 251 in the front-rear direction.

[0045] Next, the method of using the dryer 1 will be described. First, the mounting section 3 is pulled out from the drying space D, and the futon F is placed on its mounting surface. Then, the mounting section 3 is moved a predetermined distance backward in the front-rear direction so that the door section 29 can be closed. As a result of this movement, the rear wheel casters 322b and the support casters 285 travel on opposing surfaces including their respective inclined surfaces, and the opening 321b of the base section 32 and the opening 282 of the bottom wall section 28 approach each other and connect via the sealing member 288. In this state, the door section 29 can be closed and the mounting section 3 can be completely housed in the drying space D. When the mounting section 3 is completely housed in the drying space D, the internal spaces P and T of the mounting section 3 and the lower exhaust passage 281 are fluidly connected, and thus the internal spaces P and T and the upper exhaust passage 252 are fluidly connected.

[0046] After the mounting unit 3 is placed in the drying space D, the user controls the control unit 24 and the exhaust fan 22 is activated. As a result, the air in the upper exhaust passage 252 is discharged to the outside, causing the internal spaces P and T within the mounting unit 3 to become negative pressure via the vertical passage 271 and the lower exhaust passage 281. When the internal spaces P and T become negative pressure, air from the drying space D is drawn into the mounting unit 3 through the group of punching holes 311 provided on both sides of the mounting base 31, passing through the futon F. In response, the drying space D becomes negative pressure, and air from outside the dryer 1 passing through the gas heater 21 is drawn into the drying space D via the intake passage 251, which is connected to the drying space D by the group of inlet holes 255.

[0047] When air flows into the drying space D and the gas heater 21 is operating, the air heated by the gas heater 21 flows into the drying space D as warm air. This warm air passes through the mat-like member F placed on the mounting section 3 and flows into the mounting section 3 before being discharged to the outside of the dryer 1, thereby drying the futon F.

[0048] As described above, the dryer of the embodiment comprises a housing 20 in which a drying space D is formed, a mounting section 3 provided within the drying space D on which a mat-like member F can be placed, and a gas heater 21 that blows hot air into the housing 20. The gas heater 21 is equipped with a wind direction control means that controls the hot air to blow onto the mat-like member F from multiple directions.

[0049] The wind direction control means of this embodiment is realized by an upper wall portion 251 located above the drying space, a connecting pipe 253 that guides warm air from the gas heater 21 into the upper wall portion 251, and a group of inlet holes 255 provided in the upper wall portion 251.

[0050] In this embodiment, in the intake air passage formed by the upper wall portion 251 and the flat plate portion 25a provided above the upper wall portion 251, warm air can be sent in a swirling motion from the inlet hole group 255 to the drying space D.

[0051] In this embodiment, in the drying space D, warm air from the intake passage is swirled and sent to the mat-like member F, and the warm air in the drying space D passes through the mat-like member F and is drawn into the mounting section 3 through the groups of punching holes 311 provided on both sides of the mounting base 31.

[0052] In this embodiment, with the mounting portion 3 housed within the housing 20, the mounting portion 3 further includes a base portion 32 having a second opening 321b opposite to a first opening 321a provided on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 3, and an exhaust fan 22. Hot air is drawn from the base portion 32 to the exhaust fan 22 and discharged.

[0053] In this embodiment, the dryer comprises a housing 20 that defines a drying space D, a mounting section 3 housed in the drying space D of the housing 20, on which a mat-like member F can be placed on mounting surfaces on both sides provided with a group of holes 311, and on which an internal space P is defined, and an air blowing means 21 that sends hot air into the drying space D of the housing 20, wherein the hot air sent into the drying space D passes through the mat-like member F and is drawn into the internal space P through the group of holes 311 provided on the mounting surfaces on both sides, and the group of holes 311 is not formed in areas 311a, 311b, and 311c where the peripheral edges of the mat-like member F of the mounting section 3 are located, thereby improving the adhesion of the peripheral edges. In this embodiment, the diameter of the holes in the hole group 311 is such that the opening diameter on the drying space D side is larger than the opening diameter on the internal space P side, allowing warm air to pass through the mat-like member F easily. In this embodiment, the upper end of the mounting portion 3 is formed with a curved surface having a group of holes 311, except for areas 311a and 311b. The radius of curvature of the curved surface is at least 0.9 times the thickness of the mat-like member F on which it is mounted. This allows the folded portion of the futon F to be in surface contact with the curved surface, and the stress applied thereto can be well distributed. The mounting base 31 having the radius of curvature described above helps to avoid such a decrease in drying efficiency. Furthermore, since the group of holes 311 can also be formed on the curved surface, an improvement in drying efficiency can also be achieved. In this embodiment, the area on both sides of the mounting surface is 60 mm to 150 mm, which improves the adhesion of the periphery of the futon F in the shorter direction. In this embodiment, the area below the mounting surface is 100 mm to 250 mm, which improves the adhesion of the periphery of the futon F in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the mounting surface is formed by multiple metal plates, and the joints between each metal plate are bent toward the internal space, thereby strengthening the joints between the metal plates.

[0054] In the dryer of this embodiment, warm air is swirled in a tornado within the intake passage 251 and sent from the inlet holes 255 to the drying space D. The warm air from the intake passage 251 is also swirled in the drying space D and sent to the futon F. The air in the drying space D passes through the futon F via the punched holes 311 provided on both sides of the mounting table 31 and is drawn into the mounting section 3, so that the futon can be dried efficiently.

[0055] In the embodiment described above, the object to be dried was described as a futon F, but it is not limited to this, and other mat-shaped members made of fibrous material such as carpets, rugs, and mattresses may also be placed on the mat for drying.

[0056] Furthermore, although the punching holes 311 and the inlet holes 255 were described as circular, they are not limited to this and may be rectangular. In addition, the mounting surface may be formed in a mesh shape to connect the internal space P and the drying space D.

[0057] Alternatively, the flow path may be reversed by swapping the positions of the gas heater 21 and the exhaust fan 22. In this case, heated air from the mounting base 31 flows into the futon F, and the air that has passed through it flows into the inlet hole group 255.

[0058] The embodiments of the present invention are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 1...Dryer, 20...Enclosure, 21...Gas heater, 22...Exhaust fan 22, 23...Jet nozzle, 24...Control unit, 25... Upper wall section 25, 26... Pair of side wall sections, 27... Rear wall section, 28...Bottom wall section, 29...Door section 29, 31...Platform, 311...Punching hole group, 311a, 311b, 311c...Area 32...Base section, 33...Pressing band (pressing section), D: Drying space, F: Futon (mat-like material), P: Internal space of the mounting platform T...Internal space of the base

Claims

1. A casing that defines a drying space, A vaulting box-shaped mounting section housed in the drying space of the aforementioned housing, with an internal space defined on its interior, wherein a curved surface formed at its upper end and inclined surfaces on both sides connected to the curved surface form a mounting surface, and a mat-like member is placed on the aforementioned mounting surface. A group of holes provided in the area excluding the outer periphery of the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides, A blowing means for supplying warm air into the drying space of the housing, Equipped with, When the mat-like member is placed on the mounting portion, The bent portion of the mat-like member makes surface contact with the curved surface at the upper end. To prevent the hot air from leaking, the peripheral edge of the mat-like member is positioned in an area where the holes are not formed on the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides. The warm air sent from the blowing means into the drying space passes through the mat-like member and is drawn into the internal space through the group of holes provided on the curved surface and the inclined surfaces on both sides. The mat-like member is placed on the aforementioned mounting surface such that its width direction is the short direction of the aforementioned mounting surface and its length direction is the long direction of the aforementioned mounting surface. A dryer characterized in that the width of the area on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the mounting surface where the groups of holes are not formed is longer than the width of the area on both sides of the short direction of the mounting surface where the groups of holes are not formed.

2. The dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the area on both sides of the mounting surface in the short direction where the holes are not formed is 60 mm to 150 mm, and the width of the area on both sides of the mounting surface in the long direction where the holes are not formed is 100 mm to 250 mm.

3. The dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the radius of curvature of the curved surface of the mounting portion is set to at least 0.9 times the thickness of the mat-like member on which it is mounted, thereby distributing the stress applied to the mat-like member on the curved surface.

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