Clothes treating apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a clothes treating apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of undesirable conditions such as water leakage from a drainage path, a drainage tank, and the like. A clothes treatment device (100) according to the present disclosure is provided with: an air treatment device (6) that treats and circulates air in a housing part (5) that houses an object to be treated (4); a drainage path and a drainage tank (18) for recovering condensed water generated in the housing (1); and a control unit that executes a processing operation, the air processing device comprising a dehumidification unit (10), an air heating unit (9), an air blowing unit (11), and an air blowing path that connects the dehumidification unit (10), the air heating unit (9), and the air blowing unit (11) and that has a suction port and a blow-out port in the housing unit, the drainage path comprising a drainage pump and a water collection unit provided in front of the drainage pump, a drainage water level sensor for detecting the water level of the drainage tank and a condensate water level sensor for detecting the water level of the water collection part are provided, and an overflow path for returning overflow water from the drainage tank to the water collection part is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a clothes treating device that improves the state of a treated object such as clothes by applying steam, heat, external force, etc. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 provides a clothes treatment device capable of directly sensing the water level of water stored in a tank. The clothes treatment device comprises: a housing, which is divided into a treatment chamber for storing clothes, a circulation chamber for storing a mechanical device, and a tank installation space for storing a detachable tank; a door, which opens and closes at least a portion of the housing; a steam unit, which is arranged in the circulation chamber and supplies steam to the treatment chamber; and a heat pump unit, which is arranged in the circulation chamber and circulates and conditions the air in the treatment chamber. The structure includes: a water supply tank, which is arranged in the tank installation space, connected to the steam unit, and supplies water to the steam unit; a waste water tank, which is detachably arranged in the tank installation space, and stores condensed water generated by at least one of the treatment chamber and the heat pump unit; a water level sensor, which is arranged inside the water supply tank, and senses the water level of the water supply tank; and a water level sensor, which is arranged inside the waste water tank, and senses the water level of the waste water tank, and uses the water level sensor inside the waste water tank to prevent overflow from the waste water tank.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-166375 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] The present invention provides a clothes treating device which can suppress the occurrence of problems such as water leakage from a drainage path and a drainage tank, etc., in which clothes or other treated objects are exposed to steam to iron wrinkles or the like.

[0008] Solutions for solving problems

[0009] A clothes treatment device in one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a housing having: a housing having a storage portion for storing a treated object and an opening on the front surface; and a door that opens and closes the opening; a holding portion that holds the treated object in the storage portion; an air treatment device that treats the air in the storage portion and circulates the air; a drainage path and a drainage tank that recover condensed water generated in the housing; and a control portion that performs a treatment operation. The air treatment device comprises a dehumidification portion, an air heating portion, an air supply portion, and an air supply path that connects them and has an inlet and an outlet in the storage portion. The drainage path comprises a drainage pump and a water collection portion provided in front of the drainage pump. In the clothes treatment device, a drainage water level sensor for detecting the water level of the drainage tank and a condensed water level sensor for detecting the water level of the water collection portion are provided, and an overflow path for returning overflow water from the drainage tank to the water collection portion is provided.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] The clothing processing device in one embodiment of the present invention utilizes an overflow path to prevent overflow from unexpected locations of the drainage tank. In addition, by providing two water level sensors, even if a malfunction occurs in the water level sensor, the abnormality can be reported to the user, or the processing operation can be stopped to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions such as water leakage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the clothes treating device in Embodiment 1.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the clothes processing apparatus in Embodiment 1, in which a machine room can be seen.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a side sectional view of the clothes treating device in Embodiment 1.

[0015] Figure 4 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air treatment device and a steam supply device of a clothes treatment device in Embodiment 1.

[0016] Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of an operation unit of the clothes treating apparatus in Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the wrinkle smoothing operation of the clothes treating apparatus in the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 7 It is a side cross-sectional view of the main parts near the machine room of the clothes processing apparatus in Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 81 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an air treatment device and a drainage path of the clothes treatment device in Embodiment 1.

[0020] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart of the operation of the drain pump of the clothes treating apparatus in the first embodiment.

[0021] Fig.10 This is another flowchart of the operation of the drain pump of the clothes treating apparatus in the first embodiment.

[0022] Description of Reference Numerals

[0023] 1. Box; 2. Shell; 3. Door; 3a. Sealing member; 4. Object to be processed; 5. Accommodation unit; 5a. Shell; 6. Air handling device; 7. Machine room; 8. Hanging unit (holding unit); 8a. Shelf; 9. Air heating unit; 10. Dehumidification unit; 11. Air supply unit; 11a. Fan; 11b. Motor; 12. Air supply path; 12a. Inlet; 12b. Blowout; 13. Steam supply device; 14. Water supply unit; 14a. Connection unit; 14b. Water supply pump; 14c. Water supply pipe; 15. Water supply tank; 16. Steam generator 16a, container; 16b, water heating part; 17, steam ejection part; 17a, steam piping; 17b, ejection outlet; 18, drain tank; 18a, drain water level sensor; 18b, overflow outlet; 19, water collecting part; 19a, condensate water level sensor; 20, drain pump; 30, ventilation port; 31, opening and closing device; 40, control part; 41, operation part; 42, opening and closing detection part; 50, water level detection part; 61, connecting port; 62, connecting path; 80, liquid tank device; 81, tank storage part; 100, clothes processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] (Insights, etc. that form the basis of this disclosure)

[0025] In order to iron out wrinkles on the fabric of a processed object such as clothes, spraying high-temperature steam onto the wrinkled parts, such as a steam iron, is an effective means. The prior art clothes processing device hangs the processed object in a main body and exposes it to steam for drying, thereby performing clothes processing such as ironing out wrinkles and deodorizing.

[0026] Condensed water is generated by condensation on the inner wall surface of the storage part during the steam supply process of the treatment operation, or condensed water is generated in the dehumidification part during the drying process. The condensed water is appropriately collected and stored in the drain tank. The drain tank is provided with a water level sensor to report that the drain tank is full.

[0027] However, in this configuration, when the water level sensor fails, the operation is continued without any notification, and the drain overflows from the drain tank, which may cause a problem such as water leakage from the clothes processing apparatus.

[0028] Therefore, the inventors focused on suppressing the occurrence of such an inconvenience and provided the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0029] In order to solve this problem, the present disclosure provides a clothes processing device as follows: even if a water level sensor fails, the abnormality can be reported to the user, or the processing operation can be stopped to suppress the occurrence of undesirable conditions such as water leakage. The clothes processing device is provided with a water collecting part for collecting condensed water in front of the drain tank, and water level sensors for detecting full water are respectively provided in the drain tank and the water collecting part. The clothes processing device also has an overflow path for returning overflow water from the drain tank to the water collecting part.

[0030] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, unnecessary detailed descriptions may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already known matters or repeated descriptions of substantially the same structures may be omitted.

[0031] In addition, the drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0032] (Implementation Method 1)

[0033] Below, use Figure 1 to Figure 5 Implementation method 1 will be described.

[0034] [1-1. Basic structure of clothes processing device]

[0035] Figure 1 1 is a schematic perspective view of the clothes treating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 Is set to be disassembled in Figure 1 A schematic three-dimensional view of the machine room 7 is shown with the liquid tank device 80 provided at the lower portion of the front surface.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the housing 1 of the clothes processing device 100 includes: a housing 2 having an opening on the front surface; and a door 3 that opens and closes the opening. A storage portion 5 for storing processed objects 4 such as clothes is provided in an upper space built into the housing 1. That is, the inner surface of the door 3 forms the storage portion 5. A sealing member 3a is installed on the outer periphery of the inner surface of the door 3 in accordance with the opening of the storage portion 5. The sealing member 3a is formed of a soft material such as rubber. As a result, the storage portion 5 becomes a closed space due to the closing of the door 3, thereby ensuring airtightness.

[0037] The liquid tank device 80 includes a water supply tank 15, a drain tank 18, and a tank storage portion 81 (see Figure 3 ). The liquid tank device 80 is arranged at the front of the lower space in the box body 1. Figure 2As shown, the machine room 7 is arranged at the rear of the lower space in the box body 1. The processed objects 4 include all fiber products such as handkerchiefs, towels, cloth bags and other small objects in addition to clothes worn by people and all small objects.

[0038] The hanging part 8 is provided at the upper part of the storage part 5. The hanging part 8 hangs the hanger 4a on which the processed object 4 is placed. The hanging part 8 may also be provided with a swing mechanism for swinging the suspended processed object 4. In addition, a shelf 8a or a hook for holding small objects may also be provided, and these including the hanging part 8 are referred to as a holding part. The machine room 7 is used to accommodate an air treatment device 6 for heating, dehumidifying and circulating the air in the storage part 5 and a steam supply device 13 for supplying steam into the storage part 5.

[0039] Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the clothes processing device 100 in this embodiment. Figure 3 As shown, the receiving portion 5 is formed by a housing 5a independent of the housing 2, and is configured in a manner that there is a space between the housing 2. A ventilation port 30 and an opening and closing device 31 for opening and closing the ventilation port 30 are provided on the top surface of the housing 5a. The ventilation port 30 is opened when the clothes processing device 100 stops, and becomes an inlet and outlet for naturally ventilating the air in the receiving portion 5 through the space between the receiving portion 5 and the housing 2.

[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, an air handling device 6 and a steam supply device 13 are installed in the machine room 7. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the air treatment device 6 and the steam supply device 13 is shown.

[0041] The air treatment device 6 includes a dehumidifier 10, an air heater 9, an air supply unit 11, and an air supply path 12 connecting them. The air supply path 12 has an inlet 12a provided at the front opening of the lower surface of the storage unit 5 and an outlet 12b provided at the rear opening of the lower surface of the storage unit 5. The air supply unit 11 has a fan 11a and a motor 11b. The air supply unit 11 inhales the air in the storage unit 5 from the inlet 12a, blows it out from the outlet 12b to circulate it, and stirs the air in the storage unit 5. The dehumidifier 10 dehumidifies the circulating air in the drying process of the treatment operation to promote the drying of the treated object 4. Similarly, the air heater 9 raises the temperature of the air in the storage unit 5 to promote the evaporation of the moisture contained in the treated object 4.

[0042] The drain tank 18 receives the condensed water that is dehumidified and recovered by the dehumidifier 10. The drain tank 18 is provided from the dehumidifier 10 via the water collecting portion 19 and the drain pump 20. In addition, the lower surface of the receiving portion 5 has a recovery pipe (not shown) that guides the condensed water to the water collecting portion 19, and the recovery pipe is formed obliquely so that the condensed water that condenses and drips on the inner wall of the receiving portion 5 is collected. Thus, even if the inside of the receiving portion 5 becomes highly humid and condensed water is generated on the inner wall, it can be recovered and is difficult to leak outside the main body. The drain tank 18, which functions as a water storage portion, is detachably provided so that the user can discard the accumulated water.

[0043] In addition, the air handling device 6 may also be constituted by a known heat pump unit, for example. The heat pump unit is constituted by connecting a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator using a refrigerant pipe, so that the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant pipe to exchange heat. The condenser of the heat pump unit is equivalent to the air heating unit 9, and the evaporator is equivalent to the dehumidification unit 10. As long as the air heating unit 9 and the dehumidification unit 10 are constituted by a heat pump unit, moisture can be forcibly discharged to the outside of the box 1 as a general ventilation, and a large amount of cooling water for dehumidification will not be used like a water cooling device, and a dry operation can be implemented efficiently with power saving.

[0044] The steam supply device 13 includes a water supply unit 14 for storing the supplied water, a steam generating unit 16, and a steam ejecting unit 17. The water supply unit 14 includes a detachable water supply tank 15, a connecting unit 14a for connecting the water supply tank 15 to the main body side, a water level detecting unit 50 for detecting the water level of the water supply tank 15, a water supply pump 14b, and a water supply pipe 14c for connecting them. The water level detecting unit 50 is arranged between the connecting unit 14a and the water supply pump 14b. In other words, the water level detecting unit 50 is not provided on the detachable water supply tank 15, but is fixed on the main body side.

[0045] The steam generating unit 16 includes a container 16a for storing water and steam and a water heating unit 16b for heating water and evaporating it. The water supply pipe 14c coming out of the water supply pump 14b is connected to the container 16a of the steam generating unit 16. The steam ejection unit 17 includes a steam piping 17a and an ejection port 17b connected to the steam generating unit 16. The ejection port 17b opens to the storage unit 5 at the front end of the steam piping 17a. In addition, the ejection port 17b can also be formed in a manner that the high-temperature steam does not directly hit the processed object 4. Thus, it is possible to suppress the degradation of the raw materials due to the heat of the higher-temperature steam. In addition, a drainage path can be provided to guide the condensed water generated by condensation in the vicinity including the ejection port 17b to the water collecting unit 19. Moreover, a control valve or the like that detects the pressure of the steam in the container 16a and controls the ejection can also be provided.

[0046] The control unit 40 executes the processing operation of the clothes processing device 100. The control unit 40 is disposed in any place such as the space above the rear of the storage unit 5. In addition, the operation unit 41 for setting the operation of the clothes processing device 100 is disposed on the front surface of the door 3. Figure 1 As shown, the opening and closing detector 42 for detecting the opening and closing state of the door 3 can also be set at a predetermined position such as the front surface of the machine room 7. Moreover, the temperature detector for detecting the temperature in the storage part 5 can also be set at a predetermined position such as the inner wall of the storage part 5.

[0047] Figure 5 : is a schematic diagram of the operating unit 41 of the clothes processing device 100. The control unit 40 includes, for example, the control of the operation process such as drying operation, wrinkle ironing operation, sterilization and deodorization operation, and includes processing conditions such as "standard", "fast", and "strong" corresponding to each operation process. And, it is configured to perform operation control according to these settings made by the user. In addition to the operation process setting button and the start / pause button, the operating unit 41 is also provided with their setting display, time display, and warning display. In addition, as a processing condition, the raw material setting of the processed object 4 can also be set. In addition, for the power switch, an independent button can also be set on the operating unit 41. Moreover, the power switch can be a structure that connects the power supply by performing electrostatic detection by the user touching a certain part of the operating unit 41, or a structure that connects the power supply by detecting the opening and closing detection unit 42 of the door 3. It can also be a structure that automatically disconnects if there is no user operation within a predetermined time T, including the operating unit.

[0048] For example, the control unit 40 includes the following steam supply process in the wrinkle smoothing operation: controlling the steam supply device 13 to generate steam using the steam generating unit 16. At this time, the control unit 40 operates the water supply pump 14b to supply water to the container 16a of the steam generating unit 16, and energizes the water heating unit 16b to heat the supplied water to generate steam, and releases it into the storage unit 5.

[0049] The control unit 40 controls the temperature in the storage unit 5 to a predetermined temperature. As a result, the temperature in the storage unit 5 becomes high, and the storage unit 5 is filled with steam, so that the processed object 4 contains a lot of moisture and wrinkles are easily ironed out.

[0050] In addition, the control unit 40 may perform a drying process after the steam supply process in the wrinkle-smoothing operation by operating the air treatment device 6 to dehumidify and heat the air in the storage unit 5 to circulate it. This can promote drying of the treated object 4.

[0051] [1-2. Basic operation of the clothes processing device]

[0052] Regarding the clothes treating apparatus configured as above, the operation of the wrinkle smoothing operation will be described as an example. Figure 6 This is a flow chart of the wrinkle smoothing operation of the clothes processing device in this embodiment, and the steps are described in sequence.

[0053] Step 1: The user opens the door 3 of the clothes processing device 100 and places the processed object 4 such as clothes to be ironed on the hanging part 8 above the storage part 5. The user closes the door 3 after placing the clothes.

[0054] Step 2: The user operates the operation unit 41 located on the front surface of the door 3. First, the operation process to be processed (in this embodiment, "ironing wrinkles") is set using the operation process setting button. Next, the condition setting corresponding to the operation process is selected. Then, the start / pause button is pressed to start the crease ironing operation.

[0055] Step 3: According to the user's setting, the temperature and treatment time of the storage part 5 are set by the control part 40, and the treatment operation starts. In addition, the swinging action of the hanging part 8 can also be set. In the wrinkle-smoothing operation, the swinging of the object 4 can promote the smoothing of wrinkles.

[0056] Step 4: The wrinkle smoothing operation is executed for a predetermined processing time corresponding to the setting.

[0057] Step 5: If the processing time has passed, the drying process is appropriately performed. If the drying process is completed, the control unit performs a predetermined report to complete the wrinkle-smoothing operation.

[0058] As described above, the wrinkle-smoothing operation of the treated object 4 includes a steam supply process of placing the treated object 4 in the steam in the storage unit 5 and a drying process of subsequently performing air drying. As a result, the wrinkles of the fabric of the treated object 4 that is subjected to the wrinkle-smoothing process by the clothing processing device 100 are ironed and smoothed. In addition, the deodorizing effect brought by the steam is also exerted. Moreover, by performing drying, the user's ironing effort is reduced. Moreover, as long as the raw material setting is performed, different operating conditions can be set according to the raw material of the fabric in the steam supply process, so that the wrinkle-smoothing process can be performed more efficiently for the treated object 4 made of raw materials that are difficult to remove wrinkles.

[0059] [1-3. Condensate drainage structure, control and function]

[0060] Figure 7 It is a side cross-sectional view of the main parts of the machine room 7 and the vicinity of the clothes treating apparatus 100. Figure 7 The state in which steam is supplied to the housing portion 5 by the steam supply device 13 is shown, and the state in which condensed water generated on the inner wall surface of the housing portion 5 or the like and condensed water generated in the dehumidifier 10 is collected and stored in the drain tank 18 is shown.

[0061] In the clothes treating apparatus 100 of this embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, the machine room 7 accommodates the air handling device 6 and the steam supply device 13. The air handling device 6 includes a dehumidifying unit 10, an air heating unit 9, an air supply unit 11, and an air supply path 12 connecting them. The air handling device 6 circulates the air in the housing unit 5 by means of the air supply unit 11. The air supply path 12 has an inlet 12a provided at the front of the lower surface of the housing unit 5 and an outlet 12b provided at the rear of the lower surface of the housing unit 5.

[0062] The dehumidifier 10 dehumidifies the circulating air in the drying process of the treatment operation to promote the drying of the treated object 4. A drain tank 18 is provided for storing the condensed water dehumidified by the dehumidifier 10. The water collecting part 19 is provided below the dehumidifier 10 to temporarily store the condensed water generated by the dehumidifier 10. In addition, a drain pipe 21 including a drain pump 20 is provided from the water collecting part 19 to the drain tank 18. In other words, the water collecting part 19 is provided in front of the drain pump 20.

[0063] In addition, the lower surface of the receiving portion 5 is formed to be inclined in such a manner that the condensed water dripping from the inner wall of the receiving portion 5 is gathered toward the suction port 12a. The condensed water here flows into the air supply path 12 from the suction port 12a and is temporarily stored in the water collecting portion 19. In other words, the air supply path 12 also serves as a drainage path for the condensed water. According to this structure, there is no need to form a separate flow path for guiding the condensed water generated on the inner wall of the receiving portion 5. In this way, the drainage path is defined as the wall surface of the receiving portion 5 where the condensed water is generated to the air supply path 12, the water collecting portion 19, the drainage pump 20, and the drainage pipe 21.

[0064] Furthermore, a communication path 62 is provided from the drain tank 18 to the air supply path 12, and the details thereof will be described later.

[0065] Figure 8 is Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the air treatment device 6 and the steam supply device 13 shown in the figure is a schematic diagram in which a communication path 62 and the like are additionally recorded. The communication path 62 is opened as a communication port 61 on one side and is connected to the air supply path 12 on the other side. A drainage water level sensor 18a for detecting full water is provided in the drainage tank 18 so that condensed water is accumulated as drainage according to the processing time. In addition, assuming that the drainage tank 18 is not drained by the user, an overflow port 18b for allowing overflow is provided at a position above the drainage water level sensor 18a.

[0066] The overflow port 18b is connected to the communication path 62 in such a manner that the overflowed drainage flows into the communication port 61. However, the overflow port 18b and the communication path 62 are not watertightly connected like the connection portion 14a of the water supply unit 14, but the communication port 61 is open to the space of the machine room 7 or the tank storage unit 81 that is connected to the outside air, and is a structure that receives the overflowed drainage. That is, the overflow port 18b and the communication path 62 constitute an overflow path in the following circulation form: when a large amount of drainage is stored in the drainage tank 18, the drainage overflows from a position above the drainage water level sensor 18a and is discharged to the air supply path 12, and returns to the water collection unit 19 below the dehumidifier 10.

[0067] The air supply path 12 thus doubles as an overflow path for drainage. According to this structure, there is no need to form a separate flow path for guiding overflow water from the drainage tank 18 to the water collecting portion 19. In addition, the overflow path prevents overflow from unexpected locations of the drainage tank 18, thereby suppressing leakage of drainage from the clothes processing device 100.

[0068] In addition, the water collecting part 19 is provided with a condensed water level sensor 19a for detecting that the water collecting part 19 is full of water. The details of the control will be discussed later, and thus, by providing water level sensors in the drainage tank 18 and the water collecting part 19, even if a water level sensor fails or other unfavorable conditions occur, the control part 40 can report the abnormality to the user and stop the clothes processing device 100 to suppress the occurrence of unfavorable conditions such as water leakage.

[0069] During the treatment operation, the control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time t2 (e.g., 10 seconds) at a predetermined time interval t1 (e.g., 20 minutes) to send the condensed water collected in the water collection unit 19 to the drain tank 18. As a result, the water collection unit 19 regularly drains water regardless of the amount of condensed water stored, thereby suppressing the accumulation of condensed water.

[0070] The control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time t3 (e.g., 15 seconds) based on the full water detection of the condensed water level sensor 19a. Thus, when condensed water flows into the water collecting part 19 suddenly, the drain pump 20 operates at any time to suppress the condensed water from overflowing from the water collecting part 19.

[0071] Next, for the clothes processing device 100 of the present disclosure, use Fig. 9 Next, the operations of the two water level sensors and the drain pump 20 in the processing operations such as the steam supply process and the drying process for the wrinkle smoothing operation will be described. Fig. 9 This is a flowchart of the operation of the drain pump 20 of the clothes processing apparatus 100 in this embodiment. The detection and operation shown in the flowchart may be performed by continuing the detection and determination for a predetermined time, or by providing an appropriate interval between each step or operation.

[0072] Step 10: The control unit 40 starts the clothes processing operation based on the user's settings. Incidentally, the user opens the door 3 of the clothes processing device 100 and places the processed object 4 such as clothes to be processed such as ironing wrinkles on the hanging part 8 above the storage part 5. The user closes the door 3 after placing the clothes. The power supply of the clothes processing device 100 is connected by the user's opening and closing operation of the door 3. The user makes the settings required for the processing operation and starts the operation. Condensed water is generated during the processing operation.

[0073] Step 20: The control unit 40 uses the drain water level sensor 18a to detect the water level of the drain tank 18. When the drain tank 18 is detected to be full (Yes), the full state is reported (Step 21). Thus, the user can be notified that the drain tank 18 is full and be urged to drain the drain in the drain tank 18.

[0074] However, since the detection of water fullness alone does not lead to overflow, the control unit 40 does not particularly judge it as abnormal, and the treatment operation is continued. In principle, the generation of condensed water during the treatment operation is small, so even if the water fullness is detected, the operation is continued without stopping, and overflow is allowed, thereby reducing the user's effort to drain the water in the drain tank 18. However, if this is at the start of the operation, it can also be set to urge the user to drain the remaining water through a notification, and the operation will not be started before the remaining water in the drain tank 18 is drained.

[0075] Step 30: The control unit 40 detects the water level of the water collecting unit 19 using the condensed water level sensor 19a. If the water level is not detected to be full (No), the control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time t2 (for example, 10 seconds) at a predetermined time interval t1 (for example, 20 minutes) (Step 31) while continuing the operation. If the operation is performed normally, the control unit 40 operates until the end of the set operation time (Step 40 is Yes). If the water level is detected to be full before the predetermined time t1 has passed since the previous operation of the drain pump 20 (Yes), move to Step 50.

[0076] Step 40: The control unit 40 determines the time of the treatment operation, and if the time is set (Yes), it operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time t2 (Step 41) and stops the treatment operation (Step 90). This can prevent condensed water from remaining in the water collecting unit 19 after the operation stops.

[0077] Step 50: The control unit 40 uses the water full detection of the water collecting unit 19 (step 30 is yes) to operate the drainage pump 20 for a predetermined time t3 (for example, 15 seconds). The water full detection of the water collecting unit 19 is generally limited to the situation where more condensed water is generated than usual, such as at the initial stage of the drying process of the processed object 4 containing water. At this time, the control unit 40 increases the operation count n of the drainage pump 20 by 1.

[0078] Step 60: The control unit 40 terminates the operation of the drain pump 20 and uses the condensed water level sensor 19a to detect the water level of the water collecting unit 19. If the water level is not detected to be full (No), the control unit 40 resets the operation count n of the drain pump 20 (Step 61) and continues the normal processing operation.

[0079] In addition, when the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the tank is full (Yes), the process moves to step 70. In addition, in step 60, the condensed water should be drained immediately after the operation of the drain pump 20, so it is considered that the occurrence of the full water detection here is basically due to the circulation of the drain caused by the overflow of the drain tank 18. Alternatively, it is considered that the full water detection of the condensed water level sensor 19a is faulty.

[0080] Step 70: The control unit 40 determines the operation count n of the drain pump 20. When the operation count n is less than the predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times) (No), the control unit 40 continues the normal processing operation. However, in this case, the condensed water level sensor 19a continues to detect that the water is full, so the cycle of step 40 → step 20 → step 30 → step 50 → step 60 → step 70 is repeated. At this time, in the process of repeated operations, for example, there is a possibility that some temporary malfunction or the like is restored, so that the water is not detected to be full in step 60 (No). In this case, the operation count of the drain pump 20 is reset (step 61), and the normal processing operation is continued as usual. Therefore, as a case where some temporary malfunction or the like is restored to a normal state, no unnecessary abnormality report and operation stop are performed, and the normal processing operation is continued. In addition, as a malfunction, if it is a mechanical sensor, the hook of the float is considered, and if it is an electrical sensor, an electrical noise failure is considered.

[0081] Furthermore, when the action count n ≥ the predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times) (Yes), the control unit 40 reports an abnormality (step 80) and stops the processing operation (step 90). In this way, it is possible to confirm that the condensed water level sensor 19a is not malfunctioning, and at the same time reliably detect that the condensed water in the water collecting unit 19 is full of water, thereby suppressing the occurrence of water leakage caused by further operation.

[0082] Step 80: The control unit 40 reports the occurrence of an abnormality. There are various known methods for reporting, and there is no particular limitation. For example, the abnormality display may be visually displayed on the operating unit 41 and flash repeatedly. Alternatively, a buzzer may be sounded audibly.

[0083] Step 90: Alternatively, the control unit 40 stops the operation when the set time of the processing operation has passed (step 40 is yes), or it may continue until the power is disconnected as needed. Alternatively, if the operation is stopped due to an abnormality, the power is kept connected, and the abnormality report and the previous state are kept unchanged.

[0084] The above is Fig. 9 . In the process of normal processing operation of the clothes processing device 100, the abnormality report is issued and the operation is stopped in the following cases: the drain tank 18 becomes full of water and the full water report is issued, and the operation continues as usual and overflows from the drain tank 18, and then the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the water is full. In this case, the clothes processing device 100 can report to the user that the condensed water cannot be further stored, and stop the generation of condensed water to prevent water leakage. In addition, although it is an unexpected stop for the user, the drainage can be stored to the maximum extent, and the number of times the drainage stored in the drainage tank 18 is discharged is minimized, and the user can reduce the work related to the drainage tank 18.

[0085] Next, the state of abnormality reporting in this embodiment is described. Fig. 9 In the case of the flowchart shown, the abnormality report is mostly due to the overflow of the drain tank 18. That is, the drain tank 18 becomes full, the full water report is maintained and the treatment operation is continued, the drainage overflowing from the overflow port 18b is circulated through the water collecting part 19, and the full water detection of the condensed water level sensor 19a is repeated for more than a predetermined number of times, and the judgment is made on this basis. In this case, usually, as long as the user drains the drainage tank 18, normal treatment operation can be performed.

[0086] However, the same phenomenon may also occur due to a fault such as a failure of the drain water level sensor 18a and the condensed water level sensor 19a. In the case of a failure of the water level sensor, it is considered to be a no-water failure in which no water is continuously detected and a full-water failure in which full water is continuously detected. In this embodiment, the flow of a case where such a failure occurs is described.

[0087] a) Failure of drain water level sensor 18a to have no water: The phenomenon is that even if drain tank 18 is full of water, the full water report of drain tank 18 in the judgment of step 20 is not generated (step 21). There is no particular problem for the processing operation, and the processing operation consisting of the cycle of step 20 → step 30 → step 40 is continued. If the user does not notice that drain tank 18 is full of water, overflow will occur from drain tank 18 during the process, and the cycle of the case of no described in step 70 will be formed. And, as a result, n ≥ predetermined number of times (step 70 is yes), an abnormality report is issued (step 80), and the operation is stopped (step 90). Therefore, water leakage, etc. does not occur from clothes processing device 100. And, as the reason for not issuing the full water report, it is speculated that it is a failure of drain water level sensor 18a to have no water or a failure of operation unit 41, etc.

[0088] b) Water-filled failure of the drain water level sensor 18a: The phenomenon is that the full water report is always issued (step 21). Therefore, the user confirms that the full water report is issued when the drain tank 18 is not full of water, and it is speculated that the water-filled failure of the drain water level sensor 18a or the failure of the operating unit 41, etc., can be carried out as usual, and water leakage, etc., will not occur from the clothes processing device 100.

[0089] c) Failure of the condensed water level sensor 19a to have no water: The phenomenon is that the water full detection of the water collecting section 19 in the judgment of step 30 is not generated (no), and the processing operation consisting of the cycle of step 20 → step 30 → step 40 is continued. The control section 40 operates the drain pump 20 at a certain time interval t1 (step 31), so that the condensed water is discharged to the drain tank 18 every time. And, due to the end of the set operation time (yes in step 40), the processing operation is stopped (step 90), and it ends normally. Therefore, water leakage, etc. does not occur from the clothes processing device 100. If the volume of the water collecting section 19 is configured to be able to store the maximum amount of condensed water that is expected to be generated within the certain time t1 when the drain pump 20 is operated, the occurrence of water leakage can be further suppressed.

[0090] d) Water-filled failure of the condensed water level sensor 19a: The phenomenon is that the water collecting section 19 in the judgment of step 30 always becomes a water-filled detection (yes). Therefore, the control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 regardless of the presence or absence of condensed water (step 50). In addition, it also becomes a water-filled detection (yes) in step 60, so it becomes a loop of the situation of no described in step 70. As a result, n ≥ the predetermined number of times (yes in step 70) and an abnormality report is made (step 80), and the operation is stopped (step 90). Therefore, water leakage, etc. does not occur from the clothes processing device 100. In addition, while maintaining a state where no condensed water is generated, the operation is stopped due to the abnormality report, so it is speculated that the condensed water level sensor 19a is full of water.

[0091] According to the processing operation based on the above flowchart, in the clothes processing apparatus 100, no matter which of the drain water level sensor 18a and the condensed water level sensor 19a fails, abnormality reporting or operation stop can be performed to suppress the occurrence of problems such as water leakage.

[0092] [1-4. Effects, etc.]

[0093] As described above, the technology disclosed in this embodiment can perform various combinations of components and achieve the following effects.

[0094] (Technology 1)

[0095] The clothes processing device 100 comprises: a housing 1, which has: a housing 2, the housing having a storage portion 5 for storing the processed object 4 and having an opening on the front surface; and a door 3, the door opening and closing the opening; a hanging portion 8 (holding portion), which is used to hold the processed object 4 in the storage portion 5; an air processing device 6, which processes the air in the storage portion 5 and circulates the air; a drainage path and a drainage tank 18, which recover condensed water generated in the housing 1; and a control unit 40, which executes a processing operation, and the air treatment The treatment device 6 includes a dehumidification section 10, an air heating section 9, an air supply section 11, and an air supply path 12 which connects them and has an inlet 12a and an outlet 12b in the receiving section 5. The drainage path includes a drainage pump 20 and a water collection section 19 arranged in front of the drainage pump 20, a drainage water level sensor 18a for detecting the water level of the drainage tank 18 and a condensed water level sensor 19a for detecting the water level of the water collection section 19, and an overflow path for returning overflow water from the drainage tank 18 to the water collection section 19.

[0096] According to this structure, the clothes processing apparatus 100 prevents overflow from unexpected locations of the drain tank 18 by using the overflow path, and can suppress leakage of drain from the clothes processing apparatus 100. In addition, by providing two water level sensors, even if a malfunction such as a failure occurs in one of the water level sensors, the control unit 40 can report the abnormality to the user and stop the clothes processing apparatus 100 to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions such as leakage.

[0097] (Technique 2)

[0098] According to the clothes treating apparatus 100 of the first technique, the control unit 40 reports an abnormality and stops the treatment operation when the drainage water level sensor 18a detects that the water is full and the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the water is full.

[0099] According to this structure, the clothes processing device 100 can inform the user that the condensed water cannot be further stored, stop the generation of condensed water and prevent water leakage. In addition, for the user, the drainage can be stored to the maximum extent and the number of times the drainage stored in the drainage tank 18 is drained can be reduced, which can reduce the work related to the drainage tank 18.

[0100] (Technique 3)

[0101] According to the clothes treating apparatus 100 of the first or second technique, the control unit 40 reports an abnormality and stops the treatment operation when the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the water is full and the drain pump 20 is operated more than a predetermined number of times.

[0102] According to this configuration, it is possible to confirm that the condensed water level sensor 19a is not malfunctioning and reliably detect that the water collecting section 19 is full of condensed water, thereby suppressing the occurrence of water leakage due to further operation.

[0103] (Technique 4)

[0104] According to the clothes processing device 100 described in technology 3, the control unit 40 activates the drain pump 20 when the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the water is full, and continues the processing operation when the condensed water level sensor 19a does not detect that the water is full again before reaching a predetermined number of times.

[0105] According to this configuration, when a temporary malfunction or the like is restored to a normal state, unnecessary abnormality reporting and operation stop are not performed, and the processing operation can be continued.

[0106] (Technique 5)

[0107] According to the clothes treating apparatus 100 of any one of the techniques 1 to 4, the control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time period in response to the full water detection by the condensed water level sensor 19a.

[0108] According to this configuration, when condensed water flows rapidly into the water collecting portion 19 , for example, the drain pump 20 is operated at any time to suppress overflow of the condensed water from the water collecting portion 19 .

[0109] (Technique 6)

[0110] According to the clothes processing device 100 described in any one of technologies 1 to 5, the overflow path is set in a manner to overflow water from a position above the drain water level sensor 18a. When the drain water level sensor 18a detects that the water is full and the condensed water level sensor 19a does not detect that the water is full, the control unit 40 continues the processing operation.

[0111] According to this configuration, even when the drain water level sensor 18a reaches the full water detection state, the operation is continued without stopping, and overflow is allowed, thereby reducing the time and effort of the user to drain the drain tank 18.

[0112] (Technique 7)

[0113] According to the clothes treating apparatus 100 of any one of techniques 1 to 6, the control unit 40 reports that the water is full when the drainage water level sensor 18a detects that the water is full.

[0114] According to this configuration, the user can be notified that the drain tank 18 is full of water, and can be urged to drain the drain tank 18 .

[0115] (Technology 8)

[0116] According to the clothes treating apparatus 100 of any one of the techniques 1 to 7, the control unit 40 operates the drain pump 20 for a predetermined time at regular intervals during the treating operation.

[0117] According to this configuration, the water collecting portion 19 regularly discharges water regardless of the amount of stored condensed water, thereby suppressing accumulation of condensed water.

[0118] (Technique 9)

[0119] In the clothes treating apparatus 100 according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the air supply path 12 is configured as a part of the overflow path.

[0120] According to this structure, it is not necessary to separately form a flow path for guiding overflow water from the drain tank 18 to the water collecting portion 19 .

[0121] (Other embodiments)

[0122] As described above, as an example of the technology disclosed in this application, embodiment 1 is described. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to embodiments formed by changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. In addition, the various components described in the above embodiment 1 can also be combined to form a new embodiment.

[0123] Therefore, other embodiments are exemplified below.

[0124] In Embodiment 1, as an example of the clothes processing device 100, the following examples are illustrated: in Technique 2, when the two water level sensors detect that the water is full, an abnormality report is immediately issued and the operation is stopped; in Technique 3, when the condensed water level sensor 19a detects that the water is full and the drainage pump 20 is operated for a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times) or more, an abnormality report is issued and the processing operation is stopped. In Technique 3, the predetermined number of times can of course be 1 time. Fig. 9Where n=1, but it can also be, for example Fig.10 Such a flowchart is shown in Fig.10 In the case where the water in the drain tank 18 is detected to be full (step 20 is yes), a full water report is made (step 21), and then the operation is continued (step 60 is no), and when the water collecting part 19 is detected to be full of water (step 60 is yes), an abnormality is reported and the processing operation is stopped. According to this structure, water leakage from the clothes processing device 100 can be suppressed.

[0125] In addition, in the first embodiment, the condensed water level sensor 19a of the water collecting part 19 is configured to detect only the full state of water and to operate the drain pump 20 for the predetermined time t2 and t3, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control part 40 may be configured to detect not only the full state of water but also the empty state by using the condensed water level sensor 19a, and the drain pump 20 may be configured to operate until the condensed water level sensor 19a detects the empty state. According to this configuration, the drain pump 20 will not continue to operate for the predetermined time even if there is no condensed water in the water collecting part 19, and the condensed water in the water collecting part 19 can be reliably drained, and energy consumption and noise can be suppressed.

[0126] Industrial Applicability

[0127] The present disclosure is applicable to a clothes processing device that performs the following processing operations: hanging and storing processed objects such as clothes, and ironing out wrinkles on the fabric of the processed objects after wearing, folding and storing, washing, and washing and drying.

Claims

1. A clothes processing device, wherein: The clothes processing device comprises: The box body comprises: a housing having a receiving portion for receiving a processed object and an opening on a front surface; and a door for opening and closing the opening; a holding portion for holding the processed object in the receiving portion; an air treatment device for treating the air in the receiving portion to circulate the air; a drainage path and a drainage tank for recovering condensed water generated in the housing; and A control unit that performs processing operations, The air handling device includes a dehumidifying unit, an air heating unit, an air supply unit, and an air supply path connecting the dehumidifying unit and having an air inlet and an air outlet in the housing unit. The drainage path includes a drainage pump and a water collection portion arranged in front of the drainage pump. A drainage water level sensor for detecting the water level of the drainage tank and a condensed water level sensor for detecting the water level of the water collecting part are provided. An overflow path is provided for returning overflow water from the drain tank to the water collecting portion.

2. The clothes treating device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit reports an abnormality and stops the processing operation when the drain water level sensor detects that the water level is full and the condensed water level sensor detects that the water level is full.

3. The clothes treating device according to claim 1, wherein: When the condensed water level sensor detects that the drain pump is full and the drain pump is operated more than a predetermined number of times, the control unit reports an abnormality and stops the processing operation.

4. The clothes treating device according to claim 3, wherein: The control unit operates the drain pump when the condensed water level sensor detects that the drain is full, and continues the processing operation when the condensed water level sensor does not detect that the drain is full again before the predetermined number of times is reached.

5. The clothes processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The control unit operates the drain pump for a predetermined time according to the full water detection of the condensed water level sensor.

6. The clothes treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The overflow path is configured to overflow water from a position above the drain water level sensor. In a state where the drain water level sensor detects that the water is full, and when the condensed water level sensor does not detect that the water is full, the control unit continues the processing operation.

7. The clothes treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The control unit reports that the water level is full when the drainage water level sensor detects that the water level is full.

8. The clothes processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The control unit operates the drainage pump for a predetermined time at regular intervals during the treatment operation.

9. The clothes treating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The air supply path is configured as a part of the overflow path.

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