Clothing three-dimensional dryer with dust cleaning function

Abstract

To eliminate the trouble and time required for cleaning a filter, and to perform dry finishing of clothing efficiently.SOLUTION: A clothing three-dimensional dryer 1 includes a cleaning mechanism 6 for removing dust 4 captured in a filter 5 from the filter 5 and performing cleaning. The cleaning mechanism 6 is formed by: a dust collection member 7 which incorporates a brush 7a where brush tips come into rubbing contact with the filter 5, and which collects dust 4 removed by the brush 7a; an operation device 8 for sliding the brush 7a of the dust collection member 7 and the filter 5; and a suction machine 9 connected to the dust collection member 7 and sucking the dust 4 via the dust collection member 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional clothes dryer in which clothes hung on hangers are transported through a tunnel-shaped passage and dried with hot air, and more particularly to a three-dimensional clothes dryer with a dust cleaning function that is configured to clean dust generated from clothes during the drying process. [Background technology]

[0002] A known conventional three-dimensional clothes dryer is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. In this conventional machine, clothes are hung on hangers, and the hangers are hung on a chain conveyor while passing through a tunnel-like passage, and steam is blown onto the clothes as the hangers move through the passage, so that after the clothes are steamed by the steam, hot air is blown onto them to finish drying them.

[0003] When hot air or the like is blown onto the clothes in this type of three-dimensional clothes dryer, the hanging clothes sway back and forth in a large wave-like motion and are transported while hitting the inner walls of the passageway.

[0004] Therefore, when using this type of dryer, it is inevitable that fibrous dust will be generated from the clothes, so in the past, a sheet-shaped filter was provided in the hot air circulation path to capture the dust and then the filter was cleaned by hand periodically.

[0005] As a result, when using conventional machines, cleaning the filters was time-consuming, which reduced the efficiency of the drying process and increased the costs of finishing the drying process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-75395 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems in the prior art. Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional clothes dryer with a dust cleaning function that eliminates the time and effort required for cleaning filters when finishing the three-dimensional drying of clothes and enables efficient finishing of drying of clothes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 etc., the present invention relates to a three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 in which clothes 2 as laundry are hung on hangers 3 and transported through a tunnel-like passage 1a, hot air is blown onto the clothes 2, and a planar filter 5 for collecting dust 4 generated from the clothes 2 during the drying finish with the hot air is provided in the hot air circulation path, the three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 is provided with a cleaning mechanism 6 for removing the dust 4 collected by the filter 5 from the filter 5, the cleaning mechanism 6 is characterized in that it is formed of a dust collecting member 7 incorporating a brush 7a whose bristles are in rubbing contact with the filter 5 and collecting the dust 4 removed by the brush 7a, an operating device 8 for sliding the brush 7a of the dust collecting member 7 against the filter 5, and a suction machine 9 connected to the dust collecting member 7 and for sucking in the dust 4 through the dust collecting member 7.

[0009] In this case, the present invention is preferably configured such that a suction port 7b for dust 4 is formed horizontally on the front side of the dust collecting member 7, a brush 7a is formed horizontally along the longitudinal direction of this suction port 7b with its bristles protruding outward from the suction port 7b, the locations within the dust collecting member 7 above and below the brush 7a are formed as inflow passages 7c for dust 4, the dust collecting member 7 is fixed to the dryer body with the suction port 7b facing horizontally, and the filter 5 is provided vertically and is formed so as to be freely movable up and down by the operating device 8.

[0010] This is because the structure of the brush 7a and the dust collecting member 7, and therefore the cleaning mechanism 6, can be made compact and space-saving, allowing for efficient dust collection. Also, in this case, since the filter 5 is structured to move up and down, there is no interference with the exhaust duct 12 connected to the dust collecting member 7, compared to a case in which the dust collecting member 7 is formed to be able to move up and down, and the occurrence of breakdowns can be reduced accordingly.

[0011] In addition, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1B, it is preferable that the cleaning mechanism 6 is formed with a controller 13 that outputs a removal signal for the dust 4 trapped on the filter 5 to the operating device 8 when it detects clogging of the filter 5.

[0012] This is because the removal of dust 4 and cleaning of filter 5 can be automated, making the drying and finishing work of clothes 2 easier and more efficient. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The three-dimensional clothes dryer of the present invention is equipped with a cleaning mechanism which removes the dust captured by the filter from the filter and cleans it. This cleaning mechanism incorporates a brush with bristles rubbing against the filter, and is formed of a dust collecting member which collects the dust removed by the brush, an operating device which slides the brush of this dust collecting member against the filter, and a suction machine which is connected to the dust collecting member and sucks up the dust through the dust collecting member.

[0014] Therefore, in the case of the present invention, even if the filter becomes clogged, the cleaning mechanism can eliminate the time and effort required for cleaning the filter. As a result, the efficiency of the work of drying clothes can be improved, and the cost of drying clothes can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a three-dimensional clothes dryer of the present invention, and FIG. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part taken along line II-II in FIG. 1A. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line VV in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the dust-collecting member for explaining the flow of dust. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part for explaining the operation of the dryer. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views of the main part for explaining the operation of the cleaning mechanism. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 etc., a three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 of the present invention is a device in which laundry items (clothes 2) are hung on hangers 3, transported through a tunnel-shaped passage 1a, and dried with hot air.

[0017] While the clothes are transported through the passage 1a, the three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 blows steam onto the clothes 2 in a steam chamber 1b provided at the entrance side of the passage 1a to steam them, and then blows hot air onto the clothes 2 in a drying chamber 1c to finish drying them.

[0018] In this embodiment, the drying chamber 1c is formed of five drying units 1c1 arranged in series along the direction in which the passage 1a extends. Each drying unit 1c1 is provided with a radiator as a source of hot air, a blower that blows hot air from above onto the clothes 2, a hot air circulation path that guides the hot air from above downward and circulates it, and the like.

[0019] The hot air circulation path is provided with a planar filter 5 (see Figs. 1B, 3, 8, etc.) that collects dust 4 (see Fig. 10) generated when clothes 2 are dried and finished with hot air. The three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 of the present invention is formed with a cleaning mechanism 6 (see Fig. 1B) that removes dust 4 collected by the filter 5 from the filter 5 and cleans it.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1B, the cleaning mechanism 6 includes a dust collecting member 7 incorporating a brush 7a whose bristles are rubbed against the filter 5, which collects the dust 4 removed by the brush 7a, an operating device 8 which slides the brush 7a of the dust collecting member 7 against the filter 5, and a suction device 9 which is connected to the dust collecting member 7 and sucks up the dust 4 through the dust collecting member 7.

[0021] The dust collecting member 7 has a horizontally long suction port 7b formed on the front side for suctioning dust 4. The brush 7a is formed horizontally long with the bristles protruding outward from the suction port 7b along the longitudinal direction of the suction port 7b. The brush 7a is heat resistant so that it can withstand the high temperature of the hot air.

[0022] Additionally, the portions of the dust-collecting member 7 above and below the brush 7a form inflow passages 7c (see FIG. 5, etc.) for dust 4. As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, etc., the brush 7a is sandwiched from above and below by long plates 7d, and is screwed to a hollow main body 7f of the dust-collecting member 7 via a pair of upper and lower spacer members 7e.

[0023] The spacing members 7e are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the brush 7a. Therefore, the dust 4 flows through the dust-collecting member 7 as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 7 and is discharged through the exhaust pipe 7g to which the suction device 9 is connected. The exhaust pipe 7g is set up vertically at the longitudinal center of the main body 7f of the dust-collecting member 7, far from the suction port 7b, so that the dust 4 can be discharged in a well-balanced and efficient manner.

[0024] 8 and other figures, in this embodiment, the dust collecting member 7 is fixed with the suction port 7b facing horizontally to the upper surface of the duct 10 that guides hot air from the passage 1a to the side. The duct 10 that constitutes the dryer main body has a rectangular cross section and is provided below the drying unit 1c1 with the hot air inlet 10a facing the passage 1a.

[0025] The filter 5 is provided vertically in the pipeline 10 and is movable up and down by the operating device 8. In this embodiment, the operating device 8 is a cylinder provided vertically with its rod facing downward. The filter 5 is attached to the lower end of the rod of this cylinder. A pair of guides 11 for guiding the filter 5 in the up and down direction are provided opposite each other on both sides of the pipeline 10.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3, the suction machine 9 is configured as one unit in this embodiment, and is formed to reduce manufacturing costs, save space, and reduce weight. In this embodiment, the suction machine 9 is connected to a relay box 9b that collects dust 4 via a hose 9a. The relay box 9b and the exhaust pipe 7g of the dust collecting member 7 of each drying unit 1c1 are connected by a flexible exhaust duct 12.

[0027] In addition, in this embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning mechanism 6 is formed with a controller 13 (see FIG. 1B) that outputs a signal to remove the dust 4 trapped in the filter 5 to the operating device 8 when it detects clogging of the filter 5. The operating device 8 may be composed of a motor or the like, but in this embodiment it is a cylinder.

[0028] In this embodiment, the detection of clogging of the filter 5 is performed by a current sensor 14 (see FIG. 1B) that detects a drop in the current value of the blower motor. When the drying chamber 1c is formed of a plurality of drying units 1c1 as in this embodiment, clogging of the filter 5 is likely to occur in the drying unit 1c1 on the inlet side of the passage 1a. Therefore, the current sensor 14 is electrically connected to the blower motor of the drying unit 1c1 at this location. The controller 13 is specifically formed of a microcomputer or a sequencer.

[0029] Next, the operation of the present invention according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1B, FIG. 11, etc. In the three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 of the present invention, when clothes 2 hung on hangers 3 are passed through the tunnel-shaped passage 1a, they are first steamed in the steam chamber 1b. Next, hot air is blown onto the clothes 2 from above in each drying unit 1c1 that constitutes the drying chamber 1c, and the clothes are finished off by being dried with the hot air.

[0030] Thus, as shown in FIG. 1B etc., three-dimensional clothes dryer 1 of the present invention is formed with filter 5 for collecting dust 4 in hot air, and cleaning mechanism 6 for removing dust 4 from filter 5.

[0031] The cleaning mechanism 6 is formed with a current sensor 14 that detects the current value of the blower motor. Therefore, when the filter 5 becomes clogged with dust 4 and the current value of the blower motor increases, this detection value is sent from the current sensor 14 to the controller 13.

[0032] The controller 13 compares this detection value with a set value, and when the detection value reaches the set value, it outputs a dust 4 removal signal to the suction device 9 and the cylinder serving as the operating device 8. This starts the suction device 9, and the rod of the cylinder serving as the operating device 8 retracts.

[0033] When the rod of the cylinder contracts, the filter 5 is pulled up as shown in Fig. 9. In this case, the bristles of the brush 7a are in contact with the filter 5, so the dust 4 captured by the filter 5 is collected below the brush 7a as shown in Fig. 10A. Then, as shown in the figure, the dust 4 flows through the dust collecting member 7, passes through the exhaust pipe 7g, the exhaust duct 12 (see Fig. 3), the relay box 9b, and the hose 9a, and is collected and discharged by the suction machine 9.

[0034] In this embodiment, the raised point of the filter 5 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and when the controller 13 receives a signal from the sensor, the controller 13 sends a signal to extend the rod to the operating device 8. As a result, the filter 5 descends, and as shown in Fig. 10B, the dust 4 is collected on the upper side of the bristles of the brush 7a, and this dust 4 is similarly discharged by the suction device 9 via the inside of the dust collecting member 7.

[0035] When the detection value of the current sensor 14 falls below the set value, it is determined that the clogging of the filter 5 has been eliminated, and a signal to stop the removal of the dust 4 is output from the controller 13 to the suction device 9 and the operating device 8. This causes the operation of the suction device 9 and the operating device 8 to stop.

[0036] In the above example, the removal of dust 4 is automated, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention may be configured so that when the current value of the blower motor increases and reaches a predetermined value, a warning lamp or buzzer is turned on by a signal from the controller 13, and an operator receiving this warning display can manually turn on the switches of the operating device 8 and the suction machine 9 to remove the dust 4.

[0037] In the above example, in order to reduce the cost, space, and weight of the dryer 1 of the present invention, one suction device 9 is configured to collectively suck up the dust 4 collected by each drying unit 1c1, but it goes without saying that the present invention may also be configured such that a suction device 9 is provided for each drying unit 1c1 individually. Also, in the present invention, the number of drying units 1c1 constituting the drying chamber 1c is arbitrary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Clothes dryer 1a aisle 2 Clothes 3 Hanger 4 Dust 5. Filters 6 Cleaning mechanism 7 Dust collection parts 7a Brush 8 Operating device 9 Suction machine 13 Controller

Claims

1. A three-dimensional clothes dryer with a dust cleaning function, in which clothes as laundry are hung on hangers and transported through a tunnel-shaped passageway, hot air is blown onto the clothes, and a planar filter is provided in the hot air circulation path to collect dust generated from the clothes during the drying and finishing process with the hot air, and which is equipped with a cleaning mechanism to remove the dust collected by the filter from the filter and clean it, the cleaning mechanism including a built-in brush with bristles rubbing against the filter and a dust collecting member that collects the dust removed by the brush, an operating device that slides the brush of the dust collecting member against the filter, and a suction machine that is connected to the dust collecting member and sucks up the dust through the dust collecting member.

2. 2. A three-dimensional clothes dryer with a dust cleaning function as described in claim 1, characterized in that a dust suction port is formed horizontally on the front side of the dust collecting member, a brush is formed horizontally along the longitudinal direction of the suction port with its bristles protruding outward from the suction port, areas within the dust collecting member above and below the brush are formed as dust inflow paths, the dust collecting member is fixed to the dryer body with its suction port facing horizontally, and a filter is installed vertically and is formed so as to be freely moved up and down by an operating device.

3. 3. A three-dimensional clothes dryer with a dust cleaning function according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cleaning mechanism is formed with a controller that outputs a removal signal for removing dust trapped in the filter to the operating device when it detects clogging of the filter.

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