Washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine which suppresses washing water dispersed from a filter reaching a component existing at a filter downstream.SOLUTION: A washing machine S includes: an outer tub 2 having an opening where clothing is put in / taken out; a drum 3 which is arranged rotatably in the outer tub and where washing is stored; a blower 30 for supplying air to the drum and the outer tub; heating means (heat pump unit 40) for heating the air generated by the blower; an air passage (suction duct 21) for connecting the outer tub, the blower and the heating means; a filter (drying filter 7) provided between the outer tub and the air passage for collecting lint; and a washing mechanism 100 provided above the filter for washing the filter. The air passage (suction duct 21) is provided in such a manner that it bends in an L-shape in the vicinity of the filter (drying filter 7) when viewed from an upper surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] When drying clothes in a washing machine (washer dryer), which can perform washing and drying in one go, lint is generated as the drying process progresses. A filter is installed inside the washing machine to collect this lint, but if lint accumulates on the filter, the drying efficiency decreases, so cleaning the filter is important. Water is an easy way to wash the filter, but when washing with water, care must be taken to ensure that the washing water does not adversely affect surrounding parts.

[0003] For example, a configuration for controlling the flow of water for washing a filter has been proposed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration including an air supply device for supplying air, a tub that receives air from the air supply device to process laundry and has an air recovery port formed on its outer peripheral surface for recovering the air to the air supply device, a lint filter that filters lint contained in the air inside the air recovery port, a filter cleaning section that injects cleaning water onto the lint filter to separate the lint from the lint filter, and a flow path member that guides the cleaning water that drops from the lint filter to the inside of the tub to the inner surface of the tub. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-511852 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional washing machine described in Patent Document 1 is structured so that a flow path member that guides washing water is provided below the lint filter in the direction of gravity, and the flow of washing water that falls from the filter due to gravity is controlled. However, the conventional washing machine described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the possibility that washing water adhering to the filter will be scattered by the air flow generated by the air supply device, which is the drying means, and there is a concern that the washing water will reach parts downstream of the filter, causing adverse effects such as breakdowns.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a washing machine that prevents cleaning water splashed from the filter from reaching components downstream of the filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a washing machine comprising an outer tub having an opening for loading and unloading clothes, a drum arranged to be freely rotatable within the outer tub and storing laundry, a blower that supplies air to the drum and the outer tub, a heating means for heating the air generated by the blower, an air duct connecting the outer tub to the blower and the heating means, a filter arranged between the outer tub and the air duct for collecting lint, and a cleaning mechanism arranged above the filter for cleaning the filter, wherein the air duct is arranged so as to bend in an L shape near the filter when viewed from above. Other means will be described later. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent wash water scattered from the filter from reaching components located downstream of the filter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the washing machine of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded perspective view of the intake duct and the peripheral structure of the drying filter according to the embodiment, as viewed from the front side of the housing. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is an exploded perspective view of the intake duct and the peripheral structure of the drying filter of the embodiment, as viewed from the rear side of the housing. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the washing machine of the present embodiment as seen from the rear side. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7 is a schematic plan view of the AA cross section of FIG. 6 as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely a schematic illustration to allow a sufficient understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to only the illustrated examples. In addition, in each drawing, common or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0011] <Washing machine configuration> Hereinafter, the configuration of the washing machine S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing the washing machine S according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the washing machine S according to this embodiment. Note that Fig. 2 shows a state in which the front cover 1c, the lower front cover 1f, the water supply unit 70 (see Fig. 3), the detergent case, etc. have been removed from the configuration shown in Fig. 1.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the washing machine S is a drum-type washer / dryer, and the frame is formed by combining side panels 1a and reinforcing members 1b (see Fig. 2) made mainly of steel plate provided on the left, right and rear sides of the upper part of a synthetic resin base 1h, and the front cover 1c, lower front cover 1f and top cover 1e made of resin molded products are attached on top of the frame to form the housing 1. The front cover 1c is provided with a door 9 that is opened and closed when loading and unloading laundry. The door 9 is a door glass 9a fixed to a door frame 9b, and is attached to the housing 1 by a hinge 9c.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 1 is provided with an outer tub 2 in the approximate center inside. The outer tub 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and is supported by a plurality of dampers 5. The outer tub 2 is configured by attaching a tub cover 2b to a front opening 2a1 of the outer tub body 2a. The rear side of the tub cover 2b is connected to the front opening 2a1 of the outer tub body 2a, and a circular opening 2b1 through which laundry is put in and taken out is formed on the front side.

[0014] A rubber bellows 10 made of an elastic body is attached to the tub cover 2b. The opening edge of the bellows 10 on the far side (rear side) is attached to the opening 2b1, and the opening edge on the near side is attached to the housing 1 on the back side of the door frame 9b (see FIG. 1). When the door 9 is closed, the door 9 comes into close contact with the bellows 10, which serves to maintain watertightness between the inside of the outer tub 2 and the door 9. This prevents water leakage during washing, rinsing, and spin-drying. Inside the washing machine S, a lint filter 13 for collecting lint is provided in the flow path through which the washing water flows.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the washing machine of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, a rotatably supported drum 3 is provided inside the outer tub 2. The drum 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and is arranged so that an opening is located at the front side. The rotation axis of the drum 3 is inclined so that the front side is higher than the rear side. However, the rotation axis of the drum 3 may be configured to be approximately horizontal.

[0016] A plurality of lifters 3a for lifting up the laundry are provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion, which is the side wall of the drum 3. The cylindrical portion of the drum 3 also has a number of through holes for centrifugal spin-drying and ventilation. A fluid balancer (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the opening of the drum 3 to reduce vibrations caused by unbalance of the laundry during spin-drying.

[0017] Further, an air duct 20 is provided in the housing 1 to guide an air current to the laundry in the drum 3. The air duct 20 is provided with a blower 30 and a heat pump unit 40. The blower 30 is disposed downstream of the heat pump unit 40.

[0018] The air supply duct 20 includes an intake duct 21 that connects the rear of the outer tub 2 to the heat pump unit 40, and an exhaust duct 22 that connects the outer tub 2 to the blower 30. The intake duct 21 has an air passage that connects the outer tub 2 to the blower 30 and the heat pump unit 40. The intake duct 21 is connected to the outer tub 2 with screws or the like, and is connected to the heat pump unit 40 with a rubber bellows 26. The exhaust duct 22 has an air passage that connects the blower 30 to the drying exhaust port 25. Drying filters 6 and 7 are provided between the outer tub 2 and the intake duct 21.

[0019] The heat pump unit 40 dehumidifies and heats the high-temperature, high-humidity air that has passed through the laundry and been discharged from the outer tub 2 during the drying operation, to make it high-temperature, low-humidity. The dehumidified and heated warm air (drying air) passes through the discharge duct 22 by the blower 30 and is blown onto the laundry in the drum 3 from the drying discharge port 25 provided at the top of the outer tub 2. The warm air blown onto the laundry becomes high-temperature, high-humidity air, and after lint is collected by the drying filters 6 and 7, it returns to the heat pump unit 40 through the suction duct 21.

[0020] The washing machine S also includes a water supply unit 70 (water supply means) that supplies water into the outer tub 2, a water level sensor (not shown) that detects the water level in the outer tub 2, and a control device 90 (control unit) that controls the water supply unit 70, the blower 30, etc.

[0021] The water supply unit 70 is equipped with multiple solenoid valves including a water supply solenoid valve, and supplies water to the powder detergent input chamber and liquid detergent input chamber of the detergent case via a water supply pipe by opening a first solenoid valve (not shown), supplies water to the fabric softener input chamber via a water supply pipe by opening a second solenoid valve (not shown), and supplies water directly to the water supply port (not shown) of the outer tub 2 via the water supply pipe by opening a third solenoid valve (not shown).

[0022] A recess 2d is provided in the inner bottom directly below the vertical axis of the outer tub 2. The recess 2d is provided to have a substantially concave shape and to extend in the axial direction of the drum 3. A drain port 2d2 is provided in a bottom surface 2d1 of the recess 2d.

[0023] A circulation pump 11 is provided below the outer tub 2. The circulation pump 11 has the function of sucking the washing water in the outer tub 2 from the drain port 2d2 through a hose 11a, pumping it up to the top of the outer tub 2 through a hose 11b, and spraying it on the laundry in the drum 3, and is fixed to the base 1h (see FIG. 1) side of the housing 1. The washing water enters the suction port side of the circulation pump 11 from the drain port 2d2 of the recessed portion 2d of the outer tub 2 through a lint filter 13 (see FIG. 2), and is pressurized by the circulation pump 11, and then sprayed from a watering nozzle (not shown) toward the inside of the drum 3. The drain port 2d2 of the recessed portion 2d is connected to a drain hose 12a via a lint filter 13 (see FIG. 2) and a drain valve 12, so that the water in the recessed portion 2d can be discharged outside the machine.

[0024] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the suction duct and the drying filter according to this embodiment, as viewed from the front side of the housing. As shown in Fig. 4, the suction duct 21 has an outer tub side opening 101 connected to the outer tub 2. An upper opening 102 is provided above the outer tub side opening 101. A drying filter 7 is installed above the upper opening 102, and a filter nozzle 200 and a filter cover 300 are installed thereon. The filter nozzle 200 and the filter cover 300 constitute a cleaning mechanism 100 that cleans the drying filter 7.

[0025] Water is supplied to the filter cover 300 from the water supply unit 70 (see FIG. 2) to a cleaning water supply port 301. The water supplied to the cleaning water supply port 301 flows from an opening 201 provided at the top of the filter nozzle 200 to a plurality of cleaning nozzles 202 arranged side by side in the width direction of the drying filter 7, and is sprayed onto the drying filter surface 150 of the drying filter 7 located below the cleaning nozzles 202. This makes it possible to wash away lint adhering to the drying filter surface 150.

[0026] The suction duct 21 also has a cleaning water receiving portion 105 through which cleaning water flows. A waterproof rib 103 is provided downstream of the cleaning water receiving portion 105. The waterproof rib 103 is a protrusion (convex strip) provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the drying filter 7.

[0027] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the suction duct and the drying filter according to this embodiment, as viewed from the rear side of the housing. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the washing machine according to this embodiment, as viewed from the rear. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the AA cross section shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of the AA cross section shown in Fig. 6.

[0028] The flow of cleaning water will be described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The cleaning water flows from the water supply unit 70 (see Figure 3) to the cleaning water supply port 301, and is sprayed onto the dry filter surface 150 of the dry filter 7. After being sprayed onto the dry filter surface 150, the cleaning water falls along the dry filter surface 150 and flows into the cleaning water receiving section 105 of the suction duct 21. The cleaning water that has flowed into the cleaning water receiving section 105 passes through the dry filter surface 150 and flows toward the outer tub 2, and flows from the dry filter surface 150 to the drain port 2d2 (see Figure 3) together with the washed lint.

[0029] The waterproof rib 103 (protrusion) is provided so that its tip is higher than the lower end of the drying filter 7. This prevents the wash water from flowing into the heat pump unit 40 (see FIG. 6) even if the water level in the wash water receiving portion 105 rises.

[0030] Furthermore, the wash water receiving portion 105 is formed so that the height position on the downstream side 21a (left side in FIG. 6) is lower than the height position on the downstream side 21b (right side in FIG. 6). This makes it easier for the wash water collected in the wash water receiving portion 105 to flow upstream of the wash water receiving portion 105, thereby making it possible to suppress the inflow of the wash water into the heat pump unit 40.

[0031] Furthermore, when the washing water is sprayed onto the drying filter 7, the washing water remains as water droplets on the drying filter surface 150. If the drying operation is performed in this state, there is a concern that the water droplets will fly off with the flow of air and reach the heat pump unit 40 (see FIG. 6). If the washing water is splashed onto the heat pump unit 40, the water droplets will adhere to the heat exchanger in the heat pump unit 40, lowering the drying efficiency of the drying process. Therefore, an air passage structure is required that prevents the water droplets from reaching the heat pump unit 40 even if the water droplets adhering to the drying filter surface 150 fly off. Therefore, in this embodiment, the washing machine S has an air passage structure as shown in FIG. 7.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 7, the air passage structure of the washing machine S, when viewed from above, is bent after passing through the drying filter 7, and the flow from the upstream of the drying filter 7 turns 90 degrees after passing through the drying filter 7. In other words, as shown in Fig. 8, the air passage structure of the washing machine S, when viewed in the reverse direction (that is, when the rear side of Fig. 8 is viewed as the bottom side and the front side of Fig. 8 is viewed as the top side), is bent near the drying filter 7 to form an L shape.

[0033] 8, intake duct 21 constituting the air passage is disposed so that its axis is perpendicular to the central axis of outer tub 2 in top view. As a result, the airflow discharged from outer tub 2 (washing tub) becomes an L-shaped bent flow. This causes the airflow to turn 90 degrees and pass through intake duct 21. Water droplets contained in the airflow collide with wall surface 104 due to the inertial force acting on the water droplets, and are separated from the airflow.

[0034] With the washing machine S having such an air passage structure, when water droplets adhering to the drying filter surface 150 are scattered by the flow of air (see dashed arrow F1), the scattered water droplets adhere to the wall surface 104 of the suction duct 21. The water droplets adhering to the wall surface 104 flow (fall) downward along the wall surface 104 due to gravity, and flow into the wash water receiving section 105. The water droplets that flow into the wash water receiving section 105 flow toward the outer tub 2. This prevents water droplets from scattering toward the heat pump unit 40.

[0035] In addition, in this embodiment, when the width L1 of the dry filter surface 150 is compared with the distance L2 from the dry filter surface 150 to the wall surface 104, it is configured so that L1>L2. In this way, the scattered water droplets are easily attached to the wall surface 104 located opposite the dry filter surface 150 by inertia. In other words, the scattering of water droplets toward the heat pump unit 40 can be further suppressed.

[0036] In addition, wash water receiving section 105 is formed so that the upstream side is lower in height than the downstream side. As a result, when water adhering to wall surface 104 falls into wash water receiving section 105, the water collects on the upstream side of the wash water receiving section, so that washing machine S can suppress the inflow of wash water into heat pump unit 40.

[0037] Furthermore, since waterproof rib 103 is provided, washing machine S can suppress the inflow of wash water into heat pump unit 40 even if the water level in wash water receiving portion 105 rises.

[0038] <Main features of the washing machine> (1) As shown in FIG. 3, the washing machine S according to this embodiment includes an outer tub 2, a drum 3, a blower 30 that supplies air to the drum 3 and the outer tub 2, a heat pump unit 40 (heating means) that heats the air generated by the blower 30, an intake duct 21 (air passage) that connects the outer tub 2 to the blower 30 and the heat pump unit 40, a drying filter 7 (filter) that is provided between the outer tub 2 and the intake duct 21 and collects lint, and a cleaning mechanism 100 that is provided above the drying filter 7 and cleans the drying filter 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the washing machine S includes a cleaning nozzle 202 that cleans the drying filter 7 above the drying filter 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the intake duct 21 (air passage) is provided so as to be bent in an L shape near the drying filter 7 (filter) when viewed from above.

[0039] In the washing machine S according to this embodiment, the suction duct 21 (air passage) is provided so as to bend in an L shape near the drying filter 7 (filter), so that water droplets scattered from the drying filter 7 can be attached to the wall surface 104. As a result, the washing machine S according to this embodiment can prevent the wash water from reaching the heat pump unit 40.

[0040] (2) As shown in Fig. 8, in the washing machine S according to this embodiment, the drying filter 7 is provided in the suction duct 21 (air passage) so that the distance L2 is smaller than the width L1 (i.e., L1>L2). Here, the width L1 is the width of the drying filter 7 (drying filter surface 150). The distance L2 is the distance from the drying filter 7 (drying filter surface 150) to the wall surface 104 of the suction duct 21 (air passage) facing the drying filter 7.

[0041] The washing machine S according to this embodiment allows scattered water droplets to easily adhere to the wall surface 104, and can further suppress the water droplets from scattering toward the heat pump unit 40.

[0042] (3) As shown in Fig. 6, in the washing machine S according to this embodiment, the wash water receiving section 105 is formed so that the upstream side 21a is lower in height than the downstream side 21b. In other words, the suction duct 21 (air passage) is provided so that the upstream side 21a is lower in height than the downstream side 21b in the vicinity of the outlet of the drying filter 7.

[0043] In the washing machine S according to this embodiment, when water adhering to the wall surface 104 falls into the washing water receiving portion 105, the water can be collected on the upstream side 21a of the washing water receiving portion 105. Therefore, the washing machine S according to this embodiment can prevent the washing water from flowing into the heat pump unit 40.

[0044] (4) As shown in Fig. 7, in the washing machine S according to this embodiment, the waterproof rib 103 (protrusion) is provided so that its tip is higher than the lower end of the drying filter 7. In other words, the waterproof rib 103 (protrusion) is provided so that the suction duct 21 (air passage) is higher than the lower end (lower surface) of the drying filter 7 in the vicinity of the outlet of the drying filter 7.

[0045] Such a washing machine S according to the present embodiment can prevent the wash water from reaching the heat pump unit 40 even if the water level in the wash water receiving portion 105 rises.

[0046] As described above, the washing machine S according to this embodiment can prevent wash water splashed from the filter from reaching components downstream of the filter.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration, and it is also possible to add another configuration to the configuration of the embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of each configuration with another configuration.

[0048] For example, the washing machine S may be provided with a dehumidifying material on the wall surface 104 shown in Fig. 7. This allows the washing machine S to more efficiently prevent the wash water from reaching the heat pump unit 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Case 2 Outer tank 3 Drums 6 Dry Filter 7 Drying filter (filter) 21 Intake duct (air passage) 21a Upstream 21b downstream side 30 Blower 40 Heat pump unit (heating means) 100 Cleaning mechanism 101 Outer tank side opening 102 Upper opening 103 Waterproof rib (protrusion) 104 Wall 105 Cleaning water receiving section 150 Dry filter surface 200 Filter Nozzle 201 Aperture 202 Cleaning nozzle 300 Filter Cover 301 Cleaning water inlet S washing machine (washing dryer) L1 width L2 distance

Claims

1. an outer tub having an opening for putting clothes in and taking them out; a drum that is rotatably disposed within the outer tub and that accommodates laundry; A blower for supplying air to the drum and the outer tub; A heating means for heating the air generated by the blower; an air passage connecting the outer tank with the blower and the heating means; a filter disposed between the outer tub and the air passage for collecting lint; a cleaning mechanism provided above the filter and configured to clean the filter; The air passage is bent in an L-shape near the filter when viewed from above. A washing machine characterized by:

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, The filter is disposed so that the distance from the filter to the wall surface of the air passage facing the filter is smaller than the width of the filter. A washing machine characterized by:

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, The air passage is provided such that the height position on the upstream side is lower than that on the downstream side in the vicinity of the outlet of the filter. A washing machine characterized by:

4. The washing machine according to claim 1, The air passage is provided with a protrusion near the outlet of the filter so as to be higher than the lower end of the filter. A washing machine characterized by:

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