Washing and drying machine

Abstract

To provide a washing and drying machine capable of suppressing washing treatment liquid in a washing treatment liquid tank from being affected by heat.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a housing; a washing tub which has an outer tub 20 provided in the housing, and an inner tub provided in the outer tub 20; a washing treatment liquid tank 401 which is provided at the upper part of the washing tub in the housing, and in which washing treatment liquid automatically inputted in the washing tub is stored; a blower fan 2 and a heat pump unit 300 provided in the housing, and for drying and heating the air by a heat pump method; a discharge flow passage 311 which is a flow passage for supplying the air dried and heated in the blower fan 2 and the heat pump unit 300 into the washing tub; and a return flow passage 312 which is a flow passage for returning the air supplied to the washing tub from the discharge flow passage 311 to the blower fan 2 and the heat pump unit 300. The washing treatment liquid tank 401 is positioned on one side in the horizontal direction of the housing, and the discharge flow passage 311 is positioned on the other side of the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As a background technique of this technical field, there is JP 2018-7938 A (Patent Document 1). This publication states that "the washer-dryer of this embodiment includes a water tub, a rotating tub in which clothes are stored and disposed in the water tub, a hot water heater disposed at a position in the water tub where the wash water accumulates and heats the wash water, a drying mechanism including a circulation fan that circulates and supplies hot air into the rotating tub, and a control means for controlling a washing operation including a washing step, a rinsing step, and a spin-drying step, and a drying operation by the drying mechanism, and the control means is configured to be able to execute a washing and drying course in which a drying operation is performed after a washing operation, and executes a pre-heating operation in which the hot water heater is energized so that the output is lower than the output when the washing water is heated during the spin-drying step in the washing and drying course" (see abstract). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-7938 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of protecting laundry treatment liquid, such as detergent and fabric softener, stored in a laundry treatment liquid tank from heat. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a washing / drying machine capable of suppressing the influence of heat on the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a washing machine comprising a housing, a washing tub having an outer tub provided in the housing and an inner tub provided in the outer tub, a laundry treatment liquid tank provided in the housing above the washing tub for storing laundry treatment liquid to be poured into the washing tub, a drying / heating device provided in the housing for drying and heating air by a heat pump method, a discharge flow path which is a flow path for supplying the air dried and heated by the drying / heating device into the washing tub, and a return flow path which is a flow path for returning the air supplied from the discharge flow path into the washing tub from inside the washing tub to the drying / heating device, wherein the laundry treatment liquid tank is located on one horizontal side of the housing, and the discharge flow path is located on the other horizontal side of the housing. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing / drying machine capable of suppressing the influence of heat on the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing a washing / drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the right side showing the internal structure of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a device configuration of a heat pump unit of a washing / drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a rear view showing the arrangement of each component inside the housing of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of devices in a housing of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an air flow path portion of a heat pump unit of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing the inside of a heat pump unit of a washing / drying machine according to the embodiment, with a part of the housing cut away. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a storage case for the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is a plan view of a substrate stored in a storage case of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the arrangement of each component in the housing of the washer / dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings mentioned below, the up / down, front / back, left / right directions are appropriately indicated by arrows, but these are for convenience only and do not limit the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a washer / dryer according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the right side showing the internal structure of the washer / dryer according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the washer / dryer 100 is an example of a drum-type washer / dryer, and a frame is formed on the upper part of a base 1h by combining side panels 1a and reinforcing materials (not shown) made mainly of steel plates and resin molded parts, and a front cover 1c and a top cover 1e are further attached thereon to form a housing 1. The front cover 1c is provided with a door 9 for inserting and removing laundry 30 (see FIG. 2). The washer / dryer 100 may be configured as a vertical washer / dryer.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, an outer tub 20 is provided inside the housing 1. The outer tub 20 is supported at its lower part by a plurality of suspensions 5a, and is suspended at its upper part by springs 5b. A door 9 is opened and laundry 30 is put into a rotating drum 29 (inner tub) inside the outer tub 20. The washing tub is composed of the outer tub 20 and the rotating drum 29 (inner tub) as main components. A fluid balancer 31 is provided on the outer periphery of the opening of the rotating drum 29 to reduce vibration caused by imbalance of the laundry 30 during spin-drying. A plurality of lifters 33 are provided inside the rotating drum 29 to lift up the laundry 30. The rotating drum 29 is directly connected to a motor M10 for driving the drum via a main shaft 35 connected to a metal flange 34 for the rotating drum. The mechanism for driving the rotating drum 29 may be a so-called belt drive configuration in which a pulley fixed to the main shaft 35 and a motor fixed to the outer tub 20 are connected via a belt to drive the drum.

[0011] A rubber bellows 10 made of an elastic body is attached to the opening of the outer tub 20. The bellows 10 plays a role in maintaining the watertightness between the inside of the outer tub 20 and the door 3. This prevents water leakage during washing, rinsing and spin-drying. The rotating drum 29 has many small holes (not shown) on the side wall for centrifugal spin-drying and ventilation. A water receiving section 54 is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 20. The drain port 21 opening into the water receiving section 54 is connected to the drain hose 26 via the drain valve V1. The overflow hose 17 is attached to the front of the outer tub 20 and merges with the drain hose 26 downstream of the drain valve V1.

[0012] The circulation pump 18, which pumps up the wash water to the top of the outer tub 20 and sprays it on the laundry 30 in the rotating drum 29, is fixed to the base 1h (FIG. 1) side lower than the outer tub 20. The wash water flows from the drain outlet 21 of the water receiving part 54 provided at the bottom of the outer tub 20 through the lint filter 41 into the suction port side of the circulation pump 18, and after being pressurized by the circulation pump 18, it is sprayed from the water spray nozzle 45 into the rotating drum 29.

[0013] Drying is performed by a hot air drying method in which air is circulated between rotating drum 29 and heat pump unit 300 by blower fan 2 (air blower) (FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the drying / heating device is configured with blower fan 2 and heat pump unit 300, which dehumidifies circulating air by a heat pump method and then heats it, as main components. Washer / dryer 100 also includes a discharge flow path 311 (FIGS. 4 and 5) that blows hot air into rotating drum 29, and a return flow path 312 (FIGS. 4 and 5) (both described below) that returns moist air discharged from rotating drum 29 to heat pump unit 300.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an outline of the device configuration of the heat pump unit 300. The heat pump unit 300 is mainly composed of a compressor 307, a condenser 301, a variable expansion valve 308, and an evaporator 302. In this embodiment, the variable expansion valve 308 is used as the expansion means, but a fixed expansion means such as a capillary tube may be used. The flow of circulating air is such that it passes through the evaporator 302 (dehumidifier) ​​and then flows into the condenser 301 (heater) and reaches the intake port of the blower fan 2 (FIG. 6). Since an intake port (not shown) is located between the evaporator 302 and the condenser 301, the amount of air flowing into the evaporator 302 is the amount obtained by subtracting the amount of exhaust air exhausted at the exhaust port (not shown) from the amount of air blown out of the blower fan 2, and when the air flows into the condenser 301, the same amount of air flows in from the intake port (not shown) as the amount of exhaust air, so the amount of air passing through the condenser 301 is equal to the amount of air blown out of the blower fan 2 (FIG. 6).

[0015] The circulating air returning from the washing tub to heat pump unit 300 is dehumidified by heat exchange with a low-temperature refrigerant in evaporator 302. Then, this dehumidified circulating air, whose temperature has been reduced, exchanges heat with a high-temperature refrigerant in condenser 301, where the temperature is increased, and is sent back into the washing tub. In evaporator 302, the circulating air exchanges heat with the low-temperature refrigerant, so that the air is dehumidified and drain water is generated. A drain pump (not shown) is provided as necessary to drain this drain water to the outside. Note that FIG. 3 is illustrated ignoring the relative positions of the various parts within washer / dryer 100.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the arrangement of each member in the housing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device in the housing. A laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is provided in the housing 1 above the outer tub 20 (washing tub) and directly below the top cover 1e (FIG. 1) of the housing 1. The laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is disposed in the housing 1, offset to the left side in the horizontal direction. The laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is a tank in which various laundry treatment liquids used in washing, such as detergent and fabric softener, are stored. Each laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is poured into the washing tub in a predetermined amount at a predetermined timing by a predetermined mechanism (details are omitted because they are known in the art). (In this embodiment, it is assumed that the laundry treatment liquid is automatically poured). The horizontal direction is the width direction (left and right direction) when the washer / dryer 100 (housing 1) is viewed from the front.

[0017] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the water injection case having the removable detergent dispenser case is disposed above the air intake duct connected to the drying mechanism equipped with a heat pump. Therefore, the detergent in the detergent dispenser case may be deteriorated due to the heat generated from the air intake duct through which the warm air flows. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any countermeasures against such a problem, and there is room for improvement in this respect. The technical content of this embodiment that improves such a problem will be described in detail below.

[0018] 4 and 5, the discharge flow path 311 is a flow path that supplies circulating air that has been dried and heated by the heat pump unit 300 from the blower fan 2 into the outer tub 20 (washing tub). The discharge flow path 311 rises from the heat pump unit 300 to the right end of the housing 1 (FIG. 1) at the rear of the outer tub 20 (washing tub) (FIG. 4), and further extends horizontally directly below the top cover 1e of the housing 1 (FIG. 5) to connect to the outer tub 20 (washing tub).

[0019] The return flow path 312 is a flow path that returns the circulating air supplied from the discharge flow path 311 into the outer tub 20 (washing tub) from inside the outer tub 20 (washing tub) to the heat pump unit 300. The return flow path 312 rises from the heat pump unit 300 at the rear of the outer tub 20 (washing tub) to the left end of the housing 1 (FIG. 1), turns to the right in the left-right direction at the upper part, extends to the upper side of the outer tub 20 (washing tub), and is connected to the outer tub 20 (washing tub) (FIG. 4).

[0020] As described above, the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is located on one side (left side) of the housing 1 in the horizontal direction, and the discharge flow path 311 is located on the other side (right side) of the housing 1. In addition, the distance between the laundry processing liquid tank 401 and the discharge flow path 311 is longer than the distance between the laundry processing liquid tank 401 and the return flow path 312 . The return flow path 312 is disposed on the same side (left side) of the housing 1 as the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 in the horizontal direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the drying / heating device, which is composed of the blower fan 2, the heat pump unit 300, etc., is disposed below the outer tub 20 (washing tub).

[0022] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an air flow path of the heat pump unit. FIG. 7 is a cutaway view of the inside of the housing of the heat pump unit. As shown in FIG. 6, the blower fan 2 (blower) is located on the outer side at the rightmost side of the heat pump unit 300. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the compressor 307 is located on the right end side of the heat pump unit 300. As a result, the compressor 307 and the blower fan 2 (blower) are located on the opposite side in the horizontal direction (the former on the right side, and the latter on the left side) from the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 (FIG. 4) in the housing 1 (see also FIG. 10). The motor 331 is a motor that drives the blower fan 2. In addition, recycled resin materials are used in parts of the discharge flow path 311 and the return flow path 312. In this example, a polypropylene-based recycled material is used, and the color of the resin is black for the discharge flow path 311 and cream for the return flow path 312.

[0023] In FIG. 6, the evaporator 302 (dehumidifier) ​​and the condenser 301 (heater) are disposed near the left center in the left-right direction of the heat pump unit 300. The condenser 301 (heater) is disposed to the right of the evaporator 302 (dehumidifier). Therefore, the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 disposed at the left end in the left-right direction in the housing 1 and the condenser 301 (heater) is longer than the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the evaporator 302 (dehumidifier) ​​(see also FIG. 10). During the drying process of the laundry 30, the refrigerant is evaporated in the evaporator 302 by air (air containing a large amount of moisture) that has taken moisture from the laundry 30 in the washing tub, and the refrigerant is directed to the compressor 307. On the other hand, the air is cooled and dehumidified by the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant, and directed to the condenser 301. In the condenser 301, the refrigerant is condensed by the air dehumidified in the evaporator 302, and the air is heated by the latent heat of condensation of the refrigerant at this time, and the heated air is supplied into the washing tub through the discharge flow path 311.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 4, between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the discharge flow path 311, a storage case 501 is provided that stores circuits for controlling and driving predetermined actuators of the washing / drying machine 100.

[0025] 8 is an exploded perspective view of the storage case. The storage case 501 is a housing having a substantially rectangular shape in top view, and is formed by combining a case 502 and a case 503. A board 511 on which a circuit for controlling and driving a predetermined actuator of the washer / dryer 100 is mounted is stored in the storage case 501 formed by combining the case 502 and the case 503. A cooling fan 521 (which also serves as an air intake) for cooling the inside of the storage case 501 is provided on a side plate 502a on one short side of the case 502. A side plate 502b on one long side of the case 502 faces the laundry treatment liquid tank 401, and a side plate 502c on the other long side faces the discharge flow path 311. A slit-shaped exhaust port 522 is provided on a portion of the case 503 opposite to the cooling fan 521 side and near the discharge flow path 311 side.

[0026] The material of storage case 501 contains metal. In particular, the material suitable for storage case 501 is aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0027] 9 is a plan view of the board in the storage case. A drive circuit (power element) for driving the compressor 307 and heat dissipation fins 542 are mounted in an area 541 immediately adjacent to the cooling fan 521 of the board 511 and in the vicinity of the side plate 504c on the discharge flow path 311 side. The drive circuit and the drive circuit portion of the heat dissipation fins 542 are the elements that generate the most heat among the circuit elements mounted on the board 511.

[0028] In an area 543 adjacent to the area 541 on the substrate 511 on the opposite side to the cooling fan 521, motor driver circuits (power elements) for driving the motor M10 for driving the rotating drum 29 (inner tank) and the motor 331 for driving the blower fan 2, and heat dissipation fins 542 are mounted.

[0029] A heat dissipation fin 547 for cooling heat-generating circuit elements mounted on the other board 511 is mounted on an area 546 near the side plate 502b, which is closer to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 than the areas 541 and 543 on the board 511. In addition, a processor for controlling each of the drive circuits (power elements) and a control circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) are also mounted on the board 511.

[0030] As described above, the driving circuit for driving the compressor 307 and the heat dissipating fins (the driving circuit and the heat dissipating fins) 542 are mounted in the area 541 near the side plate 502c on the discharge flow path 311 side. Therefore, the driving circuit and the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 are located on opposite sides in the horizontal direction (left-right direction) (see also FIG. 10).

[0031] As described above, the slit-shaped exhaust port 522 is provided in a portion of the case 502 near the discharge flow path 311. That is, the exhaust port 522 of the storage case 501 is arranged in a different direction in the horizontal direction from the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 side (the former is on the right side and the latter is on the left side) (see also FIG. 10).

[0032] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. First, the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is located on one side (left side) in the horizontal direction of the housing 1, and the discharge flow path 311 is located on the other side (right side) of the housing 1. Therefore, the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is not easily affected by hot air rising from the discharge flow path 311 containing heat generated by the discharge flow path 311 through which heated air flows, and the laundry treatment liquid is not easily deteriorated. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can suppress the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0033] Also, the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the discharge flow path 311 is longer than the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the return flow path 312. While hot air flows through the discharge flow path 311, air that has been cooled and humidified by heat exchange with the clothes in the washing tub and moisture transfer flows through the return flow path 312. Therefore, when the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the discharge flow path 311 is longer than the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the return flow path 312, the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is less susceptible to thermal effects from the discharge flow path 311 than in the opposite case. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can suppress the laundry treatment liquid (detergent, fabric softener, etc.) in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0034] In addition, the return flow path 312 is arranged on the same side (left side) as the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 of the housing 1 in the horizontal direction. Air cooled in the washing tub flows through the return flow path 312. Therefore, even if the return flow path 312 is arranged on the same side as the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 in the horizontal direction, the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is not easily affected by heat. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can suppress the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat. In addition, the length of the discharge flow path 311 is longer than the length of the return flow path 312. Although relatively low-temperature air flows through the discharge flow path 311, its position makes it easy for the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 to be thermally affected. Therefore, by shortening the return flow path 312, the heat dissipation surface from the return flow path 312 becomes narrower, and the return flow path 312 is less likely to thermally affect the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can suppress the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0035] Using recycled materials in the washer / dryer 100 can be environmentally friendly by reusing resources, but since the unit price is often higher than that of general resins, it is preferable to use them in a limited manner. In addition, since the appearance of parts varies depending on the mixture of recycled materials, using recycled materials in flow paths that cannot be seen by users from the outside can be environmentally friendly without compromising the design of the washing machine. In addition, the return flow path 312 is relatively cooler than the discharge flow path 311, that is, the temperature change is smaller, so applying recycled materials to the return flow path 312 is less likely to cause unpleasant odors due to temperature changes than applying recycled materials to the discharge flow path 311.

[0036] Generally, the more types of mixtures in the recycled material, the closer to black the color is, and the lower the unit price is. Therefore, in order to achieve a low-cost washing machine, it is preferable to select black as the color of the recycled material. In this embodiment, the color of the return flow path 312 is made closer to white than the color of the discharge flow path 311, so that the emissivity of the return flow path 312 is made lower than the emissivity of the discharge flow path 311, and the return flow path 312, which is likely to have a thermal effect on the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 due to its location, can be prevented from affecting the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 with heat.

[0037] In addition, the drying / heating device, which is composed of the blower fan 2 (blower), the heat pump unit 300, etc., is disposed below the outer tub 20 (washing tub). Therefore, the drying / heating device is distant from the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 disposed above the outer tub 20 (washing tub), and the outer tub 20 (washing tub) is disposed between them. Therefore, the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 is not easily affected by heat from the drying / heating device. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0038] As described above, the compressor 307 and the blower fan 2 (blower) are arranged on the horizontal opposite side (the former on the right side, the latter on the left side) of the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 in the housing 1. Therefore, heat from the motors of the compressor 307 and the blower fan 2 (blower), which are heat sources, is not easily transmitted to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0039] As described above, the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401, which is disposed at the left end in the left-right direction in the housing 1, and the condenser 301 (heater) is longer than the distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the evaporator 302 (dehumidifier). The condenser 301 is a larger heat source than the evaporator 302, but since the condenser 301 is far from the laundry treatment liquid tank 401, heat is not easily transmitted from the condenser 301 to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can suppress the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0040] As described above, the storage case 501 that stores circuits for controlling and driving predetermined actuators of the washer / dryer 100 is provided between the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 and the discharge flow path 311. Therefore, the storage case 501 acts as an obstacle and blocks the transfer of heat from the discharge flow path 311 to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0041] In addition, the storage case 501 is made of metal. Therefore, radiant heat in the storage case 501 is less likely to leak out when the storage case 501 is made of metal than when the storage case 501 is made of resin or the like. Therefore, heat generated by the circuit in the storage case 501 is less likely to be transmitted to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0042] Further, a drive circuit for driving the compressor 307 and heat dissipation fins 542 are mounted on the substrate 511. The drive circuit and the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 are located on opposite sides in the horizontal direction (left-right direction) (the former on the right side, and the latter on the left side). Therefore, heat from the drive circuit of the compressor 307, which is likely to generate a large amount of heat, is not easily transmitted to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0043] As described above, the exhaust port 522 of the storage case 501 is disposed in a different horizontal direction from the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 (the former is disposed on the right side, and the latter is disposed on the left side). Therefore, hot air discharged from inside the storage case 501 to the outside through the exhaust port 522 is not easily transmitted to the laundry treatment liquid tank 401. Therefore, the washer / dryer 100 can prevent the laundry treatment liquid in the laundry treatment liquid tank 401 from being affected by heat.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are included. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment is described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the one having all the configurations described. The left and right (one side and the other side) in the embodiment are only examples, and the left and right may be reversed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Case 2. Blower fan (blower, drying / heating device) 20 Outer tub (washing tub) 29 Rotating drum (inner tub, washing tub) 100 Washer / dryer 300 Heat pump unit (drying and heating device) 301 Condenser (heater) 302 Evaporator (Dehumidifier) 307 Compressor 311 Discharge flow path 312 Return flow path 401 Laundry treatment tank 501 Storage Case 522 Exhaust port 542 Compressor drive circuit and heat dissipation fin (circuit) 544 Motor driver circuit and heat sink (circuit)

Claims

1. A housing and A washing tub having an outer tub provided in the housing and an inner tub provided in the outer tub; a laundry treatment liquid tank provided in the housing above the washing tub, for storing laundry treatment liquid to be poured into the washing tub; A drying / heating device that is provided in the housing and dries and heats air using a heat pump system; A discharge flow path which is a flow path for supplying the air dried and heated by the drying and heating device into the washing tub; A return flow path is a flow path that returns the air supplied from the discharge flow path into the washing tub from the washing tub to the drying / heating device, the laundry treatment liquid tank is located on one side of the housing in a horizontal direction, and the discharge flow path is located on the other side of the housing.

2. A housing and A washing tub having an outer tub provided in the housing and an inner tub provided in the outer tub; a laundry treatment liquid tank provided in the housing above the washing tub, for storing laundry treatment liquid to be automatically dispensed into the washing tub; A drying / heating device that is provided in the housing and dries and heats air using a heat pump system; A discharge flow path which is a flow path for supplying the air dried and heated by the drying and heating device into the washing tub; A return flow path which is a flow path for returning the air supplied from the discharge flow path into the washing tub to the drying / heating device, a distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank and the discharge flow path is longer than a distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank and the return flow path.

3. 2. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the return flow path is disposed on the same side of the housing as the laundry treatment liquid tank in the horizontal direction.

4. 4. The washing / drying machine according to claim 3, wherein a length of the discharge flow path is longer than a length of the return flow path.

5. 3. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the drying / heating device is disposed below the washing tub.

6. 6. The washing / drying machine according to claim 5, wherein a compressor and a blower of the drying / heating device are disposed on a horizontal side opposite to the laundry treatment liquid tank in the housing.

7. 6. The washing / drying machine according to claim 5, wherein a distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank and a heater of the drying / heating device is longer than a distance between the laundry treatment liquid tank and a dehumidifier of the drying / heating device.

8. The washer / dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a storage case containing a circuit for controlling and driving a predetermined actuator is provided between the laundry treatment liquid tank and the discharge flow path in the housing.

9. The washing / drying machine according to claim 8 , wherein the storage case is made of a material including a metal.

10. A circuit for driving a compressor of the drying / heating device is housed in the housing case, 9. The washing / drying machine according to claim 8, wherein the laundry treatment liquid tank and the circuit for driving the compressor are positioned on opposite sides to each other in a horizontal direction.

11. The storage case is provided with an exhaust port for discharging the air inside to the outside, 9. The washing / drying machine according to claim 8, wherein the exhaust port is disposed in a different direction from the laundry treatment liquid tank in the horizontal direction.

12. 4. The washer / dryer according to claim 3, wherein the return flow passage is made of recycled resin, and the color of the return flow passage is closer to white than the color of the discharge flow passage.

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