Clothing treatment device and clothing treatment method

Abstract

To provide a clothing treatment device and a clothing treatment method, which allow a liquid agent sprayed on a treating object to efficiently adhere.SOLUTION: A clothing treatment device according to the disclosure comprises: a storage tub to store an object to be treated; a tank to store a liquid agent; a spray part to spray the liquid agent stored in the tank into the storage tub; a control part to control operation of the spray part; and a motor to rotate the storage tub. The control part causes the spray part to spray a spray amount based on the weight of the object to be treated stored in the storage tub, and reduces the spray amount so as to be smaller than the spray amount for the large weight of the object to be treated, when the weight of the object to be treated is small, in the spray step to operate the spray part. The control part controls rotation of the storage tub, and controls the motor differently between a first weight state and a second weight state of the object to be treated in the storage tub in the spray step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a clothing treatment apparatus and a clothing treatment method for treating an object to be treated.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a drum-type washing and drying machine that supplies mist to laundry. This drum-type washing and drying machine includes a water tank, a rotating drum provided in the water tank, a circulation air path equipped with dehumidifying means and heating means, a water reservoir container in the circulation air path, and a mist generation device that generates mist by applying ultrasonic vibration to the water stored in the water reservoir container.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a clothing treatment apparatus and a clothing treatment method capable of efficiently attaching a liquid agent sprayed onto a treatment target.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A clothing treatment apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage tank for storing an object to be treated, a tank for storing a liquid agent, a spraying unit for spraying the liquid agent stored in the tank into the storage tank, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the spraying unit. The control unit is capable of executing a spraying step of operating the spraying unit. In the spraying step, a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank is sprayed from the spraying unit, and the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is small is made smaller than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is large. The control of the motor in the spraying step is made different between the case of the first weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is the first weight and the case of the second weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is a second weight greater than the first weight.

[0006] A clothing treatment method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a spraying step in which a control unit controls a spraying unit to spray a liquid agent stored in a tank into a storage tank. In the spraying step, the control unit sprays a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank from the spraying unit, and makes the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is small smaller than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is large. The control unit controls the rotation of the storage tank by controlling a motor that rotates the storage tank, and makes the control of the motor in the spraying step different between the case of the first weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is the first weight and the case of the second weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is a second weight greater than the first weight.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a clothing treatment apparatus and a clothing treatment method capable of efficiently attaching a liquid agent sprayed onto an object to be treated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] (Findings etc. on which the present disclosure is based) When the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a technology that included a mist generating device that generated mist by applying ultrasonic vibration to the water stored in a water reservoir and supplied the mist to the dried laundry. From such a situation, the inventors obtained the idea of effectively treating the object to be treated such as clothing and the space in the tank by spraying a liquid agent as mist onto the object to be treated such as clothing and the space in the tank using a spraying unit that sprays the liquid agent as mist. However, the inventors discovered that there are still a plurality of problems when spraying the liquid agent by the spraying unit.

[0010] First, when spraying the liquid agent by the spraying unit, there is a problem of uniformly attaching the mist regardless of the amount of the object to be treated. Whether spraying mist with a single piece of clothing in the drum or with a plurality of pieces of clothing, it is necessary to uniformly attach the mist in each case. Also, it is necessary to uniformly attach the mist to large-sized clothing and heavy clothing.

[0011] Second, when there are deep wrinkles on the clothing, it is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly adhere the mist to the clothing. In order to uniformly adhere the mist to the clothing, it is necessary to stretch the wrinkles of the clothing.

[0012] The inventors have discovered the above problems and have arrived at the subject matter of the present disclosure in order to solve those problems.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters or a redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description overly redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18, a clothing treatment apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described. In Embodiment 1, as an example of the clothing treatment apparatus, a drum-type washing and drying machine 100 will be described.

[0015] [1-1. Overall configuration] [1-1-1. Configuration of the washing and drying machine] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of the washing and drying machine 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the washing and drying machine 100 in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the washing and drying machine 100.

[0016] The washing and drying machine 100 includes a housing 100a, a water tank 101 capable of storing water provided in the housing 100a, a drum 102 rotatably provided in the water tank 101, a lid 120, and an operation display unit 125. The housing 100a includes a front plate 100b that constitutes the front side of the washing and drying machine 100 and a tank cover 100c provided on the upper surface of the housing 100a.

[0017] The drum 102 is provided inside the housing 100a. The water tank 101 and the drum 102 are rotatably provided about the rotation axis Vo as the central axis. The rotation axis Vo may be provided to incline forward upward from the horizontal or may be provided to extend horizontally. A number of water passing holes 102b that allow water to communicate with the water tank 101 are provided on the peripheral wall of the drum 102.

[0018] The drum 102 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having a drum opening 102a on the front side, and accommodates the object to be processed inside. Examples of the object to be processed accommodated in the drum 102 include clothes, shoes, bags, hats, fabrics, towels, etc. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, an example in which clothes are accommodated as the object to be processed in the drum 102 will be described.

[0019] A motor 105 is disposed at the bottom of the water tank 101. The motor 105 rotationally drives the drum 102.

[0020] The lid 120 is attached to the front plate 100b and covers the drum opening 102a in an openable and closable manner. The user opens the lid 120 and puts the object to be processed into the drum 102 through the drum opening 102a. Further, the washing and drying machine 100 includes a lid lock portion (not shown). The lid lock portion can hold the lid 120 in a closed state.

[0021] A tank cover 101c that covers a part of the drum opening 102a is provided inside the housing 100a (shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7). The tank cover 101c covers the outer peripheral side of the drum opening 102a with respect to the lid 120 in the front view of the washing and drying machine 100. Note that the tank cover 101c may be provided continuously with the front plate 100b or may be provided as a separate member.

[0022] A baffle 103 is provided on the inner wall of the drum 102. The baffle 103 lifts the object (clothes) accommodated in the drum 102 when the drum 102 rotates.

[0023] Inside the housing 100a, there are provided a water supply valve 161 for taking in water from the outside, a water supply path 162 for flowing the water taken in by the water supply valve 161 into the water tank 101, a drain valve 163 for draining the water in the water tank 101, and a drain path 164 for discharging the water to the outside when the drain valve 163 is opened. Thus, the washing and drying machine 100 can execute a washing operation including a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydration process.

[0024] On the front side of the water tank 101, a tank cover 101c is provided to cover a part of the opening of the drum 102. The tank cover 101c may be provided on the water tank 101 or may be provided on the housing 100a. In the present embodiment, the nozzle unit 150 is provided on the tank cover 101c.

[0025] The washing and drying machine 100 includes a fan 104 for pressurizing air, an air intake port 106 provided at the upper part of the water tank 101, and an air outlet 107 provided at the back of the water tank 101. When the fan 104 rotates, the air in the water tank 101 is sucked in from the air intake port 106, and the air sucked in by the fan 104 flows into the water tank 101 from the air outlet 107.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the air passage from when the air is sucked in by the fan 104 from the air intake port 106 until the air flows into the water tank 101 from the air outlet 107 is defined as the air supply path 110. Note that since the fan 104 blows the air sucked in from inside the water tank 101 into the water tank 101 via the air supply path 110, it can also be defined as an air supply unit. The fan 104 is provided inside the air supply path 110. The air that has flowed into the water tank 101 from the air outlet 107 flows into the drum 102 through the ventilation holes provided at the back of the drum 102, and flows out toward the water tank 101 from the water passage holes 102b provided on the peripheral wall of the drum 102.

[0027] The washing and drying machine 100 includes a heat pump unit 111 as a heating unit inside the air supply path 110. The heat pump unit 111 is a device for dehumidifying and heating the air inside the air supply path 110.

[0028] The washing and drying machine 100 includes a control unit 131. The control unit 131 rotates the drum 102 through the motor 105, and also controls the operations of the fan 104, the heat pump unit 111, the water supply valve 161, the drain valve 163, the air pump 143, and the lid lock unit. The control unit 131 is disposed at the lower part inside the housing 100a. The configuration of the control device 130 will be described later.

[0029] The operation display unit 125 is disposed at the upper part of the front surface of the housing 100a. The operation display unit 125 receives an operation instruction from the user, and can further display the operation status and the like of the washing and drying machine 100. The operation display unit 125 is, for example, a touch panel, a liquid crystal panel, or operation buttons.

[0030] [1-1-2. Configuration of the liquid spraying device] Inside the housing 100a, a liquid agent spraying device 140 for supplying mist into the drum 102 is provided. Hereinafter, the liquid agent spraying device 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the main configuration of the liquid agent spraying device 140. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the washing and drying machine 100 including the liquid agent spraying device 140.

[0031] The liquid agent spraying device 140 is provided outside the air supply path 110. The liquid agent spraying device 140 includes a liquid agent tank 141, a liquid agent supply path 142, an air pump 143, an air supply path 144, and a nozzle unit 150 including a spray nozzle 154 (described later).

[0032] The liquid agent tank 141 is provided to be able to store the liquid agent. In this specification, the liquid agent is a liquid that is used to add value to clothing and the like, different from water. The liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank 141 is, for example, a wrinkle remover, a disinfectant, a deodorant, a fragrance, an insect repellent, a pre-washing agent, a water repellent, or a stain repellent. The liquid agent tank 141 is provided in the inner lower part of the housing 100a. The user can change, refill, and replenish the liquid stored in the liquid agent tank 141 by opening the tank cover 100c and taking out the liquid agent tank 141 from inside the housing 100a. Note that the location where the tank cover 100c is provided is not limited to the lower front part of the housing 100a as long as the user can take out the liquid agent tank 141, and it may be determined according to the location where the liquid agent tank 141 is disposed.

[0033] The liquid agent supply path 142 is a path for supplying the liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank 141 to the spray nozzle 154. In other words, the liquid agent supply path 142 is a path through which the liquid flowing into the spray nozzle 154 passes.

[0034] The air pump 143 supplies compressed air to the spray nozzle 154.

[0035] The air supply path 144 is connected to the air pump 143, and the air flowing into the spray nozzle 154 passes through the air supply path 144.

[0036] Note that in this embodiment, the liquid agent supply path 142 and the air supply path 144 are formed by rubber tubes, but they may be formed of polyvinyl chloride or the like, and the material and form for forming the liquid agent supply path 142 and the air supply path 144 are not limited to this.

[0037] [1-1-3. Configuration of the nozzle unit] Using FIGS. 5 to 7, the configuration of the nozzle unit 150 will be described. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle unit 150. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken from the front looking at the middle part of the washing and drying machine 100 in the front-rear direction. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6. The nozzle unit 150 includes a base portion 151, a nozzle portion 152, and a nozzle cover 155.

[0038] The base portion 151 is a member for attaching the nozzle unit 150 to the tub cover 101c, and is detachably provided on the tub cover 101c. The base portion 151 is fixed to the tub cover 101c by, for example, screwing. In the present embodiment, the base portion 151 is screwed to the inner back surface of the tub cover 101c from the inside of the tub cover 101c.

[0039] The nozzle portion 152 includes a nozzle mounting portion 153 and a spray nozzle 154. The nozzle portion 152 is fixed by screwing to the installation surface 151a of the base portion 151 with the spray nozzle 154 attached to the nozzle mounting portion 153. Note that the nozzle mounting portion 153 is detachably provided with respect to the installation surface 151a of the base portion 151. That is, the nozzle portion 152 is detachably provided with respect to the base portion 151.

[0040] The nozzle mounting portion 153 connects between the air supply path 144 and the air-side connection portion 154a (described later) of the spray nozzle 154. An O-ring for suppressing air leakage may be provided at the connection portion between the air supply path 144 and the nozzle mounting portion 153.

[0041] The spray nozzle 154 is a two-fluid nozzle that sprays a liquid using compressed air. The spray nozzle 154 includes an air-side connection portion 154a, a liquid-side connection portion 154b, and a spray port 154c. The air-side connection portion 154a is connected to the nozzle mounting portion 153 and allows the air that has passed through the air supply path 144 to flow into the spray nozzle 154. The liquid-side connection portion 154b is connected to the liquid supply path 142 and allows the liquid that has passed through the liquid supply path 142 to flow into the spray nozzle 154. The spray port 154c sprays the liquid stored in the liquid tank 141 that has flowed in from the liquid-side connection portion 154b using the compressed air that has flowed in from the air-side connection portion 154a.

[0042] The air-side connection portion 154a and the spray port 154c are provided substantially in a straight line, and the air-side connection portion 154a and the liquid-side connection portion 154b are provided substantially orthogonally. Note that an O-ring may be provided at the connection portion between the air-side connection portion 154a and the nozzle mounting portion 153 to suppress air leakage. Also, an O-ring may be provided at the connection portion between the liquid-side connection portion 154b and the liquid supply path 142 to suppress liquid leakage.

[0043] The nozzle portion 152 is sandwiched between the base portion 151 and the nozzle cover 155 in a state where the spray nozzle 154 is attached to the nozzle mounting portion 153, and is fixed to the base portion 151 by being screwed to the nozzle cover 155 through the screw hole provided in the nozzle mounting portion 153 from the screw hole provided in the installation surface 151a. In other words, the nozzle cover 155 fixes the nozzle portion 152 to the base portion 151.

[0044] The base portion 151 having the installation surface 151a is detachably provided with respect to the tank cover 101c. Thus, as the base portion 151, by replacing the base portion 151 with a different angle of the installation surface 151a on the tank cover 101c, the installation angle of the nozzle portion 152 can be changed. Therefore, since the angle of the spray port 154c can be changed, depending on the type of liquid stored in the liquid tank 141 and the usage of the liquid spraying device 140, the angle of the mist sprayed from the spray nozzle 154 can be changed.

[0045] The nozzle mounting portion 153 has an air supply path 144 connected in a substantially vertical direction and is connected to the air-side connection portion 154a of the spray nozzle 154 in a substantially horizontal direction. That is, the nozzle mounting portion 153 has a bending structure 153a that bends the path inside the nozzle mounting portion 153 at a substantially right angle. In other words, the bending structure 153a bends the path through which the air flowing into the spray nozzle 154 passes.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the spray nozzle 154 is provided at the upper left portion (front view) of the tank cover 101c. That is, the spray nozzle 154 is provided at the upper front portion of the drum 102. The spray nozzle 154 sprays mist toward the diagonal direction of the drum 102, that is, the lower right portion (front view) of the inner rear portion of the drum 102. Since the mist sprayed from the spray nozzle 154 falls downward according to gravity, by being provided at the upper front portion of the drum 102, it is possible to suppress the local adhesion of the mist to the clothes stored in the drum 102, and the mist can be adhered over a wide range. Further, when the average particle size of the mist sprayed from the spray nozzle 154 is small, the mist can float in the drum 102 without falling immediately after spraying. By rotating the clothes while the mist is floating in the drum 102, the mist can be adhered to the clothes more uniformly.

[0047] [1-1-4. Configuration of the control unit] The configuration of the control unit 131 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the control unit 131.

[0048] The control unit 131 can be realized by a circuit including semiconductor elements or the like. The control unit 131 can be composed of, for example, a microcomputer, CPU, MPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA, or ASIC. The functions of the control unit 131 may be configured by hardware only, or may be realized by combining hardware and software. The control unit 131 has a storage unit such as a hard disk drive (HDD), SSD, or memory, and realizes a predetermined function by reading data and programs stored in the storage unit and performing various arithmetic processes.

[0049] The control unit 131 receives an instruction input from the user through the operation display unit 125. The control unit 131 controls the operations of the aforementioned respective devices according to the instruction such as the driving course received. Further, the control unit 131 notifies the user of the operation status of the washing and drying machine 100 through the operation display unit 125 or the buzzer 133.

[0050] In addition, when the washing and drying machine 100 is provided with a communication unit capable of communicating with an external terminal, the control unit 131 may be configured to be able to receive an instruction input from the user through the external terminal via the communication unit. Further, the control unit 131 may be configured to be able to notify the user of the operation status of the washing and drying machine 100 to the external terminal through the communication unit.

[0051] [1-2. Operations, etc.] Regarding the washing and drying machine 100 configured as described above, its operations and functions will be described below.

[0052] [1-2-1. Operations in the mist supply process] The control unit 131 can execute a mist supply process of controlling the air pump 143 to operate the liquid agent spraying device 140. The mist supply process is a course of operating the liquid agent spraying device 140 with clothes accommodated in the drum 102. Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the control and operations in the mist supply process will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart in the mist supply process.

[0053] The mist supply process includes a spray course selection step (S1) of selecting a spray course according to the amount of the object to be treated (clothes) to which the liquid agent is sprayed, a spraying step (S2) of operating the liquid agent spraying device 140, and a blowing step (S3) of operating the fan 104.

[0054] When the control unit 131 receives an instruction to start the mist supply process with the clothes accommodated in the drum 102, the mist supply process starts. When the mist supply process starts, the control unit 131 operates the lid lock unit to hold the lid body 120 in the closed state, and receives the spray course selected by the user via the operation display unit 125. The control unit 131 performs a spraying step corresponding to the received spray course (S2). The spraying step in step S2 will be described later.

[0055] When the spraying step S2 ends, the control unit 131 executes the blowing step S3. In the blowing step S3, the control unit 131 controls the motor 105 to rotate the drum 102 while operating the fan 104 to blow air toward the clothes in the drum 102. Thereby, the clothes sprayed with the liquid agent in the spraying step S2 can be dried.

[0056] When the control unit 131 operates the fan 104 for a predetermined time, it stops the operations of the fan 104 and the motor 105 to end the blowing step S3. When the control unit 131 ends the blowing step S3, it releases the lock of the lid body 120 by the lid lock unit, and the mist supply process ends.

[0057] [1-2-2. Operations in the Spraying Step] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the operation in the spraying step S2 of the mist supply process will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the spraying course selection step S1 of the mist supply process. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operations of the liquid agent spraying device 140 (air pump 143), the drum 102 (motor 105), and the fan 104 as a first example of the spraying process in the spraying step S2. In the following description, ON and OFF of the liquid agent spraying device 140 are respectively synonymous with ON and OFF of the air pump 143. Also, ON and OFF of the drum 102 are respectively synonymous with ON and OFF of the motor 105.

[0058] When the spraying course selection step S1 in FIG. 9 is executed, the control unit 131 waits for a signal indicating whether the object to be processed (clothes) is single or plural to be input from the operation display unit 125 (S11). When the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothes) is single, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is single (Yes in step S11), it then waits for an input indicating whether the object to be processed is a delicate material or not (S12). When the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothes) is not a delicate material, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is not a delicate material (No in step S12), it determines course A1 as the spraying course.

[0059] In step S12, when the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothes) is a delicate material, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is a delicate material (Yes in step S12), it determines course A2 as the spraying course.

[0060] In step S11, when the user inputs via the operation display unit 125 that there are a plurality of objects to be processed (clothes), a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that there are a plurality of objects to be processed (No in step S11), it determines course B as the spraying course.

[0061] The control unit 131 performs the spraying process in the spraying steps of FIG. 9 according to each determined spraying course. Note that the setting of each spraying course is not limited to the sequence shown in FIG. 10. For example, the user may be allowed to input all at once via the operation display unit 125 which spraying course to operate. As a first example of the spraying process, the operation of course A1 in the spraying step will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the first example, the clothes to be processed are, for example, a single cotton shirt.

[0062] In the spraying process of step S2, the control unit 131 drives (turns on) the liquid agent spraying device 140 and executes a spraying operation to spray the liquid agent in the liquid agent tank 141 toward the clothes in the drum 102.

[0063] In course A1, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds, and then stops the drive of the motor 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. Next, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 in reverse at the first rotation speed for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds. Next, the control unit 131 stops the drive of the motor 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. Thereafter, again, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds. In this way, the control unit 131 executes a tumbling operation in which the motor 105 and the drum 102 rotate forward and reverse alternately. Thereby, it becomes easier for the mist sprayed by the liquid agent spraying device 140 to adhere uniformly to the clothes in the drum 102.

[0064] While the control unit 131 is switching the drum 102 between forward rotation and reverse rotation, that is, while the driving of the motor 105 is OFF, the rotational speed of the drum 102 is substantially 0. At this time, the operation of the liquid spraying device 140 is stopped (turned OFF). Also, in the spraying process of step S2, the control unit 131 may intermittently drive the liquid spraying device 140.

[0065] In course A1, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 forward and rotates the drum 102 forward at the first rotational speed when performing the spraying process on a single piece of clothing. The first rotational speed is, for example, 54 rpm, which is higher than the second rotational speed that is the rotational speed of the drum 102 when performing the spraying process on a plurality of pieces of clothing.

[0066] In the spraying step, by moving the exposed surface of the clothing so as to be replaced, the mist can be uniformly adhered to the clothing. As shown in FIG. 12, when a single piece of clothing CL1 rotates in the drum 102, by hitting the clothing CL1 against the baffle 103 provided on the drum 102, the baffle 103 can lift the clothing CL1 and float it in the drum 102. When the rotational speed of the drum 102 is high, it is possible to suppress the clothing CL1 from sliding on the baffle 103 and at the same time, the clothing CL1 can be lifted high. Furthermore, the frequency of the clothing CL1 hitting the baffle 103 can be increased, and the replacement of the exposed surface of the clothing CL1 can be further promoted. Thereby, the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the clothing CL1.

[0067] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, when a plurality of pieces of clothing CL1 are put into the drum 102 and rotate, due to the influence of the baffle 103 or other clothing CL1, the clothing moves. Therefore, when the rotational speed of the drum 102 is high, excessive interference occurs between the clothing CL1, and entanglement occurs between the plurality of pieces of clothing CL1, so that the uniformity of the adhesion of the liquid agent to each piece of clothing CL1 decreases. Therefore, when a plurality of pieces of clothing CL1 are in the drum 102, it is desirable to lower the rotational speed of the drum 102.

[0068] In addition, the second rotational speed, which is the rotational speed of the drum 102 when spraying a plurality of pieces of clothing, may be greater than the first rotational speed when spraying a single piece of clothing. In this case, by quickly replacing the clothing in the drum 102, the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the clothing.

[0069] Also, in the spraying process of step S2, the control unit 131 always stops the fan 104. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the mist supplied into the drum 102 by the liquid agent spraying device 140 from being disturbed by the wind generated by the fan 104 and adhering to the inner wall of the drum 102, and to suppress the evaporation of the mist in the drum 102. Further, it is possible to suppress the mist from riding on the wind generated by the fan 104 and entering the air supply path 110 and adhering to the heat pump unit 111 or the like.

[0070] Next, as a second example of the spraying process, the operation of course A2 in the spraying step will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the operations of the liquid agent spraying device 140 (air pump 143), the drum 102 (motor 105), and the fan 104 in course A2 in the spraying step. In the second example, the clothing to be processed is, for example, a single silk shirt.

[0071] The clothing to be spray-treated in course A2 is more delicate than the clothing to be spray-treated in course A1. The delicate clothing referred to here is made of a material that is vulnerable to water and is not easily wetted with mist as much as possible, or is easily damaged clothing.

[0072] In Course A2, when the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward at a second rotational speed higher than the first rotational speed, for example, for 1 second, the driving of the motor 105 is stopped for, for example, 0.5 seconds. The second rotational speed is, for example, 75 rpm. Next, when the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 backward at the second rotational speed, for example, for 1 second, the driving of the motor 105 is stopped for, for example, 0.5 seconds. Thereafter, again, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for, for example, 1 second. In this way, the control unit 131 executes a tumbling operation in which the motor 105 and the drum 102 alternate between forward and reverse rotations.

[0073] Unlike Course A1, in Course A2, the control unit 131 drives (turns ON) the liquid agent spraying device 140 even while switching the drum 102 between forward and reverse rotations.

[0074] Next, as a third example of the spraying process, the operation of Course B in the spraying step S2 will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the operations of the liquid agent spraying device 140 (air pump 143), the drum 102 (motor 105), and the fan 104 in Course B in the spraying step S2. Course B performs a spraying process on a plurality of pieces of clothing.

[0075] In Course B, when the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward at a third rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, for example, for 20 seconds, the driving of the motor 105 is stopped for, for example, 1 second. The third rotational speed is, for example, 45 rpm. Next, when the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 backward at the third rotational speed, for example, for 20 seconds, the driving of the motor 105 is stopped for, for example, 1 second. Thereafter, again, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for, for example, 20 seconds. In this way, the control unit 131 executes a tumbling operation in which the motor 105 and the drum 102 alternate between forward and reverse rotations.

[0076] When comparing Course A1 and A2 for processing a single piece of clothing with Course B for processing multiple pieces of clothing, the rotation time for forward rotation in Course A1 and A2 is shorter than that in Course B. When only one piece of clothing is mist-treated, the movement of the clothing is caused only by the baffle 103. Therefore, if the drum 102 continues to rotate in the same direction, as shown in FIG. 16, the clothing CL1 begins to take a shape suitable for rotation, gradually rounds up, and it becomes difficult for the exposed surface of the clothing CL1 to be replaced. When the number of pieces of clothing CL1 in the drum 102 is one, by shortening the forward rotation time (rotation ON time) of the motor 105 and the drum 102 compared to when there are multiple pieces of clothing CL1 in the drum 102, the replacement of the exposed surface of the clothing can be sufficiently performed, and mist can be uniformly adhered to the clothing CL1. Note that the reverse rotation time (rotation ON time) is also shorter when there is one piece of clothing CL1 than when there are multiple pieces.

[0077] Note that the rotation time for forward rotation in Course B may be shorter than that in Course A1 and A2. When the number of pieces of clothing CL1 in the drum 102 is multiple, the forward rotation time (rotation ON time) of the motor 105 and the drum 102 is shortened compared to when there is one piece of clothing CL1 in the drum 102. By increasing the rotation time of the drum 102, the stop time of the drum 102 can be shortened and the processing time can be reduced.

[0078] Also, in the tumbling operation executed in the spraying step S2, the rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in Course A2 is shorter than that of the motor 105 in Course B. When there is a single piece of clothing, by shortening the rotation OFF time between forward and reverse rotations compared to when there are multiple pieces, even if the clothing falls onto the circumferential surface of the drum 102 during the rotation OFF time, the baffle 103 can immediately lift the clothing. When the rotation OFF time is set to exactly the appropriate time, the clothing can be held in a floating state, and mist can be uniformly adhered to the clothing.

[0079] Also, in the tumbling operation executed in the spraying step S2, the ratio of the rotation OFF time to the rotation ON time of the motor 105 in course B is larger than the ratio of the rotation OFF time to the rotation ON time of the motor 105 in courses A1 and A2. Thereby, even when there are multiple pieces of clothing, the lifted clothing can be dropped onto the drum 102. Thereby, entanglement of the clothing during the tumbling operation can be prevented.

[0080] Note that, in the tumbling operation executed in the spraying step S2, the ratio of the rotation OFF time to the rotation ON time of the motor 105 in course B may be smaller than the ratio of the rotation OFF time to the rotation ON time of the motor 105 in courses A1 and A2. Since the number of times of left - right reversal of the drum 102 can be increased, the state where the clothing is floated in the drum 102 can be continued, and the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the clothing.

[0081] Also, in the spraying step S2, the amount of rotation per forward and reverse rotation of the drum 102 in course B is larger than the amount of rotation per forward and reverse rotation of the drum 102 in courses A1 and A2. The amount of rotation of the drum 102 per rotation is the angle by which the drum 102 rotates per rotation, and is the product of the time and the rotation speed for each of forward and reverse rotations. By increasing the rotation angle when a plurality of pieces of clothing are loaded into the drum 102, the clothing can be easily lifted from the drum 102, and the tumbling state of the clothing can be made into a steady state. Therefore, the replacement of the clothing can be promoted.

[0082] Note that, in the spraying step S2, the amount of rotation per forward and reverse rotation of the drum 102 in course B may be smaller than the amount of rotation per forward and reverse rotation of the drum 102 in courses A1 and A2. When a single piece of clothing is loaded into the drum 102, by increasing the rotation angle and continuously rotating the drum 102 in a certain direction, the time of the spraying step S2 can be shortened.

[0083] Also, in the air blowing step S3, the rotational speed of the fan 104 in courses A1 and A2 is lower than the rotational speed of the fan 104 in course B. For example, the rotational speed of the fan 104 in the air blowing step S3 in courses A1 and A2 is 3,000 rpm, while the rotational speed of the fan 104 in course B is 5,000 rpm. If the rotational speed of the fan 104 in the air blowing step S3 in courses A1 and A2 is increased to the same rotational speed as that in course B, as shown in FIG. 17, the clothing CL1 will stick inside the drum 102. Therefore, in the air blowing step S3, by setting the rotational speed of the fan 104 in courses A1 and A2 to be lower than the rotational speed of the fan 104 in course B, it is possible to prevent the clothing CL1 from sticking inside the drum 102. Thus, the occurrence of wrinkles in the clothing CL1 can be prevented.

[0084] Note that in the air blowing step S3, the rotational speed of the fan 104 in courses A1 and A2 may be higher than the rotational speed of the fan 104 in course B. Thereby, the clothing inside the drum 102 can be attached to the inner wall on the front side or the rear side of the drum 102, and the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the spread clothing.

[0085] Also, in the spraying step S2, the control unit 131 does not drive the fan 104 in the case of courses A1 and A2, but drives the fan 104 in the case of course B. By driving the fan 104, as shown in FIG. 18, in addition to the force in the circumferential direction of the drum 102 due to the rotation of the drum 102 acting on the clothing CL1, a force in the rotational axis direction is applied due to the air from the fan 104 flowing into the drum 102 from the back side of the water tank. Therefore, a force can also be applied to the clothing CL1 in a direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum 102. As a result, the clothing inside the drum 102 is exchanged while having an oblique vector. Thereby, the exchange of the exposed surface of the clothing is promoted, and the mist can be uniformly adhered. In the present embodiment, the air blowing by the fan 104 blows out from the rear to the front of the drum 102 (see FIG. 2), but it may also blow out from the front to the rear of the drum 102.

[0086] Further, in Course B, the rotation speed of the fan 104 in the spraying step S2 is smaller than the rotation speed of the fan 104 in the air blowing step S3. In the spraying step S2, by sending a weaker wind from the fan 104 than in the air blowing step S3, while promoting the replacement of clothes, it is possible to suppress the stagnation of the agent sprayed by the air blowing.

[0087] Note that in Course B, the rotation speed of the fan 104 in the spraying step S2 may be larger than the rotation speed of the fan 104 in the air blowing step S3. Thereby, the clothes in the drum 102 can be attached to the inner wall on the front side or the rear side of the drum 102, and the agent can be uniformly adhered to the spread clothes.

[0088] Further, the control unit 131 sets the operation time of the fan 104 in the air blowing step S3 to be the same in Courses A1, A2, and Course B. Since the control unit 131 increases the spraying time of the agent as the quantity of clothes increases, while the adhesion amount of the agent per piece of clothing is substantially the same, the air blowing time is made substantially the same in Courses A1, A2, and Course B. Thereby, over-drying of the clothes can be suppressed.

[0089] Further, the control unit 131 also executes the tumbling operation of the drum 102 in the air blowing step S3, and the rotation ON time and rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the tumbling operation executed in the spraying step S2 are shorter than the rotation ON time and rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the tumbling operation executed in the air blowing step, respectively. In the spraying step S2, in order to uniformly adhere the mist-like agent to the clothes, it is necessary to frequently replace the exposed surface of the clothes with respect to the air blowing step S3. By making the rotation ON time and rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the spraying step S2 shorter than those in the air blowing step S3, respectively, the tumbling operation in the spraying step S2 can be frequently performed, so that the replacement of the exposed surface of the clothes can be promoted. Therefore, local mist adhesion to the clothes can be suppressed.

[0090] [Effect] According to the washing and drying machine 100 according to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. (Effect 1)

[0091] As described above, the washing and drying machine 100 of this embodiment includes a drum 102, a liquid agent tank 141 for storing a liquid agent, a liquid agent spraying device 140 for spraying the liquid agent onto the drum 102, and a control unit 131 for controlling the operation of the liquid agent spraying device 140. The liquid agent spraying device 140 can spray the liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank 141. The control unit 131 can execute a spraying step S2 for operating the liquid agent spraying device 140. In the spraying step S2, the liquid agent spraying device 140 is operated for a spraying time based on the amount of clothing accommodated in the drum 102, and the spraying time when the amount of clothing is small is set shorter than the spraying time when the amount of clothing is large.

[0092] Thereby, when the amount of clothing is small, it is possible to suppress excessive adhesion of the liquid agent to the clothing. Also, when the amount of clothing is large, a sufficient amount of the liquid agent can be sprayed to exhibit the effect of the liquid agent. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the clothing dries and effectively adhere the liquid agent.

[0093] Also, the liquid agent spraying device 140, the control unit 131, in the spraying step S2, sprays the liquid agent spraying device 140 for a spraying time based on the amount of clothing accommodated in the drum 102, and sets the spraying time when the amount of clothing is small shorter than the spraying time when the amount of clothing is large. Here, the spraying time is the operation time of the air pump 143.

[0094] By making the spraying amount of the liquid agent per unit time from the liquid agent spraying device 140 constant, the control unit 131 can control the spraying amount of the liquid agent onto the clothing by the spraying time, so that the accuracy of the spraying amount of the liquid agent can be improved.

[0095] The washing and drying machine 100 further includes a motor 105 that rotates the drum 102, and the control unit 131 controls the rotation of the drum 102 by controlling the driving of the motor 105. The control unit 131 controls the motor 105 in the spraying step S2 differently between the case of the first state where the amount of clothing in the drum 102 is single and the case of the second state where the amount of clothing in the drum 102 is plural.

[0096] Thereby, an appropriate spraying process of the liquid agent can be executed according to the quantity of the clothing accommodated in the drum 102.

[0097] In addition, the control unit 131 can execute courses A1 and A2 for the state where the clothing is single and course B for the state where the clothing is plural, and can receive an operation instruction of course A1, A2 or course B from the user.

[0098] Thereby, when the course for the spraying process is selected by the user, the spraying amount of the liquid agent and the amount of air sent to the clothing can be changed according to the amount of the clothing. Therefore, the texture of the clothing can be improved. Here, the texture of the clothing is, for example, fragrance or appearance. When using a fragrant liquid agent, it is possible to prevent the fragrance from being too strong when there is little clothing and the fragrance from being weak when there is a lot of clothing, so that the clothing can be fragranced with an appropriate strength. In addition, it is possible to suppress the formation of new wrinkles by sticking to the lid 120 when there is little clothing and the reduction of the wrinkle stretching effect by the wind when there is a lot of clothing, and the wrinkles of the clothing can be stretched. In addition, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of over-drying when there is little clothing and insufficient drying when there is a lot of clothing, so that the clothing can be dried to an appropriate degree. In addition, when there is little clothing, by reducing the spraying amount of the liquid agent, it is possible to suppress the user from inhaling the sprayed liquid agent and adhering to the user's skin.

[0099] Note that the control unit 131 can execute a detection step capable of detecting the amount of clothing in the drum 102, and the control unit 131 may execute course A1, A2 or course B based on the result of the detection step.

[0100] Hereinafter, a first modification example of the washing and drying machine 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the spray course selection step S1 in the mist supply process in the first modification example of the first embodiment. FIGS. 20 and 21 are explanatory diagrams showing the operations of the liquid agent spray devices 140 (air pumps 143), the drum 102 (motor 105), and the fan 104 in the spray courses C1 and C2, respectively.

[0101] In contrast to the washing and drying machine 100 according to the first embodiment, in which the spray treatment varies according to the quantity of the clothes, the spray treatment of the washing and drying machine in the first modification example also varies according to the weight. Regarding the configuration other than this point and the points described below, since the washing and drying machine 100 according to the first embodiment and the washing and drying machine according to the first modification example are common, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] Similar to the first embodiment, when the spray course selection step S1 in FIG. 9 is executed, the spray course selection step shown in FIG. 19 starts. Similar to the first embodiment, in step S11, when the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is singular (Yes in step S11), next, it waits for an input indicating whether the object to be processed is heavy or not (S21). When the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothes) is not heavy, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is not heavy (No in step S21), it executes step S12.

[0103] In step S21, when the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothing) is heavy, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is heavy (Yes in step S21), next, it waits for an input as to whether the object to be processed is large or thick (S22). In step S22, when the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothing) is large, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is large, it determines course C1 as the spraying course.

[0104] In step S22, when the user inputs to the operation display unit 125 that the object to be processed (clothing) is thick, a signal to that effect is input to the control unit 131. When the control unit 131 receives a signal indicating that the object to be processed is thick, it determines course C2 as the spraying course.

[0105] The control unit 131 performs the spraying process in spraying step S2 of FIG. 9 according to each determined spraying course. Referring to FIG. 20 as a fourth example of the spraying process, the operation of course C1 in spraying step S2 will be described. In the fourth example, the clothing to be processed is, for example, a single large piece of clothing such as a coat.

[0106] In course C1, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward at the fourth rotational speed for a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds, then stops the drive of the motor 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. Next, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 backward at the fourth rotational speed for a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds. Next, the control unit 131 stops the drive of the motor 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. Thereafter, again, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds.

[0107] In the spraying step S2, the fourth rotational speed at which the drum 102 rotates in the course C1 is lower than the first and second rotational speeds of the drum 102 in the courses A1 and A2. The fourth rotational speed is, for example, 30 rpm, and is higher than the first rotational speed which is the rotational speed of the drum 102 when performing a spraying process on a single piece of normal-sized clothing.

[0108] In the case of a normal-sized shirt, the baffle 103 can lift the clothing. However, in the case of large-sized clothing, even when rotating at high speed, it is difficult to lift the clothing by the baffle 103. As shown in Fig. 22(a), the large-sized clothing CL2 that was spread out at the beginning of the rotation of the drum 102, when rotated at the same rotational speed as in the courses A1 and A2, due to its large size, as shown in Fig. 22(b), the clothing CL2 is likely to curl up into a dumpling shape due to the rotation of the drum 102 and its own weight. Therefore, by rotating the motor 105 and the drum 102 at a lower speed in the course C1 than in the courses A1 and A2, as shown in Fig. 22(c), the clothing CL2 can be rotated, for example, in a folded state, and while suppressing the clothing from curling up, the exposed surface of the clothing can be changed. Therefore, the mist-like liquid agent can be continuously adhered to different surfaces of the clothing CL2, and the uneven adhesion can be reduced.

[0109] Also, in the spraying step S2, when it is the courses A1 and A2, the control unit 131 operates the liquid agent spraying device 140 with the drum 102 rotating, but when it is the course C1, the control unit 131 operates the liquid agent spraying device 140 with the rotation of the drum 102 stopped, and starts the rotation of the drum 102 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0110] As shown in Fig. 23(a), in the spraying step S2, before the clothing CL2 is put into the drum 102 and the first forward rotation of the drum 102 starts, the control unit 131 operates the liquid agent spraying device 140 with the drum 102 stopped, and sprays the mist-like liquid agent on the clothing CL2 for a predetermined time. Thereby, even when the size of the clothing is large, the liquid agent can be intensively sprayed on the exposed part of the clothing, so that the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the clothing.

[0111] Next, as a fifth example of the spraying process, the operation of course C1 in the spraying step S2 will be described with reference to FIG. 20. In the fifth example, the clothing to be processed is, for example, a single thick piece of clothing such as a down coat.

[0112] In course C2, when the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward at the fifth rotational speed for a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute, the driving of the motor 105 is stopped for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds. Next, the control unit 131 reverses the motor 105 and the drum 102 at the fifth rotational speed for a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds. Next, the control unit 131 stops the driving of the motor 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds. Thereafter, again, the control unit 131 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 forward for a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute.

[0113] In the spraying step S2, the control unit 131 sets the rotational speed of the drum 102 in the case of course C2 to be higher than the rotational speed of the drum 102 in the cases of courses A1 and A2. As shown in FIG. 23(a), even the clothing CL3 that is swollen at the time of loading can be spread by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the drum 102 when rotated at a high rotational speed, as shown in FIG. 23(b). Thereby, the liquid agent can be sprayed over the entire clothing CL3.

[0114] Further, as shown in FIG. 24(a), when the clothing CL3 having batting is accommodated in the drum 102, the control unit 131 sets the rotational speed to be higher than the rotational speed of the drum 102 in the cases of courses A1 and A2. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 24(b), the generated centrifugal force allows the sprayed mist-like liquid agent to penetrate further into the clothing CL3. Therefore, the entire clothing CL3 can be treated with the liquid agent.

[0115] In addition, when the clothing CL3 having batting is accommodated in the drum 102, the control unit 131 may set the rotation speed to be lower than the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the cases of courses A1 and A2. Thereby, by suppressing the rubbing of the clothing in the drum 102, it is possible to suppress the clothing from being torn in the drum 102.

[0116] (Effect 2) According to the washing and drying machine 100 of the first modification of the first embodiment, the control unit 131 controls the motor 105 in the spraying step S2 differently between the cases of courses A1 and A2 where the weight of the clothing CL1 in the drum 102 is the first weight and the cases of courses C1 and C2 where the weights of the clothing CL2 and CL3 in the drum 102 are the second weight which is heavier than the first weight.

[0117] Thereby, the spraying process can be appropriately executed according to the weight of the clothing (object to be processed) accommodated in the drum 102.

[0118] Further, according to the washing and drying machine 100 of the first modification of the first embodiment, the control unit 131 can execute courses A1 and A2 for the case where the weight of the clothing is light and courses C1 and C2 for the case where the weight of the clothing is heavy, respectively, and can receive an operation instruction for course A1 or A2 or course C1 or C2 from the user.

[0119] Thereby, when the course for the spraying process is selected by the user, the spraying amount of the liquid agent and the rotation speed of the drum 102 can be changed according to the weight of the clothing. Therefore, the texture of the clothing can be improved.

[0120] Note that the control unit 131 can execute courses A1 and A2 for a state where the weight of the clothing is light, and courses C1 and C2 for a state where the weight of the clothing is heavy, and the control unit 131 may be able to execute a detection step of detecting the weight of the clothing in the drum 102. The control unit 131 executes course A1, A2 or course C1, C2 based on the result of the detection step. In the detection step, for example, the weight of the clothing in the drum 102 may be detected using a weight sensor. Also, in the detection step, for example, the number of clothing items put into the drum 102 may be detected by imaging means such as a camera or detection means such as RFID.

[0121] Next, a second modification example of the washing and drying machine 100 of the first embodiment will be described. In the blowing step S3 in the washing and drying machine 100 of the first embodiment, air at room temperature was blown, but the washing and drying machine 100 of the second modification example is a drying step of blowing air heated by the heat pump unit 111. Regarding the configuration other than this point and the points described below, the washing and drying machine 100 of the first embodiment and the washing and drying machine of the second modification example are common, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0122] When the drum 102 is stopped, the control unit 131 stops the spraying from the chemical spraying device 140. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the chemical sprayed from the chemical spraying device 140 from directly adhering to the clothing. Therefore, uneven adhesion to the clothing can be reduced.

[0123] The control unit 131 can execute a drying step of operating the fan 104 and the heat pump unit 111, and the control unit 131 can execute a spraying operation in which the drying step is executed after the execution of the spraying step S2, and a drying operation in which the drying step is executed without executing the spraying step S2, respectively. The control unit 131 executes the operation of the heat pump unit 111 in the spraying operation with higher output than the operation of the heat pump unit 111 in the drying operation.

[0124] The spraying course can target not only clothes after dehydration but also dry clothes. As described for the latter, when the initial state is a dry cloth, the dehydration rate after the spraying operation is lower compared to that of clothes after dehydration. That is, the amount of moisture to be dried is small. Therefore, the drying time can be shortened compared to the normal drying operation. Even if the HP target upper limit rotation speed is increased so that the warm air temperature becomes too high in the normal drying operation, in the spraying course, since the drying operation time is short, the warm air temperature does not rise too much. As a result, the drying of the clothes can be completed quickly, and the user experience is improved.

[0125] (Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 25 to 31, the washing and drying machine 200 according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. The washing and drying machine 200 according to Embodiment 2 further includes a configuration for performing a pretreatment process of stretching wrinkles of an object to be processed, in addition to the configuration of the washing and drying machine 100 according to Embodiment 1. Regarding the configuration other than this point and the points described below, since the washing and drying machine 100 according to Embodiment 1 and the washing and drying machine 200 according to Embodiment 2 are common, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] Refer to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view including a liquid spraying device of the washing and drying machine 200 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a series of washing processes of the washing and drying machine 200 according to Embodiment 2.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 25, the washing and drying machine 200 of the second embodiment may include a liquid supply unit 250 that supplies liquid to the clothes introduced in the pretreatment step S31. The liquid supply unit 250 includes a liquid tank 245 different from the chemical agent tank 141, a switching unit 246, a chemical agent supply path 142, and a nozzle unit 150. The liquid tank 245 stores the liquid sprayed in the pretreatment step S31. The liquid sprayed in the pretreatment step S31 may be a chemical agent for removing wrinkles or water. The switching unit 246 switches the supply paths for supplying the chemical agent stored in the chemical agent tank 141 and the water stored in the liquid tank 245. The switching unit 246 is, for example, an electromagnetic valve, and by performing switching control on the control unit 231, the chemical agent stored in the chemical agent tank 141 or the water stored in the liquid tank 245 is sprayed from the nozzle unit 150. Note that a supply path and a nozzle unit dedicated to the liquid tank 245 may be provided.

[0128] The control unit 231 of the washing and drying machine 200 of the second embodiment has the same functions as the control unit 131 of the first embodiment, and further performs a pretreatment step of stretching the wrinkles of the clothes before starting the mist supply step. The pretreatment step is a process for promoting the more uniform adhesion of the mist-like chemical agent to the clothes in the subsequent mist supply step by stretching the wrinkles of the clothes when the wrinkles of the clothes are deep. In the following description, a course of spraying a chemical agent that promotes, for example, dirt removal on the clothes before starting the washing of the clothes will be described as an example.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 26, in the washing course with the pretreatment and mist supply steps, the control unit 231 performs, for example, the pretreatment step S31, the mist supply step S32, the washing step S33, the dehydration step S34, the rinsing step S35, the dehydration step S36, and the drying step S37 in this order. Therefore, since the clothes in the pretreatment step S31 are in a state before the washing step S33, they are dry.

[0130] When the user inputs an instruction to the operation display unit 125 to operate a washing course with a pretreatment and mist supply process, the control unit 131 receives the instruction and executes the pretreatment process S31. The control unit 131 receives this instruction as a signal indicating that dry clothes are loaded into the drum 102. In the operation display unit 125, the operator may be allowed to select whether the clothes in the drum 102 are dry or wet, and the control unit 131 may receive this selected signal.

[0131] The control unit 231 performs the operations shown in, for example, FIG. 27. FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the pretreatment process S31 for dry clothes and the processing in the spraying step S2.

[0132] In the pretreatment process S31 for dry clothes, the control unit 231 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 at a rotational speed equal to or lower than the rotational speed in the spraying step S2, for example, at 25 rpm. The control unit 231 also performs a tumbling operation in the pretreatment process S31 in the same manner as in the spraying step S2, and the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the pretreatment process S31 is 5:1. The processing time of the pretreatment process S31 is, for example, 1 minute. By spraying liquid, for example, for 5 seconds each time the motor 105 rotates, wrinkles of the clothes can be further stretched. In the pretreatment process S31, wrinkles can be stretched uniformly by rotating the clothes. The liquid sprayed by the control unit 231 onto the clothes may be the liquid in the liquid tank 245 or the liquid agent in the liquid agent tank.

[0133] Next, in the spraying step S2 of the mist supply process S32, the control unit 231 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 at, for example, 35 rpm. The control unit 231 performs a tumbling operation in the spraying step S2, and the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the spraying step S2 is 10:1. By spraying the liquid agent, for example, for 10 seconds each time the motor 105 rotates, removal of dirt before washing can be promoted for the clothes.

[0134] The rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pre-treatment step S31 is equal to or lower than the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the spraying step S2 of the mist supply step S32. Thereby, since the tumbling operation is gently performed in the pre-treatment step S31, the clothes can be loosened while suppressing the deepening of wrinkles in the clothes. Therefore, it is possible to easily replace the exposed surface of the clothes in the spraying step S2.

[0135] Note that the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the spraying step S2 of the mist supply step S32 may be equal to or lower than the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pre-treatment step S31. Thereby, by reducing the mechanical force of the drum 102 in the wet state, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of damage such as lint generation in the clothes.

[0136] When the control unit 231 receives a signal indicating that dry clothes are loaded into the drum 102, the control unit 231 makes the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pre-treatment step S31 smaller than the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the spraying step S2. Thereby, the clothes can be loosened while suppressing the deepening of wrinkles in the clothes. Therefore, it is possible to easily replace the exposed surface of the clothes in the spraying step S2. When the spraying operation is targeted at dry objects to be processed, for example, when dry objects to be processed are initially loaded into the drum 102, or when the spraying operation is executed after the completion of the washing step, rinsing step, dehydration step, and drying step.

[0137] The control unit 231 is capable of executing a tumbling operation in which the drum 102 is rotated forward and backward respectively over a rotation ON time (first time), and the drum 102 is not rotationally driven over a rotation OFF time (second time) between the forward rotation and the reverse rotation. The ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time in the pre-treatment step S31 is smaller than the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time in the spraying step S2. Thereby, after the tumbling rotation and after the moved clothes are loosened, the next tumbling rotation can be performed. Therefore, the loosening of the clothes can be promoted, and the surface of the clothes in the spraying step S2 can be easily replaced.

[0138] In addition, the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time in the pretreatment step S31 may be larger than the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time in the spraying step S2. By doing so, by reducing the time for stopping the drum 102, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles in the clothing.

[0139] The control unit 231 makes the rotation ON time in the pretreatment step S31 shorter than the rotation ON time in the spraying step S2. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the rounding and deepening of wrinkles of the clothing due to the continuous rotation of the clothing. Therefore, the liquid agent can be more uniformly adhered in the spraying step S2.

[0140] In addition, the control unit 231 may make the rotation ON time in the pretreatment step S31 longer than the rotation ON time in the spraying step S2. Thereby, since the clothing can be replaced in the drum 102, the liquid agent can be uniformly adhered to the clothing.

[0141] Further, the washing and drying machine 200 further includes a liquid supply unit 250 that supplies liquid to the loaded clothing, and the control unit 231 operates the liquid supply unit 250 in the pretreatment step S31. Thereby, the object to be processed becomes wet and the wrinkles of the clothing are removed. Therefore, the liquid agent can be more uniformly adhered in the spraying step S2.

[0142] The liquid agent spraying device 240 has a nozzle unit 150 that sprays the liquid agent in a mist form, and the liquid supply unit 250 sprays the liquid onto the object to be processed using the nozzle unit 150. Thereby, the number of newly provided parts for liquid supply can be reduced. Therefore, the washing and drying machine 200 can be configured at low cost.

[0143] The liquid supplied by the liquid supply unit 250 may be a liquid agent. Thereby, more liquid agent can be adhered to the object to be processed. Therefore, the level of feeling the effect of the liquid agent can be improved.

[0144] Also, the control unit 231 operates the fan 104 during the pre-treatment step S31. Thereby, the clothes can be stretched by the force of the wind. Therefore, it is possible to promote the replacement of the exposed surface of the clothes in the pre-treatment step S31, and the liquid can be uniformly attached to the clothes.

[0145] Note that in the washing course shown in FIG. 26, the pre-treatment step S31 and the mist supply step S32 are performed before the washing step S33, but it is not limited to this. The pre-treatment step S31 and the mist supply step S32 may be performed after the drying step S37. Thereby, for the clothes wrinkled by the drying step S37, the wrinkles can be stretched, and a scenting or water-repellent effect can be obtained on the clothes according to the sprayed liquid agent.

[0146] Next, with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29, another washing course will be described. In this washing course, the control unit 231 performs the pre-treatment step S31 and the mist supply step S32 after the dehydration step S36 after the rinsing step S35 is completed. Therefore, the pre-treatment step S31 and the mist supply step S32 are performed on the wet clothes.

[0147] In the pre-treatment step S31 for the wet clothes, the control unit 231 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 at a rotation speed equal to or lower than the rotation speed in the spraying step S2, for example, at 25 rpm. The control unit 231 also performs a tumbling operation in the pre-treatment step S31 in the same manner as in the spraying step S2, and the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the pre-treatment step S31 is 1:3. The processing time of the pre-treatment step S31 is, for example, 30 seconds. Since the clothes are already wet, the effect of stretching the wrinkles can be obtained only by rotating the drum 102, and the liquid is not sprayed in accordance with the rotation ON of the motor 105.

[0148] Next, in the spraying step S2 of the mist supply process S32, the control unit 231 rotates the motor 105 and the drum 102 at, for example, 25 rpm. The control unit 231 performs a tumbling operation in the spraying step S2, and the ratio of the rotation ON time to the rotation OFF time of the motor 105 in the spraying step S2 is 3:3. The liquid agent is sprayed only once every 5 rotations of the motor 105, and for example, the liquid agent is sprayed for 3 seconds, so that, for example, the clothes can be scented according to the type of the liquid agent. The control unit 231 may drive the fan 104 to dry the clothes in the mist supply process S32 for the wet clothes.

[0149] In the pretreatment process S31, as shown in FIG. 30(a), even if the drum 102 is rotated at the normal rotation speed at which dry clothes can be lifted and the baffle 103 is hit against the wet clothes CL4, the clothes CL4 do not float in the drum 102 because they are heavy with moisture. Therefore, when the control unit 231 receives a signal indicating that dry clothes are loaded into the drum 102, the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pretreatment process S31 is made smaller than that in the case of wet clothes. In other words, the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pretreatment process S31 for wet clothes is made larger than the rotation speed of the drum 102 in the pretreatment process S31 for dry clothes. As a result, as shown in FIG. 30(b), even heavy clothes in a wet state can be lifted and knocked down. Therefore, the clothes that are entangled can be loosened.

[0150] Therefore, after the tumbling operation and after the moved clothes are loosened, the next tumbling operation can be performed. Therefore, the loosening of the clothes can be promoted, and the exposed surface of the clothes in the spraying step S2 is likely to be replaced.

[0151] In addition, when the spraying operation targets the object to be processed that is dry in the pretreatment process S31, the control unit 231 makes the rotation ON time in the pretreatment process S31 longer than the rotation OFF time, and when the spraying operation targets the object to be processed that is wet, the control unit 231 makes the rotation ON time in the pretreatment process S31 shorter than the rotation OFF time.

[0152] Thus, when targeting clothes dried in the pretreatment step S31, by continuously moving the drum 102, it is possible to suppress the clothes from gradually curling. Therefore, the liquid agent can be more uniformly adhered in the spraying step S2. Also, when targeting wet clothes in the pretreatment step S31, if the rotation OFF time during which the rotation of the drum 102 stops is long, as shown in FIG. 31, the clothes can be spread by gravity during the rotation OFF time, so that wrinkles can be removed.

[0153] In addition, the liquid supply unit 250 may supply steam to the drum 102. Since wrinkles of the clothes can be removed by the steam, the liquid agent can be more uniformly adhered to the clothes. Therefore, the finish of the object to be processed after the course execution can be improved. Here, regarding the method of generating steam, for example, steam can be generated by heating water to a high temperature with a hot water heater disposed at the lowermost part of the water tank 101. In addition, it is also possible to generate steam using an ultrasonic oscillator, and the means for generating steam is not limited to these.

[0154] Also, when the spraying operation targets wet clothes, the control unit 231 does not operate the liquid agent spraying device 140 in the pretreatment step S31. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the wet clothes from being wetted more than necessary, and to prevent the clothes from becoming heavy and not floating up in the pretreatment step S31. Therefore, the time until the clothes are dried can be shortened, improving user convenience.

[0155] Further, when the spraying operation targets wet clothes, the control unit 231 makes the rotation ON time of the pretreatment step S31 longer than the rotation ON time of the pretreatment step S31 when the spraying operation targets dry clothes. Thereby, it is possible to minimize the generation of new wrinkles in the dry clothes in the pretreatment step S31. Also, since the wet clothes in the pretreatment step S31 can rotate sufficiently, the loosening of the clothes can be promoted. Therefore, the finish of the clothes after the course execution can be improved.

[0156] Further, when the spraying operation targets dry clothes, the control unit 231 makes the rotation ON time in the pretreatment step S31 longer than the rotation ON time in the pretreatment step S31 when the spraying operation targets wet clothes. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the wet clothes from curling in the pretreatment step S31. Therefore, the finish of the clothes after the course execution can be improved.

[0157] Also, the spraying time with respect to the first time in the second rotation step when the spraying operation is in a dry state is longer than the spraying time with respect to the first time when the spraying operation is in a wet state. Thereby, in the dry state where the exposed surface of the clothes is frequently changed, the spraying can be completed in a short time. Therefore, the usability for the user is improved.

[0158] Further, when the spraying operation targets wet clothes, the control unit 231 performs air blowing in the pretreatment step S31. Thereby, the clothes can be stretched by the force of the wind. Therefore, it is possible to promote the replacement of the exposed surface of the clothes in the spraying step S2 and to uniformly attach the liquid agent.

[0159] Further, the control unit 231 may perform control that combines Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. For example, the control unit 231 can execute a pretreatment step S31 in which the drum 202 is rotated with the spraying of the liquid agent by the liquid agent spraying device 240 stopped between the spraying step S2 and the air blowing step S3. When there is one piece of clothing in the drum 202, the control unit 231 does not execute the pretreatment step S31, and when there are a plurality of pieces of clothing in the drum 202, the control unit 231 executes the pretreatment step S31. Thereby, entanglement of the clothes in the air blowing step S3 can be suppressed. Therefore, the generation of wrinkles on the clothes can be prevented.

[0160] [Effect] According to the washing and drying machine 200 according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. (Effect 2)

[0161] As described above, the washing and drying machine 200 of the present embodiment includes a drum 102 that houses an object to be processed, a chemical liquid tank 141 that stores a chemical liquid, a chemical liquid spraying device 240 that sprays the chemical liquid stored in the chemical liquid tank 141 into the drum 102, and a control unit 231 that controls the operation of the chemical liquid spraying device 240 and executes a spraying operation. The control unit 231 executes a pre-treatment step S31 of rotating the drum 102 in a first rotation operation and a spraying step S2 of rotating the drum 102 in a second rotation operation different from the first rotation operation. In the spraying step S2, the chemical liquid spraying device 240 is operated to spray the chemical liquid in the chemical liquid tank 141.

[0162] As a result, the clothes are loosened, and more exposed surfaces can appear. Therefore, the treatment agent in the spraying step can be efficiently attached, and the effect can be improved. Here, the spraying operation of the chemical liquid spraying device 240 executed by the control unit 231 also includes the case where the control unit 231 operates the chemical liquid spraying device 240 in the washing step, rinsing step, and dehydration step in the washing operation to perform the spraying operation.

[0163] (Embodiment 3) Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 32. In Embodiment 3, a dryer 300 will be described as a clothing processing device. The dryer 300 has differences in internal configuration from the washing and drying machines 100 and 200, but descriptions of the same configurations as those in Embodiments 1 and 2, such as the configuration of the chemical liquid spraying device 140, will be omitted.

[0164] The dryer 300 includes a housing 300a, a drum 302, a baffle 303, a fan 304, a heater 311, a lid 120, an operation display unit 125, and a chemical liquid spraying device 140. The housing 300a includes a front plate 300b that constitutes the front side of the dryer 300 and a tank cover 300c.

[0165] Also in such a dryer 300, similar to the washing and drying machines 100 and 200 of Embodiment 1, a mist supply step and a pre-treatment step can be performed.

[0166] (Supplementary Note) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0167] (Appendix 1) The clothing treatment apparatus according to the first aspect includes a storage tank for storing an object to be treated, a tank for storing a liquid agent, a spraying unit for spraying the liquid agent stored in the tank into the storage tank, a control unit for controlling the operation of the spraying unit, and a motor for rotating the storage tank. The control unit is capable of executing a spraying step of operating the spraying unit. In the spraying step, a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank is sprayed from the spraying unit, and the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is small is made less than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is large. The control unit controls the rotation of the storage tank by controlling the motor. The control unit varies the control of the motor in the spraying step depending on whether the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is in a first weight state (third state) where the weight is a first weight, and whether the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is in a second weight state (fourth state) where the weight is a second weight greater than the first weight.

[0168] Thereby, when the amount of the object to be treated is small, it is possible to suppress excessive adhesion of the liquid agent to the object to be treated. Also, when the amount of clothing is large, an amount sufficient to exhibit the effect of the liquid agent can be sprayed. Therefore, both shortening the time until the object to be treated dries and effectively adhering the liquid agent can be achieved. Furthermore, the spraying process can be appropriately executed according to the weight of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank.

[0169] As the clothing treatment apparatus according to the second aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, in the spraying step, the control unit causes the spraying unit to spray for a spraying time based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank, and sets the spraying time when the amount of the object to be treated is small to be shorter than the spraying time when the amount of the object to be treated is large.

[0170] As the clothing treatment apparatus according to the third aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus according to the first or second aspect, in the spraying step, the rotation speed of the storage tank in the second weight state is smaller than the rotation speed of the storage tank in the first weight state.

[0171] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the fourth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to third aspects, in the spraying step, when in the first weight state, the control unit operates the spraying unit with the storage tank rotated, and when in the second weight state, the control unit operates the spraying unit with the rotation of the storage tank stopped, and starts the rotation of the storage tank after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0172] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the fifth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit increases the rotation speed of the storage tank in the case of the second weight state in the spraying step compared to the rotation speed of the storage tank in the case of the first weight state.

[0173] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the sixth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the control unit increases the rotation speed when an object to be treated having batting is stored in the storage tank compared to the rotation speed of the storage tank in the case of the first weight state.

[0174] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the seventh aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the control unit can execute a first spraying course for the first weight state and a second spraying course for the second weight state, and can receive an operation instruction for the first spraying course or the second spraying course from the user.

[0175] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the eighth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to seventh aspects, when the storage tank is stopped, the spraying from the spraying unit is stopped.

[0176] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the ninth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to eighth aspects, it further includes a blowing unit that blows air into the storage tank and a heating unit that heats the air. The control unit can execute a drying step of operating the blowing unit and the heating unit. The control unit can execute a spraying operation that executes the drying step after executing the spraying step and a drying operation that executes the drying step without executing the spraying step, respectively. The control unit executes the operation of the heating unit in the spraying operation with a higher output than the operation of the heating unit in the drying operation.

[0177] The clothing treatment method in the tenth aspect is that the control unit executes a spraying step of controlling the spraying unit to spray the liquid agent stored in the tank into the storage tank. In the spraying step, the control unit sprays a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank from the spraying unit, and makes the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is small less than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is large.

[0178] (Appendix 2) As the clothing treatment apparatus in the eleventh aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the control unit makes the rotation speed when the object to be treated with batting is stored in the storage tank smaller than the rotation speed of the storage tank in the case of the first weight state. Therefore, by suppressing the rubbing of the clothing in the storage tank, it is possible to suppress the clothing from being torn in the storage tank.

[0179] As the clothing treatment apparatus in the twelfth aspect, in the clothing treatment apparatus in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the control unit can execute a first spraying course (third course) for the first weight state (third state) and a second spraying course (fourth course) for the second weight state (fourth state), respectively. The control unit can execute a detection step of detecting the amount of the object to be treated in the storage tank, and the control unit executes the first spraying course or the second spraying course based on the result of the detection step.

[0180] Although the present disclosure is fully described in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are to be understood as being included therein as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0181] In this embodiment, as the spraying method, a two-fluid method using an air pump has been described. Since the spraying unit only needs to be able to spray the liquid agent, it is not limited to this. A single-fluid method of spraying the liquid agent by a liquid pump may also be used, or a method of spraying the liquid agent by ultrasonic waves may also be used.

Industrial Applicability

[0182] The present disclosure includes a liquid agent spraying device that sprays a mist-like liquid agent and is applicable to a clothing treatment device that treats an object to be treated. Specifically, it is applicable to clothing treatment devices including drum washing machines, vertical washing machines, drum washing and drying machines, vertical washing and drying machines, clothing dryers, and closet-type clothing care machines in which the storage tank does not rotate.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0183] 100 Washing and Drying Machine 100a Housing 100b Front Panel 100c Tank Cover 101 Water Tank 101c Tank Cover 102 Drum 102a Drum Opening 102b Water Passage Hole 103 Baffle 104 Fan 105 Motor 106 Air Inlet 107 Air Outlet 110 Air Duct 111 Heat Pump Unit 112 Spraying Treatment 120 Lid 125 Operation Display Unit 131 Control Unit 140 Liquid Spraying Device 141 Liquid Tank 142 Liquid Supply Route 143 Air Pump 144 Air Supply Route 150 Nozzle Unit 151 Base Portion 151a Installation Surface 152 Nozzle Portion 153 Nozzle Mounting Portion 153a Folding Structure 154 Spray Nozzle 154a Air-Side Connection Port 154b Liquid-Side Connection Port 154c Spray Opening 155 Nozzle Cover 161 Water Supply Valve 162 Water Supply Route 163 Drain Valve 164 Drain Route 200 Washing and Drying Machine 231 Control Unit 240 Liquid Spraying Device 245 Liquid Tank 246 Switching Unit 250 Liquid Supply Unit 300 Dryer 300a Housing 300b Front Panel 300c Tank Cover 302 Drum 303 Baffle 304 Fan 311 Heater

Claims

1. A storage tank for storing an object to be processed, A motor for rotating the storage tank, A tank for storing a liquid agent, A spraying unit for spraying the liquid agent stored in the tank into the storage tank, A control unit for controlling the operation of the spraying unit, and comprising: The control unit: Is capable of executing a spraying step of operating the spraying unit, In the spraying step, a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be processed stored in the storage tank is sprayed from the spraying unit, The spraying amount when the amount of the object to be processed is small is made less than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be processed is large, In the case of a first weight state where the weight of the object to be processed in the storage tank is a first weight and in the case of a second weight state where the weight of the object to be processed in the storage tank is a second weight greater than the first weight, the control of the motor in the spraying step is made different, A clothing treatment apparatus.

2. The control unit: In the spraying step, the spraying unit is sprayed for a spraying time based on the amount of the object to be processed stored in the storage tank, The spraying time when the amount of the object to be processed is small is set shorter than the spraying time when the amount of the object to be processed is large, The clothing treatment apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The control unit, in the spraying step, the rotation speed of the storage tank in the second weight state is smaller than the rotation speed of the storage tank in the first weight state, The clothing treatment apparatus according to Claim 1.

4. The control unit, in the spraying step: In the case of the first weight state, the spraying unit is operated with the storage tank rotating, In the case of the second weight state, the spraying unit is operated with the rotation of the storage tank stopped, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the rotation of the storage tank is started, The clothing treatment apparatus according to Claim 1.

5. The control unit, in the spraying step, makes the rotation speed of the storage tank in the second weight state greater than the rotation speed of the storage tank in the first weight state, The clothing treatment apparatus according to Claim 1.

6. The control unit makes the rotation speed when an object to be processed having batting is stored in the storage tank greater than the rotation speed of the storage tank in the first weight state, The clothing treatment apparatus according to Claim 1.

7. The control unit is capable of executing a first spraying course for the first weight state and a second spraying course for the second weight state, and can receive an operation instruction for the first spraying course or the second spraying course from a user. The clothing treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

8. When the storage tank is stopped, the spraying from the spraying unit is stopped. The clothing treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The clothing treatment apparatus further includes a blowing unit that blows air into the storage tank and a heating unit that heats the air. The control unit is capable of executing a drying step of operating the blowing unit and the heating unit. The control unit A spraying operation that executes the drying step after the execution of the spraying step, and A drying operation that executes the drying step without executing the spraying step, are each executable. The control unit executes the operation of the heating unit in the spraying operation at a higher output than the operation of the heating unit in the drying operation. The clothing treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

10. In a clothing treatment method in which a control unit controls a spraying unit to spray a liquid agent stored in a tank into a storage tank, The control unit In the spraying step, sprays a spraying amount based on the amount of the object to be treated stored in the storage tank from the spraying unit, Makes the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is small less than the spraying amount when the amount of the object to be treated is large, The control unit Controls the rotation of the storage tank by controlling a motor that rotates the storage tank, Differentiates the control of the motor in the spraying step between the case of a first weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is a first weight and the case of a second weight state where the weight of the object to be treated in the storage tank is a second weight greater than the first weight. Clothing treatment method.

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