Clothing treatment device

Abstract

To provide a clothing treatment device capable of performing highly accurate dryness detection.SOLUTION: A clothing treatment device includes a control part for executing a drying step of drying clothing in a clothing treatment tub by controlling the action of a heating device and a blower device. The drying step includes a temperature rise step of increasing the temperature of the clothing treatment tub. The control part acquires the maximum value of the detection humidity of a humidity detection part in a period after drive frequency of a compressor has reached predetermined target frequency as the maximum humidity, and after the acquisition of the maximum humidity, it finishes the drying step or executes heating suppression processing for suppressing the drive of the heating device, based on the fact that the lowering amount or the lowering rate from the maximum humidity to the current detection humidity of the humidity detection part has reached equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a clothing treatment device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an electrical appliance that is a washer-dryer comprises a control unit for controlling the electrical appliance, a tub for storing items to be dried, a hot air supply unit for heating and drying gas and blowing the heated and dried gas into the tub through an air inlet, a humidity detection unit for detecting the humidity of the gas discharged from the tub through an air outlet, and a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the gas discharged from the tub through the air outlet, and that after the hot air supply unit starts heating and drying the gas, the control unit controls the hot air supply unit to stop heating and drying when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit is a predetermined humidity and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is a predetermined temperature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-018256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] During the drying operation, when the drying operation starts and the clothes are heated, the moisture contained in the clothes begins to evaporate, but as the drying operation progresses, the amount of moisture contained in the clothes decreases. Also, the humidity of the air discharged from the tub through the air outlet is high when the moisture from the clothes begins to evaporate, but is low when the drying is complete. Therefore, it is possible to use this humidity to detect the dryness of the clothes.

[0005] However, in the conventional method of detecting dryness by reaching a target humidity, variations in humidity can occur due to factors such as the ambient temperature and the weight of the clothes being dried, making it difficult to accurately detect dryness. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the accuracy of dryness detection.

[0006] Therefore, a clothing processing device capable of detecting dryness with high accuracy is provided. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The clothing treatment device according to the present embodiment includes a clothing treatment tub having an air inlet and an air outlet, an air passage connected to the air inlet, a blower that blows the air into the clothing treatment tub through the air passage, a heater that heats the air, a humidity detector that detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet, and a controller that controls the operation of the heater and the blower to perform a drying process to dry the clothing in the clothing treatment tub. The drying process includes a temperature increase process to increase the temperature of the clothing treatment tub. The controller acquires a maximum humidity value detected by the humidity detector during a temperature increase period during which the temperature increase process is performed, and executes a heat suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress operation of the heater when a decrease or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity to the current humidity detected by the humidity detector is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold after the temperature increase period. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a configuration of an example of a washing / drying machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of a washing / drying machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a washer / dryer according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in the washer / dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes over time in the drive frequency of the compressor and the drive rotation speed of the blower, as well as changes over time in temperature and humidity during the temperature-raising process and the dehumidification process in the drying operation of the washer / dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes over time in the drive frequency of the compressor and the drive rotation speed of the blower, as well as changes over time in temperature and humidity during the temperature-raising process and the dehumidification process in the washer-dryer according to the first embodiment during the washing and drying operation. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed in a drying operation in the washer / dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing content in a temperature increasing step in the washer / dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing details in a dehumidifying process in the washer / dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing contents in a temperature increasing step in a washer / dryer according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to an eighth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changes in temperature and humidity over time during a drying process in a washer / dryer according to a ninth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a washer / dryer as an example of a laundry processing device according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that substantially the same elements in the respective embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The washer-dryer 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a drum-type washer-dryer, either a horizontal-axis type in which the rotation axis of the rotary tub 14 is oriented horizontally or an inclined-axis type in which the rotation axis is tilted downward toward the rear. The washer-dryer 10 has, for example, a washing function and a drying function, and is capable of performing a washing and drying operation including each of the steps of washing, rinsing, spin-drying, and drying. The washer-dryer is not limited to a drum-type washer-dryer, but may also be a vertical-axis type washer-dryer in which the rotation axis of the rotary tub is oriented vertically. The clothing treatment device of this embodiment can also be applied to a configuration without a washing function, such as a clothes dryer.

[0011] The washer-dryer 10 includes an outer case 11, a door 12, a water tub 13, a rotating tub 14, a motor 15, a drainage mechanism 16, a water supply mechanism 17, a drying mechanism 30, and an exhaust mechanism 40. In Fig. 1, the side of the installation surface of the washer-dryer 10, i.e., the vertically lower side, is referred to as the lower side of the washer-dryer 10, and the opposite side to the installation surface, i.e., the vertically upper side, is referred to as the upper side of the washer-dryer 10. The side of the washer-dryer 10 seen from the user, i.e., the left side of the paper in Fig. 1, is referred to as the front side of the washer-dryer 10, and the opposite side from the user, i.e., the right side of the paper in Fig. 1, is referred to as the rear side of the washer-dryer 10.

[0012] Outer box 11 is formed into a rectangular hollow box shape as a whole by combining metals such as stainless steel plates and resin materials, for example. Outer box 11 constitutes the outer shell of washer-dryer 10. Outer box 11 has a front opening 111 on the front side that connects the inside and outside of outer box 11. Door 12 is provided on the front side of outer box 11 and opens and closes front opening 111. With door 12 open, a user can put clothes in or take them out of rotatable tub 14 through front opening 111. Water tub 13 and rotatable tub 14 are both formed into a so-called bottomed cylindrical shape that is open on one axial side, i.e., the front side, and has a bottom on the other axial side, i.e., the rear side.

[0013] The water tub 13 is capable of storing water therein. The water tub 13 is provided within the outer casing 11 and is elastically supported by a suspension (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water tub 13 has an air outlet 131 and an air inlet 132. The air outlet 131 and the air inlet 132 connect the inside and outside of the water tub 13. The air outlet 131 is for discharging air from the water tub 13. The air outlet 131 is provided, for example, in a portion toward the front of the upper part of the water tub 13, away to the right of the center in the left-right direction of the water tub 13. The air inlet 132 is for supplying air into the water tub 13. The air inlet 132 is provided, for example, in the bottom of the water tub 13, slightly above the center in the up-down direction of the bottom.

[0014] Rotary tub 14 is rotatably disposed within water tub 13 and can accommodate clothes therein. Together with water tub 13, rotary tub 14 constitutes a clothes treatment tub that accommodates and treats clothes during the washing or drying operation. Rotary tub 14 is driven to rotate by motor 15. Rotary tub 14 has a plurality of holes 141. The holes 141 are formed over almost the entire circumferential surface of rotary tub 14 and function, for example, as water passages through which water flows in and out during the spin cycle and as ventilation holes through which air flows in and out during the drying cycle. Rotary tub 14 also has a plurality of baffles (not shown). The baffles function to agitate and stir up the clothes accommodated in rotary tub 14.

[0015] Motor 15 is provided on the outside of the bottom of water tub 13. Although not shown in detail, motor 15 is configured, for example, as a brushless direct drive motor with an adjustable rotation speed. Motor 15 is connected to rotatable tub 14 and functions to rotate rotatable tub 14 relative to water tub 13. Motor shaft 151 of motor 15, the central axis of water tub 13, and the rotation axis of rotatable tub 14 all overlap with each other.

[0016] Drain mechanism 16 has a function of draining water stored in water tub 13 to the outside of washer-dryer 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, drain mechanism 16 has drain valve 161 and drain hose 162. Drain valve 161 is configured to be electromagnetically openable and closable. One end of drain hose 162 is connected to drain valve 161, and the other end is drawn out to the outside of washer-dryer 10. When drain valve 161 is opened, water stored in water tub 13 is drained to the outside of washer-dryer 10 through drain hose 162. Drain valve 161 opens and closes a drain path for draining water stored in water tub 13 to the outside.

[0017] The water supply mechanism 17 has the function of supplying water supplied from an external water source, such as a water main, into the water tub 13. As shown in FIG. 2 , the water supply mechanism 17 has a water supply valve 171 and a water injection case 172. The water supply valve 171 is configured to be electromagnetically openable and closable. The water supply valve 171 has the function of opening and closing a water supply path leading from the external water source to the water tub 13 via the water supply mechanism 17. The water injection case 172 is provided downstream of the water supply valve 171. The water injection case 172 has a treatment agent case (not shown). The treatment agent case is configured to be able to store, for example, the laundry treatment agent required for one wash cycle. In other words, the water injection case 172 is configured to be able to store the laundry treatment agent therein. When the laundry treatment agent is stored in the treatment agent case, the water supplied from the external water source that flows into the water injection case 172 and the laundry treatment agent are mixed in the water injection case 172 and then supplied into the water tub 13 and the spin tub 14. The washer / dryer 10 may be provided with an automatic dispenser that automatically dispenses a predetermined amount of laundry treatment agent into the water tub 13.

[0018] Drying mechanism 30 has the function of supplying warm air into water tub 13. Drying mechanism 30 has a circulation air duct 50 and a heating device 60. Circulation air duct 50 is located outside water tub 13, with one end connected to air outlet 131 and the other end connected to air inlet 132. Circulation air duct 50 connects air outlet 131 and air inlet 132. Circulation air duct 50 is used to circulate and supply air into water tub 13. Circulation air duct 50 takes in air from water tub 13 through air outlet 131, generates warm air via heating device 60, and then supplies the warm air into water tub 13 through air inlet 132. In this case, with respect to the air flowing through circulation air duct 50, air outlet 131 is on the upstream side and air inlet 132 is on the downstream side.

[0019] The circulating air passage 50 can be configured to include, for example, an exhaust duct 51, a filter device 52, a connection duct 53, a heat exchanger 54, and an air supply duct 55. The exhaust duct 51 is configured, for example, by a flexible bellows-shaped hose. One end of the exhaust duct 51 is connected to the air outlet 131, and the other end is connected to the filter device 52. The exhaust duct 51 is a part that exhausts air from, for example, the aquarium 13.

[0020] The filter device 52 is provided downstream of the air outlet 131, in this case on the circulation air duct 50, and captures foreign matter such as lint and dust contained in the air that flows out of the air outlet 131 and through the circulation air duct 50. The filter device 52 can be configured to include a filter device main body 521 and a filter 522. The filter device main body 521 can be made of, for example, resin and configured as a container-like member with an open top. The opening provided on the top surface of the filter device main body 521 is opened and closed by a lid (not shown). The filter 522 is detachably provided inside the filter device main body 521. The filter 522 captures foreign matter contained in the air that flows through the circulation air duct 50.

[0021] Connection duct 53 is a duct that connects filter device 52 and heat exchanger 54. Heat exchanger 54 is disposed, for example, on the rear side of washer-dryer 10, near the bottom inside outer casing 11. Heat exchanger 54 is provided midway along circulating air duct 50. Air that is taken into circulating air duct 50 from water tub 13 and flows through connection duct 53 is dehumidified and heated as it passes through heat exchanger 54, becoming dry, warm air. Air supply duct 55 is a duct that connects heat exchanger 54 and air inlet 132 of water tub 13. Air supply duct 55 is a part that supplies air into water tub 13, for example.

[0022] The heating device 60 constitutes, for example, a heat pump mechanism, i.e., a refrigeration cycle. The heating device 60 is provided midway through the circulation air duct 50. The heating device 60 heats the air flowing through the circulation air duct 50 to generate warm air for drying the clothes in the rotating tub 14. The temperature of the warm air can be set to, for example, approximately 60°C to approximately 70°C. As shown in FIG. 2 , the heating device 60 includes an evaporator 61, a condenser 62, a compressor 63, and a throttle valve 64. The evaporator 61 and the condenser 62 are provided within the heat exchanger 54. The evaporator 61 cools and dehumidifies the air circulating through the circulation air duct 50. The condenser 62 heats the air flowing through the circulation air duct 50 to generate warm air. The compressor 63 is provided outside the heat exchanger 54. The throttle valve 64 reduces the pressure of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant to facilitate evaporation. The heating device 60 may be configured as a well-known heater instead of the heat pump mechanism.

[0023] The washer-dryer 10 also has a blower 65. The blower 65 is formed of, for example, a sirocco fan. The blower 65 is provided midway along the circulating air passage 50 and has the function of supplying air that has been dehumidified and heated by the heating device 60 from the air inlet 132 into the water tub 13. The blower 65 is provided, for example, between the heat exchanger 54 and the air intake duct 55.

[0024] The exhaust mechanism 40 has an opening 41 and an exhaust damper 42. The opening 41 is provided midway through the circulation air passage 50 and connects the inside and outside of the circulation air passage 50. The opening 41 exhausts a portion of the air in the circulation air passage 50 to the outside. The exhaust damper 42 has an actuator, such as a motor or a solenoid, and is configured to open and close the opening 41 based on a control signal. When the exhaust damper 42 is open, the opening 41 is open, and when the exhaust damper 42 is closed, the opening 41 is closed. In other words, the exhaust damper 42 has the function of switching between an open state in which the opening 41 is open and a portion of the air in the circulation air passage 50 is exhausted through the opening 41, and a closed state in which the opening 41 is closed and a portion of the air in the circulation air passage 50 is not exhausted through the opening 41.

[0025] 1, outer casing 11 is provided with communication opening 112. Communication opening 112 is located in a portion of outer casing 11 corresponding to opening 41, and connects the inside and outside of outer casing 11. Air discharged from opening 41 to the outside of circulating air passage 50 is discharged from communication opening 112 to the outside of washer-dryer 10, as indicated by the black arrow in FIG.

[0026] The washer-dryer 10 includes an outlet temperature detection unit 71, an inlet temperature detection unit 72, and a humidity detection unit 73. The outlet temperature detection unit 71 detects the temperature of air discharged from the air outlet 131. In this embodiment, the outlet temperature detection unit 71 detects the temperature of the air in the circulation air duct 50 before being affected by the heat of the evaporator 61 and the condenser 62. In this case, the outlet temperature detection unit 71 is located downstream of the filter device 52 and upstream of the evaporator 61 in the circulation air duct 50. The inlet temperature detection unit 72 detects the temperature of the air supplied from the air inlet 132 to the water tub 13. In this embodiment, the inlet temperature detection unit 72 detects the temperature of the air in the circulation air duct 50 that has been heated by the condenser 62. In this case, the inlet temperature detection unit 72 is located downstream of the blower 65 and upstream of the air inlet 132 in the circulation air duct 50.

[0027] The humidity detection unit 73 has a function of detecting the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet 131. In this embodiment, the humidity detection unit 73 detects the humidity of the air in the circulation air duct 50 before it is affected by the heat of the evaporator 61 and the condenser 62. Humidity refers to relative humidity (%RH), which is the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a certain temperature to the amount of saturated water vapor at that temperature. The humidity detection unit 73 is located downstream of the filter device 52 and upstream of the evaporator 61 in the circulation air duct 50. By locating the humidity detection unit 73 downstream of the filter device 52, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from accumulating on the humidity detection unit 73. In this embodiment, the humidity detection unit 73 is located near the outlet temperature detection unit 71. The outlet temperature detection unit 71 and the humidity detection unit 73 may be integrally configured.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3 , the washer-dryer 10 also includes a control unit 80 and a memory unit 81. The motor 15, the drain valve 161, the water supply valve 171, the compressor 63, the blower 65, the exhaust damper 42, and the memory unit 81 are electrically connected to the control unit 80 and operate under the control of the control unit 80. The outlet temperature detection unit 71, the inlet temperature detection unit 72, and the humidity detection unit 73 are electrically connected to the control unit 80 and transmit their respective detection results to the control unit 80. The control unit 80 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU and memory areas such as a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory. The control unit 80 controls the overall operation of the washer-dryer 10. The memory area of ​​the control unit 80 stores a control program for controlling the washer-dryer 10 to perform its operation. Each process of the control unit 80 is realized by the CPU executing the control program.

[0029] The control unit 80 receives detection signals from the various detection units 71, 72, and 73, and controls the operation of the motor 15, drain valve 161, water supply valve 171, compressor 63, blower 65, and exhaust damper 42 based on a control program to perform operation. The memory unit 81 is composed of well-known storage media such as a ROM, HDD, semiconductor memory, and magnetic disk, and stores various types of information. The memory unit 81 can be composed of a predetermined area set in the memory area of ​​the control unit 80, for example.

[0030] The control unit 80 can selectively execute, for example, a washing operation, a drying operation, and a washing and drying operation. An operation means that a number of different processes are executed in sequence. A washing operation is an operation intended to wash clothes. A washing operation includes, for example, a washing process. A drying operation is an operation intended to dry clothes. A drying operation includes, for example, a drying process. A washing and drying operation is an operation intended to wash and dry clothes. A washing and drying operation includes, for example, a washing process and a drying process.

[0031] In the drying process, the control unit 80 causes the outlet temperature detection unit 71 and / or the inlet temperature detection unit 72 to detect the temperature at predetermined intervals. For example, the predetermined interval is one minute. The control unit 80 acquires the temperatures detected by the outlet temperature detection unit 71 and / or the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and stores them in the memory unit 81. Also, in the drying process, the control unit 80 causes the humidity detection unit 73 to detect the humidity at predetermined intervals. For example, the predetermined interval is one minute. The control unit 80 acquires the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 and stores it in the memory unit 81.

[0032] Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the drying process includes a temperature increasing process, a dehumidifying process, and an air blowing process, in this order. The periods during which the temperature increasing process, the dehumidifying process, and the air blowing process are performed are referred to as a temperature increasing period P1, a dehumidifying period P2, and an air blowing period P3, respectively. Note that the graph indicated by reference symbol A1 in FIGS. 4 to 6 shows the change over time in the measurement value of the outlet temperature detection unit 71. Furthermore, the graph indicated by reference symbol A2 in FIGS. 4 to 6 shows the change over time in the measurement value of the inlet temperature detection unit 72. Furthermore, the graph indicated by reference symbol A3 in FIGS. 4 to 6 shows the change over time in the measurement value of the humidity detection unit 73.

[0033] The temperature-raising process shown in Figure 4 is a process for warming the clothes treatment tub, i.e., the water tub 13 and the rotating tub 14, and thus the clothes in the clothes treatment tub. The control unit 80 operates the compressor 63 and the blower 65 during the temperature-raising process. The temperature-raising period is the period from the start of the drying process until the temperature of the clothes treatment tub begins to increase.

[0034] When the clothing treatment tubs 13 and 14 are heated to a predetermined level, the control unit 80 ends the heating process and starts the dehumidification process. The dehumidification process is a process for reducing the humidity in the clothing treatment tub. In other words, it is a period during which moisture evaporates from the clothing stored in the rotating tub 14. During the dehumidification period, the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 tends to remain constant. Furthermore, during the dehumidification process, the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 tends to decrease. The humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the constant rate period T2 is lower than the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the heating period T1. During the dehumidification process, the control unit 80 sets the drive frequency of the compressor 63 lower than the target frequency during the heating process.

[0035] The air blowing process is a process for cooling the water tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, and the clothes contained in the rotatable tub 14. In the air blowing process, the control unit 80 operates the air blower 65 while stopping the compressor 63, thereby cooling the water tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, and the clothes contained in the rotatable tub 14. The control unit 80 can determine the end time of the air blowing period P3 based on the elapsed time since the start of the air blowing period P3 or the detection results of the temperature detection units 71 and 72.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the temperature rise period P1 includes a heating stage P11 and a stabilization stage P12. The heating stage P11 is the stage during which the operation of heating the laundry treatment tub during the temperature rise process stabilizes. That is, the heating stage P11 is the stage during which the compressor 63 and the blower 65 are driven, and the drive frequency of the compressor 63 reaches the target frequency and / or the rotation speed of the blower 65 reaches the target rotation speed. The stabilization stage P12 is the stage after the operation of heating the laundry treatment tub during the temperature rise process stabilizes. That is, the stabilization stage P12 is the stage during which the drive frequency of the compressor 63 reaches the target frequency and / or the rotation speed of the blower 65 reaches the target rotation speed, and the drive frequency and / or rotation speed are maintained. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the graph indicated by the symbol B1 shows the change over time in the drive frequency of the compressor 63. 5 and 6, the graph indicated by the symbol B2 shows the change in the driving rotation speed of the blower device 65 over time.

[0037] In this embodiment, the heating stage P11 is a stage in which the compressor 63 and the blower 65 are driven until the drive frequency of the compressor 63 reaches the target frequency and the drive rotation speed of the blower 65 reaches the target rotation speed. Also, in this embodiment, the stable stage P12 is a stage in which the drive frequency of the compressor 63 reaches the target frequency and the drive rotation speed of the blower 65 reaches the target rotation speed, and then the drive frequency and drive rotation speed are maintained. That is, in the stable stage P12, the control unit 80 maintains the drive frequency of the compressor 63 and the drive rotation speed of the blower 65.

[0038] For example, the target frequency of compressor 63 in the temperature raising process can be set within a range of approximately 65 Hz to approximately 95 Hz. In this embodiment, the target frequency of compressor 63 in the temperature raising process is set to approximately 70 Hz for drying operation and approximately 90 Hz for washing and drying operation. Furthermore, the target rotation speed of blower device 65 in the temperature raising process can be set within a range of approximately 4500 rpm to approximately 5500 rpm. In this embodiment, the target rotation speed of blower device 65 in the temperature raising process is set to approximately 5000 rpm.

[0039] During the temperature-raising process, the control unit 80 controls the rotation of the motor 15 under predetermined conditions to rotate the rotating tank 14. For example, the control unit 80 controls the motor 15 to periodically rotate the rotating tank 14 forward and backward at approximately 50 rpm. The control conditions for the motor 15 are constant during the temperature-raising process.

[0040] The control unit 80 ends the temperature-raising process when the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 are heated to a predetermined temperature. Whether the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 are heated to a predetermined temperature can be determined using various methods. For example, the control unit 80 can end the temperature-raising process based on the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and / or the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit 71.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control unit 80 obtains the difference ΔT between the temperatures detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the outlet temperature detection unit 71, and when the difference reaches a maximum, determines that the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 have been heated to a predetermined level and terminates the heating process. For example, if the difference ΔT between the temperatures detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the outlet temperature detection unit 71 decreases continuously for a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that the difference ΔT has reached a maximum. The predetermined period is, for example, two minutes.

[0042] The control unit 80 does not determine the heating state of the laundry treatment tubs 13, 14 based on the maximum difference between the temperatures detected by the inlet temperature detector 72 and the outlet temperature detector 71 until a predetermined first period t1 has elapsed after the start of the heating process. This is to prevent erroneous detection of the heating state due to variations in the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detector 72, which are likely to occur immediately after the start of the drying process, particularly during the wash / dry operation. The first period t1 can be set, for example, within a range of approximately 1 minute to approximately 5 minutes. In this embodiment, the first period t1 is set to 3 minutes.

[0043] The control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process after the temperature rise period based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process. The heating suppression process is a process to end the drying process or a process to suppress the heating operation on the clothes stored in the rotatable tub 14. The process to suppress the heating operation on the clothes stored in the rotatable tub 14 is, for example, a process to suppress the operation of the compressor 63 as a heating device. Suppressing the operation of the compressor 63 includes both reducing the drive frequency of the compressor 63 and stopping the operation of the compressor 63.

[0044] In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the maximum value Hmax of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process and the current detected humidity. In this case, the control unit 80 stores the maximum value of the detected humidity in the stable stage as the maximum value Hmax of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process in the memory unit 81. This prevents erroneous determinations from occurring due to the detected humidity, which is prone to variation before the operation of the compressor 63 and / or the blower 65 stabilizes, and achieves highly accurate dryness detection.

[0045] When the control unit 80 observes that the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased continuously for a predetermined period, the control unit 80 sets the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 before the decrease as the maximum humidity Hmax and stores it in the memory unit 81. For example, if the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased continuously for two minutes, i.e., if the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased two or more times in a row compared to the previous humidity, the control unit 80 sets the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 two minutes earlier as the maximum humidity Hmax. Furthermore, if the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased two or more times in a row for a predetermined period in the stable phase, the control unit 80 sets the largest humidity among the humidity detected before the multiple decreases as the maximum humidity Hmax. This makes it possible to obtain a more appropriate maximum humidity Hmax even when the graph of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has two or more peaks, thereby enabling accurate dryness determination.

[0046] If the temperature rise process cannot be completed within a predetermined second period t2 from the start of the temperature rise process, the control unit 80 does not execute the heating suppression process based on the humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process. Examples of cases where the temperature rise process cannot be completed include cases where the heating stage P11 cannot be completed and cases where the stabilization stage P12 cannot be completed. This allows the control unit 80 to determine the drying state based on an inappropriate maximum humidity Hmax when unexpected temperature behavior is observed, thereby preventing the drying process from ending prematurely or becoming over-dry. The second period t2 can be set, for example, within a range of approximately 60 to 100 minutes for the drying operation and approximately 20 to 40 minutes for the wash / dry operation. In this embodiment, the second period t2 is set to approximately 80 minutes for the drying operation and approximately 30 minutes for the wash / dry operation. In this case, for example, the control unit 80 sets the "humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process" to a "non-use" mode, which does not use the "humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process," and stores this setting in the memory unit 81.

[0047] When the "non-use" mode is set, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process after the temperature rise period based on factors other than the "humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process." The control unit 80 may execute the heating suppression process based on, for example, the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and / or the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit, or may execute the heating suppression process based on the operating time of the drying process. The control unit 80 may execute the heating suppression process based on, for example, the temperature difference ΔT between the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit becoming equal to or less than a predetermined threshold ΔT0.

[0048] The control unit 80 does not terminate the temperature-raising process until a predetermined third period t3 has elapsed from the start of the temperature-raising process. This allows the temperature-raising process to continue until the water tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, and the clothes are warmed to the desired temperature, even if the temperature fluctuates early in the temperature-raising process, ensuring reliable drying of the clothes. The third period t3 can be set, for example, within a range of about 15 to about 25 minutes for the drying operation, and within a range of about 7 to about 15 minutes for the washing and drying operation. In this embodiment, the third period t3 is set to about 20 minutes for the drying operation and about 10 minutes for the washing and drying operation.

[0049] The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process in a process after the heating process based on the amount or rate of decrease in the humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 from the maximum humidity Hmax. That is, when the humidity of the exhaust air from the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 decreases to a predetermined level or more, the control unit 80 determines that the drying of the clothes stored in the rotating tub 14 is progressing. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires the humidity difference ΔH between the maximum humidity Hmax and the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 in the dehumidification process, and executes the heating suppression process when the humidity difference ΔH is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold ΔH0. In this embodiment, when the humidity difference ΔH is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold ΔH0 during, for example, the dehumidification process after the heating process, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process, stops the compressor 63, and ends the dehumidification process.

[0050] The heating suppression process does not have to be executed immediately when the humidity difference ΔH becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value ΔH0, but may be executed when some other condition is met. For example, the heating suppression process may be executed when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the humidity difference ΔH became equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value ΔH0, or when the humidity difference ΔH becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value ΔH0 and a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of the dehumidification process.

[0051] Next, the details of the processing by the control unit 80 in the drying operation or the drying step of the washing and drying operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figs. 7 to 9. At the start point in Fig. 7, it is assumed that the washer-dryer 10 is powered on and the washing operation or the washing and drying operation has been started by a user operation or the like. When the drying step is started (start), in step S11 the control unit 80 executes the temperature raising step, the details of which are shown in Fig. 8. In step S12 the control unit 80 executes the dehumidifying step, the details of which are shown in Fig. 9. In step S13 the control unit 80 executes the air blowing step.

[0052] 8 is started, in step S21, the control unit 80 drives the air blower 65 and controls the drive rotation speed to be the target rotation speed. In this case, driving the air blower 65 includes driving the air blower 65 that was stopped and driving the air blower 65 that was being driven at a higher rotation speed. For example, in the case of the drying operation, in step S21, the control unit 80 drives the air blower 65 that was stopped and increases the drive rotation speed to the target rotation speed. For example, in the case of the washing and drying operation, in step S21, the control unit 80 continues to drive the air blower 65 that was being driven and increases the drive rotation speed to a target rotation speed that is higher than the current speed.

[0053] In step S22, the control unit 80 drives the compressor 63 and controls the drive frequency to be the target frequency. In this case, driving the compressor 63 includes driving the compressor 63 that was stopped and driving the compressor 63 that was being driven at a higher frequency. For example, in the case of the drying operation, in step S22 the control unit 80 drives the compressor 63 that was stopped and increases the drive frequency to the target frequency. For example, in the case of the washing and drying operation, in step S22 the control unit 80 continues to drive the compressor 63 that was being driven and increases the drive frequency to a target frequency that is higher than the current frequency.

[0054] In step S23, the control unit 80 determines whether the heating operation has stabilized, i.e., whether the heating stage has ended. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 determines whether the drive rotation speed of the blower device 65 has reached the target rotation speed and whether the drive frequency of the compressor 63 has reached the target rotation speed. If the heating stage has not ended (No in step S23), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S31, which will be described later. If the heating stage has ended (Yes in step S23), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S24.

[0055] In step S24, the control unit 80 starts acquiring the maximum humidity Hmax detected by the humidity detection unit 73. In step S25, the control unit 80 determines whether or not a first period t1 has elapsed since the start of the temperature increase process. If the first period t1 has not elapsed (No in step S25), the control unit 80 repeats the processing of step S25. If the first period t1 has elapsed (Yes in step S25), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the control unit 80 starts acquiring the humidity difference ΔT between the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit 71.

[0056] In step S27, the control unit 80 determines whether the humidity detection unit 73 has reached the maximum humidity Hmax. Specifically, the control unit 80 determines whether the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased for two consecutive minutes. If the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has not decreased for two consecutive minutes (No in step S27), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S29. If the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has decreased for two consecutive minutes (Yes in step S27), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S28.

[0057] In step S28, the control unit 80 sets the maximum humidity Hmax and stores it in the memory unit 81. Specifically, the control unit 80 sets the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 two minutes ago as the maximum humidity Hmax and stores it in the memory unit 81.

[0058] In step S29, control unit 80 determines whether water tub 13, rotatable tub 14, and clothes have warmed to a predetermined temperature. Specifically, control unit 80 determines whether the humidity difference ΔT between the temperature detected by inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the temperature detected by outlet temperature detection unit 71 has decreased for two consecutive minutes. If the humidity difference ΔT has not decreased for two consecutive minutes (No in step S29), control unit 80 proceeds to step S31. If the humidity difference ΔT has decreased for two consecutive minutes (Yes in step S29), control unit 80 proceeds to step S30.

[0059] In step S30, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the third period t3 has elapsed since the start of the temperature increase process. If the third period t3 has not elapsed (No in step S30), the control unit 80 returns the process to step S27. If the third period t3 has elapsed (Yes in step S30), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S33.

[0060] In step S31, the control unit 80 determines whether the second period t2 has elapsed since the start of the temperature increase process. If the second period t2 has not elapsed (No in step S31), the control unit 80 returns the process to step S23. If the second period t2 has elapsed (Yes in step S31), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S32.

[0061] In step S32, the control unit 80 sets the "humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process" to a "non-use" mode in which the "humidity H detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process" is not used to determine the dry state, and stores this in the memory unit 81. This prevents an inappropriate determination of the dry state when the temperature rise process cannot be completed even after the second period has elapsed. Thereafter, the control unit 80 proceeds to step S33.

[0062] In step S33, the control unit 80 reduces the drive frequency of the compressor 63. In this way, the control unit 80 ends the temperature increasing process, and the flow returns to FIG.

[0063] When the dehumidifying process is executed in step S12 of Fig. 7, the control unit 80 starts the control shown in Fig. 9. When the dehumidifying process starts, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the "non-use" mode is set in step S41. If the non-use mode is set (Yes in step S41), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S43. If the non-use mode is not set (No in step S41), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S42.

[0064] In step S42, the control unit 80 determines whether the humidity difference ΔH between the maximum humidity Hmax and the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value ΔH0. If the humidity difference ΔH is less than the predetermined threshold value ΔH0 (No in step S42), the control unit 80 repeats the process of step S42. If the humidity difference ΔH is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value ΔH0 (Yes in step S42), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S44.

[0065] In step S43, the control unit 80 determines whether the temperature difference ΔT between the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit 72 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value ΔT0. If the temperature difference ΔT is greater than the predetermined threshold value ΔT0 (No in step S43), the control unit 80 repeats the process of step S43. If the temperature difference ΔT is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value ΔT0 (Yes in step S43), the control unit 80 proceeds to step S44.

[0066] In step S44, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process. Specifically, the control unit 80 stops driving the compressor 63. This stops the heating operation on the clothes.

[0067] In this way, the control unit 80 executes the dehumidification process, and then the control unit 80 returns the process to the flowchart of FIG.

[0068] In this manner, the control unit 80 executes the drying process (end). Note that the control unit 80 may execute a wrinkle removal process, a sterilization process, etc. following the air blowing process.

[0069] The washer-dryer 10 as a clothing treatment device of this embodiment described above includes a water tub 13 and a rotatable tub 14 as clothing treatment tubs, a circulation air duct 50 as an air duct, a blower 65, a heater 60, a humidity detector 73, and a controller 80. The water tub 13 has an air inlet 132 and an air outlet 131. The circulation air duct 50 is connected to the air inlet 132. The blower 65 blows air into the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14 through the circulation air duct 50. The heater 60 heats the air supplied to the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14. The humidity detector 73 detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet 131. The controller 80 controls the operation of the heater 60 and the blower 65 to perform a drying process for drying the clothes in the rotatable tub 14. The drying process includes a heating process for increasing the temperature of the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14. The control unit 80 acquires the maximum humidity Hmax, which is the maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the heating period P1, which is the period during which the heating process is performed, and executes a heating suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress the operation of the heating device 60 based on the amount or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity Hmax to the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value during the period after the heating period.

[0070] This allows the accuracy of determining the dryness of the clothes to be improved by determining the amount or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity Hmax, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc. Also, by obtaining the maximum humidity Hmax during the temperature rise process, which is the stage at the beginning of the drying process when humidity is highest, the dryness of the clothes can be determined appropriately based on the state of the clothes before dehumidification.

[0071] The heating device 60 includes heat exchangers 61 and 62, and a compressor 63 that compresses and sends the refrigerant to the heat exchangers 61 and 62. The control unit 80 acquires, as a maximum humidity Hmax, the maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the period after the drive frequency of the compressor 63 reaches a predetermined target frequency.

[0072] According to this, the maximum humidity Hmax is obtained after the compressor 63 is started and its operation has stabilized, so that it is possible to avoid the influence of fluctuations in humidity that may occur before the operation has stabilized.

[0073] The heating device 60 includes heat exchangers 61 and 62, and a compressor 63 that compresses and sends the refrigerant to the heat exchangers 61 and 62. The control unit 80 acquires, as a maximum humidity Hmax, the maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during a period in which the drive frequency of the compressor 63 maintains a predetermined target frequency.

[0074] According to this, the maximum humidity Hmax is obtained during a period in which the compressor is operating stably, and therefore it is possible to avoid the influence of fluctuations in humidity that may occur before the compressor is operating stably.

[0075] The control unit 80 acquires, as the maximum humidity Hmax, the maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the period after the driving rotation speed of the air blower 65 reaches the predetermined target rotation speed.

[0076] According to this, the maximum humidity Hmax is obtained after the air blower 65 is started and its operation has stabilized, so that it is possible to avoid the influence of fluctuations in humidity that may occur before the operation has stabilized.

[0077] Heating device 60 includes heat exchangers 61 and 62, and a compressor 63 that compresses and sends refrigerant to heat exchangers 61 and 62. Control unit 80 acquires, as maximum humidity Hmax, the maximum value of the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 during a period after the drive rotation speed of blower device 65 reaches a predetermined target rotation speed and the drive frequency of compressor 63 reaches a predetermined target frequency.

[0078] This allows the maximum humidity Hmax to be obtained after the blower 65 and compressor 63 are started and their operation has stabilized, thereby avoiding the effects of fluctuations in humidity that may occur before operation has stabilized.

[0079] Washer / dryer 10 as a clothing processing device includes outlet temperature detection unit 71 that detects the temperature of exhaust air from air outlet 131, and inlet temperature detection unit 72 that detects the temperature of air entering water tub 13 and rotatable tub 14 from air inlet 132. Control unit 80 terminates the heating process when the temperature difference ΔT between the temperatures detected by inlet temperature detection unit 72 and outlet temperature detection unit 71 reaches a maximum.

[0080] According to this, the temperature of the air supplied to water tub 13 and rotatable tub 14 rises rapidly due to the action of heating device 60, while the temperature of the exhaust air rises only gradually because the clothes are wet. Furthermore, since moisture evaporates from the clothes as the temperature of the exhaust air rises, it is expected that the maximum humidity ΔHmax will be observed before the temperature difference ΔT reaches its maximum. By ending the heating process when the temperature difference ΔT reaches its maximum and obtaining the maximum humidity ΔHmax during this heating process, false detection of the maximum humidity ΔHmax can be suppressed.

[0081] Here, since there can be variations in humidity detection, there is a risk of false detection if the detected humidity decreases and then it is immediately determined that the maximum humidity has been observed.

[0082] On the other hand, when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 has been decreasing continuously for a predetermined period of time, the control unit 80 acquires the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 before the decrease as the maximum humidity Hmax.

[0083] This means that if the humidity continues to decrease for two minutes, for example, the decrease is certain, and it can be assumed that the maximum humidity was observed before the decrease, reducing the risk of false detection. This allows for more accurate determination of the dryness state, which in turn improves the dryness of clothes when the drying cycle ends.

[0084] In another embodiment, if the temperature change from the humidity detected at a certain point in time is constantly decreasing during a predetermined period, the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 at the certain point in time may be acquired as the maximum humidity Hmax.

[0085] If the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 decreases multiple times continuously for a predetermined period during the temperature rise period, the control unit 80 sets the largest value among the maximum humidities acquired during the temperature rise period as the maximum humidity Hmax.

[0086] The humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 may have two or more peaks. Therefore, if there are multiple peaks, the largest of the peaks can be set as the maximum humidity Hmax to prevent false detection. This allows for more accurate determination of the dryness state, which in turn improves the dryness of the clothes at the end of the drying operation.

[0087] The control unit 80 is capable of executing a drying operation including a drying process and a washing and drying operation including a drying process and a washing and drying process, and executes a heating suppression process in both the drying process in the drying operation and the drying process in the washing and drying operation.

[0088] This allows the drying state of the clothes to be determined and the drying process to be controlled using the same process whether it is a drying operation or a washing and drying operation, so the control by the control unit 80 does not become too complicated.

[0089] If the temperature raising process cannot be completed even after a predetermined second period t2 has elapsed since the start of the temperature raising process, the control unit 80 does not execute the heating suppression process based on the maximum humidity Hmax.

[0090] For example, if the conditions for ending the heating stage or the stabilization stage are not met, it is assumed that there has been some kind of false detection or abnormal operation. Therefore, by not determining the dryness state based on the maximum humidity Hmax or controlling the drying process, false detection and the resulting over-dry or semi-dry state of the clothes are prevented.

[0091] The control unit 80 executes the temperature increasing process for at least a period from the start of the temperature increasing process until a predetermined third period t3 has elapsed.

[0092] This eliminates the effect of temporary fluctuations in temperature difference ΔT due to fluctuations in the temperature detected by inlet temperature detector 72, which may occur, for example, at the beginning of the heating process, and ensures that water tub 13, rotatable tub 14, and the clothes are warmed. Furthermore, the dryness of the clothes can be determined based on the maximum humidity Hmax during this period, reducing false detections.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the maximum value Hmax of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise process, but this is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the heating suppression process may be executed based on the average humidity detected when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise period becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined humidity, or on the period during which the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 during the temperature rise period becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined humidity.

[0094] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 10. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 determines that the clothes treatment tubs 13, 14 have been heated to a predetermined level based on the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 being maintained for a predetermined period of time, and ends the heating process. In this case, since the supply air temperature is stable even when the clothes are continuously heated by the heating device 60 with stable operation, it is considered that the temperatures of the water tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, and the clothes will not rise any further. In other words, it is considered that the temperatures of the water tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, and the clothes have reached the maximum temperature in the drying process.

[0095] In this specification, "the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 is maintained" means that the temperature does not fluctuate beyond a predetermined temperature change. The predetermined temperature change can be set within a range of ±0.5°C to ±3°C. In this embodiment, the predetermined temperature range is set to ±1°C.

[0096] The predetermined period can be set within a range of, for example, 2 to 5 minutes, and in this embodiment, the predetermined period is set to 2 minutes.

[0097] In the temperature increasing step of this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the processing shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10. Compared to the flowchart of the temperature increasing step of the first embodiment, the control unit 80 executes step S51 instead of step S26 and executes step S52 instead of step S29.

[0098] In step S51, the control unit 80 starts acquiring the temporal variation ΔT1 of the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72. ΔT1 is the temperature difference between the previous temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 and the current temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72.

[0099] In step S52, control unit 80 determines whether water tub 13, rotatable tub 14, and clothes have warmed to a predetermined temperature. Specifically, control unit 80 determines whether the temperature detected by inlet temperature detection unit 72 has been maintained within a predetermined range for two minutes. If the temperature detected by inlet temperature detection unit 72 has not been maintained within the predetermined range for two minutes (No in step S52), control unit 80 proceeds to step S31. If the temperature detected by inlet temperature detection unit 72 has been maintained within the predetermined range for two minutes (Yes in step S52), control unit 80 proceeds to step S30.

[0100] The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment. In this manner, the control unit 80 of this embodiment executes the temperature increasing process.

[0101] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0102] The washer-dryer 10 as a clothing treatment device of this embodiment includes an inlet temperature detection unit 72 that detects the temperature of air entering the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14 as clothing treatment tubs from the air inlet 132. The control unit 80 ends the temperature increase process when the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 does not fluctuate beyond a predetermined range for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0103] The fact that the supply air temperature does not fluctuate means that the temperature of the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 will not rise any higher, and since the moisture evaporated from the clothing is exhausted through the air outlet 131, it is not expected that the humidity inside the clothing treatment tubs 13, 14 will rise any higher. In other words, it is highly likely that the maximum humidity Hmax will be observed from the start of the heating process until the supply air temperature stops fluctuating. Therefore, by ending the heating process when the supply air temperature stops fluctuating and obtaining the maximum humidity Hmax during the heating period, the maximum humidity Hmax can be obtained appropriately.

[0104] In yet another embodiment, for example, the control unit 80 may terminate the temperature increasing process when the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit 72 reaches a predetermined temperature. This also achieves the same effect as above.

[0105] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the change in humidity over time detected by the humidity detection unit 73 or its reciprocal during the drying process. The change in detected humidity over time is the amount of change in humidity over a certain period of time (i.e., the rate of humidity change). The reciprocal of the change in detected humidity over time is the time required for a certain amount of humidity change (i.e., the reciprocal of the rate of humidity change). As the clothes become drier, the change in detected humidity over time becomes smaller, and conversely, the period required for a certain amount of humidity change becomes longer.

[0106] In this embodiment, similarly to the above-described embodiments, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process in the period after the temperature rise period. For example, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process in the air blowing process.

[0107] After a predetermined first condition is met, the control unit 80 can execute the heating suppression process based on the change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 or the inverse thereof. For example, the predetermined first condition may be the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 or the inverse thereof during a period after the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 reaches a preset humidity H0.

[0108] In other embodiments, the predetermined first condition may be that a predetermined decrease in humidity is observed from the maximum humidity Hmax during the heating process, or that a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of the drying process or the start of the dehumidification process.

[0109] In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heat suppression process based on the time-dependent change in the reciprocal of the time change in humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the control unit 80 compares the time taken for each same amount of humidity decrease, and executes the heat suppression process when the time taken for the humidity decrease is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0110] The control unit 80 acquires, over time, the required period Δtx, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first amount of change ΔH1 after the first condition is met. The storage unit 81 stores a predetermined threshold value q1. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the required period Δtx is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value q1. For example, FIG. 11 shows the periods Δt1, Δt2, Δt3, and Δt4 required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first amount of change ΔH1 after the first condition is met, i.e., after the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. In the example shown in FIG. 11, Δt1, Δt2, and Δt3 are less than the threshold value q1. Because Δt4 is equal to or greater than the threshold value q1, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving the compressor 63.

[0111] The washer-dryer 10 as a clothing treatment device of this embodiment described above includes a water tub 13 and a rotatable tub 14 as clothing treatment tubs, a circulation air duct 50 as an air duct, a blower 65, a heater 60, a humidity detector 73, and a controller 80. The water tub 13 has an air outlet 131 and an air inlet 132. The circulation air duct 50 is connected to the air inlet 132. The blower 65 blows air into the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14 through the circulation air duct 50. The heater 60 heats the air supplied to the water tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14, and the humidity detector 73 detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet 131. The controller 80 controls the operation of the blower 65 and the heater 60 to perform a drying process that dries the clothes in the rotatable tub. During the drying process, the control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress the operation of the heating device 60 and / or the blower device 65 based on the time change in humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 or its inverse.

[0112] According to this, regardless of the absolute value of the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73, when the rate of change in humidity over time decreases or when the reciprocal of the rate of change in humidity over time increases, it can be inferred that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are close to being dry. Therefore, by ending the drying process or suppressing the heating operation on the clothes based on these changes over time, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming overly dry or half-dry, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0113] The control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process based on the change in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 over time or its reciprocal during the drying process and during the period after the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 reaches a preset humidity.

[0114] This allows the clothes to be reliably dried by acquiring the time change in the detected humidity or its inverse over time when the clothes have already dried to a certain extent. Furthermore, compared to when the same calculation is performed for all processes, excessive load on the control unit 80 can be reduced.

[0115] During the drying process, the control unit 80 acquires the required time Δtx, which is the time required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first change amount ΔH1, as the inverse of the change in the detected humidity over time. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the required time Δtx is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value q1.

[0116] According to this, if the required time Δtx required for the humidity to decrease by the same first change amount ΔH1 becomes longer, it can be inferred that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are approaching dry. Therefore, by determining dryness based on the change in the required time Δtx, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming overly dry or semi-dry.

[0117] (Fourth embodiment) A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the time-dependent change in the reciprocal of the time change in humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the control unit 80 compares the time taken for each same amount of humidity decrease with a reference period, and executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the time taken for the humidity decrease to the reference period is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0118] After the first condition is met, the control unit 80 acquires a reference period Δt1, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first amount of change ΔH1. The control unit 80 stores the acquired reference period Δt1 in the memory unit 81. The memory unit 81 also stores a predetermined threshold value q2. The control unit 80 also acquires a required period Δtx over time, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the predetermined first amount of change ΔH1. The control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process when the ratio of the required period Δtx to the reference period Δt1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value q2.

[0119] 12 shows the periods Δt1, Δt2, Δt3, and Δt4 required for the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first change amount ΔH1 after the first condition is met, i.e., after the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the ratio of Δt2 or Δt3 to Δt1 is less than threshold value q2. Because the ratio of Δt4 to Δt1 is equal to or greater than threshold value q2, control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving compressor 63.

[0120] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above embodiment.

[0121] According to this embodiment, if the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first change amount ΔH1 from the set humidity H0 is defined as the reference period Δt1, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the required period Δtx to the reference period Δt1 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value q2.

[0122] The greater the ratio of the time it takes for the humidity to drop by the predetermined humidity change amount ΔH1 to the reference period, the drier the clothes are estimated to be. Therefore, by controlling the drying based on this ratio, the dryness state can be determined without depending on the ambient temperature, the weight of the clothes, the fabric type of the clothes, etc., and the occurrence of over-drying or half-drying can be prevented.

[0123] (Fifth embodiment) A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the time-dependent change in the reciprocal of the time change in humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the control unit 80 compares the time required for the same amount of humidity reduction with the time required for the same amount of humidity reduction the previous time, and executes the heating suppression process when the ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0124] The control unit 80 acquires a reference period Δt1, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first amount of change ΔH1 after the first condition is met. The memory unit 81 stores a predetermined threshold value q3. The control unit 80 acquires a required period Δtx over time, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the predetermined first amount of change ΔH1. The memory unit 81 stores the required period Δtx. The control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process when the ratio of the nth required period Δtn to the n-1th required period Δt(n-1) is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value q3.

[0125] 13 shows the periods Δt1, Δt2, Δt3, and Δt4 required for the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first change amount ΔH1 after the first condition is met, i.e., after the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the ratio of Δt2 to Δt1 or the ratio of Δt3 to Δt2 is less than threshold value q3. Because the ratio of Δt4 to Δt3 is equal to or greater than threshold value q3, control unit 80 executes heating suppression processing and stops driving compressor 63.

[0126] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above embodiment.

[0127] According to this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the n-th required period Δtn to the n-1-th required period Δt(n-1) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold q3.

[0128] By comparing the previous required period Δt(n-1) with the current required period Δtn for the same humidity drop, it is possible to observe that the rate of humidity drop is becoming gentler. This also makes it possible to determine that less moisture is evaporating from the clothes and that drying is progressing, thereby preventing over-drying or semi-drying regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0129] (Sixth embodiment) A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on the time-dependent change in the reciprocal of the time change in humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the period required for a predetermined humidity decrease from the set humidity is set as a reference period, and the period required for each humidity decrease amount smaller than the humidity decrease is compared with the reference period, and the heating suppression process is executed when the period required for the humidity decrease is equal to or longer than the reference period.

[0130] After the first condition is met, the control unit 80 acquires a reference period Δs1, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first change amount ΔH1. The memory unit 81 stores the reference period Δt11. The control unit 80 acquires, over time, a required period Δsx, which is the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a second change amount ΔH2, which is smaller than the first change amount ΔH1. If the required period Δsx is equal to or greater than the reference period Δs1, the control unit 80 executes a heating suppression process.

[0131] 14 shows the reference period Δs1 required for the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a first amount of change ΔH1 after the first condition is met, i.e., the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0, and the periods Δs2, Δs3, and Δs4 required for the humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a second amount of change ΔH2, which is smaller than the first amount of change. In the example shown in FIG. 14, Δs2 or Δs3 is less than reference period Δs1. Because Δs4 is equal to or greater than reference period Δs1, control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving compressor 63.

[0132] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above embodiment.

[0133] According to this embodiment, the period required for the humidity to decrease from the set humidity H0 by a predetermined first change amount ΔH1 is defined as the reference period Δs1, and the period required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined second change amount ΔH2 that is smaller than the predetermined first change amount ΔH1 is defined as the second required period Δsx, and the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the second required period Δsx becomes equal to or greater than the reference period Δs1.

[0134] By observing that the time required for a humidity change smaller than the humidity change during the reference period Δs1 is longer, it is possible to detect that the humidity decrease is gradual. This also makes it possible to determine that less moisture is evaporating from the clothes and that drying is progressing, thereby preventing over-drying or semi-drying regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0135] (Seventh embodiment) A third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on a change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 falls below a predetermined threshold. For example, the control unit 80 compares the amount of decrease in the detected humidity over the same period, and executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the amount of decrease in humidity at a certain point in time to the amount of decrease in humidity at a reference time falls below a predetermined threshold.

[0136] The control unit 80 acquires a required period Δt10, which is the time required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first amount of change ΔH10 after the first condition is met. The memory unit 81 stores the required period Δt10. The memory unit 81 also stores a predetermined threshold q4. The control unit 80 acquires a decrease ΔHx in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 for each required period Δt10. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the decrease ΔHx in the detected humidity to the first amount of change ΔH10 is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold q4. For example, FIG. 15 shows the decreases ΔH2, ΔH3, and ΔH4 in the detected humidity acquired for each period Δt10 required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first amount of change ΔH10 after the first condition is met, i.e., when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. 15, the ratios of ΔH2 and ΔH3 to the first change amount ΔH10 are greater than the threshold value q4. Since the ratio of ΔH4 to the first change amount ΔH10 is equal to or less than the threshold value q4, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving the compressor 63.

[0137] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above-described embodiments.

[0138] According to this embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires the humidity decrease ΔHx, which is the amount of decrease in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 over a predetermined period Δt10, during the drying process. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the rate of change of the humidity decrease (ΔHx / ΔH10) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold q4.

[0139] This also allows us to estimate that the decrease in humidity over a given period of time means that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are becoming increasingly dry. Therefore, by determining the dryness based on the change in the humidity decrease, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming overly dry or half-dry, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0140] According to this embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires the detected humidity from the humidity detection unit 73 every time a predetermined first period Δt10 has elapsed since the detected humidity was the set humidity H0. The amount of decrease in the detected humidity from the set humidity H0 after the predetermined first period Δt10 has elapsed since the detected humidity was the set humidity H0 is set as a reference decrease ΔH10, and the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the decrease ΔHx in the detected humidity for each first period Δt10 to the reference decrease ΔH10 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold q4.

[0141] When the ratio of the current humidity change to the humidity change at the time the reference humidity was reached decreases, it can be inferred that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are becoming increasingly dry. Therefore, by determining the dryness based on the change in the decreasing humidity, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming over-dry or half-dry, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0142] (Eighth embodiment) An eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on a change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the amount of decrease in the detected humidity is compared for each identical period, and the heating suppression process is executed when the ratio of the humidity decrease at a certain point in time to the previous humidity decrease becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

[0143] The control unit 80 acquires the required period Δt10, which is the time required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first change amount ΔH10 after the first condition is met. The memory unit 81 stores the required period Δt10. The memory unit 81 also stores a predetermined threshold value q5. The control unit 80 acquires the decrease amount ΔHx of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 for each required period Δt10. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the decrease amount ΔHn of the nth detected humidity to the change amount ΔH(n-1) of the (n-1)th detected humidity is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value q5. For example, FIG. 16 shows the decrease amounts ΔH2, ΔH3, and ΔH4 of the detected humidity acquired for each period Δt10 required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first change amount ΔH10 after the first condition is met, i.e., when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. 16, the ratio of ΔH2 to ΔH10 or the ratio of ΔH3 to ΔH2 is greater than the threshold value q5. Since the ratio of ΔH4 to ΔH3 is equal to or less than the threshold value q5, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving the compressor 63.

[0144] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above-described embodiments.

[0145] According to this embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires the detected humidity from the humidity detection unit 73 every time a predetermined first period Δt10 has elapsed since the detected humidity was the set humidity H0. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the decrease in the detected humidity after the nth first period Δt10 has elapsed to the decrease in the detected humidity after the (n-1)th first period Δt10 has elapsed is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold q5.

[0146] This also reduces the slope of the graph of humidity detected by humidity detection unit 73, indicating that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are becoming increasingly dry. Therefore, by determining whether the clothes are dry based on changes in the decreasing humidity, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming overly dry or semi-dry, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0147] (Ninth embodiment) A ninth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. In this embodiment, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process based on a change over time in the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73. Specifically, the control unit 80 compares the amount of decrease in the detected humidity observed over a certain period from a reference time when the set humidity was observed with the amount of decrease in the detected humidity observed over a period longer than the certain period, and executes the heating suppression process when the amount of decrease in humidity at a certain point in time becomes equal to or less than the amount of decrease in humidity at the reference time.

[0148] The control unit 80 acquires the required period Δt10, which is the time required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by a predetermined first amount of change ΔH10 after the first condition is met. The memory unit 81 stores the required period Δt10. The memory unit 81 also stores a predetermined threshold q5. The control unit 80 acquires the decrease amount ΔHx of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 for each required period Δt10. The control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when the ratio of the decrease amount ΔHn of the nth detected humidity to the change amount ΔH(n-1) of the (n-1)th detected humidity is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold q5. For example, FIG. 17 shows the decreases ΔH2, ΔH3, and ΔH4 of the detected humidity acquired every period Δt20, which is longer than the period Δt10 required for the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 to decrease by the first amount of change ΔH10 after the first condition is met, i.e., when the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 becomes H0. 17, ΔH2 or ΔH3 is larger than the first change amount ΔH10. Since ΔH4 is equal to or smaller than the first change amount ΔH10, the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process and stops driving the compressor 63.

[0149] This embodiment also provides the same effects as the above-described embodiments.

[0150] According to this embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires the detected humidity from the humidity detection unit 73 at a time point after a predetermined first period Δt10 has elapsed since the detected humidity was the set humidity, and at each time point after the first period Δt10 has elapsed for a predetermined second period Δt20 that is longer than the first period Δt10. The amount of decrease in the detected humidity from the set humidity H0 until the predetermined first period Δt10 has elapsed is defined as a reference decrease amount ΔH10, and the control unit 80 executes the heating suppression process when a second decrease amount ΔHx, which is the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit 73 measured every second period Δt20, becomes equal to or less than the reference decrease amount ΔH10.

[0151] If the humidity drops by less than the standard drop ΔH10 over a period Δt20, which is longer than the period Δt10 required for the detected humidity to drop by the standard drop ΔH10, the slope of the detected humidity graph will become smaller, indicating that the moisture evaporating from the clothes is disappearing and the clothes are drying. Therefore, by determining whether the clothes are dry based on changes in the decreasing humidity, it is possible to prevent the clothes from becoming overly dry or semi-dry, regardless of the ambient temperature, weight of the clothes, etc.

[0152] The above-described embodiments can be combined with each other, and only the characteristic features of two or more embodiments can be extracted and combined.

[0153] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 10... washer-dryer (clothing treatment device), 13... water tub (clothing treatment tub), 131... air outlet, 132... air inlet, 14... rotating tub (clothing treatment tub), 50... circulation air duct (air duct), 60... heating device, 61... evaporator (heat exchanger), 62... condenser (heat exchanger), 63... compressor, 65... blower, 71... inlet temperature detection unit, 72... outlet temperature detection unit, 73... humidity detection unit, 80... control unit

Claims

1. a clothes treatment tub having an air inlet and an air outlet; an air passage connected to the air inlet; an air blower that blows air into the laundry treatment tub through the air passage; a heating device for heating the air; a humidity detection unit that detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet; a control unit that controls the operation of the heating device and the air blowing device to perform a drying process that dries the clothes in the clothes treating tub, The heating device includes a heat exchanger and a compressor that compresses and sends a refrigerant to the heat exchanger, The control unit acquires, as a maximum humidity, a maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit during a period after the drive frequency of the compressor reaches a predetermined target frequency, and, after acquiring the maximum humidity, executes a heating suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress the drive of the heating device based on the amount or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity to the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Clothes treatment device.

2. a clothes treatment tub having an air inlet and an air outlet; an air passage connected to the air inlet; an air blower that blows air into the laundry treatment tub through the air passage; a heating device for heating the air; a humidity detection unit that detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet; a control unit that controls the operation of the heating device and the air blowing device to perform a drying process that dries the clothes in the clothes treating tub, The heating device includes a heat exchanger and a compressor that compresses and sends a refrigerant to the heat exchanger, The control unit acquires, as a maximum humidity, a maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit during a period in which the drive frequency of the compressor is maintained at a predetermined target frequency, and after acquiring the maximum humidity, executes a heating suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress the drive of the heating device based on the amount or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity to the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Clothes treatment device.

3. a clothes treatment tub having an air inlet and an air outlet; an air passage connected to the air inlet; an air blower that blows air into the laundry treatment tub through the air passage; a heating device for heating the air; a humidity detection unit that detects the humidity of the air discharged from the air outlet; a control unit that controls the operation of the heating device and the air blowing device to perform a drying process that dries the clothes in the clothes treating tub, The control unit acquires the maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit during a period after the driving rotation speed of the air blower device reaches a predetermined target rotation speed as the maximum humidity, and after acquiring the maximum humidity, executes a heating suppression process to terminate the drying process or suppress the driving of the heating device based on the decrease amount or rate of decrease from the maximum humidity to the current humidity detected by the humidity detection unit being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Clothes treatment device.

4. the control unit acquires, as the maximum humidity, a maximum value of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit during a period after the driving rotation speed of the air blower device reaches a predetermined target rotation speed; The clothing treatment device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. an outlet temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of exhaust gas from the air outlet; an inlet temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of air entering the laundry treatment tub through the air inlet, The drying step includes a temperature raising step of raising the temperature of the laundry treatment tub, the control unit terminates the temperature increasing process when a temperature difference between the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit and the temperature detected by the outlet temperature detection unit becomes maximum. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. an inlet temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of air entering the laundry treatment tub through the air inlet; The drying step includes a temperature raising step of raising the temperature of the laundry treatment tub, the control unit terminates the temperature increasing step when a state in which the temperature detected by the inlet temperature detection unit does not fluctuate beyond a predetermined range continues for a predetermined period of time or more. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. When the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit has been decreasing continuously for a predetermined period of time, the control unit acquires the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit before the decrease as the maximum humidity. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. When the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit decreases consecutively for a predetermined period of time multiple times during the execution of the drying process, the control unit determines the maximum humidity as the largest value among the maximum humidities obtained during the execution of the drying process. The clothing treatment device according to claim 7.

9. The control unit is capable of executing a drying operation including the drying process and a washing and drying operation including the drying process and a washing and drying process, and executes the heating suppression process in both the drying process in the drying operation and the drying process in the washing and drying operation. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. The drying step includes a temperature raising step of raising the temperature of the laundry treatment tub, the control unit does not execute the heating suppression process based on the maximum humidity when the temperature increase process cannot be completed even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of the temperature increase process. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

11. The drying step includes a temperature raising step of raising the temperature of the laundry treatment tub, the control unit executes the temperature raising process for at least a predetermined period from the start of the temperature raising process. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

12. The laundry treatment tub includes a water tub and a rotating tub rotatably accommodated in the water tub, The control unit controls a motor that drives the rotary tub in the drying process, and keeps the control of the motor constant until the maximum humidity is obtained. The clothing treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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