Clothing treatment device

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of bringing clothing into a favorable state, with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A clothing treatment device includes: a storage tub capable of storing clothing; a dry air passage for circulating the air exhausted from the storage tub and returning it to the storage tub; a blower fan for blowing the air in the dry air passage; and a drop device for dropping a medicine into the dry air passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a clothing treatment device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a clothing treatment device. The clothing treatment device in Patent Document 1 includes a storage tub that can store clothing, a dry air duct that circulates air discharged from the storage tub and returns it to the storage tub, and a blower fan that blows air through the dry air duct. The clothing treatment device in Patent Document 1 also includes a mist supply unit that generates mist, mainly wet mist, that has high wetting properties in the dry air duct and introduces the mist into the storage tub by blowing air from the blower fan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4946766 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The clothing treatment device of Patent Document 1 requires a configuration to generate a wet mist that is highly wet, making the device complex. This specification provides a technology that can keep clothing in good condition with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The clothing treatment device disclosed in this specification comprises a storage tank capable of storing clothing, a dry air duct that circulates air discharged from the storage tank and returns it to the storage tank, a blower fan that blows air through the dry air duct, and a dripping device that drips chemicals into the dry air duct. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the clothing treatment device of the embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along II-II in FIG. 1) schematically showing a clothing treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a dropping device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a modified example of a dropping device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a dripping device according to another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A clothing treatment device 2 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the clothing treatment device 2 of the embodiment includes a housing 4, a water tub 10 disposed within the housing 4, a storage tub 12 disposed within the water tub 10, and a control unit 100 disposed within the housing 4. The clothing treatment device 2 also includes a water supply channel 50, a drain channel 55, and a dry air duct 20 connected to the water tub 10. The clothing treatment device 2 also includes a dripping device 30 that drips chemicals into the dry air duct 20.

[0008] The clothing processing device 2 of the embodiment is a washer / dryer that can perform a washing operation to wash the clothing stored in the storage tub 12 and a drying operation to dry the clothing stored in the storage tub 12. The housing 4 of the clothing processing device 2 houses the water tub 10 and the storage tub 12. An opening 42 is provided on the front of the housing 4 for inserting and removing clothing from the storage tub 12. The opening 42 communicates with the inside of the water tub 10 and the inside of the storage tub 12. In addition, a door 40 is provided on the front of the housing 4 for opening and closing the opening 42.

[0009] The water tub 10 and storage tub 12 within the housing 4 are arranged at an angle relative to the horizontal. The clothing treatment device 2 of this embodiment has a so-called inclined drum configuration. The water tub 10 can store water for clothing treatment. The storage tub 12, located within the water tub 10, can store clothing during the washing and drying operations of the clothing treatment device 2. The storage tub 12 is rotatably located within the water tub 10 and rotates when driven by a motor 14.

[0010] The upstream end of the water supply line 50 is connected to a water supply source (e.g., a water mains), and the downstream end is connected to the top of the aquarium 10. The water supply line 50 supplies water from the water supply source into the aquarium 10. A water supply valve 52 is provided in the water supply line 50, and water is supplied into the aquarium 10 when the water supply valve 52 is opened.

[0011] The upstream end of drainage channel 55 is connected to water tank 10, and the downstream end is connected to a drainage destination (e.g., a drain pan). Drainage channel 55 discharges water discharged from water tank 10 to the drainage destination. Drainage channel 55 is provided with drainage valve 57, and when drainage valve 57 opens, the water in water tank 10 is discharged to the drainage destination.

[0012] Drying air duct 20 is a path through which air flows to dry the clothes. Drying air duct 20 has its upstream and downstream ends connected to water tub 10. Drying air duct 20 circulates air discharged from water tub 10 and storage tub 12 and returns the air to water tub 10 and storage tub 12.

[0013] Drying air duct 20 includes, in order from the upstream side, exhaust air duct 21, heat exchange air duct 22, and intake air duct 23. The upstream end of exhaust air duct 21 is connected to exhaust port 71 provided at the top of water tub 10. During drying operation, air inside water tub 10 and storage tub 12 is discharged into exhaust air duct 21 through exhaust port 71. The downstream end of exhaust air duct 21 is connected to heat exchange air duct 22. Air flowing through exhaust air duct 21 is sent to heat exchange air duct 22.

[0014] The heat exchange air passage 22 is provided between the exhaust air passage 21 and the supply air passage 23. The upstream end of the heat exchange air passage 22 is connected to the exhaust air passage 21, and the downstream end of the heat exchange air passage 22 is connected to the supply air passage 23.

[0015] An evaporator and a condenser (neither shown) of heat pump 80 are disposed within heat exchange air passage 22. The evaporator and condenser of heat pump 80 dehumidify and heat the air flowing within heat exchange air passage 22. As a result, the air supplied to water tub 10 and storage tub 12 during the drying operation is dehumidified and heated. The principle of heat pump 80 is already known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0016] A blower fan 81 is also arranged in heat exchange air duct 22. Blower fan 81 is rotatably arranged in heat exchange air duct 22 and is rotated by driving motor 83. When blower fan 81 rotates during the drying operation, air is sent from the upstream side to the downstream side of heat exchange air duct 22. The air that has flowed through heat exchange air duct 22 is sent to intake air duct 23.

[0017] The upstream end of intake air duct 23 is connected to heat exchange air duct 22, and the downstream end of intake air duct 23 is connected to air intake port 72 provided at the rear of water tub 10. During the drying operation, air flowing through intake air duct 23 is supplied into water tub 10 and storage tub 12 through air intake port 72. The air supplied into storage tub 12 dries the clothes in storage tub 12.

[0018] Next, the dripping device 30 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the dripping device 30 includes a tank 32 that stores a chemical, a nozzle 36 that drips the chemical into the dry air duct 20, a chemical path 34 that supplies the chemical from the tank 32 to the nozzle 36, and a first on-off valve 35 that opens and closes the chemical path 34. The dripping device 30 also includes a support member 31 that supports the nozzle 36, and a second on-off valve 33 that opens and closes a drip port 38 provided in the support member 31.

[0019] The chemical agent dripped by dripping device 30 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a disinfectant deodorizer that disinfects and deodorizes the clothes in storage tub 12. The disinfectant deodorizer contains, for example, a component that removes bacteria adhering to the clothes in storage tub 12 and a component that eliminates odors adhering to the clothes.

[0020] Tank 32, which stores the chemical, is attached to, for example, the top of housing 4. Nozzle 36, which drips the chemical, is attached to dry air duct 20 via support member 31. Chemical path 34 is connected to tank 32 and nozzle 36, and supplies the chemical stored in tank 32 to nozzle 36. Nozzle 36 drips the chemical supplied through chemical path 34 into dry air duct 20. In dripping device 30, chemical is dripped from nozzle 36 when first on-off valve 35, which opens and closes chemical path 34, opens. In a modified example, first on-off valve 35 may be configured to open and close the outlet of tank 32 (i.e., the connection between tank 32 and chemical path 34). Opening and closing control of first on-off valve 35 is performed by control unit 100.

[0021] The support member 31 that supports the nozzle 36 is fixed to, for example, the air intake duct 23 of the dry air duct 20. The support member 31 has a drip port 38 that opens into the dry air duct 20. The drip port 38 is provided at a position opposite the nozzle 36. The drip port 38 is located between the tip of the nozzle 36 and the dry air duct 20. The chemical agent dripped from the nozzle 36 passes through the drip port 38 and drips into the dry air duct 20. The nozzle 36 drips the chemical agent on the downwind side of the blower fan 81 provided in the dry air duct 20.

[0022] The second on-off valve 33, which opens and closes the drip port 38, opens when the pressure in the dry air duct 20 is below a predetermined threshold and closes when the pressure in the dry air duct 20 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. The second on-off valve 33 closes when pressed by air flowing through the dry air duct 20. When the second on-off valve 33 is open and a chemical agent is dripped from the nozzle 36, the chemical agent passes through the drip port 38 and drips into the dry air duct 20. When the second on-off valve 33 is closed, even if a chemical agent is dripped from the nozzle 36, the chemical agent hits the second on-off valve 33 and is not dripped into the dry air duct 20. The specific configuration of the mechanism for opening and closing the second on-off valve 33 is not particularly limited. The second on-off valve 33 may be configured to open and close regardless of the pressure in the dry air duct 20.

[0023] The clothing treatment device 2 further includes a receiving container 60 that receives the chemicals dripped from the dripping device 30. The receiving container 60 is disposed in the air supply duct 23 of the dry air duct 20. The receiving container 60 is disposed in a position facing the dripping device 30 in the air supply duct 23. The receiving container 60 is disposed in a position facing the nozzle 36 of the dripping device 30.

[0024] The receiving container 60 has a recess 62 for receiving the chemical D. The recess 62 is provided at a position facing the nozzle 36. The recess 62 holds the chemical D so that the chemical D does not flow to the downwind side of the dry air duct 20. The chemical D received in the recess 62 is vaporized in the dry air duct 20.

[0025] The control unit 100 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and executes various controls and processes related to the clothing processing device 2 according to a predetermined program. For example, the control unit 100 alternately executes a dripping process and an air blowing process during the drying operation of the clothing processing device 2. The dripping process is a process in which the dripping device 30 drips chemicals into the dry air duct 20. The air blowing process is a process in which the air blowing fan 81 blows air into the dry air duct 20. The control unit 100 does not execute the air blowing process while executing the dripping process, and does not execute the dripping process while executing the air blowing process. More specifically, the control unit 100 stops the air blowing fan 81 while executing the dripping process, and does not drip chemicals from the nozzle 36 of the dripping device 30 while executing the air blowing process.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit 100 may alternately execute the dripping process and the air blowing process in operations other than the drying operation. For example, after the drying operation is completed, the control unit 100 may execute a sterilizing and deodorizing operation to sterilize and deodorize the clothes in the storage tub 12. The control unit 100 may alternately execute the dripping process and the air blowing process in the sterilizing and deodorizing operation.

[0027] (effect) The above describes the embodiment of the clothing treatment device 2. As is clear from the above description, the clothing treatment device 2 includes a dry air duct 20 that circulates air discharged from the storage tub 12 and returns it to the storage tub 12, a blower fan 81 that blows air through the dry air duct 20, and a dripping device 30 that drips chemicals into the dry air duct 20.

[0028] With this configuration, the chemical agent dropped from the dropping device 30 can be vaporized in the dry air duct 20 and supplied into the storage tank 12. This allows the chemical agent components to be distributed throughout the clothes in the storage tank 12, and the clothes in the storage tank 12 can be kept in good condition with a simple configuration. For example, if the chemical agent is a disinfectant deodorizer, the clothes in the storage tank 12 can be disinfected and deodorized.

[0029] The dripping device 30 includes a nozzle 36 that drips the chemical, a drip port 38 through which the chemical dropped from the nozzle 36 passes, and a second on-off valve 33 that opens and closes the drip port 38. With this configuration, the drip port 38 can be closed by the second on-off valve 33 when the blower fan 81 blows air into the dry air duct 20, and lint flowing in the dry air duct 20 can be prevented from adhering to the nozzle 36.

[0030] Dripping device 30 drips the chemical agent on the downwind side of dry air duct 20 from blower fan 81. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the chemical agent dripped from dripping device 30 from adhering to blower fan 81.

[0031] The clothing treatment device 2 includes a receiving container 60 provided opposite the dripping device 30 to receive the chemicals dripped from the dripping device 30. This configuration can prevent the chemicals dripped into the dry air duct 20 from flowing downwind of the dry air duct 20.

[0032] In the clothing processing device 2, a dripping process in which the dripping device 30 drips the chemical into the dry air duct 20 and a blowing process in which the blower fan 81 blows air into the dry air duct 20 may be alternately performed. With this configuration, the dripped chemical can be efficiently vaporized.

[0033] (Variation) (1) In a modified example, as shown in Fig. 4, the receiving container 60 may have a convex portion 64 that stops the flow of the medicine D. The convex portion 64 is provided on the downwind side of the dry air duct 20 relative to the portion where the medicine D is dropped. The convex portion 64 prevents the medicine D dropped into the receiving container 60 from flowing downwind.

[0034] In another modification, the clothing processing device 2 may not include the receiving container 60, and the drying air duct 20 may have a protrusion 64 on its inner surface (not shown).

[0035] (2) In another modification, as shown in Fig. 5, nozzle 36 of dripping device 30 may be disposed above inner surface 23a of air supply passage 23. Drug D may be dripped from nozzle 36 toward inner surface 23a of air supply passage 23. Furthermore, convex portion 66 may be provided on inner surface 23a of air supply passage 23. Convex portion 66 prevents drug D dripped onto inner surface 23a of air supply passage 23 from flowing downward along inner surface 23a of air supply passage 23.

[0036] (3) In another modification, the chemical pathway 34 of the dripping device 30 may be cleaned by running water through the chemical pathway 34. The chemical pathway 34 may also be connected to a water supply channel 50.

[0037] (4) In another modified example, dripping device 30 may include a pressure pump that pressurizes tank 32. In this configuration, when the medicine in tank 32 is pressurized by the pressure pump, the medicine is dripped from nozzle 36. In another modified example, dripping device 30 may include a suction pump provided in medicine path 34. In this configuration, when the medicine in tank 32 is sucked by the suction pump, the medicine is dripped from nozzle 36. Note that the configuration for dripping the medicine from nozzle 36 is not particularly limited.

[0038] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 2: clothing treatment device, 4: housing, 10: water tub, 12: storage tub, 20: drying air duct, 21: exhaust air duct, 22: heat exchange air duct, 23: air supply air duct, 30: dripping device, 31: support member, 32: tank, 33: second on-off valve, 34: chemical path, 35: first on-off valve, 36: nozzle, 38: drip outlet, 40: door, 42: opening, 50: water supply path, 52: water supply valve, 55: drain path, 57: drain valve, 60: receiving container, 62: recess, 64: convex portion, 66: convex portion, 71: exhaust port, 72: air supply port, 80: heat pump, 81: blower fan, 100: control unit

Claims

1. a storage tank capable of storing clothes; a dry air duct for circulating the air discharged from the storage tank and returning it to the storage tank; a blower fan that blows air into the dry air duct; A clothing treatment device comprising: a dripping device that drips chemicals into the dry air duct.

2. The clothing treating device according to claim 1, wherein the dripping device comprises a nozzle for dripping the chemical, a drip port through which the chemical dripped from the nozzle passes, and an on-off valve for opening and closing the drip port.

3. The clothing treating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dripping device drips the agent on a downstream side of the drying air duct from the blower fan.

4. The clothing treating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a receiving portion provided at a position opposite the dripping device for receiving the chemical agent dripped from the dripping device.

5. The clothing treating device according to claim 4 , wherein the receiving portion includes a protrusion provided on the downwind side of the drying air duct relative to a portion that receives the chemicals.

6. a dripping step of dripping a chemical into the dry air duct by the dripping device; a blowing step of blowing air into the dry air duct by the blower fan, The laundry treating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dripping step and the air blowing step are performed alternately.

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