Clothing processing equipment

Abstract

Achieves uniform drying while suppressing prolonged drying times. [Solution] The garment processing apparatus of the embodiment comprises a rotating tub capable of accommodating garments, a motor that rotates the rotating tub, a hot air supply device that circulates and supplies hot air to the rotating tub through a circulating air passage, and a control device that controls the operation of the motor and the hot air supply device. The control device is capable of performing an operation that includes a preheating dewatering step in which the garments are dewatered and heated by performing both the blowing operation and the heating operation. In the preheating dewatering step, the control device can perform rotation speed change control, which includes a first control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating tub to a first rotation speed, followed by a second control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating tub to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed, and then a third control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating tub to a third rotation speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a clothing treatment apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a clothing treatment apparatus that can dry clothes, such as a washing and drying machine, there are those that perform drying using a heater for heating and those that perform drying using a heat pump. Drying using a heat pump has advantages such as being more energy-efficient than drying using a heater, having a lower heating temperature, and less wrinkling and shrinking.

[0003] In a washing and drying machine, it is normal for the washing conditions, such as the weight of the clothes, to be different each time. When the weight of the clothes is large, the drying time becomes longer. For this reason, in a washing and drying machine, it is difficult to accurately grasp in advance the time until drying is completed, so the drying time of the clothes may be longer than expected by the user.

[0004] In order to solve such problems, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, when starting the operation of the heat pump after rotating the rotary drum at a high speed in a predetermined speed range so as to remove the moisture of the clothes in the rotary drum by centrifugal force, when the high speed rotation is relatively low in the speed range, a control means is provided that sets a higher operating frequency at the start of the compressor compared to when the high speed rotation is higher than the low speed. Hereinafter, the prior art described in Patent Document 1 may be simply referred to as the prior art.

[0005] However, drying with a heat pump, as used in conventional technology, takes time for the temperature to rise. Therefore, in the above configuration, in the initial stages of drying, it is more efficient in terms of time to reduce the amount of moisture in the clothes by spinning at high speed. However, in conventional technology, there are issues such as vibration, noise, and the strength of the bearings supporting the drum, and it is not possible to reach the maximum rotation speed under all imbalance conditions. As a result, there are problems such as a large amount of residual water, which leads to longer drying times and variations in operating time, as well as vibration and noise problems.

[0006] On the other hand, while heater-based drying has the advantage of easily raising the temperature, it has the challenge of being prone to uneven drying, making it difficult to achieve uniform drying of all clothes. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5978522 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Therefore, the present invention provides a garment processing apparatus that can achieve uniform drying while suppressing the prolongation of drying time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The garment processing apparatus of the embodiment comprises an outer box, a water tank elastically supported within the outer box, a rotating tank rotatably provided within the water tank and capable of accommodating garments, a motor for rotating the rotating tank, a blower capable of blowing air toward the rotating tank, a heating device capable of heating the air blown by the blower to produce warm air, a warm air supply device for circulating and supplying warm air to the rotating tank through a circulating air passage, and a control device for controlling the operation of the motor and the warm air supply device.

[0010] The control device is capable of performing an operation that includes a preheating dewatering step in which the clothes are dewatered and heated by performing both the blowing operation and the heating operation. In the preheating dewatering step, the control device can perform rotation speed change control, which includes a first control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a first rotation speed, followed by a second control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed, and then a third control that controls the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a third rotation speed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Side view showing a portion of the upper half of the washing machine / dryer according to the first embodiment, with a section cut away. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically shows the circulating air passage and its surrounding configuration provided in the washing and drying machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing part of the electrical configuration of a washing machine and dryer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of saturated water vapor content at major temperatures according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Timing chart showing a specific example of the change in rotation speed of the rotary tank in the preheating dewatering process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating a specific example of a series of processes performed by the control device in the preheating and dewatering process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] Side view showing a portion of the upper half of the washing machine / dryer according to the second embodiment, with a section cut away. [Figure 8] A diagram showing part of the electrical configuration of a washing machine and dryer according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Several embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. (First Embodiment) The first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the washer-dryer 1 of this embodiment is a so-called drum-type washer-dryer equipped with both a washing function and a drying function for clothes. The washer-dryer 1 is capable of performing operations for washing, rinsing, spinning, and drying clothes, and is an example of a clothing processing device. The washer-dryer 1 is capable of performing a washing operation and a wash-and-dry operation as operations that include a washing process for washing clothes, and is capable of performing a drying operation and a wash-and-dry operation as operations that include a drying process for drying clothes.

[0014] In a wash-and-dry cycle, the entire process from washing to drying is performed automatically. The washing process includes a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a spin-drying cycle. The washer-dryer 1 can also perform a preheating and spin-drying cycle, described later, prior to executing the drying cycle.

[0015] The outer casing 2 of the washer-dryer 1, a roughly rectangular box, has a door 3 at the center of the left front 2a in Figure 1, that is, at the center of the front of the washer-dryer 1, which allows the clothes to be opened and closed. In this case, the front 2a is formed in a slightly downward sloping shape. An operation panel 4 is provided on the upper part of the outer casing 2 on the front 2a side, and a control device 30 shown in Figure 3 is provided on the rear side. Inside the outer casing 2, a water tank 6 that can store water and also functions as a drying chamber is arranged in a state where it is elastically supported by a suspension (not shown).

[0016] The water tank 6 is cylindrical, and its rear surface is closed by a water tank end plate. The water tank 6 is positioned horizontally with its central axis facing the front-to-back direction and is slightly tilted upwards at the front, and its front opening is connected to the clothing input opening via a bellows (not shown). A rotating tank 7 is rotatably disposed inside the water tank 6. The rotating tank 7, like the water tank 6, is cylindrical with its rear surface closed by a rotating tank end plate, and is positioned horizontally with its central axis facing the front-to-back direction and is slightly tilted upwards at the front.

[0017] The front opening of the rotary tub 7 communicates with the front opening of the water tank 6 and the clothing inlet. By opening the door 3, clothing can be put into and taken out of the rotary tub 7 through the clothing inlet, the front opening of the water tank 6, and the front opening of the rotary tub 7. Therefore, clothing, which is the object to be washed and dried, can be put into and taken out of the rotary tub 7 in an accessible manner. Thus, the rotary tub 7 is configured to accommodate laundry, which is clothing, in its interior 7a in an accessible manner and functions as a storage tub capable of storing clothing.

[0018] Since the laundry is mainly clothing, in this specification, the laundry may be referred to as clothing. A plurality of holes are provided in the peripheral wall portion and the rear end plate of the rotary tub 7. In FIG. 1, only some of the holes are shown. The holes function as water passage holes during the washing process when the washing operation is performed, function as dehydration holes during the dehydration process when the dehydration operation is performed, and function as ventilation holes during the drying process when the drying operation is performed. The rotary tub 7 functions as a washing tub during washing, a dehydration tub during dehydration, and a drying tub (drying chamber) during drying.

[0019] A motor 8 for rotationally driving the rotary tub 7 is attached to the back surface portion of the water tank 6. The motor 8 is constituted by, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and its rotating shaft penetrates the water tank end plate and is connected to the end plate of the rotary tub 7. The rotary tub 7 is directly rotationally driven by the motor 8. The motor 8 is driven and controlled by the control device 5 according to various operations.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a circulating air passage 10 is provided on the outside of the water tank 6, connected to the inside of the water tank 6 and the rotating tank 7. The water tank 6 has an outlet 6a at the front upper part of its peripheral wall and an inlet 6b at the rear upper part. Note that the arrangement of the inlet and outlet of the water tank 6 is not limited to this, and for example, they may be arranged in the opposite way. That is, the inlet 6a may be provided at the front upper part of the peripheral wall of the water tank 6 and the outlet 6b may be provided at the rear upper part. The circulating air passage 10 includes an outlet duct 11 located on the outlet 6a side of the water tank 6 and an inlet duct 12 located on the inlet 6b side of the water tank 6.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, a heater unit 13 is provided in the circulating air passage 10. The heater unit 13 circulates and supplies warm air to the rotating tank 7 through the circulating air passage 10 and is equivalent to a warm air supply device. The heater unit 13 has a fan 14 and a heater 15. The fan 14 is capable of blowing air toward the rotating tank 7 and is an example of a blowing device. The heater 15 is capable of heating the air blown by the fan 14 to make it warm air and is an example of a heating device.

[0022] The operation of the heater unit 13, that is, the air blowing operation by the fan 14 and the heating operation by the heater 15, is controlled by the control device 30. The warm air generated by the heater unit 13 is blown out from the outlet 13a of the heater unit 13. As shown by the arrows in Figure 2, this blown warm air is discharged into the water tank 6 and the rotating tank 7 from the inlet 6b via the inlet duct 12.

[0023] Then, the warm air containing moisture that has contributed to drying returns to the circulation air passage 10 from the outlet 6a of the water tank 6 and the outlet-side duct 11, is heated again, and the circulation is repeated in which it is supplied to the water tank 6 and the rotating tank 7. In order to improve heating efficiency, a dehumidification unit may be installed in the circulation air passage 10 to remove moisture from the air before heating. In this case, the dehumidification unit can be, for example, a water-cooled dehumidification type heat exchanger that dehumidifies by condensing the moisture contained in the warm air by injecting water into the warm air.

[0024] A drying filter 16 is provided in the middle of the circulating air passage 10, specifically in the middle of the outlet duct 11. This drying filter 16, installed in the circulating air passage 10, captures lint and other foreign matter present in the circulating air passage 10, and is an example of a filter. The drying filter 16 can be made of a fine mesh made of synthetic resin or other materials, or a material formed by intertwining fibers.

[0025] The control device 30 is mainly composed of a microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the overall operation of the washing machine 1 by executing computer programs stored in memory devices such as ROM using the CPU. As shown in Figure 3, the control device 30 is electrically connected to the operation panel 4, motor 8, heater unit 13, vibration sensor 21, temperature sensor 22, and various sensors including rotation speed sensor 23.

[0026] The control panel 4 consists of an operation unit for the user to make various settings and give instructions regarding the washing machine 1, and a display unit for displaying various information regarding the washing machine 1. The control device 30 performs predetermined controls in response to operations on the operation unit and also controls the display on the display unit. The control device 30 controls the operation of various components, including a motor 8, a heater unit 13 equipped with a fan 14 and a heater 15.

[0027] The vibration sensor 21 is composed of, for example, a three-dimensional acceleration sensor and is installed in a location where it can detect vibrations in the water tank 6. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the vibration sensor 21 is installed on the upper part of the outer surface of the water tank 6. The vibration sensor 21 outputs a vibration detection signal that represents a value corresponding to the magnitude of the vibration generated in the water tank 6, i.e., the amount of vibration.

[0028] The temperature sensor 22 is installed in a location where it can detect the temperature inside the rotating tank 7. The temperature sensor 22 outputs a temperature detection signal that represents a value corresponding to the tank temperature, which is the temperature inside the rotating tank 7. The rotation speed sensor 23 is composed of, for example, an encoder, and is installed in a location where it can detect the rotation speed of the motor 8. The rotation speed sensor 23 outputs a rotation speed detection signal that represents a value corresponding to the rotation speed of the motor 8.

[0029] The control device 30 includes functional blocks such as an operation control unit 31, a tank temperature detection unit 32, a weight detection unit 33, and a vibration detection unit 34. These functional blocks are implemented by the CPU of the control device 30 executing computer programs stored in ROM or the like to perform processing corresponding to those programs; in other words, they are implemented by software. However, at least a portion of each functional block may be implemented by hardware such as integrated circuits.

[0030] The operation control unit 31 can perform a washing operation to wash the clothes contained in the rotating tub 7, a drying operation to dry the clothes, and a wash-and-dry operation to wash and dry the clothes. In this case, each operation has multiple courses. The tub temperature detection unit 32 detects the temperature inside the rotating tub 7 based on the temperature detection signal output from the temperature sensor 22.

[0031] The weight detection unit 33 can detect the weight of the inside 7a of the rotating drum 7, that is, the weight of the clothes contained within the rotating drum 7. The weight detection unit 33 can measure the load acting on the motor 8 by, for example, measuring the current flowing through the motor 8, and detect the weight of the clothes based on that load. In addition, the weight detection unit 33 can detect the weight of the clothes based on the rotation speed detection signal output from the rotation speed sensor 23.

[0032] In this case, the weight detection unit 33 measures the load on the motor 8 from the difference between the target rotation speed instructed by the control device 30 and the actual rotation speed of the motor 8, and detects the weight of the clothing based on that load. The vibration detection unit 34 detects the vibration of the water tank 6 based on the vibration detection signal output from the vibration sensor 21.

[0033] The operation control unit 31 can perform an operation that includes a preheating dewatering step, in which the clothes contained in the rotating tub 7 are dewatered and heated by both the blowing and heating operations of the heater unit 13. The preheating dewatering step is a process of centrifugal dewatering by supplying hot air into the rotating tub 7 and increasing the rotation speed of the rotating tub 7 to a desired target rotation speed. An example of an operation that includes a preheating dewatering step is a wash-and-dry operation. In a wash-and-dry operation, the preheating dewatering step is performed after the washing process is completed and at the beginning of the drying process.

[0034] The operation control unit 31 can detect the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 based on the rotational speed detection signal output from the rotational speed sensor 23. In the preheat dewatering process, the operation control unit 31 can perform rotational speed change control, which includes first control to control the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 to a first rotational speed R1, then second control to control the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 to a second rotational speed R2 which is lower than the first rotational speed R1, and then third control to control the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 to a third rotational speed R3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the operation control unit 31 is configured to use a rotation speed as the second rotation speed R2 that is capable of performing the operation of peeling off clothes stuck to the inner wall of the rotating tub 7. That is, in this case, the second rotation speed R2 corresponds to the rotation speed that performs the operation of loosening the clothes in the rotating tub 7. In this embodiment, the operation control unit 31 is configured to use a rotation speed as the third rotation speed R3 that is the same as the first rotation speed R1 or higher than the first rotation speed R1.

[0036] The operation control unit 31 is configured to pre-set an initial value for the timing of switching from the first control to the second control based on the weight of the clothing detected by the weight detection unit 33. However, regardless of the pre-set initial value timing described above, the operation control unit 31 switches from the first control to the second control at the point when the temperature detected by the tank temperature detection unit 32 during the execution of the first control exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature Tth.

[0037] The reason for this is as follows: There is a relationship between temperature and saturated water vapor amount, as shown in Figure 4, for example. Specifically, the saturated water vapor amount increases as the temperature rises, with 20°C being the baseline, being 1.76 times at 30°C, 3 times at 40°C, and 4.8 times at 50°C.

[0038] Therefore, by taking this relationship into consideration and setting an appropriate threshold temperature Tth, it becomes possible to evaporate more moisture from the clothes by switching from the first control to the second control when that threshold temperature Tth is reached, thereby achieving efficient drying. In addition, the operation control unit 31 changes the third rotation speed R3 according to the magnitude of the vibration of the water tank 6 detected by the vibration detection unit 34.

[0039] In the preheating dewatering process, the operation control unit 31 performs rotation speed change control, which involves operating the rotating tank 7 at a relatively high rotation speed for a predetermined time, then reducing the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 to a relatively low rotation speed for a predetermined time, and then increasing the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 again to operate at a high rotation speed. When rotation speed change control is performed in the preheating dewatering process, the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 changes, for example, as shown in Figure 5.

[0040] In Figure 5, period T1 is the period during which the first control is executed, period T2 is the period during which the second control is executed, and period T3 is the period during which the third control is executed. During period T1, the drive of the motor 8 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 becomes the first rotational speed R1. During period T1, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 increases in stages and eventually reaches the first rotational speed R1. In this case, the first rotational speed R1 is initially set to, for example, 1120 rpm. However, the first rotational speed R1 may be changed as follows.

[0041] In other words, the vibration detection unit 34 is configured to perform a detection operation to detect vibrations of the water tank 6 at a predetermined timing during period T1. The operation control unit 31 then changes the first rotation speed R1 during period T1 according to the magnitude of the vibration of the water tank 6 detected by the vibration detection unit 34. Specifically, the operation control unit 31 changes the first rotation speed R1 to be smaller the greater the detected vibration.

[0042] Therefore, during period T1, the greater the detected vibration, the lower the first rotational speed R1 becomes compared to the initial value of 1120 rpm. Specifically, the first rotational speed R1 may be a value such as 1020 rpm or 850 rpm, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5, depending on the detected vibration. During period T1, after the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reaches the first rotational speed R1, that rotational speed is maintained for a predetermined time Ta.

[0043] In period T2 following period T1, the motor 8 is controlled to drive the rotating drum 7 to a second rotational speed R2. During period T2, the rotational speed of the rotating drum 7 continuously decreases until it reaches the second rotational speed R2. During period T2, when this second control is performed, the rotating drum 7 continues to rotate without stopping. In this case, the second rotational speed R2 is set to a rotational speed that allows the operation of peeling off clothes stuck to the inner wall of the rotating drum 7 to be performed, specifically, for example, 60 to 100 rpm. In period T2, after the rotational speed of the rotating drum 7 reaches the second rotational speed R2, that rotational speed is maintained for a predetermined time Tb. The predetermined time Tb may be predetermined or may be determined according to the unbalance detected by the sensor.

[0044] In period T3 following period T2, the motor 8 is controlled to drive so that the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reaches the third rotational speed R3. In period T3, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 increases in steps, eventually reaching the third rotational speed R3. In this case, the third rotational speed R3 is initially set to, for example, 1120 rpm. However, the third rotational speed R3 may be changed as follows.

[0045] In other words, the vibration detection unit 34 is configured to perform a detection operation to detect vibrations of the water tank 6 at a predetermined timing during period T3. The operation control unit 31 then changes the third rotation speed R3 during period T3 according to the magnitude of the vibration of the water tank 6 detected by the vibration detection unit 34. Specifically, the operation control unit 31 changes the first rotation speed R1 to be smaller the greater the detected vibration.

[0046] Therefore, during period T3, the greater the detected vibration, the lower the third rotational speed R3 becomes compared to its initial value of 1120 rpm. Specifically, the third rotational speed R3 may be a value such as 1020 rpm or 850 rpm, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5, depending on the detected vibration.

[0047] However, the vibration detection unit 34 is configured to have lower detection sensitivity in the detection operation performed during period T3 compared to the detection operation performed during period T1. Therefore, in period T3, even if the same level of vibration occurs as in period T1, the vibration detection result by the vibration detection unit 34 will be a smaller value. As a result, the third rotational speed R3 in period T3 will be greater than or equal to the first rotational speed R1 in period T1. In period T3, after the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reaches the third rotational speed R3, that rotational speed is maintained for a predetermined time Tc.

[0048] The following describes a specific example of a series of processes performed by the control device 30 during the preheating and dewatering process, with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. First, in step S101, an initial value for the timing tsw, which switches from the first control to the second control, is set based on the weight of the clothing detected by the weight detection unit 33. At this time, a predetermined time Ta value is set according to the timing tsw.

[0049] After step S101 is completed, the process proceeds to step S102, and the first control is started. As a result, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 increases toward the first rotational speed R1, and eventually reaches the first rotational speed R1. After step S102 is completed, the process proceeds to step S103, where it is determined whether a predetermined time Ta has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the first rotational speed R1.

[0050] If, at this point, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 has not reached the first rotational speed R1, a predetermined time Ta has not elapsed, then the result in step S103 is "NO", and the process proceeds to step S104. In step S104, it is determined whether the detected temperature, which is the temperature detected by the tank temperature detection unit 32, has reached or exceeded the threshold temperature Tth. If the detected temperature is less than the threshold temperature Tth, then the result in step S104 is "NO", and the process returns to step S103. On the other hand, if the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the threshold temperature Tth, then the result in step S104 is "YES", and the process proceeds to step S105.

[0051] On the other hand, if a predetermined time Ta has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the first rotational speed R1, the result in step S103 is "YES", and the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the first control is terminated, and the second control is started simultaneously. As a result, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 decreases toward the second rotational speed R2, and eventually reaches the second rotational speed R2. After the execution of step S105, the process proceeds to step S106, where it is determined whether a predetermined time Tb has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the second rotational speed R2.

[0052] Here, if the predetermined time Tb has not elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the second rotational speed R2, the result in step S106 is "NO", and step S106 is executed again. On the other hand, if the predetermined time Tb has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the second rotational speed R2, the result in step S106 is "YES", and the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the second control is terminated, and the third control is started at the same time. As a result, the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 increases toward the third rotational speed R3, and eventually reaches the third rotational speed R3.

[0053] After step S107 is executed, the process proceeds to step S108, where it is determined whether a predetermined time Tc has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the third rotational speed R3. If the predetermined time Tc has not elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the third rotational speed R3, step S108 is marked "NO", and step S108 is executed again. On the other hand, if the predetermined time Tc has elapsed since the rotational speed of the rotating tank 7 reached the third rotational speed R3, step S108 is marked "YES", and the process proceeds to step S109. In step S109, the third control is terminated. After step S109 is executed, this series of processes is completed.

[0054] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. In this embodiment, the washing and drying machine 1 performs a preheating and dewatering process after the washing process is completed and at the beginning of the drying process. In the preheating and dewatering process, it is important to evenly distribute warm air over the clothes and to quickly raise the temperature inside the rotating drum 7 in order to achieve efficient drying.

[0055] However, in the preheating and dewatering process, it is necessary to ensure a certain amount of time for the rotating drum 7 to rotate at a high speed. If the rotating drum 7 continues to rotate at a high speed for a long time during the preheating and dewatering process, the clothing made of fabric will remain stuck to the inner wall of the rotating drum 7 for an extended period, and the hot air will only reach the surface fabric. In addition, in the preheating and dewatering process, the temperature inside the rotating drum 7 tends to rise slowly due to the wind generated by the high speed of the rotating drum 7. For these reasons, conventionally, there has been a problem in the preheating and dewatering process where the drying time is prolonged because the time for which the rotating drum 7 rotates at a high speed is extended.

[0056] Therefore, in the preheating dewatering process, the control device 30 of this embodiment performs a rotation speed change control, which involves first control to control the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 to a first rotation speed R1, then second control to control the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 to a second rotation speed R2 which is lower than the first rotation speed R1, and then third control to control the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 to a third rotation speed R3. This allows the rotation speed of the rotating tank 7 to be temporarily reduced from the first rotation speed R1 to the second rotation speed R2 during the preheating dewatering process, and then operated at that lower rotation speed R2 for a predetermined time.

[0057] This suppresses the generation of airflow, allowing the temperature inside the rotating drum 7 to rise efficiently, and also allows warm air to be applied evenly to the clothes. Therefore, according to this embodiment, uniform drying can be achieved while suppressing the lengthening of the drying time. In addition, this embodiment employs heater-type heating using a heater 15 as the heating device. Conventionally, heater-type heating has had the problem of easily causing uneven drying, but according to this embodiment, even though heater-type heating is employed, the occurrence of uneven drying can be suppressed.

[0058] In this embodiment, the control device 30 executes the first, second, and third controls in succession when performing rotation speed change control during the preheat dewatering process. This ensures that both the hot air supply operation and the dewatering operation are continuously performed during the preheat dewatering process without any temporary interruption. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the overall operating time can be shortened compared to cases where at least one of the hot air supply operation or the dewatering operation is temporarily stopped during the preheat dewatering process.

[0059] In this embodiment, the control device 30 uses a second rotation speed R2 that is capable of detaching clothes stuck to the inner wall of the rotating tub 7, specifically a rotation speed of, for example, 60 to 100 rpm. This causes a loosening operation in which clothes stuck to the inner wall of the rotating tub 7 fall off and are replaced, resulting in warm air reaching more clothes evenly and further suppressing uneven drying.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control device 30 switches from the first control to the second control when the temperature detected by the tank temperature detection unit 32 during the execution of the first control exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature Tth. As described, there is a relationship between the air temperature and the saturated water vapor amount as shown in Figure 4. Therefore, by setting an appropriate threshold temperature Tth while taking this relationship into consideration, it becomes possible to evaporate more moisture from the clothes by switching from the first control to the second control when that threshold temperature Tth is reached, thereby achieving efficient drying.

[0061] In this embodiment, the control device 30 is configured to pre-set the timing for switching from the first control to the second control based on the weight of the clothes detected by the weight detection unit 33. When there is a large amount of clothes in the rotating tub 7, the amount of air generated due to the rotation of the rotating tub 7 tends to increase, and the drying time tends to be longer because the temperature of the clothes on the inside that stick to the inner wall of the rotating tub 7 does not rise easily due to dewatering. Therefore, by changing the timing of switching from the first control to the second control according to the weight of the clothes, the temperature inside the rotating tub 7 can be efficiently raised and warm air can be applied evenly to the clothes, regardless of the amount of clothes in the rotating tub 7, and as a result, the drying time can be shortened.

[0062] In the first control, the first rotation speed R1, and in the third control, the third rotation speed R3, are desirable to be as high as possible if only the goal is to shorten the drying time. However, arbitrarily increasing these rotation speeds may lead to unbalance. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device 30 changes the first rotation speed R1 and the third rotation speed R3 according to the magnitude of the vibration of the water tank 6 detected by the vibration detection unit 34. In this way, the third rotation speed R3 in the third control is determined to an optimal value according to the detected vibration of the water tank 6, thereby suppressing the occurrence of unbalance while suppressing the lengthening of the drying time.

[0063] In this embodiment, the control device 30 uses a third rotation speed R3 that is the same as or higher than the first rotation speed R1. As a result, in the second control, the rotation speed of the rotating drum 7 is reduced from the first rotation speed R1 to the second rotation speed R2, and then in the third control, the rotation speed of the rotating drum 7 is increased again to a speed higher than or equal to the speed before it was reduced. Consequently, in the third control, the clothes can be heated efficiently, and drying can be achieved in a short time.

[0064] (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. As shown in Figure 7, the washing machine 101 of this embodiment differs in that a temperature sensor 24 has been added. The temperature sensor 24 is installed in a location that can detect the ambient temperature, which is the temperature of the surrounding environment in which the washing machine 101 is installed.

[0065] The temperature sensor 24 can be installed, for example, inside the outer casing 2, in a location where the temperature is equivalent to the surrounding environment in which the washing machine 1 is installed, that is, in a location that is less affected by the temperature rise caused by the operation of the washing machine 101. As shown in Figure 7, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor 24 is installed inside the outer casing 2, for example, near the upper wall surface of the outer casing 2. The temperature sensor 24 outputs a temperature detection signal that represents a value corresponding to the ambient temperature in which it is installed.

[0066] As shown in Figure 8, the control device 130 of this embodiment differs from the control device 30 of the first embodiment in that a functional block called an ambient temperature detection unit 135 is added, and the operation control unit 131 is provided instead of the operation control unit 31. The ambient temperature detection unit 135 detects the ambient temperature, which is the temperature of the surrounding environment, based on the temperature detection signal output from the temperature sensor 24.

[0067] The operation control unit 131 is configured to pre-set an initial value for the timing of switching from the first control to the second control based on the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit 135, instead of the weight of the clothing detected by the weight detection unit 33. Alternatively, the operation control unit 131 may pre-set an initial value for the timing of switching from the first control to the second control based on the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit 135, in addition to the weight of the clothing detected by the weight detection unit 33.

[0068] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. In this embodiment, the control device 130 is configured to pre-set the timing for switching from the first control to the second control based on the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit 135. When the ambient temperature around where the washing machine 101 is installed is low, the drying time tends to be longer. Therefore, by changing the timing of switching from the first control to the second control according to the ambient temperature, the temperature inside the rotating tub 7 can be efficiently raised and warm air can be evenly distributed over the clothes, regardless of the ambient temperature, and as a result, the drying time can be shortened.

[0069] (Other embodiments) It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be arbitrarily modified, combined, or expanded without departing from its essence. The numerical values ​​and other figures shown in each of the above embodiments are illustrative examples and are not limiting.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to drum-type washer-dryers 1 and 101, but can be applied to all types of garment drying equipment, such as vertical-axis washer-dryers. The heating device is not limited to a configuration with a heater 15; for example, it may also have a configuration with a heat pump.

[0071] In the embodiments described above, the second rotation speed R2 in the second control was set to a constant rotation speed, but the second rotation speed R2 does not have to be constant. For example, the second rotation speed R2 can be raised or lowered depending on the state of the loosening operation. Specifically, the second rotation speed R2 can be raised or lowered as follows: That is, if it is determined that most of the clothes have been loosened based on the unbalance detection result by the sensor, the rotation speed of the second rotation speed R2 may be increased. After the rotation speed of the second rotation speed R2 has been increased in this way, if it is detected that the clothes have stuck to the rotating drum 7 again, the rotation speed of the second rotation speed R2 may be lowered again. Also, when the rotation speed decreases from the first rotation speed R1 to the second rotation speed R2, the rotation speed may be decreased in steps.

[0072] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented 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 variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0073] In the drawing, 1 and 101 represent the washing machine and dryer, 2 represents the outer casing, 6 represents the water tank, 7 represents the rotating tub, 8 represents the motor, 13 represents the heater unit, 14 represents the fan, 15 represents the heater, 30 and 130 represent the control devices, 32 represents the tub temperature detection unit, 33 represents the weight detection unit, 34 represents the vibration detection unit, and 135 represents the ambient temperature detection unit.

Claims

1. The outer box and A water tank elastically supported within the aforementioned outer box, A rotating tank is provided rotatably within the aforementioned water tank and capable of accommodating clothing inside, A motor that rotates the aforementioned rotating tank, A blower capable of blowing air toward the rotating tank, and a heating device capable of heating the air blown by the blower to produce warm air, wherein a warm air supply device circulates and supplies warm air to the rotating tank through a circulating air passage, A control device that controls the operation of the motor and the hot air supply device, Equipped with, The control device is The system can perform an operation that includes a preheating dehydration step in which the clothes are dehydrated and heated by performing both the blowing operation and the heating operation. A garment processing apparatus capable of performing rotation speed change control in the preheating and dewatering step, which includes executing a first control to control the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a first rotation speed, followed by a second control to control the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed, and then a third control to control the rotation speed of the rotating drum to a third rotation speed.

2. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device uses a second rotational speed that is capable of performing the operation of peeling off the garments that are stuck to the inner wall of the rotating drum.

3. The control device is The rotating tank is equipped with a tank temperature detection unit that detects the temperature inside the tank, The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the temperature detected by the tank temperature detection unit during the execution of the first control exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature, the apparatus switches from the first control to the second control.

4. The control device is The rotating tank is equipped with a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the clothing stored in it. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the timing for switching from the first control to the second control is set in advance based on the weight of the garment detected by the weight detection unit.

5. The control device is It is equipped with an ambient temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature, which is the temperature of the surrounding environment. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the timing for switching from the first control to the second control is set in advance based on the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit.

6. The control device is The system includes a vibration detection unit for detecting vibrations in the water tank, The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third rotation speed is changed according to the magnitude of the vibration of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit.

7. The garment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device uses the same rotation speed as the first rotation speed or a rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed as the third rotation speed.

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