Washer dryer

Abstract

To provide a washing and drying machine capable of dehumidifying an installation space of the washing and drying machine just by fitting an attachment member.SOLUTION: A drum type washing and drying machine 1 includes an enclosure 2, a storing chamber 20 for storing laundry, a circulation air passage 22, an air blowing section 8 that is disposed on the circulation air passage 22 and circulates air in the storing chamber 20, heat pump units 9, 10, 12 for dehumidifying and heating the air flowing through the circulation air passage 22, and a door 3 for opening and closing an inlet / outlet 4 of the enclosure 2. The washing and drying machine is provided with an attachment member 50 that is fitted to the inlet / outlet 4 in a state where the door 3 is opened, releases the air passing through the circulation air passage 22 and returning to the storing chamber 20 to a front side of outside of the machine from the inlet / outlet 4, and makes the air in a space in which the enclosure 2 is disposed flow into the storing chamber 20 through the inlet / outlet 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, proposals have been made to utilize the dehumidifying function mounted on a clothes dryer for space dehumidification.

[0003] In Patent Document 1 below, a clothes drying and dehumidifying machine having both functions of clothes drying and indoor dehumidification using a heat pump has been proposed.

[0004] Also, in Patent Document 2 below, a drum-type clothes dryer having multifunctions enabling dehumidification, heating, etc. of an installed room has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Both the clothes drying and dehumidifying machine described in Patent Document 1 and the clothes dryer described in Patent Document 2 have different air flow paths when drying clothes in the drying chamber and when dehumidifying the installed room. Therefore, it is necessary to switch between the circulation air path control and operation control when drying clothes in the drying chamber and the circulation air path control and operation control when dehumidifying the room.

[0007] Therefore, there are problems such as the configuration of the device becoming complicated and the control becoming cumbersome.

[0008] Incidentally, the most humid places in a house are the bathroom and washroom. Also, in many homes, the washing machine is located near the bathroom or washroom. Therefore, it would be convenient to be able to dehumidify the space around the washing machine using a washer-dryer.

[0009] This invention was made against this background, and aims to provide a washing machine that can dehumidify the space in which the washing machine is installed simply by attaching an attachment member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention is characterized by comprising: a housing; a storage chamber for storing laundry placed inside the housing; a circulating air passage that takes air from the rear of the storage chamber and returns it to the storage chamber from the front and above; a blower provided in the circulating air passage for circulating the air from the storage chamber through the circulating air passage; a heat pump unit for dehumidifying and heating the air flowing through the circulating air passage; an inlet and outlet provided in the housing for loading and unloading laundry into the storage chamber; a door provided in the housing for opening and closing the inlet and outlet; and an attachment member that, when the door is open, is attached to the inlet and outlet and discharges the air returning to the storage chamber from the front and above through the circulating air passage outwards from the inlet and outlet, and allows air in the space where the housing is located to flow into the storage chamber through the inlet and outlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the door is hinged to the housing at one end and opens and closes around the one end, the housing is provided with a locking mechanism to keep the door closed corresponding to the other end of the door, and the attachment member is fitted to the entrance / exit by fitting one end to the hinged connection side and the other end to the locking mechanism side.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the attachment member has an air guide path that guides the air returning to the containment chamber through the circulating air path to the outside of the machine, and a ventilation hole that allows outside air to flow into the containment chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the attachment member is shaped to be able to close the opening of the inlet and outlet, the upper part of the attachment member is provided with the air guide path, and a number of ventilation holes are formed in the central part of the attachment member.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the attachment member includes an integrally molded product made of resin.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention includes an indoor dehumidification setting unit for setting the dehumidification of the indoor space, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the blower unit and the heat pump unit, wherein, with the attachment member attached to the inlet and outlet, the control unit operates the blower unit and the heat pump unit in response to the indoor dehumidification setting unit setting the dehumidification of the indoor space, and performs dehumidification of the indoor space for a predetermined time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, an attachment member is provided that can be attached to the inlet and outlet of the washing machine when the door of the washing machine is open. When the attachment member is attached to the inlet and outlet and the drying operation is performed, the air in the storage chamber flows through the circulating air passage, is dehumidified and heated, and is released outside the machine via the attachment member. Then, the air from outside the machine flows into the storage chamber via the attachment member and circulates through the circulating air passage. Therefore, with the present invention, by simply attaching the attachment member to the inlet and outlet, the space in which the washing machine is located can be dehumidified using the dehumidification and drying operation that the washing machine originally performs.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the attachment member is designed in a special way, by attaching the attachment member to the entrance and exit, the washing machine can be made to perform a drying operation with the door open.

[0018] Further, according to the present invention, since the attachment member is devised, air returning from the circulation air passage to the accommodation chamber can be discharged outside the machine, and air outside the machine can be made to flow into the accommodation chamber.

[0019] According to the present invention, by making the attachment member an integrally molded product made of resin, the attachment member can be created at a low cost.

[0020] Further, according to the present invention, by setting the indoor dehumidification operation, the attachment member can be utilized to dehumidify the indoor space.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a front view of a drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a plan view of a drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a longitudinal sectional view of the drum type washing and drying machine taken along III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a front view of the drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with the door open. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view of the attachment member according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front upper side. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the attachment member according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear upper side. [Figure 7] It is a front view of the drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with the door open and the attachment member attached. [Figure 8] It is a plan view of the drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with the door open and the attachment member attached. [Figure 9] It is a longitudinal sectional view of the drum type washing and drying machine taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation specifications of the drum type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] In the following, a drum-type washing machine and dryer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For reference, the drawings include arrows X (indicating the front-to-back direction, with F being the front and B being the rear), Y (indicating the left-to-right direction, with R being the right and L being the left), and Z (indicating the up-and-down direction, with U being the up and D being the down), which indicate the orientation of the drum-type washing machine and dryer 1.

[0023] Figure 1 is a front view of drum-type washer-dryer 1, Figure 2 is a top view of drum-type washer-dryer 1, Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of drum-type washer-dryer 1 along line III-III in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a front view of drum-type washer-dryer 1 with the door open.

[0024] Referring to Figures 1-4, the drum-type washer-dryer 1 has a housing 2 and a door 3 located on the front of the housing 2. The housing 2 has a rectangular prism-like appearance, and a circular entrance / exit 4 is formed in the upper center of the vertically elongated rectangular front wall 2F. The door 3 is attached to the entrance / exit 4. The door 3 can be opened and closed, with the entrance / exit 4 closed as shown in Figures 1-3, and with the entrance / exit 4 open as shown in Figure 4.

[0025] The housing 2 is provided with an outer tub 5 and an inner tub 6 that partition a storage chamber 20 for storing laundry. The outer tub 5 is cylindrical with a central axis P extending in the front-rear direction X, and its rear end XB is closed by a rear wall 5B. The front end XF of the outer tub 5 has an edge 5F where the cylindrical circumferential wall 5S is curved toward the central axis, and an opening 21 is formed by the inner circumferential edge of the edge 5F.

[0026] The inner tank 6 is arranged concentrically within the outer tank 5 and is cylindrical in shape, being slightly smaller than the outer tank 5. The inner tank 6 is cylindrical and concentric with the central axis P of the outer tank 5, with its rear end XB closed by a rear wall 6B and an opening 21 formed at its front end XF.

[0027] Within the housing 2, a motor 7 is provided at the rear XB of the outer tank 5. The drive shaft of the motor 7 penetrates the rear wall 5B of the outer tank 5 and is connected to the center of the rear wall 6B of the inner tank 6. The inner tank 6 can be rotated within the outer tank 5 by the driving force of the motor 7.

[0028] In the drum-type washer-dryer 1, during a washing cycle, laundry is placed in the inner layer 6, and a predetermined amount of water is collected in the outer layer 5. The inner layer 6 has small holes on its perimeter, allowing water to pass through, and the water collected in the outer layer 5 reaches the laundry inside the inner layer 6. The inner layer 6 is rotated by the motor 7, causing the laundry inside to be lifted and dropped, resulting in a so-called tumbling wash.

[0029] During the spin cycle of the drum-type washer-dryer 1, the inner tub 6 is rotated at high speed by the motor 7, and the laundry inside the inner tub 6 is dehydrated by the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation.

[0030] During the drying cycle, the drum-type washer-dryer 1 rotates the inner tub 6 using a motor 7, slowly agitating the wet laundry inside. Additionally, a blower fan 8 (described later) is driven to circulate the air inside the inner tub 6 through a circulation air passage 22. Furthermore, during the drying cycle, a compressor 12 included in the heat pump unit is driven, pressurizing and compressing the refrigerant. This causes the refrigerant to circulate through the heat pump cycle, and the air flowing through the circulation air passage 22 is dehumidified by a first heat exchanger 9 located in the circulation air passage 22. The dehumidified air is then heated by a second heat exchanger 10 and returned to the inner tub 6. Thus, the laundry inside the inner tub 6 is dried.

[0031] A circulating air passage 22 is provided along the outside of the rear wall 5B and circumferential wall 5S of the outer tank 5 that partitions the containment chamber 20. Air in the inner tank 6, which is the containment chamber 20, flows out to the outer tank 5 through numerous small holes formed in the rear wall 6B. The intake of the circulating air passage 22 is connected to the air outlet formed in the rear wall 5B of the outer tank 5. A blower fan 8 as a blowing unit, a first heat exchanger 9 for dehumidification, and a second heat exchanger 10 for heating are arranged inside the circulating air passage 22. As the blower fan 8 rotates, the air in the inner tank 6 flows into the circulating air passage 22 from the rear wall 6B of the inner tank 6 and the rear wall 5B of the outer tank 5, as shown by the thick black arrows, and flows inside the circulating air passage 22. While flowing through the circulating air passage 22, the air is dehumidified in the first heat exchanger 9 and heated in the second heat exchanger 10. Then, it passes through the outlet passage 11 of the circulating air passage 22, is guided by the guide section 34 of the door 3, and returns to the inner tank 6 through the opening 21.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first heat exchanger 9, the second heat exchanger 10, and the compressor 12 located at the bottom of the housing 2 constitute a heat pump unit. The heat pump unit is connected by piping for a refrigerant (not shown), and the refrigerant circulates between the compressor 12, the second heat exchanger 10, the first heat exchanger 9, and the compressor 12 to form a heat pump cycle.

[0033] In the heat pump cycle, the refrigerant, pressurized and compressed by the compressor 12, becomes a high-temperature, high-pressure superheated vapor refrigerant and flows into the second heat exchanger 10. The second heat exchanger 10 is the heating side condenser, and heats the air flowing through the circulating air passage 22 through heat exchange by its heat dissipation fins. The refrigerant in the second heat exchanger 10 is depressurized by passing through a capillary tube (threshold) installed between the second heat exchanger 10 and the first heat exchanger 9 and flows into the first heat exchanger 9. The first heat exchanger 9 is the cooling side evaporator, and dehumidifies the air flowing through the circulating air passage through heat exchange by its cooling fins. The refrigerant then returns to the compressor 12 and is pressurized and compressed again.

[0034] Referring to Figure 4, the drum-type washer-dryer 1 has a circular entrance / exit 4 formed on the front wall 2F of the housing 2. The entrance / exit 4 has a ring-shaped step 41 that is recessed one step backward from the surface of the front wall 2F, and an opening 42 is formed along the inner circumference of the ring-shaped step 41. The opening 42 corresponds to the openings 21 of the outer tub 5 and inner tub 6 described earlier, and laundry can be loaded into and unloaded from the storage chamber 20 through the openings 42 and 21.

[0035] Furthermore, an annular packing 25 is fitted between the opening 42 along the inner circumference of the annular step 41 and the opening 21 of the outer tank 5. The packing 25 seals the space between the opening 42 and the opening 21 of the outer tank 5 airtight and liquid-tight, preventing air flowing from the front of the housing 2 into the storage chamber 20 from leaking to the outside of the outer tank 5. It also prevents water stored in the outer tank 5 from leaking into the machine through the opening 21.

[0036] Door 3 has a disc-shaped main body 31 when viewed from the front. In addition, a sealing projection 33 is provided in the area of ​​the main body 31 excluding the outer peripheral edge 32, bulging outwards from the back side of the main body 31. The sealing projection 33 is made of glass, for example, and when door 3 is closed, its peripheral edge 33S is in close contact with the packing 25, sealing the inlet and outlet 4 airtight and liquidtight. The sealing projection 33 also has a guide portion 34 that guides air during drying operation.

[0037] Door 3 is hinged to the housing 2 at the left end of its main body 31. Door 3 can be displaced around the left end of its main body 31 relative to the front wall 2F of the housing 2, in an open state as shown in Figure 4 and a closed state as shown in Figure 1.

[0038] Door 3 is equipped with a locking pin 35 and a closing confirmation pin 36 at the right end of the rear side of the main body 31. In addition, the annular step 41 of the entrance / exit 4 is equipped with a locking mechanism 43 and a confirmation mechanism 44 at positions corresponding to the locking pin 35 and the closing confirmation pin 36 when door 3 is closed.

[0039] When door 3 is closed, the main body 31 fits into the annular step 41, blocking the entrance / exit 4 formed in the front wall 2F of the housing 2, as shown in Figure 1.

[0040] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the attachment member 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front and above, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the attachment member 50 viewed from the rear and above.

[0041] The attachment member 50 comprises a cover plate portion 51 that is circular in front view, a ring portion 52 that surrounds the cover plate portion 51, and a flange portion 53 that protrudes outward from the ring portion 52. The attachment member 50 may, for example, be formed from a single molded product made of resin. Alternatively, the attachment member 50 may be made of metal such as an aluminum plate, or it may be a plate-shaped member made of fiberglass.

[0042] The cover plate portion 51 fits into the opening 42 of the inlet / outlet 4 and closes the opening 42. The cover plate portion 51 has, for example, numerous small holes 54 that are scattered radially from the center outwards. The numerous small holes 54 of the cover plate portion 51 are inlets for air to flow in from the front XF side to the rear XB side of the cover plate portion 51. The ring portion 52 around the cover plate portion 51 is configured to abut against the packing 25 fitted to the opening 42 and the opening 21 of the outer tank 5. The flange portion 53 abuts against the annular step 41 of the inlet / outlet 4 from the front side.

[0043] The attachment member 50 has an outlet 55 formed in the upper right position (approximately 1 o'clock to 2 o'clock on a clock face) in a front view, which allows air to flow out from the rear XB side to the front XF side of the cover plate 51. The outlet 55 is an air passage opened in a part of the outer end of the cover plate 51. A U-shaped ventilation guide 56 is provided on the front XF side of the cover plate 51, protruding below and to the side of the outlet 55 in a front view. In addition, an airflow guide path 57 is provided on the rear XB side of the cover plate 51 to guide air to the outlet 55.

[0044] The attachment member 50 is further provided with a mounting projection 58 on the left YL side of the flange portion 53, which engages with the hinge connection between the door 3 and the housing 2. A mounting handle 59 is also provided on the front surface of the right YR side of the flange portion 53. A replacement lock pin 60 is provided protruding from the rear surface of the right YR side of the flange portion 53 at a position corresponding to the rear XB of the mounting handle 59.

[0045] Figure 7 is a front view of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 with the door 3 open and the attachment member 50 attached to the inlet / outlet 4. Figure 8 is a top view of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 with the door 3 open and the attachment member 50 attached to the inlet / outlet 4. Furthermore, Figure 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 along the line IX-IX in Figure 8.

[0046] As shown in Figure 7, the drum-type washer-dryer 1 can have its door 3 open and the attachment member 50 can be attached to the inlet / outlet 4 formed in the front wall 2F of the housing 2. The drum-type washer-dryer 1 can then perform a drying operation with the door 3 open and the attachment member 50 attached.

[0047] The airflow during the drying operation in this case is shown by the thick black arrows in Figure 9. Referring to Figure 9, when the blower fan 8 rotates, the air in the inner tub 6 flows into the circulating air passage 22 from the numerous small holes in the rear wall 6B of the inner tub 6 and the air outlet in the rear wall 5B of the outer tub 5. As the air flows through the circulating air passage 22, it is dehumidified by the first heat exchanger 9 and heated by the second heat exchanger 10. The air then passes through the outlet passage 11 of the circulating air passage 22, through the airflow guide passage 57 of the attachment member 50 and the outlet 55, and is released into the front XF space of the drum-type washing machine dryer 1 by the ventilation guide 56.

[0048] As the air inside the inner layer 6 is released into the forward XF space through the circulating air passage 22, the air pressure inside the inner layer 6 decreases. Therefore, the air in the space where the drum-type washing machine 1 is located enters the inner tub 6 through the numerous small holes 54 formed in the lid plate portion 51 of the attachment member 50. The air that enters the inner tub 6 is then dehumidified and heated in the circulating air passage 22 as described above, and is released to the front of the machine outside via the outlet passage 11 and the attachment member 50.

[0049] In this way, the drum-type washer-dryer 1 can dehumidify the air in the space where the drum-type washer-dryer is installed.

[0050] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operating specifications of drum-type washer-dryer 1.

[0051] When using the drum-type washer-dryer 1 to dehumidify the space in which it is installed, open the door 3 of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 and attach the attachment member 50 to the inlet / outlet 4 of the housing 2 (step S1).

[0052] Then, press the indoor dehumidification button located on the control panel (Step S2).

[0053] When the indoor dehumidification button is pressed, the control unit of the drum-type washing machine 1, which is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, detects whether or not the attachment member 50 is installed (step S3). This detection may be performed by checking whether or not the substitute lock pin 60 of the attachment member 50 (see Figure 6) is engaged with the lock mechanism 43 (see Figure 4) provided on the annular step 41 of the housing 2, instead of the lock pin 35 of the door 3.

[0054] If the control unit determines that the attachment member 50 is not installed, it displays an error message indicating that indoor dehumidification operation is not possible (step S4).

[0055] When the control unit detects that the attachment member 50 has been installed, the operation panel can be used to set the operating time and the operating intensity (step S5). This setting may be made available to the user. After setting, the user presses the start button provided on the operation panel (step S6).

[0056] In response to the press of the start button, the control unit starts the rotation of the blower fan 8 (step S7) and starts the operation of the compressor 12 to operate the heat pump cycle (step S8).

[0057] The control unit then continues the indoor dehumidification operation while detecting the temperature of the drying airflow released from the outlet channel 11 (step S9).

[0058] If the temperature of the drying airflow discharged from the outlet channel 11 exceeds, for example, 45°C, the compressor 12 is stopped and the heat pump unit is shut down (step S10).

[0059] Then, when the indoor dehumidification operation reaches the set time (step S11), the control unit stops the compressor 12 (step S12), stops the blower fan 8 (step S13), ends the indoor dehumidification operation, and automatically turns off the drum-type washing machine 1 (step S14).

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiments described above, and the configuration of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1. Drum-type washing machine and dryer 2. Enclosure 2F front wall 3-door 4 Entrance / exit 5 Outer tank 6 Inner tank 7 Motor 8 Blower Fan 9 1st heat exchanger 10 Second heat exchanger 11 Outlet channel 12 Compressors 20 Confinement Rooms 21 Aperture 22 Circulation air duct 25 Packing 31 Main body 32 Outer edge 33 Sealing protrusion 34 Information Department 35 lock pins 36 Pin for confirming closed position 41 Circular Step 42 Aperture 43 Locking mechanism 44 Verification mechanism 50 Attachment Members 51 Lid plate part 52 Ring section 53 Flange section 54 Small hole 55 Outlet 56 Ventilation Guide 57 Airflow guidance path 58 Mounting projection 59 Attachment grip 60 Replacement Locking Pins

Claims

1. The enclosure and, A storage room for storing laundry, located inside the aforementioned enclosure, A circulating air passage that takes air from the rear of the containment chamber and returns it to the containment chamber from the front and above, A blower unit is provided in the aforementioned circulating air passage and circulates the air from the containment chamber through the circulating air passage, A heat pump unit for dehumidifying and heating the air flowing through the aforementioned circulating air passage, The enclosure is provided with an entrance / exit for putting laundry into and taking it out of the storage chamber, A door is provided on the aforementioned enclosure for opening and closing the aforementioned entrance and exit, With the door open, an attachment member is installed at the inlet / outlet and releases air returning to the containment chamber through the circulating air passage to the front of the machine, and allows air in the space where the housing is located to flow into the containment chamber through the inlet / outlet. A washing machine and dryer characterized by including the following.

2. The aforementioned door is hinged to the housing at one end and opens and closes around that end, Corresponding to the other end of the aforementioned door, the housing is provided with a locking mechanism to keep the door in a closed position. The washing machine and dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that the attachment member is fitted to the inlet and outlet by having one end fitted to the hinge joint and the other end fitted to the locking mechanism.

3. The aforementioned attachment member is An air guide path that guides the air returning to the containment chamber through the aforementioned circulation air path to the outside of the machine, The washing and drying machine according to claim 2, characterized in that it has a ventilation hole that allows outside air to flow into the containment chamber.

4. The attachment member is shaped to be able to close the opening of the inlet and outlet. The washing machine and dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper part of the attachment member is provided with the air guide passage, and a number of ventilation holes are formed in the central part of the attachment member.

5. The washing machine and dryer according to claim 4, characterized in that the attachment member includes an integrally molded product made of resin.

6. The aforementioned washing and drying machine is An indoor dehumidification setting unit for setting the dehumidification of the indoor space, The system includes a control unit that controls the operation of the blower unit and the heat pump unit, The washing machine and dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, with the attachment member attached to the inlet and outlet, the control unit operates the air blower and the heat pump unit in response to the setting of dehumidification of the indoor space by the indoor dehumidification setting unit, causing the indoor space to be dehumidified for a predetermined time.

Images