Clothes dryer

Abstract

To provide a clothing dryer capable of reducing a possibility that clothing comes into contact with or gets caught on an illumination device, thereby suppressing damage to the clothing and the illumination device.SOLUTION: A clothing dryer comprises: an opening / closing door 24 provided on a front face wall 23 of a body case 2; a rotary drum 3 which is rotatably provided inside the body case so as to have an attitude with a rotation axis extending in a front-rear direction, and which allows a front end to be opened for accommodating clothing therein; and an illumination device 5 for illuminating the inside of the rotary drum 3. The front face wall 23 of the body case 2 comprises: an outer face panel 25 exposed to the outside; and an inner face panel 26 provided on the rotary drum 3 side. The inner face panel 26 comprises an illumination device mounting recess part 27 which is formed to be recessed in such a direction as to be separated from the rotary drum 3 so that the illumination device 5 is mounted and accommodated in an attitude allowing a light source 50 of the illumination device 5 to face the inside of the rotary drum 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0007]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a drum-type washing and drying machine is known that includes a rotating drum for accommodating clothes and a lighting device for illuminating the inside of the rotating drum (see Patent Document 1 below).

[0003] This type of rotating drum is housed in the main body case in a posture where the open front end faces sideways (the front face faces obliquely upward). Clothes to be washed or dried are put into the inside of the rotating drum from the open front end of the rotating drum. A transparent opening / closing door for closing the open front face of the rotating drum is provided on the front wall of the main body case.

[0004] The lighting device is provided inside the main body case facing the front end of the rotating drum. By illuminating the inside of the rotating drum and illuminating the inside of the lower half of the rotating drum, it becomes easy to check the inside of the rotating drum.

[0005] Also, when drying the inside of the rotating drum (such as a clothes drying operation), hot air is sent into the inside of the rotating drum. At this time, by providing the lighting device at a position where the hot air does not directly hit, deterioration of the lighting device can be suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Incidentally, when the rotating drum rotates during drying or other operations, the clothes contained inside the rotating drum also rotate. The clothes rotating with the rotating drum come into contact not only with the inner circumferential wall of the rotating drum, but also with the opening and closing door that closes the front end of the rotating drum and the inner surface of the main body case surrounding it.

[0008] Clothes rotating inside the drum are relatively heavy when wet, and if such clothes come into contact with the lighting device, the impact of the contact could damage the device. Even if the clothes are mostly dry, contact with the lighting device could cause them to get caught and become damaged.

[0009] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a clothes dryer that can minimize contact and snagging of clothing with lighting devices, thereby suppressing damage to clothing and lighting devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve this objective, the first invention provides a clothes dryer comprising a main body case, an opening and closing door provided on the front wall of the main body case, a rotating drum rotatably provided inside the main body case with its axis of rotation extending in the front-rear direction and with its front end open to accommodate clothes inside, and a lighting device for illuminating the inside of the rotating drum, wherein the front wall of the main body case comprises an outer panel exposed to the outside and an inner panel provided on the side of the rotating drum, and the inner panel is provided with a lighting device mounting recess formed in a direction away from the rotating drum in order to mount and house the lighting device in a position in which the light source of the lighting device faces the inside of the rotating drum. In addition, the clothes dryer in the present invention includes not only those that dry clothes (including towels, blankets, sheets, etc.) but also dryers that have a clothes washing function, such as a washer-dryer.

[0011] With the above configuration, the lighting device is installed while being housed in the mounting recess for the lighting device. This ensures visibility inside the rotating drum with the lighting device, while reducing the likelihood of clothing rotating with the drum colliding with or getting caught on the lighting device, thereby suppressing damage to the lighting device and clothing.

[0012] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention described above, the rotating drum has a lifter for agitating clothes protruding from its inner circumferential surface, and the lighting device mounting recess is used to mount and hold the lighting device such that when the lifter faces the lighting device, the shadow of the lifter formed by the light from the lighting device is formed in a position excluding the lower half of the inside of the rotating drum.

[0013] With the above configuration, when the inside of the rotating drum is illuminated by the lighting device, it is possible to prevent darkness from being created in the lower half of the rotating drum due to the shadow of the lifter. This further improves the visibility inside the rotating drum.

[0014] The third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention described above, the rotating drum has a lifter for agitating clothes protruding from its inner circumferential surface, and the lifter is positioned to form a gap of a predetermined size with respect to the lighting device when facing the lighting device.

[0015] With the above configuration, the clothes rotating with the rotating drum pass smoothly between the lifter and the lighting device, and contact between the clothes and the lighting device is suppressed, thereby further reducing damage to the lighting device and the clothes.

[0016] The fourth invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to third inventions, the inner panel of the main body case is provided with a hot air passage for circulating hot air through the inside of the rotating drum, the lighting device mounting recess is located on the upper side of the opening / closing door, and the hot air passage is located on the lower side of the opening / closing door.

[0017] According to the above configuration, since the warm air passes through a position separated from the lighting device, the contact of the warm air with the lighting device is minimized, and deterioration, deformation, etc. of the lighting device due to receiving heat can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] Explanatory sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Explanatory sectional view showing an enlarged main part. [Figure 3] Explanatory sectional view of a lighting device and a lighting device mounting recess.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The clothes dryer 1 of the present embodiment includes, as shown in FIG. 1, a main body case 2 and a rotary drum 3.

[0020] The main body case 2 has a box shape including a body portion 20, a bottom portion 21, and a top surface portion 22, and an opening / closing door 24 is provided on the front wall 23 of the body portion 20. The front wall 23 of the main body case 2 includes an outer surface panel 25 exposed to the outside and an inner surface panel 26 provided on the rotary drum side.

[0021] The rotary drum 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is rotatably accommodated inside the main body case 2. The rotary drum 3 is rotationally driven by a drive device (motor) not shown. The drive device is accommodated in a lower corner portion between the main body case 2 and the rotary drum 3.

[0022] The rotation axis 30 of the rotary drum 3 is provided in a posture extending in the front-rear direction. The rotary drum 3 is opened at the front end by opening the opening / closing door 24 of the main body case 2. Clothes (including towels, blankets, sheets, etc.) are put into the rotary drum 3 from the front end of the opened rotary drum 3.

[0023] The front end of the rotary drum 3 faces the opening / closing door 24 of the main body case 2 and the inner panel 26 around the opening / closing door 24. A hot air inlet 41 is formed on the back side of the rotary drum 3, and a hot air outlet 42 is formed in the lower part of the inner panel 26 of the main body case 2 (a part of the inner panel 26 located below the opening / closing door 24). The hot air outlet 42 corresponds to the hot air passage opening in the present invention.

[0024] The hot air inlet 41 is connected to a hot air supply passage 43 that supplies hot air to the rotary drum 3. Upstream of the hot air supply passage 43, a heating device (not shown) that heats the air taken in from the outside of the main body case 2 to generate hot air, which is dry air, is connected. The heating device is housed in the upper corner between the main body case 2 and the rotary drum 3. Although a gas burner is adopted as the heating device, an electric heater may also be adopted.

[0025] A filter 44 is provided at the hot air outlet 42. The filter 44 captures fiber dust and the like generated from clothes during drying. The hot air outlet 42 communicates with a moisture exhaust passage 45 provided in the gap formed between the main body case 2 and the rotary drum 3. The downstream end of the moisture exhaust passage 45 is a duct connection port 46 formed on the top surface 22 of the main body case 2. An exhaust duct (not shown) is connected to the duct connection port 46.

[0026] A fan 47 is provided in the moisture exhaust passage 45 located on the back side of the rotary drum 3. The fan 47 is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown). The driving device of the fan 47 is also used as the driving device for rotating the rotary drum 3.

[0027] The fan 47 generates an air flow toward the exhaust duct by its rotation. Thereby, a flow of hot air from the hot air inlet 41 through the inside of the rotary drum 3 to the hot air outlet 42 is forcibly formed.

[0028] A first lifter 31 and a second lifter 32 are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotating drum 3. The first lifter 31 and the second lifter 32 protrude toward the center of rotation and are provided to agitate the clothes as the rotating drum 3 rotates. The first lifter 31 is located in front of the center of the rotating drum 3 in the front-rear direction, and the second lifter 32 is located behind the center of the rotating drum 3 in the front-rear direction.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the clothes dryer 1 is equipped with a light 5 for illuminating the inside of the rotating drum 3. The inclusion of the light 5 makes it easy to visually inspect the inside of the rotating drum 3.

[0030] Light 5 is mounted in a light mounting recess 27 provided in the inner panel 26 of the main body case 2. As shown in Figure 2, the light mounting recess 27 is recessed away from the rotating drum 3, and the mounted light 5 is housed so as not to protrude from the inside of the light mounting recess 27 toward the rotating drum 3. Light 5 corresponds to the lighting device in this invention, and the light mounting recess 27 corresponds to the lighting device mounting recess in this invention.

[0031] This makes it less likely for the clothes inside the rotating drum 3, which is rotating during drying, to come into contact with the light 5, thereby suppressing damage to the light 5 and wear and tear on the clothes (tears, fraying, abrasion, etc.) caused by contact between the clothes and the light 5.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the light 5 consists of an LED element 50 that serves as a light source, a transparent cover 51, and a base 52. The LED element 50 is fixed to the base 52 and electrically connected to a controller (not shown). The transparent cover 51 covers and protects the LED element 50.

[0033] Furthermore, the inner side of the light mounting recess 27 is the mounting surface 28 for the light 5, and by attaching the light 5 to the mounting surface 28, the outer surface of the transparent cover 51 of the light 5 does not protrude from the light mounting recess 27.

[0034] The base portion 52 holds the LED element 50 in an inclined position so that it faces diagonally downward. As a result, the light 5 illuminates at least the lower half of the inside of the rotating drum 3 (the side view below the center line x, shown by the dashed line in the figure), as shown in Figure 1.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the light mounting recess 27 is formed in the inner panel 26 above the opening / closing door 24, so it is located relatively far from the hot air outlet 42 located below the opening / closing door 24. This reduces the heating of the light 5 by hot air, suppressing deterioration and deformation of the light 5 due to heat during drying, and thus extending the lifespan of the light 5.

[0036] Furthermore, when the rotating drum 3 stops rotating, the first lifter 31, located on the front side of the rotating drum 3, may face the front of the light 5 (see Figure 1). At this time, the tilt position of the LED element 50 of the light 5 is set so that the shadow of the first lifter 31 does not fall on the lower half of the inside of the rotating drum 3. This makes it possible to suppress the reduction in visibility caused by the shadow of the first lifter 31 when the inside of the rotating drum 3 is illuminated.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the first lifter 31 of the rotating drum 3 has a notch 33 formed in the portion located on the front end side of the rotating drum 3, and the notch 33 creates a gap a of a predetermined size (for example, large enough for clothes to pass through smoothly) between it and the light 5.

[0038] As a result, when the inside of the rotating drum 3 is illuminated, the shadow of the first lifter 31 is reliably formed on the upper half of the inside of the rotating drum 3, illuminating at least the lower half, thus improving visibility when illuminated. Moreover, the notches 33 in the light 5 and the first lifter 31 make it easier for clothing to pass between the light 5 and the first lifter 31, thus more reliably preventing clothing from coming into contact with the light 5.

[0039] In this embodiment, the light 5 used as the lighting device uses an LED element 50 as its light source, but the present invention is not limited to this, and lighting devices using other light sources (for example, krypton bulbs, etc.) can also be suitably used.

[0040] Furthermore, while the clothes dryer 1 of this embodiment is solely for drying clothes, the clothes dryer 1 of the present invention can also be applied to washing machines that have a drying function, such as a washer-dryer. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1...Clothes dryer, 2...Main case, 3...Rotating drum, 5...Light (lighting device), 23...Front wall, 24...Opening / closing door, 25...Exterior panel, 26...Interior panel, 27...Light mounting recess (lighting device mounting recess), 31...First lifter (lifter), 42...Hot air outlet (hot air passage), 50...LED element (light source).

Claims

1. A clothes dryer comprising a main body case, an opening and closing door provided on the front wall of the main body case, a rotating drum rotatably mounted inside the main body case with its axis of rotation extending in the front-to-back direction and with its front end open to accommodate clothes inside, and a lighting device for illuminating the inside of the rotating drum, The front wall of the main body case comprises an outer panel exposed to the outside and an inner panel provided on the rotating drum side. The inner panel is provided with a mounting recess for the lighting device, which is recessed in a direction away from the rotating drum, in order to mount and house the lighting device in a position where the light source of the lighting device faces the inside of the rotating drum. The lighting device mounting recess has a rear side surface located on the inner panel that is spaced away from the rotating drum, A clothes dryer characterized in that the lighting device is attached to the rear side surface of the mounting recess for the lighting device.

2. In the clothes dryer according to claim 1, The aforementioned rotating drum has a lifter for agitating clothes protruding from its inner surface. A clothes dryer characterized in that the lighting device mounting recess is used to mount and hold the lighting device such that when the lifter faces the lighting device, the shadow of the lifter formed by the light from the lighting device is formed in a position excluding the lower half of the inside of the rotating drum.

3. In the clothes dryer according to claim 1, The aforementioned rotating drum has a lifter for agitating clothes protruding from its inner surface. A clothes dryer characterized in that the lifter is positioned to form a gap of a predetermined dimension relative to the lighting device when facing the lighting device.

4. In a clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The inner panel of the main body case is provided with a hot air passage that allows hot air to circulate through the inside of the rotating drum, A clothes dryer characterized in that the lighting device mounting recess is located on the upper side of the opening / closing door, and the hot air passage is located on the lower side of the opening / closing door.

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