Washer dryer

Abstract

To provide a washing and drying machine in which the structure of a heat pump is made to be simple, and in which refrigerant piping is arranged so as to improve assemblability of the heat pump.SOLUTION: In a washing and drying machine, a compressor 12 is arranged on the rear surface side of the washing and drying machine with respect to a suspension 21a which is arranged below an outer tub 2 and which is arranged on the rearmost surface side of the washing and drying machine. In the washing and drying machine, a refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 182 is connected and a refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 183 is connected in a condenser 13, and a refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 184 is connected and a refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 181 is connected in an evaporator 11 are arranged on the rear surface side of the washing and drying machine with respect to the condenser 13 and the evaporator 11 respectively, and at least an expansion valve 14 is arranged on the rear surface side of the washing and drying machine with respect to the compressor 12, the condenser 13 and the evaporator 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a washing and drying machine in which a case constituting the outer shell of a heat pump unit is disposed along the lateral direction (horizontal direction) of the washing and drying machine behind the suspension, and a compressor constituting the heat pump is disposed at one end of the case (see paragraphs 0011 - 0012 and FIGS. 1, 2). Further, Patent Document 1 states regarding the refrigerant piping of the heat pump that "when the refrigerant pipe 26 extends upward from the discharge port of the compressor 22, the portion where the refrigerant pipe 26 is first bent may be defined as the upper end of the compressor 22." (paragraph 0025).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a compressor constituting a heat pump is disposed behind the suspension of a washing and drying machine. Although Patent Document 1 has the above explanation regarding the refrigerant piping of the heat pump, there is no specific explanation regarding the arrangement of the refrigerant piping connecting other devices constituting the heat pump. In order to simplify the configuration of the heat pump and improve the assemblability of the heat pump, it is necessary to fully consider the arrangement of the refrigerant piping of the heat pump.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a washing and drying machine in which the refrigerant piping is arranged so that the configuration of the heat pump can be simplified and the assemblability of the heat pump can be improved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the washing and drying machine of the present invention is: The system comprises an outer tank capable of storing liquid, an inner tank rotatably mounted inside the outer tank for accommodating laundry, an air circulation channel and blower for circulating air through the inside of the inner tank, a heat pump unit for dehumidifying and heating the air flowing through the air circulation channel, and a suspension that supports the outer tank at its lower part. In a washing and drying machine, the inner tub is tilted such that its central axis is upward at the front, The blower has a blower outlet to which a blower passage is connected that sends the dehumidified and heated air from the heat pump unit to the outer tank. The heat pump unit comprises a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an expansion valve, a gas-liquid separator, refrigerant piping, an intake port to which a return passage for air returning from the outer tank to the heat pump unit is connected, and a case in which an internal air passage for the heat pump is formed, connecting the intake port and the blower outlet. The compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator are arranged in the width direction of the washing dryer between the air intake and the fan outlet. before Recording pressure The shrinking mechanism is positioned further back than the suspension located at the rearmost end of the washing machine among the aforementioned suspensions. before Recording The refrigerant inlet and outlet in the shrinker, and The aforementioned The refrigerant inlet and refrigerant outlet in the evaporator, respectively teeth , positioned on the rear side of the washing and drying machine relative to the condenser and the evaporator, The aforementioned expansion Diaphragm is located behind the aforementioned intake port. Placed 、 The refrigerant piping comprises a first refrigerant pipe connecting the evaporator and the compressor, a second refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser, a third refrigerant pipe connecting the condenser and the expansion valve, and a fourth refrigerant pipe connecting the expansion valve and the evaporator. The gas-liquid separator is installed in the middle of the first refrigerant piping, The expansion valve, the gas-liquid separator, the first refrigerant piping, the third refrigerant piping, and the fourth refrigerant piping are arranged to the side of the blower outlet and on the rear side of the washing machine with respect to the condenser and the evaporator. ru. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing machine with a refrigerant piping arrangement that simplifies the structure of the heat pump and improves the ease of assembly of the heat pump. Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] It is a view of the washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the side, and is a view in a state where the side panel is removed. [Figure 2] It is a view of the washing and drying machine of FIG. 1 as seen from the obliquely rear side, and is a view in a state where the rear panel and the side panel are removed. [Figure 3] It is a view of the bottom of the washing and drying machine of FIG. 1 as seen from above. [Figure 4] It is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the outer tub of the washing and drying machine of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the air inlet. [Figure 6] It is a view of the heat pump unit of the washing and drying machine of FIG. 1 as seen from above. <00s0081>It is a view showing the interior of the heat pump unit of FIG. 5 in perspective. [Figure 8] It is a schematic view when the outer tub of the washing and drying machine of FIG. 1 is seen from the side.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] In this specification, the side that can be seen on the right when the washing and drying machine 100 is viewed from the front will be described as the right side, and the side that can be seen on the left will be described as the left side. The left-right direction in the washing and drying machine 100 may be referred to as the width direction, and the front-rear direction may be referred to as the depth direction.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the washing and drying machine 100 is a drum-type washing and drying machine having a drying function. On the upper part of the base 1e, a framework is constituted by combining reinforcing members such as a side panel 1c (see FIG. 2) and a front panel 1f (see FIG. 4) mainly made of a steel plate and a resin molded product, and further, the housing 1 is formed by attaching a design panel 1a, a rear panel 1b, and an upper surface panel 1d thereon. An opening for taking in and out laundry such as clothes is formed in the design panel 1a, and this opening is closable in an openable manner by a door not shown.

[0012] An outer tub 2 is disposed inside the housing 1. The outer tub 2 can store liquid inside and is supported by a plurality of suspensions 21. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, four suspensions 21a to 21d are arranged at the lower part of the outer tub 2, and two suspensions 21e and 21f are arranged at the upper part of the outer tub 2.

[0013] [[ID=Z]] As shown in FIG. 4, an inner tub 3 is provided inside the outer tub 2, and laundry is accommodated in the inner tub 3. A fluid balancer ३1 for reducing vibration due to unbalance of the laundry during dehydration is provided on the outer periphery (peripheral edge part) of the opening of the inner tub 3. The inner tub 3 is configured to be rotatably driven via a drive shaft 51 by a motor 5 provided on the back surface part (bottom surface part) of the outer tub 2. For this reason, the inner tub 3 is also called a rotary drum.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, a heat pump unit <000010> for realizing the drying function is arranged on the back side of the washing and drying machine The heat pump unit <000010> dehumidifies and heats the air circulating inside the inner tub 3. The air dehumidified and heated by the heat pump unit <000010> passes through a blowing passage 6a of an air circulation flow path 6 arranged on the back side and the upper part (see FIG. 1) of the outer tub 2 and is sent to the opening of the outer tub 2.

[0015] [[ID=is]] As shown in Figure 5, an air outlet 6b is provided at the opening of the outer tub 2, and the air blown to the air outlet 6b through the air passage 6a is blown into the inside of the inner tub 3 through the opening 3a of the inner tub 3, as indicated by arrow F1. A bellows 20 is provided between the outer tub 2 and the front panel 1f, and the bellows 20 prevents the leakage of washing water and also provides airtightness to prevent air leakage during drying.

[0016] The air used to dry the laundry inside the inner tub 3 flows out into the outer tub 2, enters the return passage 6c of the air circulation channel 6 through an air outlet (not shown) located on the back of the outer tub 2, and returns to the heat pump unit 10 through the return passage 6c.

[0017] To form the aforementioned airflow, the blower 7 is integrated with the heat pump unit 10. When the blower 7 is driven, the air (warm air) drawn from the heat pump unit 10 into the blower 7 flows into the air passage 6a connected to the outlet (blower outlet) 7a of the blower 7. On the other hand, the return passage 6c is connected to the intake port 10a of the heat pump unit 10, and the air flowing through the return passage 6c returns to the heat pump unit 10 from the intake port 10a of the heat pump unit 10.

[0018] The heat pump unit 10 will be explained using Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a view of the heat pump unit of the washing machine / dryer shown in Figure 1 from above. Figure 7 is a transparent view of the inside of the heat pump unit shown in Figure 5.

[0019] Inside the case 10b of the heat pump unit 10, an internal heat pump air passage 6d is formed, connecting the intake port 10a of the heat pump unit 10 to the outlet port 7a of the blower. The internal heat pump air passage 6d constitutes a part of the air circulation passage 6.

[0020] The heat pump in the heat pump unit 10 includes an evaporator 11, a compressor 12, a condenser 13, an expansion valve 14, and a gas-liquid separator 15. The evaporator 11 is a heat radiator, the condenser 13 is a cooler, and the evaporator 11 and condenser 13 constitute a heat exchanger.

[0021] The refrigerant piping 18 includes a refrigerant pipe (first refrigerant pipe) 181 connecting the evaporator 11 and the compressor 12, a refrigerant pipe (second refrigerant pipe) 182 connecting the compressor 12 and the condenser 13, a refrigerant pipe (third refrigerant pipe) 183 connecting the condenser 13 and the expansion valve 14, and a refrigerant pipe (fourth refrigerant pipe) 184 connecting the expansion valve 14 and the evaporator 11. A gas-liquid separator 15 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant pipe 181 connecting the evaporator 11 and the compressor 12. In this heat pump, the refrigerant circulates in the order of evaporator 11, gas-liquid separator 15, compressor 12, condenser 13, expansion valve 14, and evaporator 11. The air flowing through the air circulation channel 6 is cooled and dehumidified in the evaporator 11 in the air passage 6d inside the heat pump, which runs from the intake port 10a of the heat pump unit 10 to the blower outlet 7a, and is then heated in the condenser 13.

[0022] In the heat pump unit 10, the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 182 is connected and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 183 is connected in the condenser 13, and the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 184 is connected and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 181 is connected in the evaporator 11 are located on the rear side of the washing machine / dryer 100 relative to the condenser 13 and evaporator 11. Furthermore, because the condenser 13 and evaporator 11 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, the refrigerant inlets and outlets of the condenser 13 and evaporator 11 are arranged to be aligned on a single plane.

[0023] The expansion valve 14 and the gas-liquid separator 15 are located on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the condenser 13 and the evaporator 11. In this embodiment, since the compressor 12 is arranged in parallel with the condenser 13 and the evaporator 11 in the left-right direction, the expansion valve 14 and the gas-liquid separator 15 are located on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the compressor 12, the condenser 13 and the evaporator 11. Furthermore, the refrigerant inlet of the compressor 12 to which the refrigerant piping 181 is connected, that is, the refrigerant inlet to which the refrigerant piping portion of the refrigerant piping 181 from the gas-liquid separator 15 is connected, is located on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the main body of the compressor 12. The refrigerant outlet of the compressor 12 to which the refrigerant piping 182 is connected is located on the top surface of the compressor 12.

[0024] In the condenser 13, the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 182 is connected and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 183 is connected, and in the evaporator 11, the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant piping 184 is connected and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant piping 181 is connected, are each positioned on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the condenser 13 and evaporator 11, and at least the expansion valve 14 is positioned on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the compressor 12, condenser 13 and evaporator 11, so that at least the third refrigerant piping 183 and the fourth refrigerant piping 184 can be arranged together on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the condenser 13 and evaporator 11. Furthermore, if a gas-liquid separator 15 is present, by positioning the gas-liquid separator 15 on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the condenser 13 and evaporator 11, the first refrigerant piping 181, together with the third refrigerant piping 183 and the fourth refrigerant piping 184, can be arranged together on the rear side of the washing machine 100 relative to the condenser and evaporator.

[0025] In this embodiment, the end of the first refrigerant piping 181 that connects to the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 12 is located on the front side of the washing machine 100, rather than the ends of the condenser 13 and evaporator 11 that are located on the rear side of the washing machine 100, i.e., the parts where the refrigerant inlets and outlets of the condenser 13 and evaporator 11 are provided.

[0026] In this embodiment, the refrigerant piping 18 constituting the heat pump can be arranged in a compact area, and the overall length of the refrigerant piping 18 can be shortened. By shortening the overall length of the refrigerant piping 18, the efficiency of the heat pump can be improved.

[0027] With this arrangement of refrigerant pipes 181 to 184, the refrigerant pipes 18 constituting the heat pump can be grouped together on one end side of the heat pump unit 10 in the front-to-back direction. In this case, almost all of the refrigerant pipes 18 constituting the heat pump are located on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100 relative to the compressor 12, condenser 13, and evaporator 11. In this case, a portion of the refrigerant pipe 182 connected to the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 12 will be located in a range that overlaps with the compressor 12.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the compressor 12 is positioned on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100 relative to suspension 21a (dotted line L1), which is the suspension furthest to the rear of the washer-dryer 100 among the four suspensions 21a to 21d located at the bottom of the outer tub 2. In other words, the compressor 12 is positioned further to the rear of the washer-dryer 100 than suspension 21a. This allows the refrigerant piping 18 that constitutes the heat pump to be arranged in a compact area, and the overall length of the refrigerant piping 18 can be shortened. By shortening the overall length of the refrigerant piping 18, the efficiency of the heat pump can be improved.

[0029] The arrangement of the compressor 12 will be explained using Figure 8. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the outer tub of the washer-dryer shown in Figure 1, viewed from the side. Note that in Figure 8, the outer tub 2 is depicted as being rectangular.

[0030] In the washing machine 100 of this embodiment, the outer tub 2 and the inner tub 3 are inclined such that their central axis 2a is upward at the front. Therefore, the distance between the side surface 2c of the outer tub 2 and the horizontal plane of the base 1e becomes narrower as it approaches the back side of the washing machine 100. In this case, the distance between the side surface 2c of the outer tub 2 and the horizontal plane of the base 1e is narrowest at the intersection 2d of the side surface 2c (or the extension of the side surface 2c) and the back surface (bottom surface) 2b (or the extension of the back surface 2b), which is a rectangular corner. That is, the intersection 2d is the lowest position (lowest point) of the outer tub 2.

[0031] Therefore, it is preferable to position the compressor 12 towards the rear of the washing and drying machine 100 rather than at the lowest point 2d. By positioning the compressor 12 closer to the rear of the housing 1, a vertical distance can be secured from the outer tub 2, allowing for the installation of a larger compressor 12. By enabling a larger compressor 12, the performance of the compressor 12 can be improved, and the heat pump unit 10 can be made smaller.

[0032] In this embodiment, the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 12 is located on the top surface of the compressor 12, and the refrigerant piping 182 connected to this refrigerant outlet is routed to a position higher than the compressor 12. Therefore, even if a part of the compressor 12's body is located on the front side of the washing machine 100 above the lowest point 2d of the outer tub 2, interference between the refrigerant piping 182 and the outer tub 2 can be avoided. In this case, it is preferable that the compressor 12 is positioned on the rear side of the washing machine 100 above the dotted line (extension line) extended along the rear (bottom) 1b of the outer tub 2. This allows for a large space to be secured above the compressor 12, increasing the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the refrigerant piping 18, particularly the refrigerant piping 184, and improving the design freedom of the heat pump unit 10.

[0033] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are explained in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the above configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations in the embodiments with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 2...Outer tub, 3...Inner tub (rotating drum), 20...Second blower, 71...First air circulation passage, 72...Second air circulation passage, 100...Washer dryer, 203...Second air outlet, 212a,212b,212c,212d...Flexible section (bellows hose), 213...Auxiliary heating device, 251...Heat exchange unit, 252...Condenser, 253...Evaporator, 254...Expansion valve, 255...Compressor, 256...First blower, 257...First air outlet, 258...Branching section, 262...Water-cooled dehumidifier, 263...Heating heater.

Claims

1. The system comprises an outer tank capable of storing liquid, an inner tank rotatably mounted inside the outer tank for accommodating laundry, an air circulation channel and blower for circulating air through the inside of the inner tank, a heat pump unit for dehumidifying and heating the air flowing through the air circulation channel, and a suspension that supports the outer tank at its lower part. In a washing and drying machine, the inner tub is tilted such that its central axis is upward at the front, The blower has a blower outlet to which an air passage is connected that sends the dehumidified and heated air from the heat pump unit to the outer tank. The heat pump unit comprises a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an expansion valve, a gas-liquid separator, refrigerant piping, an intake port to which a return passage for air returning from the outer tank to the heat pump unit is connected, and a case in which an internal air passage for the heat pump is formed, connecting the intake port and the blower outlet. The compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator are arranged in the width direction of the washing dryer between the intake port and the blower outlet. The compressor is positioned further back than the suspension located at the rearmost end of the washing machine among the suspensions. The refrigerant inlet and outlet in the condenser, and the refrigerant inlet and outlet in the evaporator, are respectively located on the rear side of the washing machine with respect to the condenser and the evaporator. The expansion valve is positioned behind the intake port. The refrigerant piping comprises a first refrigerant pipe connecting the evaporator and the compressor, a second refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser, a third refrigerant pipe connecting the condenser and the expansion valve, and a fourth refrigerant pipe connecting the expansion valve and the evaporator. The gas-liquid separator is installed in the middle of the first refrigerant piping, A washing machine and dryer characterized in that the expansion valve, the gas-liquid separator, the first refrigerant piping, the third refrigerant piping, and the fourth refrigerant piping are arranged to the side of the blower outlet and are positioned on the rear side of the washing machine and dryer relative to the condenser and the evaporator.

2. In the washing and drying machine according to claim 1, A washing machine and dryer characterized in that the end of the first refrigerant piping connected to the refrigerant outlet of the compressor is located on the front side of the washing machine and dryer, rather than the ends of the condenser and evaporator located on the rear side of the washing machine and dryer.

3. In the washing and drying machine according to claim 1 or 2, The washing machine and dryer is characterized in that the compressor is positioned on the rear side of the washing machine and dryer beyond a line extending along the rear surface of the outer tub.

4. In a washing and drying machine according to either claim 1 or 2, The washing machine and dryer is characterized in that the compressor is positioned on the rear side of the washing machine and dryer, relative to the lowest point of the outer tub.

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