JP4509752B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a laundry dryer that uses a heat pump to dry laundry.

A heat pump is a system that uses heat radiation when a gas refrigerant condenses into a liquid refrigerant in a condenser of a refrigeration cycle, and compared with conventional systems that obtain thermal energy by burning fossil fuels such as petroleum. It is said that it is efficient and has little impact on the environment. Therefore, a laundry dryer that dries the laundry in the rotating drum by supplying heated air into the rotating drum as a washing tub using this heat pump has been considered (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-265879 A

  However, in the case of a laundry dryer that uses an electric heater to heat and dry the air, the air temperature can be about 140 to 150 ° C., whereas in the case of a laundry dryer that uses a heat pump. Since the air temperature is only about 60 ° C., there is a problem that it takes time to dry.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The objective is to provide the washing-drying machine which can aim at shortening of drying time in the structure which dries laundry using a heat pump.

The washing / drying machine of the present invention uses a rotating drum to continuously wash, rinse, dehydrate and dry, and the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor, condensed by the condenser, and evaporated. A heat pump that circulates so as to evaporate in a condenser, and a blower. During the drying operation, the air heated by the condenser is guided into a rotating drum based on the operation of the compressor and blower of the heat pump, and the internal cover An air circulation path for drying the dried material, dehumidifying the exhaust from the rotating drum by the evaporator, and circulating the exhaust to be heated again by the condenser; an electric heater for heating the condenser; And a control means for controlling the operation, wherein the control means is configured to cause the electric heater to perform a heat-generating operation before the drying operation.

According to such a configuration, since the condenser of the heat pump is heated (preheated) before the drying operation, the rise in the temperature of the condenser can be improved when the drying operation is started.

According to the present invention, in a configuration in which laundry is dried using a heat pump , the rise in temperature of the condenser of the heat pump during the drying operation can be improved, so that the drying time can be shortened.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4, the structure of the washing-drying machine based on a present Example is demonstrated. That is, the washing / drying machine 1 has a substantially rectangular box-shaped washing machine body 2 and a machine room 3 provided at the lower part of the washing machine body 2. A water tank 4 is disposed in the washing machine body 2 via a suspension 5, and a rotating drum 6 is disposed in the water tank 4. A laundry input port 7 is provided in front of the water tank 4 and the rotating drum 6.

A rectangular cylindrical air duct 8 is disposed in the machine room 3, and an evaporator 9, a compressor 10, and a condenser 11 are disposed in that order from the left. A blower 12 is disposed in the air duct 8 on the right side of the condenser 11. On the other hand, a discharge port 13 is provided in the upper part of the front part of the water tank 4, and a suction port 14 is provided in the lower part of the rear surface part. The right end of the air duct 8 and the discharge port 13 are connected by an air supply duct 15, and the left end of the air duct 8 and the suction port 14 are connected by an exhaust duct 16. Here, a heat pump (refrigeration cycle) 18 is configured by the evaporator 9, the compressor 10, the condenser 11, and the like, and an air circulation path 19 is configured by the air duct 8, the air supply duct 15, and the exhaust duct 16. An electric heater 20 is disposed in the upper portion of the air supply duct 15 so as to be located on the discharge port 13 side.

A drum motor 21 composed of an outer rotor type brushless motor as a driving motor is attached to the outside of the back surface of the water tank 4 , and the rotary drum 6 is driven to rotate by the drum motor 21. Here, the rotating drum 6 has a number of dewatering holes (not shown) that also serve as ventilation holes in the peripheral side wall and the rear wall, and also functions as a washing tub, a dewatering tub, and a drying chamber. Although not shown, the washing / drying machine 1 includes a water supply valve for supplying water into the water tank 4 and a drain valve for discharging water in the water tank 4.

An operation panel unit 22 is provided at the upper front portion of the washing machine main body 2. The operation panel unit 22 is provided with a display and various operation switches (not shown). Further, a control device 23 serving as a control means is provided on the back surface of the operation panel unit 22. This control device 23 is constituted by a microcomputer, and each operation of washing, rinsing and dehydration by controlling the water supply valve, the drum motor 21 and the drain valve based on the operation of the operation switch of the operation panel unit 22 and thereafter The drum motor 21 , the blower 12 and the compressor 10 are controlled to perform a drying operation. Accordingly, the water tank 4, the rotary drum 6, the drum motor 21 and the like constitute a mechanism 24 that performs washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG.
When the laundry is put into the rotating drum 6 and the operation switch of the operation panel unit 22 is operated to start the operation of the control device 23, the control device 23 executes the washing / drying operation of the selected course.

  First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the “washing operation” is performed, the water supply valve is operated, and the tap water from the tap is supplied as washing water into the water tank 4 (step S1 in FIG. 2). When the washing water is supplied to the set water level in the water tank 4, the operation of the water supply valve is stopped, and instead the drum motor 21 is driven to rotate the rotating drum 6 at a low speed, and the laundry inside is scooped up. After that, it is repeatedly stirred to drop onto the washing water, and washing is performed (step S2 in FIG. 2). When such washing is performed for a set time, the operation of the drum motor 21 is stopped and, instead, the drain valve is operated to drain the washing water in the water tank 4 to the outside (FIG. 2). Step S3). When this drainage is performed for a set time, the operation of the drainage valve is stopped and the next “rinse operation” is started. In the “rinsing operation”, the same water supply (step S4 in FIG. 2) as described above, the same rinsing (step S5 in FIG. 2) and drainage (step S6 in FIG. 2) are performed. Dehydration). The basic operations of “washing operation” and “rinsing operation” are as described above.

  The control device 23 performs the following operation in the “dehydration operation (preheat dehydration)”. First, the rotation speed of the rotary drum 6 is set to 20 to 50 rpm, the operation time is set to a fixed time (for example, less than 5 minutes), and the stop time (heater off) of the electric heater 20 is set to a fixed time (for example, 5 minutes). (Step S7 in FIG. 2). As a result, the rotating drum 6 driven by the drum motor 21 is rotated at the rotational speed of 20 to 50 rpm as shown in FIG. 1 (e), so that "low speed dehydration" is performed (step of FIG. 2). S8-S10). In the “dehydration operation (preheat dehydration)”, the blower 12 is driven (operated) as shown in FIG.

  When “low speed dewatering” is performed by the rotating drum 6 and a certain time has elapsed (“YES” in step S10 in FIG. 2), the rotational speed of the rotating drum 6 is set to 400 to 700 rpm and the operation thereof is performed. The time is set to a certain time (step S11 in FIG. 2). As a result, the rotating drum 6 is rotated at the rotational speed of 400 to 700 rpm as shown in FIG. 1 (e), so that “high speed dewatering” is performed (steps S12 to S14 in FIG. 2). When a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) of the set stop time (heater off) of the electric heater 20 elapses during this “high-speed dewatering” (“YES” in step 13 of FIG. 2), it is shown in FIG. Thus, the electric heater 20 is heated (ON) (step S15 in FIG. 2). At this time, the stop time (heater off time) of the electric heater 20 is set to a fixed time longer than the total dewatering time (step S16 in FIG. 2).

  When the electric heater 20 is heated, the heat (warm air) of the electric heater 20 is discharged from the discharge port 13, the water tank 4 (and the rotating drum 6), the suction port 14, the exhaust duct 16, and the air by the blower 12. It circulates in the path | route (air circulation path 19) of the duct 8 and the air supply duct 15, and comes to heat the rotating drum 6, the laundry (clothing) inside, and the heat pump 18. Thereby, as shown in FIG.1 (b), clothing temperature and condenser temperature (conde temperature) rise.

  In the “high-speed dewatering”, the laundry (clothing) in the rotating drum 6 is pressed against the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 6 by centrifugal force and is strongly dehydrated. Thereafter, when the “high speed dewatering” is completed (“YES” in step S14 in FIG. 2), the rotary drum 6 is set to alternately repeat the rotation speed of 20 to 40 rpm and the rotation stop (step S17 in FIG. 2). The operation is performed to execute this, and thus “cloth (clothing) peeling and dehydration” is performed (step 18 to step S20 in FIG. 2). In the “cloth peeling and dehydration”, the rotating drum 6 repeats a process of peeling and dropping the laundry (clothing) pressed against the inner peripheral wall, and then scooping and dropping the laundry. As shown in FIG. 1B, the clothing temperature further increases.

  When such “cloth peeling and dewatering” is performed for a certain period of time (“YES” in step S20 in FIG. 2), “slow dewatering”, “high speed dewatering”, and “cloth peeling and dewatering” are performed twice. (“NO” at step 21 in FIG. 2), and the above “low speed dewatering”, “high speed dewatering” and “cloth peeling dewatering” are performed again (steps 7 to S14 and S17 to S20 in FIG. 2). . When “low speed dewatering”, “high speed dewatering” and “cloth peeling dewatering” are performed twice in this way (“YES” in step S21 of FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. The heat generation operation 20 is stopped, and the “dehydration operation (preheat dehydration)” is completed (step S22 in FIG. 2), and the process proceeds to the next “drying operation”. At the end of this time, the clothing temperature is 50 ° C., and the condenser temperature (conde temperature) is 38 ° C. to 40 ° C.

In the “drying operation”, as shown in FIG. 1A, the compressor 10 is operated at a set frequency (Hz), the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is set to 40 to 80 rpm, As shown in FIG. 1E, the rotation speed is 40 to 80 rpm (step S23 in FIG. 2).
Similar to the above-described “cloth peeling and dehydration” in which the rotating drum 6 is rotated at a rotation speed of 40 to 80 rpm, the rotating drum 6 performs stirring repeatedly to scoop up and drop the laundry (clothing). When the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is operated, the gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 10 is condensed by the condenser 11 to become a liquid refrigerant, and at this time, the condenser 11 radiates heat. Further, the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 9 to become a gas refrigerant. At this time, the evaporator 9 absorbs heat, and this gas refrigerant is circulated so as to be compressed by the compressor 10 again.

  Further, since the blower 12 is operated (operated), the air heated by the condenser 11 serving as a heating source is supplied as hot air into the rotary drum 6 through the air supply duct 15 and the discharge port 13. . The warm air supplied into the rotating drum 6 flows toward the suction port 14 of the water tank 2, but during this time, moisture is taken away from the laundry (clothing) stirred by the rotating drum 6, It is discharged from the suction port 14 to the outside of the water tank 4 as exhaust gas. The exhaust from the suction port 15 is returned to the air duct 8 through the exhaust duct 16 by the air blowing action of the blower 12. The exhaust gas returned into the air duct 8 is cooled by the evaporator 9 as a cooling source and dehumidified, and then circulated so as to be heated again by the condenser 11.

  When the hot air drying by the heat pump 18 as described above is performed for a set time, the operation of the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is stopped, and this time cold air drying (cooling) is performed only by the air blowing of the blower 12 ( Step S24 in FIG. And if such cold air drying is performed for the set fixed time, the air blower 12 will also be stopped and a drying operation will be complete | finished.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electric heater 20 disposed in the air circulation path 19 is operated to generate heat and the blower 12 is operated to blow air during the dehydration operation that precedes the drying operation by the heat pump 18. The heat of the heater 20 can heat (preheat) the heat pump 18, particularly the condenser 11. Therefore, when the operation shifts to the drying operation, the temperature rise of the heat pump 18, particularly the condenser 11 can be improved, and the temperature rise of the hot air supplied into the rotary drum 6 can be improved. The drying time can be shortened.

  By the way, in the drying operation, the first stage is a heating process in which the rotating drum 6 and the laundry (clothing) inside thereof are heated to gradually increase the temperature, and thereafter, moisture is actively evaporated from the laundry. However, this is a constant rate process in which the temperature in the rotary drum 6 becomes constant. In this embodiment, the heat of the electric heater 20 during the dehydration operation can also heat the rotary drum 6 itself and the laundry (clothing) therein. Therefore, when the drying operation is started, the rotary drum 6 and the laundry Therefore, the temperature rises in the heating process performed at the first stage of the drying operation, and the drying time can be further shortened.

  According to the present embodiment, during the dehydration operation, “high-speed dehydration” in which the rotating drum 6 is rotated at a high speed (400 to 700 rpm) and “cloth peeling and dehydration” in which rotation and stop at a low speed (20 to 40 rpm) are repeated. Since it is performed twice, when the laundry is pressed against the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 6, the inside of the rotating drum 6 and the heat pump 18 are effectively heated by the heat of the electric heater 20, and the “cloth peeling and dewatering” is performed. At times, the laundry stirred in the rotary drum 6 is effectively heated by the heat of the electric heater 20.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are also referred to for convenience of explanation.
In the second embodiment, although not shown, a temperature sensor including an infrared sensor is provided on the front surface of the washing machine body 2, for example, a door, and the laundry (clothing) in the rotary drum 6 is provided by the temperature sensor. ) Is detected and the detected temperature information is given to the control device 23.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5D, switching from heating by the electric heater 20 to heating by the heat pump 18 during the dehydration operation. Further, there is a configuration in which switching from heating by the heat pump 18 to heating by the electric heater 20 and switching from heating by the electric heater 20 to heating by the heat pump 18 are alternately performed.

  Specifically, the control device 23 performs the following control. As shown in FIG. 5 (e), the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is less than the set rotational speed of 100 rpm (“low speed dewatering”, “cloth peeling dehydration”), and the clothing temperature is 40 as shown in FIG. 5 (b). When the temperature is higher than or equal to ° C., the heat generation of the electric heater 20 is stopped as shown in FIG. 5D, and instead, the compressor 10 is operated as shown in FIG. Switch to heating by. Thereafter, when the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is equal to or higher than the set rotational speed 100 rpm (“high speed dehydration”) and the clothing temperature is 50 ° C. or higher, the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is stopped, and instead the electric heater 20 The heat is activated. Then, when the dehydration operation is the second “cloth peeling and dehydration” (the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is less than 100 rpm), the heat generation of the electric heater 20 is stopped, and the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is operated instead. With such an operation, when shifting to the drying operation, both the clothing temperature and the condenser temperature (conde temperature) are 50 ° C. as shown in FIG.

By the way, in this 2nd Example, when switching from the heating by the electric heater 20 to the heating by the heat pump 18, it is also a condition that clothing temperature is 40 degreeC or more, but this is based on the following reasons. It is. That is, when the heating by the electric heater 20 is switched to the heating by the heat pump 18, especially at the first time, the compressor 10 and the condenser 11 of the heat pump 18 need to raise their own temperatures by self-heating. The rise of the rise is bad, and the condenser temperature (conde temperature) is low at the beginning of the operation of the compressor 10. Since the heat of the condenser 11 is supplied into the rotary drum 6, as a result, when the condenser temperature is lower than the clothing temperature, the laundry (clothing) is cooled. Since the water contained in the laundry increases in viscosity when the temperature is low, the dehydration rate of the laundry becomes worse. Therefore, in this embodiment, when switching from heating by the electric heater 20 to heating by the heat pump 18, the predetermined temperature can be maintained even if the laundry is slightly cooled, on condition that the clothing temperature is 40 ° C. or higher. By doing so, the decrease in the dehydration rate of the laundry was prevented as much as possible.
According to the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following effect can be obtained.

That is, in the second embodiment, the heating by the electric heater 20 and the heating by the heat pump 18 having a low environmental load are alternately performed during the dehydration operation. When switching, the condition is that the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is less than the set rotational speed of 100 rpm (“low speed dewatering”, “cloth peeling and dewatering”). When the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is operated while the rotating drum 6 is rotating at high speed, the vibration system and the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 are driven (operated) by rotating the rotating drum 6 at high speed. Resonance with the vibration system caused by this may cause abnormal vibration.
In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, the compressor 10 is driven when the rotating drum 6 is rotating at a low speed (“low speed dewatering”, “cloth peeling and dewatering”), and thus abnormal vibration occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent generation of noise due to abnormal vibration, damage to the joint portion of the pipe, and the like.

  In the second embodiment, the condition of clothing temperature may be omitted from switching from heating by the electric heater 20 to heating by the heat pump 18 and switching from heating by the heat pump 18 to heating by the electric heater 20. .

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the same parts as those in the second embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals.
In the time chart of FIG. 6, the difference from FIG. 5 is that, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> D, and 6 </ b> E, switching from heating by the electric heater 20 to heating by the heat pump 18 has a clothing temperature of 40. It is set to one time when the temperature is equal to or higher than 0 ° C. and the rotational speed of the rotary drum 6 is less than 100 rpm and corresponds to the second “cloth peeling and dehydration”.

In the third embodiment, when the operation of the compressor 10 of the heat pump 18 is started, as described in the second embodiment regarding the first start of the operation of the heat pump 18, it is necessary to increase its temperature by self-heating. Therefore, the load is large. Therefore, for example, the amount of work is larger than that during the second operation of the heat pump 18 in the second embodiment (in the second embodiment, the temperature is increased due to self-heating due to the first operation of the heat pump 18. As a result, the condenser temperature (conde temperature) is lower than the clothing temperature of 50 ° C. as shown in FIG. 6 (a) when shifting to the drying operation. A high 55 ° C is reached.
Even in the third embodiment, the same effects as those in the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  In the third embodiment, the switching from the heating by the electric heater 20 to the heating by the heat pump 18 is performed for the second time when the clothing temperature is 40 ° C. or more and the rotational speed of the rotating drum 6 is less than 100 rpm. However, instead of a predetermined time before the end of the dehydration operation, for example, 10 minutes before the second “cloth peel dehydration”. Alternatively, the heating by the electric heater 20 may be switched to the heating by the heat pump 18.

(Fourth embodiment)
7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the electric heater 20 (first heater, heater 1), an electric heater 25 (second heater, heater 2) is used. It is arranged on the upstream side of the air flow in the constrictor 11 (the inlet side of the refrigerant). In the time chart shown in FIG. 8, (a), (b), (c), (d) and (f) are (a), (b), (c), (d) and (d) in FIG. corresponding to e).

  In this fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 (e), the electric heater 25 is set to a predetermined time before the end of the dehydration operation, for example, 10 minutes before the second "cloth peeling dehydration". Instead of the electric heater 20, the electric heater 20 can be switched so as to operate. Therefore, the condenser 11 is directly heated by the electric heater 25, and when the operation shifts to the drying operation, the condenser temperature (conde temperature) is set to the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 8B. It rises to 50 ° C. higher than 38 ° C. to 40 ° C.

Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained also in the fourth embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, the heating operation of the electric heater 20 is stopped and then the electric heater 25 is heated. However, the electric heater 20 may continue the heating operation as it is.
In the fourth embodiment, the electric heater 25 is disposed on the upstream side of the air flow in the condenser 11 (the refrigerant inlet side). Instead, the upstream side of the air flow in the compressor 10 is provided. You may make it arrange | position to (the inlet side of a refrigerant | coolant).

The time chart which shows the control content of 1st Example of this invention Flow chart showing control contents Schematic front view of the washer / dryer Plan view FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 equivalent view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 1 equivalent diagram

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a washing and drying machine, 4 is a water tank, 6 is a rotating drum, 8 is an air duct, 9 is an evaporator, 10 is a compressor, 11 is a condenser, 12 is a blower, 13 is a discharge port, 14 is a suction Port 18, heat pump 19, air circulation path 19, electric heater (first heater) 21, drum motor 23, control device (control means) 24, mechanism 24, electric heater (second heater) ).

Claims (3)

A mechanism for continuously performing washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying operations using a rotating drum;
A heat pump that circulates the refrigerant so that it is compressed by a compressor, condensed by a condenser, and evaporated by an evaporator;
A blower, and during the drying operation, based on the operation of the compressor and blower of the heat pump, the air heated by the condenser is guided into the rotating drum to dry an object to be dried, and from the rotating drum An air circulation path that circulates exhaust so that the exhaust gas is dehumidified by the evaporator and then heated again by the condenser;
An electric heater for heating the condenser ;
Control means for controlling each operation,
The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to cause the electric heater to perform a heat generating operation before the drying operation.   The control means is configured to cause the electric heater to generate heat when the rotating drum is equal to or higher than the set rotation speed during the dehydration operation, and to operate the blower and the fan of the heat pump when the rotation drum is less than the set rotation speed. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing / drying machine is provided. The electric heater is composed of first and second heaters disposed on the discharge port side and the heat pump side of the rotating drum in the air circulation path, respectively.
The control means is configured to cause the first heater to generate heat during the dehydration operation, operate the blower, and operate the second heater to generate heat a predetermined time before the end of the dehydration operation. The washing / drying machine according to claim 1.

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