JP4950790B2 - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine for drying laundry with a heat pump, and more particularly, to a machine having a sterilization function.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a laundry dryer, laundry that has been dried by a heat pump has been attracting attention as having good drying performance and saving energy. In the washer / dryer equipped with this heat pump, the air in the rotating tub containing the clothing is circulated through the ventilation path in which the evaporator and condenser of the heat pump are circulated, and the air is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator. The laundry is dried by repeating the process of heating the air in the container and feeding it into the rotating tub and passing the air deprived of moisture from the clothing through the ventilation path again (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
Therefore, the moisture generated when the laundry is dried is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator, and the latent heat recovered at that time is reused as energy for heating the air by the condenser. The energy can be reused without losing energy, and efficient drying can be realized.

  Although it is not directly related to the present invention, in the drum type clothes dryer of Patent Document 2, a fan that circulates air is composed of a heat exchange fan, and an electric heater is provided, and the circulated air is discharged from the outside air by the heat exchange fan. The air that has been subjected to heat exchange and cooled and dehumidified by an evaporator is heated by a condenser and an electric heater and sent to a rotating drum. This is because the heat pump adds latent heat when the moisture is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator, and the amount of work given to the refrigerant by compressing the refrigerant by the compressor is added to both the evaporator and the condenser. Is present in the ventilation path, there is no heat dissipation to the outside, and the amount of heat is accumulated. As a result, in the second half of the drying operation, the refrigerant temperature becomes high and the dehumidifying effect is reduced. Therefore, the above configuration suppresses the temperature increase of the refrigerant of the heat pump below the allowable temperature. is there.

In Patent Document 3, it is said that in the heat pump, it takes time to start up from when the compressor is started until the condenser warms to a predetermined high temperature and the evaporator can cool and dehumidify the water in the circulating air. Since there is a problem, an electric heater is installed at the outlet of the circulating air into the outer tank drum that rotatably houses the inner tank drum, and the electric heater is energized in the initial stage of the drying operation until the temperature of the condenser rises. To improve the heating capacity.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-75628 JP 2001-198396 A JP 2005-52544 A

  In the clothes dryer provided with the heat pump, since the air passing through the ventilation path is heated by the condenser and sent to the drying chamber, the temperature of the clothes is not so high, and therefore there is an advantage that there is less cloth pain. However, the low air temperature brings about a low sterilization ability, and it is difficult to secure an atmosphere sufficient to sterilize the staphylococcus aureus existing on the skin surface and pores of the human body.

  Generally, when tap water is used for washing and rinsing, the tap water contains sterilizable chlorine, and bacteria in the laundry is washed away by the tap water. There are few bacteria attached to the laundry immediately after finishing. However, when washing is performed at bedtime at night and drying is performed after waking up the next morning, the growth of germs in the laundry during that period cannot be ignored by being left for a long time from the end of rinsing to the start of drying. In addition, when the laundry after washing is air-dried, especially in the rainy weather during rainy season, the germs of the laundry proliferate due to high humidity in the room.

  In such a case, in order to dry the laundry that has been left unwashed, or to dry the laundry that has been air-dried in the middle of the laundry, the laundry is dried in a laundry dryer. The condenser of the heat pump cannot be heated sufficiently, and the laundry in the rotating tub cannot be heated to a temperature necessary for sterilization. By the way, in order to sterilize Staphylococcus aureus, generally, in a dry state with low humidity, the laundry is kept at a temperature of 60 ° C or higher for 1 hour or longer, and in a humid and humid atmosphere, the laundry is heated to a temperature of 60 ° C or higher. It is said that it is necessary to keep it for 15 minutes or more. However, in the condenser of the heat pump, the air can be heated only up to about 60 ° C., and it is difficult to raise the laundry to 60 ° C. or higher.

  Although the clothes dryers of Patent Documents 2 and 3 include a heater, the heater is heater heating for suppressing the temperature rise of the refrigerant rather than increasing the clothes temperature, or a condenser. Since it is a heater heating to compensate for the heating shortage at the beginning of heating due to, it is not possible to expect a sterilizing effect.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is that when only drying is performed, the laundry can be sterilized in the drying operation, and when it is rinsed easily with bath water, it is dried. The object of the present invention is to provide a washing and drying machine capable of sterilizing laundry by driving.

The present invention includes a rotary tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying laundry, and drying operation is performed by discharging the air in the rotary tank to a ventilation path by a circulation fan and disposed in the ventilation path. This is based on the premise of a washing and drying machine that performs dehumidification with an evaporator and a condenser and circulates such that it is heated and returned to the rotary tub.
And the present invention is capable of performing washing with tap water, and is capable of performing only the operation from drying to washing , and is capable of performing only the drying operation. When the acquisition time by the leaving time acquisition means exceeds a predetermined time when performing the operation, the ventilation path is compared with the drying operation when the operation from washing to drying is performed by causing the heater to generate heat. The air returned to the inside of the rotary tank is heated to a high temperature for sterilization.

  In addition, in a washing and drying machine capable of performing washing with bath water other than tap water, a heater for heating air returned from the ventilation path into the drying chamber is provided, and at least of the washing and rinsing When one is performed using bath water, the air that is returned from the ventilation path to the inside of the rotating tub is removed by disinfection by causing the heater to generate heat in the drying operation as compared with the case where bath water is not used. For high temperature heating.

According to the present invention, when drying laundry left in a damp state, the air supplied into the rotating tub is compared with the drying operation when the operation from washing to drying is performed by the heater. Then, since it is heated to a high temperature for sterilization, the laundry can be sterilized during the drying operation.
In addition, when washing or rinsing is performed with bath water, the air supplied to the rotating tank is heated to a higher temperature for sterilization by a heater than when bath water is not used during the drying operation. As a result, the laundry can be sterilized.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to embodiments.
( Reference example )
1 to 8 show a reference example of the present invention. The entire configuration of the washing / drying machine will be described with reference to FIG. 5. A water tank 2 is disposed in the outer box 1, and a rotating tank (drum) 3 is disposed in the water tank 2. The water tank 2 is elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions 4 (only one is shown), and the support form is a horizontal axis in which the rotation center axis direction of the rotary tank 3 is the front-rear direction, and an upwardly inclined shape. It is.
Both the water tank 2 and the rotating tank 3 have a cylindrical shape with the front surface portion opened. Among these, the front opening part of the water tank 2 and the laundry entrance / exit 5 formed in the front part of the outer box 1 are connected by a bellows 6. The outer box 1 is provided with a door 7 for opening and closing the entrance 5. The inside of the rotating tub 3 in the water tub 2 becomes a washing room at the time of washing, and becomes a drying room at the time of drying.

  A water supply case 9 containing a water supply valve (tap water supply means) 8 is disposed inside the outer box 1. The water supply valve 8 is connected to a faucet through a hose, and supplies tap water into the water tank 2 through the detergent case 10 during washing. In the detergent case 10, a detergent chamber and a finishing agent chamber are formed separately. The tap water is supplied into the water tank 2 together with the detergent put into the detergent chamber through the detergent chamber at the time of washing, and the water tank together with the finishing agent put into the finish agent chamber through the finish agent chamber at the time of rinsing. It is comprised so that it may be supplied in 2. The water supplied into the water tank 2 enters the rotary tank 3 through a large number of small holes 3a formed in the peripheral side portion of the rotary tank 3 and a plurality of relatively large vent holes 11 formed in the rear end surface portion. Supplied.

A drain port 12 is formed at the bottom of the water tank 2, a drain valve 13 is connected to the drain port 12, and a drain hose 14 is connected to the drain valve 13. Then, at the end of washing and at the time of dehydration, washing water and water dehydrated from the laundry are discharged to the outside from the drain port 12 via the drain valve 13 and the drain hose 14.
A washing machine motor 15 is attached to the outside of the rear end surface of the water tank 2. The washing machine motor 15 is composed of a three-phase brushless DC motor, and its rotating shaft 15 a is connected to the rotating tub 3.

  A hot air outlet 16 is formed on the upper front side of the water tank 2, and a hot air inlet 17 is formed on the rear end surface. The hot air outlet 16 and the hot air inlet 17 are connected by a ventilation path 18. The ventilation path 18 mainly includes a ventilation duct 20 that is disposed on the base plate 19 on the bottom surface of the outer box 1 and extends in the front-rear direction, and a return air duct 21 provided in communication with the hot air outlet 16 at the front surface of the water tank 2. , A connection hose 23 that connects between the return air duct 21 and the air inlet 22 that is one end (front end) side of the air duct 20, and the air supply provided in communication with the hot air inlet 17 outside the rear end surface of the water tank 2. A duct 24 and a connection hose 26 connecting the discharge port 25 on the other end (rear end) side of the ventilation duct 20 and the air supply duct 24 are configured.

  In the ventilation path 18, a circulation fan 27 is disposed on the discharge port 25 side of the ventilation duct 20. The circulation blower 27 is configured by a fan 28 and a fan motor 29 including a three-phase brushless DC motor that drives the fan 28. When the fan 28 is rotated, the circulation fan 27 in the water tank 2 (rotation tank 3) is provided. Air is sucked into the ventilation path 18 from the hot air outlet 16 and then circulated in the ventilation path 18 from the front side to the rear side of the outer box 1 from the hot air inlet 17 into the water tank 2 (rotating tank 3). Cycle to return. The air circulation as described above is shown by an arrow A in FIG.

  In the ventilation duct 20 of the ventilation path 18, an evaporator 30 is located on the upstream side, and a condenser 31 is located on the rear side on the downstream side. Both the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31 are of a finned tube type in which a large number of heat transfer fins 30b and 31b are arranged in parallel at a fine pitch on the refrigerant flow pipes 30a and 31a. When air passes between 31b, it heat-exchanges with the circulation air.

  The evaporator 30 and the condenser 31 constitute a heat pump 34 together with the compressor 32 and the throttle valve 33 shown in FIG. The throttle valve 33 may be replaced with a capillary tube. In this heat pump 34, a discharge pipe 31a of the compressor 32, a condenser 31, a throttle valve 33, an evaporator 30 and a suction port 31b of the compressor 32 are connected in the same order by a connection pipe 35 to constitute a refrigeration cycle. Yes. The compressor 32 is disposed on the base plate 19.

  Outer side of the ventilation path 18, which is outside the ventilation path 18, is located on the upstream side of the evaporator 30, for example, between the evaporator 30 placement portion of the ventilation duct 20 and the air inlet 22. A discharge port 36 is formed to discharge into the inside. In order to control the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36, a damper device 37 is provided in the ventilation duct 20. The damper device 37 includes a rotatable damper member 38 and a damper motor 39 that is a drive source of the damper member 38. In the present embodiment, the damper motor 39 is constituted by a stepping motor, for example, and the amount of rotation of the damper member 38 can be controlled.

  Further, in the ventilation path 18, downstream of the discharge port 36, more specifically, downstream of the discharge port 36 and upstream of the condenser 31, for example, the evaporator 30 arrangement part and the condenser 31 arrangement part of the ventilation duct 20. The inlet 40 for introducing the air in the outer box 1 into the ventilation duct 20 is formed between the inlet 40 and the inlet 40. The introduction port 40 is provided with, for example, a PTC heater 41 as a heating member. The PTC heater 41 is formed in a honeycomb shape and is mounted so as to be fitted into the introduction port 40.

The damper member 38 controls the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36 by making the ventilation duct 20 fully open, fully closed, or half open between the discharge port 36 and the evaporator 30. FIG. In the fully opened state shown, the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36 is minimized, and in the fully closed state shown in FIG. 6, the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36 is maximized. Note that the damper member 38 may be in a half-open state between the fully open state and the fully closed state, and the amount of air flowing out from the discharge port 36 may be controlled.
On the other hand, an amount of air equivalent to the amount discharged from the discharge port 36 flows into the ventilation duct 20 from the introduction port 40. The entire amount of the inflow air passes through the PTC heater 41 and is heated by the PTC heater 41 when the PTC heater 41 is energized (heat generation) and flows into the ventilation duct 20 as warm air at a predetermined temperature.

Since warm air flowing through the air duct 20 for connecting the warm air outlet 16 and warm air inlet 17 as described above, the part or the entire part is discharged from the discharge port 36 into the outer box 1, the outer box Heat is trapped in 1. In order to avoid this, in the present embodiment, an outside air inlet 42 composed of a large number of small holes is formed in the lower front portion of the outer box 1, and the inside of the outer box 1 is formed from an exhaust port formed in the outer box 1 by an exhaust fan device. The outside air is taken into the outer box 1 from the outside air inlet 42 by discharging the air outside the machine.

  FIG. 8 shows a control device 43 of the washing / drying machine. The control device 43 is mainly composed of a microcomputer and functions as a control means for controlling the overall operation of the washing / drying machine. In this control device 43, a water level detection from a water level sensor 45 provided to detect various operation signals and a water level in the water tank 2 from an operation input unit 44 comprising various key switches provided on an operation panel (not shown). A signal, a temperature detection signal from a hot air inlet side temperature sensor 46 and a hot air outlet side temperature sensor 47 provided respectively at the hot air inlet 17 and the hot air outlet 16 are input.

  And the control apparatus 43 is based on the said various input signals and the control program memorize | stored previously, The said water supply valve 8, the drain valve 13, the washing machine motor 15, the fan motor 29, the compressor 32, the damper motor 39, the PTC heater 41 is controlled via the drive circuit 48. In this case, the rotation speed of the washing machine motor 15 is controlled by a pulse width modulation (PWM) method using an inverter. The damper motor 39 is controlled in rotation angle by the number of input pulses, and controls the degree of opening and closing of the damper member 38.

  The hot air inlet side temperature sensor 46 and the hot air outlet side temperature sensor 47 detect the hot air temperature flowing into the water tank 2 from the air supply duct 24 and the hot air temperature flowing out of the water tank 2 into the return air duct 21. And the control apparatus 43 calculates | requires the temperature difference of the warm air inlet side temperature sensor 46 and the warm air outlet side temperature sensor 47, and is comprised so that the drying rate of the clothing in the rotary tank 3 may be calculated | required with the temperature difference value. .

  That is, in the initial stage of the drying operation, the heat of the warm air flowing into the rotating tub 3 is mainly used for increasing the temperature of clothing and the latent heat of evaporation of moisture in the clothing, and the temperature of the air flowing out of the rotating tub 3 is increased. It ’s difficult. As the drying progresses, the amount of water in the clothing decreases, and the heat of the warm air flowing into the rotating tub 3 is used to increase the temperature of the clothing, the rotating tub 3, and the air, and flows out of the rotating tub 3. Air temperature rises. Therefore, as the drying progresses, the temperature difference between the hot air inlet 17 and the hot air outlet 16 gradually disappears. Therefore, the clothing is dried by the temperature difference between the hot air inlet 17 and the hot air outlet 16. The rate can be detected.

  Therefore, the control device 43, the hot air inlet side temperature sensor 46, and the hot air outlet side temperature sensor 47 have a function as a drying rate detecting means for detecting the drying rate of clothes. As a means for obtaining the drying rate of clothes by the temperature difference value, the relationship between the temperature difference value and the drying rate is tabulated and stored in a storage means such as a RAM of the control device 43, and the temperature difference value is stored. -Various considerations are possible, such as obtaining the drying rate from the drying rate table, or formulating the relationship between the temperature difference value and the drying rate from the equation.

  Now, various switches constituting the operation input unit 44 include switches for selecting a driving course. In the present embodiment, a desired course is selected from a “laundry drying course” in which the operation from washing to drying is continuously performed, a “laundry course” in which only the washing operation is performed, and a “drying course” in which only the drying operation is performed. Can be done. Note that the control device 43 performs overall control of the entire washing and drying machine, and all the operations described below are performed by control by the control device 43.

  The “washing and drying course” is a course for sequentially executing the steps shown in FIG. That is, after the power switch is turned on, the operation course selection switch is operated to select “washing / drying course” and the start switch is operated, and weight detection is first performed (weight detection process). This weight detection is for detecting the amount of laundry thrown into the rotating tub 3, and for example, by starting the washing machine motor 15 and measuring the load current of the washing machine motor 15 at the time of activation. Done.

  When the weight of the laundry is detected, a water amount (water level) is set according to the detected weight. And the water supply valve 8 is opened and tap water is supplied in the water tank 2 (water supply process). At this time, the detergent previously put in the detergent case 10 is supplied into the water tank 2 together with tap water. The amount of tap water supplied into the water tank 2 is detected by a water level sensor 45. When the water amount (water level) set according to the detected weight is reached, the water supply valve 8 is closed (end of the water supply stroke).

  Next, the washing machine motor 15 is activated, and a washing operation for rotating the rotating tub 3 at a predetermined rotation speed is performed. When a predetermined washing operation time corresponding to the detected weight has elapsed, the washing machine motor 15 stops (washing operation ends). And the drain valve 8 is opened and the water in the water tank 2 is discharged | emitted (drainage process). When the water in the water tub 2 is discharged, the washing tub motor 15 rotates the rotating tub 3 at a predetermined dehydrating rotation speed to dehydrate the laundry (dehydration process).

  When the dehydration process after washing is completed, the water supply valve is then opened, and rinsing tap water is supplied into the water tank 2 through the detergent case 10 (water supply process). At this time, the finishing agent previously put in the detergent case 10 is supplied into the water tank 2 together with tap water. When a predetermined amount of tap water corresponding to the detected weight is accumulated in the water tank 2, the water supply valve 8 is closed (the water supply process is completed), and the washing machine motor 15 is used to rotate the rotary tank 3 at a predetermined rotation speed. Driving is performed.

  In the rinsing operation, the rinsing process is usually performed twice. That is, the first rinsing process is performed with the tap water supplied into the water tank 2 together with the finishing agent, and the second rinsing process is performed after the first rinsing water is drained and dehydrated, and then again in the water tank. 2 is performed by tap water supplied in the inside. When the second rinsing is completed, the control device 43 performs a final dehydration operation through a drainage process. Then, with the end of the final dehydration operation, the washing is completed, and then the drying operation is started.

  The contents of the drying operation performed subsequent to the washing operation will be described with reference to FIG. In the time chart of FIG. 4C, the shaded period indicates the energization period. When the drying operation is started, the washing machine motor 15, the compressor 32 of the heat pump 34, and the fan motor 29 are activated. At this time, the damper device 37 has the damper member 38 in a state where the ventilation duct 20 is fully opened as shown in FIG.

  Then, the air in the water tank 2 is sucked into the ventilation duct 20 through the return air duct 21 and the connecting hose 23 from the hot air outlet 16 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. A small amount of air sucked into the ventilation duct 20 flows out from the discharge port 36, but most of the air flows into the evaporator 30 through the ventilation duct 20 as it is. Then, an amount of air equivalent to that flowing out from the discharge port 36 is introduced from the introduction port 40 into the ventilation duct 20.

  Further, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 32 of the heat pump 34, becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, flows into the condenser 31, and exchanges heat with the air flowing through the ventilation duct 20. As a result, the air flowing through the ventilation duct 20 is heated, and conversely, the refrigerant is cooled and liquefied. The liquefied refrigerant flows into the evaporator 30 through the throttle valve 33, where it is vaporized and sucked into the compressor 32. Thereby, the evaporator 30 cools the air flowing through the ventilation duct 20.

  As described above, most of the air flowing into the ventilation path 18 from the water tank 2 (rotating tank 3) is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 30, and then heated by the condenser 31 to be warmed. Then, the hot air is supplied into the water tank 2 from the hot air inlet 17 through the connection hose 26 and the air supply duct 24, and further flows into the rotary tank 3 through the small holes 3 a and the ventilation holes 11. The rotating tub 3 is rotationally driven by the washing machine motor 15 at a predetermined stirring speed to stir the internal laundry, and the warm air that has flowed into the rotating tub 3 deprives the laundry of moisture, It flows out from the warm air outlet 16 and flows into the ventilation duct 20 through the return air duct 21 and the connection hose 23. Thus, the laundry in the rotating tub 3 is dried by circulating air between the ventilation duct 20 in which the evaporator 30 and the condenser 31 are arranged and the rotating tub 3.

  In such a drying operation, even if there is a situation in which the condenser 31 together with the evaporator 30 is disposed in the ventilation duct 20 and the amount of heat is accumulated, in this embodiment, the circulation air is little by little. In fact, the air is discharged from the discharge port 36 to the outside (inside the outer box 1), and the amount of external air equivalent to the discharge amount is sucked into the ventilation duct 20 from the introduction port 40, so the temperature of the air passing through the condenser 31 is lowered. It is done. For this reason, it is avoided that the temperature of the condenser 31 and the high-pressure side pressure of the refrigerant become equal to or higher than the set value, and therefore it is not necessary to lower the operating rate (work) of the compressor 32. In this case, the damper member 37 of the damper device 37 may be in a half-open state to change the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36, and thus the amount of air introduced from the introduction port 40 to cool the condenser 31.

  Now, during the drying operation as described above, the control device 43 obtains the difference between the detected temperatures of the temperature sensors 46 and 47 on the hot air inlet side and the hot air outlet side, and constantly determines the drying rate of the clothes from this temperature difference value. Detected. Incidentally, in this drying operation, the circulating air is heated by the condenser 31, and this heating is about 60 ° C. at the time of flowing into the water tank 2. And the air temperature in the rotating tub 3 rises only to about 40-60 degreeC, and a laundry does not become 60 degreeC or more. When the drying rate of the laundry reaches a predetermined value, for example, 100% due to the progress of the drying operation, the compressor 32 is stopped. Thereafter, the washing machine motor 15 and the fan motor 29 continue to operate for a predetermined time, and perform cooling to lower the temperature of the laundry in the rotating tub 3. Then, the drying operation ends with the end of the cooling operation, and then the power is shut off by the control device 43.

  Thus, when washing is performed with tap water, Staphylococcus aureus adhering to the laundry is in a state of being washed away with tap water, so by performing a drying operation subsequent to washing, The laundry can be dried in a state where the bacteria are not attached, or in a state where the laundry is attached in a small amount without proliferation.

  By the way, although bacteria are washed out from laundry by using tap water for washing, a small amount of bacteria often remains in the laundry. For this reason, for example, when washing is performed by selecting the “laundry course” at night and the laundry is left in the rotating tub 3 until the next morning, the laundry contains moisture. As a result, the bacteria left in the laundry grow. In addition, even when the laundry that has finished the “Laundry Course” is air-dried on a rainy day, the bacteria attached to the laundry proliferate in the humid environment of the room and give a certain odor. It comes out.

  In such a case, the “drying course” is selected to dry the laundry. The contents of this “drying course” will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the content of the “laundry course” is the same as that of the “washing and drying course” except for the drying operation. Now, after the power switch is turned on, when the “dry course” is selected and the start switch is operated, the washing machine motor 15, the compressor 32 of the heat pump 34, and the fan motor 29 are started as described above. At this time, the damper member 38 of the damper device 37 is also in the fully open state as shown in FIG. 5 as described above.

When the drying rate of the laundry obtained from the difference between the detected temperatures of the temperature sensors 46 and 47 on the hot air inlet side and the hot air outlet side reaches, for example, 90%, which is less than 100%, due to the progress of the drying operation in this state Then, the compressor 32 is stopped, and the damper device 37 is switched to the fully closed state in the present embodiment in the direction in which the amount of air discharged from the discharge port 36 increases, and the PTC heater 41 is energized.

Then, almost all of the air flowing into the ventilation duct 20 from the water tank 2 is discharged into the outer box 1 from the discharge port 36, and the same amount of air as that discharged flows into the ventilation duct 20 from the introduction port 40. To come. Then, the inflow air from the inlet port 40 is supplied to the energized water tub 2 is heated by the PTC heater 41 for generating heat and hot air (rotating tub 3) inside. Since the PTC heater 41 changes the heat generation amount according to the air volume due to its characteristics, even if the introduction air amount changes, the introduction air can be heated to a substantially constant temperature.

  In the condenser 31, the air heated by the PTC heater 41 and supplied into the water tank 2 was only about 70 ° C. (temperature at the hot air inlet 17), but in the PTC heater 41, The temperature at the hot air inlet 17 of the water tank 2 can be heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, for example, about 85 ° C., and at this hot air temperature, the laundry can be heated to 60 ° C. or higher. That is, in the “drying course”, the air returned to the rotary tub 3 can be heated to a higher temperature than in the drying operation in the “washing drying course”. Staphylococcus aureus can be sterilized by keeping it in a dry state at 60 ° C. or higher for 1 hour or longer and in a moist heat atmosphere at 60 ° C. or higher for 15 minutes or longer. Therefore, it means that the PTC heater 41 can be heated to a high temperature for sterilization by heat generation.

  In this embodiment, the laundry is heated to 60 ° C. or higher at a drying rate of 90%. This is heating in a wet heat state. Therefore, the PTC heater 41 is disconnected when, for example, 30 minutes have elapsed since the temperature detected by the hot air outlet side temperature sensor 47 reached 60 ° C. (60 ° C. or more for laundry). The time count of 30 minutes is performed by a time measuring function provided in the control device 43, and the drying rate of the laundry becomes 100% during the operation for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the washing machine motor 15 and the fan motor 29 are continuously operated for cooling the laundry, and when the washing machine motor 15 and the fan motor 29 are turned off for a predetermined time, the drying operation is finished as described above. Thereafter, the power is cut off by the control device 43.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the “washing and drying course” is performed, the PTC heater 41 is not energized and the air temperature supplied to the water tank 2 is heated to a high temperature for sterilization. do not do. For this reason, even though the bacteria adhering to the laundry are washed out by the tap water used for washing and rinsing, the air supplied into the water tank 2 during the drying operation is removed from the air for sterilization. There is no waste of heating to the temperature, and the operating cost can be reduced.

  When the “drying course” is selected, unlike the drying operation in the “laundry drying course”, after drying by the heat pump 34, the circulating air is raised to a high temperature for sterilization by the PTC heater 41. Since it is heated and supplied into the water tank 2, even if the laundry has passed since the end of washing and the bacteria have grown, the laundry can be sterilized and is hygienic. is there.

(First Embodiment)
9 and 10 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In the above reference example , when “drying course” is selected, the PTC heater 41 is always energized in the latter half of the drying operation, and the air supplied into the water tank 2 is heated to a high temperature for sterilization. The However, it is considered that the degree of bacterial growth is small for laundry that has just been completed after washing with tap water. In the first embodiment, when the “drying course” is selected before the lapse of a predetermined time after washing, the PTC heater 41 is not energized in the drying operation.
That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the control device 43 is further connected with a timer unit 49 as a timer unit and an EEPROM 50 as a nonvolatile storage unit. The timekeeping unit 49 measures the current time using a timekeeping function, and includes, for example, a battery 51 as a dedicated power source.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the “laundry course” is selected and the washing operation is completed, the control device 43 acquires the operation end time from the time measuring unit 49 and stores the operation end time in the EEPROM 50. Thereafter, the power is cut off by the control device 43. Even after the power is shut off, the timer 49 continues to count the time using the battery 51 as an operating power source. If the operation power supply of the control device 43 is used and power is supplied from the operation power supply to the timer unit 49 even after the control device 43 is turned off, the battery 51 is not necessary.

  After the washing is completed, after the power switch is turned on, when the “drying course” is selected and the start switch is operated, first, the control device 43 obtains the current time from the time measuring unit 49 and obtains the washing operation end time from the EEPROM 50. To do. Then, the control device 43 subtracts the washing operation end time from the current time, and calculates a leaving time that is an elapsed time from the washing operation stop time (step S1 in FIG. 9).

Next, the control device 43 determines whether or not the leaving time exceeds a predetermined time of 12 hours, and if it has not exceeded 12 hours (“NO” in step S2), the “washing and drying course” in the reference example . The drying operation using only the heat pump 34 is performed in the same manner as the drying operation in FIG. If the standing time exceeds 12 hours (“YES” in step S2), the drying operation is performed by the heat pump 34 in the first half and the PTC heater 41 in the second half, similarly to the “drying course” in the reference example .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the standing time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time (in this embodiment, 12 hours), it is assumed that there is little growth of bacteria after washing, and the drying operation is performed without energizing the PTC heater 41. Since the process is completed, it is possible to prevent wasteful electric power from being consumed by heating the supply air to the water tub 2 to a high temperature even for laundry that does not require sterilization or that is less necessary.

(Second Embodiment)
11 to 13 show a second embodiment of the present invention. If the laundry after washing is left unattended, the degree of bacterial propagation varies depending on the season, even if the time for the washing is the same. For example, in winter when the temperature is low, the degree of bacterial growth is small even if the standing time is long. Conversely, in summer when the temperature is high, the degree of bacterial propagation is large even if the standing time is short. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the outside air temperature is detected, and the length of the standing time for determining whether or not to apply air heating by the PTC heater 41 to the drying operation is changed according to the outside air temperature.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13, an outside air temperature sensor 52 is disposed in the vicinity of the outside air intake portion 42 in the outside box 1. The outside air temperature sensor 52 is connected to the control device 43 as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, when “dry course” is selected and the start switch is operated, the control device 43 first acquires the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor 52 (step A1 in FIG. 11), In the same manner as described above, the leaving time is calculated from the current time acquired from the time measuring unit 49 and the washing end time acquired from the EEPROM 50 (laundry leaving time acquiring means; step A2).

Next, the control device 43 determines whether or not the outside air temperature is 20 ° C. or higher. If the outside air temperature is 20 ° C. or higher (“YES” in step A3), the leaving limit time T is set to 6 hours ( Step A4). Then, the control device 43 determines whether or not the standing time exceeds the standing limit time of 6 hours, and if it is 6 hours or less (“NO” in step A6), the drying operation is performed only by the heat pump 34. If 6 hours have been exceeded ("YES" in step A6), the drying operation is performed by the heat pump 34 in the first half and the PTC heater 41 in the second half.

  On the other hand, when the outside air temperature is less than 20 ° C. (“NO” in step A3), the control device 43 sets the leaving limit time T to 12 hours (step A4), and the leaving time is the leaving limit time. If it is 12 hours or less (“NO” in step A6), the drying operation is performed only by the heat pump 34, and if it exceeds 12 hours (“YES” in step A6), the first half is the heat pump 34 and the second half is the PTC heater. Drying operation by 41 is performed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the drying limit time is varied depending on whether or not the ambient temperature at which bacteria are likely to grow, and the drying operation is performed in the first half only when the actual storage time exceeds the storage limit time. Since it is performed by the heat pump 34 and the second half PTC heater 41, power is not wasted.

( Third embodiment)
FIG. 14 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the leaving limit time is set to 12 hours, and the drying operation is performed with the heat pump 34 and the PTC heater 41 depending on whether or not the actual leaving time exceeds 12 hours. It is determined whether to use the heat pump 34 or only the heat pump 34. The difference from the first embodiment is that a heater release switch is provided among the various switches constituting the operation input unit 44.

When the “drying course” is started, the control device 43 calculates the laundry leaving time in the same manner as described above (step B1), and then determines whether the heater release switch has been operated (step B1). B2). If the heater release switch is operated, the drying operation is performed only by the heat pump 34 regardless of the leaving time ("YES" in step B2). If the heater release switch is not operated, as in the first embodiment, if the leaving time exceeds 12 hours (“YES” in step B3), the heat pump 34 and the PTC heater 41 are used for drying. Do the driving. If the standing time is 12 hours or less (“NO” in step B3), a drying operation using only the heat pump 34 is performed.

  In the case of this embodiment configured as described above, for example, when the laundry has no problem even if bacteria adhere to it, such as a foot wipe mat, the water tank 2 Since it is not necessary to heat the air supplied inside to a high temperature for sterilization, wasteful use of electric power can be avoided by operating the heater release switch.

( Fourth embodiment)
15 to 17 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is applied to a washing / drying machine which can be washed using bath water. In the washing and drying machine of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a bath water pump 53 as a bath water supply means is provided outside the water supply valve 8 in the water supply case 9, and the suction port 53a has a suction port 53a. A water absorption hose (not shown) is connected. The tip of this water absorption hose is immersed in the bath water of the bathroom tub.

The discharge side of the bath water pump 53 supplies bath water to the detergent case 10 in the same manner as the water supply valve 8, and the bath water supplied to the detergent case 10 is supplied into the water tank 2 through the detergent chamber when washing. In the case of rinsing, the water tank 2 is supplied through the finishing agent chamber.
Bath water pump 53, as shown in FIG. 17, is connected to the control device 43 is operated controlled by the control device 43. Further, among the operation switches constituting the operation input unit 44, a bath water switch for selecting to use bath water is provided. The bath water switch can select whether the bath water is used for both washing and rinsing or only for washing depending on the number of operations. Although rinsing is performed twice, when bath water is used for rinsing, bath water is used only for the first time, and tap water is used for the second time.

  In bath water, dirt components such as sebum of the human body are dissolved during bathing, and when the temperature of the bath water is 30-40 ° C. and stored in the tub for a long time, the bacteria are proliferating. Conceivable. Usually, bath water used for washing is such bath water. For this reason, in this embodiment, when bath water is used, compared with the case where bath water is not used in the drying operation of the “laundry drying course”, the PTC heater 41 generates heat and is supplied to the water tank 2. Then, it is heated to a high temperature for sterilization.

That is, when “washing and drying course” is selected, and bath water is not used and washing and rinsing are performed with tap water, the last drying operation is performed only for the heat pump 34 as in FIG. 3 in the reference example . Is done by. On the other hand, when the “washing and drying course” is selected and the bath water is used only for washing, as shown in FIG. 15, the bath water pump 53 is driven to supply the bath water before the washing. It is supplied into the water tank 2 and a washing operation is performed.

Thereafter, after the final dehydrating operation is performed through the rinsing operation, when the drying operation is started, drying is performed by the heat pump 34 in the first half and the PTC heater 41 is heated in the second half, as in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the reference example . The air supplied into the water tank 2 is heated to a high temperature for sterilization.
Note that the same operation as in FIG. 15 is performed when the bath water is used not only for washing but also for rinsing.
Thus, according to this example, when washing and rinsing using bath water, or washing, even if bacteria in the bath water adhere to the laundry, sterilization is performed during the drying operation, It can be sterilized, and a hygienic favorable state can be obtained.

( Fifth embodiment)
18 and 19 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment includes a bath water pump 53 as in the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, expectation of the sterilization effect of the detergent used at the time of washing. That is, when a detergent having a sterilizing action is used, even if bath water is used at the time of washing, the bacteria in the bath water can be reduced and the adhesion of the bacteria to the laundry can be suppressed. However, when bath water is used for rinsing, since detergent is not used for rinsing, it is considered that a lot of bacteria adhere to the laundry, so in this embodiment, when bath water is used for rinsing. As long as it is sterilized by dry operation.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 18, when performing the washing operation, bath water is supplied into the aquarium 2 by the bath water pump 53, washing is performed with the bath water, and tap water is used in the subsequent rinsing operation. In this case, the drying operation is performed only by the heat pump 34.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, when performing the washing operation, bath water is supplied into the aquarium 2 by the bath water pump 53, washing is performed with the bath water, and the first rinsing is performed during the subsequent rinsing operation. When bath water is used, the drying operation is performed by the heat pump 34 in the first half, and the PTC heater 41 is heated in the second half to remove the air supplied into the water tank 2 as compared with the case where bath water is not used. Heat to high temperature for fungus. Thereby, even if bacteria adhere to the laundry at the time of rinsing, it can be sterilized by a drying operation, which is hygienic.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be expanded or changed as follows.
The washing / drying machine is not limited to the horizontal axis type and may be a vertical axis type washing / drying machine.
The leaving time acquisition means for acquiring the time from the end of washing to the start of the drying operation may be constituted by a timer that measures the time from the end of the washing to the start of the drying operation.
The heater is not limited to the PTC heater 41 but may be a two-chrome wire heater. Further, the position where the heater is provided is not limited to the inlet, and may be in the ventilation path 18.
In the “washing and drying course”, in the final dehydration operation, the heat pump 34 may be operated from the beginning or in the middle to heat the laundry being dehydrated. By doing in this way, since the temperature of water rises and the viscosity becomes small by the temperature rise of the laundry, the dehydration rate increases, and the subsequent drying operation time can be shortened.
The time when the PTC heater 41 generates heat is not limited to the time when the drying rate reaches 90%. It may be 80% or 95%. Further, the PTC heater 41 may generate heat from the beginning of the drying operation, or may generate heat after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start.

FIG. 4 shows a reference example of the present invention, and is a stroke diagram when the drying course is driven after the washing course is finished. FIG. 1 shows the contents of the drying course in FIG. 1, (a) is a graph showing changes in the temperature of air supplied into the water tank, (b) is a diagram showing the state of the damper device, (c) is a time chart, d) is a graph showing changes in the drying rate Laundry drying course diagram FIG. 2 equivalent diagram showing the contents of the drying operation in FIG. Longitudinal side view of washer / dryer FIG. 5 equivalent view showing the damper fully closed Refrigeration cycle configuration diagram Block diagram showing electrical configuration FIG. 1 equivalent view showing the first embodiment of the present invention Equivalent to FIG. FIG. 1 equivalent diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention Equivalent to FIG. Figure equivalent to FIG. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a third embodiment of the present invention FIG. 3 equivalent view showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention Figure equivalent to FIG. Equivalent to FIG. Fig. 3 shows the fifth embodiment of the present invention and is equivalent to Fig. 3 using bath water for washing. Figure 3 equivalent figure using bath water for washing and rinsing

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 2 is a water tank, 3 is a rotating tank, 8 is a water supply valve, 15 is a washing machine motor, 16 is a hot air outlet, 17 is a hot air inlet, 18 is a ventilation path, 27 is a circulation fan, and 30 is an evaporator. , 31 is a condenser, 32 is a compressor, 34 is a heat pump, 36 is a discharge port, 37 is a damper device, 40 is an introduction port, 41 is a PTC heater (heater), 42 is an outside air intake, and 43 is a control circuit (left) Time acquisition means), 46 is a hot air inlet side temperature sensor, 47 is a hot air outlet side temperature sensor, 49 is a timer, 50 is an EEPROM, 52 is an outside air temperature sensor, and 53 is a bath water pump (bath water supply means). is there.

Claims (2)

A rotary tub used for washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying of laundry, and drying operation is performed by discharging the air in the rotary tub to a ventilation path by a circulation fan, and an evaporator of a heat pump disposed in the ventilation path. It is a washing and drying machine that is dehumidified with a condenser and heated and circulated so as to be returned to the inside of the rotating tank. It can be washed with tap water and can be operated from washing to drying. In addition, in a washing and drying machine capable of performing only drying,
A heater for heating the air returned from the ventilation path into the rotary tank ;
After leaving the operation from washing to dehydration, leaving time acquisition means for acquiring the time until the operation of only the drying is started ,
Compared with the drying operation when the operation from washing to drying is performed by causing the heater to generate heat if the acquisition time by the leaving time acquisition means exceeds a predetermined time when performing the drying only operation Then, the washing / drying machine is characterized in that the air returned from the ventilation path into the rotary tub is heated to a high temperature for sterilization. A rotary tub used for washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying of laundry, and drying operation is performed by discharging the air in the rotary tub to a ventilation path by a circulation fan, and an evaporator of a heat pump disposed in the ventilation path. A washing and drying machine that is dehumidified with a condenser and heated and circulated so as to be returned to the inside of the rotating tank, wherein the washing and drying machine can perform washing with bath water outside of tap water.
A heater for heating the air returned from the ventilation path into the rotary tank is provided,
When at least one of the washing and rinsing is performed using bath water, heat is generated in the heater in the drying operation, so that compared with a case where bath water is not used, the air passage is inserted into the rotating tub. A washing and drying machine characterized by heating the returned air to a high temperature for sterilization.

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