JP7523322B2 - Clothes Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a clothing processing device for washing, drying, and other processes on clothing and other items stored in a storage chamber inside a housing.

Conventionally, there is a clothing processing device that stores washed clothing (so-called laundry, including cloth products such as towels and sheets) in a storage chamber located inside a housing through a door that can be opened and closed, and then washes, dries, and processes the clothing.

A known example of this type of clothing treatment device is one in which a door is provided on the front or top panel of the housing, and the door is provided with a transparent section (a so-called window section) made of a transparent material such as glass or acrylic plate, allowing the interior of the storage chamber to be observed through the transparent section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-104492 A

In a clothing processing device such as that described in Patent Document 1, there is a demand for the transparent portion to be as large as possible for reasons such as making it easier to observe through the transparent portion and improving the aesthetics. On the other hand, it is often necessary to provide other components, such as a display mechanism showing specific information such as the processing status of the clothing, etc., and an operation unit for inputting instructions to the clothing processing device, on the front panel or top panel on which the transparent portion is provided.

As a result, if the transparent section were made large, the placement of the display section, operation section, etc. would be restricted, which could make it difficult to understand the content displayed on the display section or to operate the operation section.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a clothing processing device that can configure a large window and fully utilize the functionality of the configuration arranged together with the window.

The clothing treatment device of the present invention comprises:
A clothing processing device comprising a housing, a door that can be opened and closed and is provided on a front panel or a top panel of the housing, and a storage chamber that is disposed inside the housing and that stores clothing inserted through the door, the clothing processing device processing the clothing stored in the storage chamber,
the door body has a transparent portion made of a transparent material, through which the inside of the containment chamber can be observed from the outside, and a display portion which is a transmissive display provided in the transparent portion and displays predetermined information ;
the display unit includes a display area for displaying the predetermined state, and is configured to be switchable between a display state in which the predetermined information is displayed in the display area and a transparent state in which the display area is made transparent so that the inside of the containing chamber can be observed from the outside through the display area;
The device is configured so that at least when the operation of the clothing processing device is completed, a message indicating that the operation has been completed is displayed and the display state is entered, and at least when the clothing has been completely removed from the storage chamber, the transparent state is entered .
In addition, in the laundry treatment device of the present invention,
the display state includes a first display state and a second display state different from the first display state,
It is preferable that the first display state displays at least a button for selecting an operation course that the user can choose and a timer for specifying the drying time, and that the second display state displays at least the time remaining until the drying of the clothes is completed.

In this way, the clothing processing device of the present invention has a display unit on the door body that displays predetermined information. In other words, since there is no need to provide the display unit on any part of the front panel or top panel of the housing other than the transparent part, the transparent part (so-called window part) can be expanded to the space where the display unit was previously provided. This allows the transparent part to be made larger than in conventional clothing processing devices.

In addition, this clothing processing device employs a transparent display as the display unit. This allows the inside of the storage chamber to be observed from the outside, even when specific information is displayed on the display unit, not only through the transparent portion, but also through parts other than the information (e.g. parts other than text). Therefore, the display on the display unit can be made sufficiently large to make it easier for the user to grasp the specific information displayed on the display unit.

Also ,
The display unit includes a display area for displaying the specified state, and is configured to be switchable between a display state in which the specified information is displayed in the display area, and a transparent state in which the display area is made transparent so that the inside of the storage room can be observed from the outside through the display area .

With this configuration, even if the specified information is displayed large in the display state, the inside of the containment chamber can be easily observed from the outside through the entire transparent portion, including the display portion, by making it transparent. In addition, by increasing the option of making the entire transparent portion transparent, the options for the shape of the transparent portion also increase, making it easier to improve the aesthetic appearance.

In addition, in the laundry treatment device of the present invention,
The display portion is preferably provided on the periphery of the transmissive portion.

When configured in this way, the specified information is also displayed on the periphery of the transparent portion. In this state, the specified information is less likely to get in the way when observing the inside of the containment chamber, compared to when the specified information is displayed in the center of the transparent portion.

In addition, in the clothing treatment device of the present invention, when the display unit is provided on the peripheral portion of the transmission unit,
The housing has the door body attached to the front panel,
The display portion is preferably provided below the transmissive portion.

For example, when the clothing processing device is a clothes dryer, the clothing processing device may be located at a relatively high position (e.g., above a washing machine) relative to the posture in which the user operates the device. Thus, by attaching the door body to the front panel and providing the display unit below the transparent portion in this manner, the display unit is located close to the user's line of sight, making it easier for the user to grasp certain information.

In addition, in the clothing treatment device of the present invention, when the display unit is provided on the peripheral portion of the transmission unit,
The door preferably has a frame provided along the periphery of the door and into which the transmission portion is fitted.

When configured in this way, the display unit is positioned along the periphery of the frame. As a result, the specified information is also displayed along the frame. As a result, when reading the specified information, the line of sight is guided along the frame, making it easier to grasp the content.

In addition, in the laundry treatment device of the present invention,
The display unit is preferably a touch sensor that detects contact with a user's finger.

Conventionally, the front panel or top panel of the housing is often provided with an operating section for the clothing processing device along with the door body. With this configuration, the display section can function as an operating section, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the operating section or to omit the operating section altogether. In other words, the transparent section can be expanded to the space where the operating section was previously provided. This allows the transparent section to be configured even larger.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic arrangement of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a front view of the door of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1, showing a state in which operation buttons are displayed among the display states. FIG. 2 is a front view of the door of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the remaining time is displayed among the display states. FIG. 2 is a front view of the door body of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1 in a transparent state;

The clothes dryer D (clothes processing device) according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

In the following description, the clothing processing device of the present invention will be described as a clothing dryer. However, the clothing processing device of the present invention is not limited to a clothing dryer, but may be any device that performs processes such as washing and drying of clothing (so-called laundry, which includes not only clothing but also cloth products such as towels and sheets). Therefore, for example, it may be a clothing washing machine.

[General configuration of clothes dryer]
First, the schematic configuration of the clothes dryer D will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clothes dryer D has a rotary drum 1 (storage chamber) that stores clothes W and dries them while rotating. The drum 1 is disposed inside the housing 2 in a freely rotatable state.

A support shaft 3 extending toward the front is provided on the rear wall 2a of the housing 2. The drum rotation shaft 1a of the drum 1 is rotatably attached to the support shaft 3. As a result, the drum 1 is rotatably supported by the housing 2 in a sideways position (position in which the axis is horizontal).

A front opening 1b is formed at the front end of the drum 1. A clothing insertion opening 2b covered by a single-wing door 4 is provided on the front side of the housing 2 at a position corresponding to the front opening 1b of the drum 1. A ring plate 5 is attached to the outer periphery of the clothing insertion opening 2b. The drum 1 is supported by the ring plate 5 via the front opening 1b in a freely rotatable state.

The aforementioned drum rotation shaft 1a is provided on the back wall 1c of the drum 1. The filter unit 6 is attached to the end of the drum rotation shaft 1a on the inner side of the drum 1. In addition, a reinforcing plate 1d is attached to the end of the drum rotation shaft 1a on the outer side of the drum 1 to reinforce the back wall 1c of the supported drum 1.

Between the inner wall 1c of the drum 1 and the rear wall 2a of the housing 2, an exhaust passage 7 is provided to guide the air inside the drum 1 to the outside of the housing 2. At the downstream end of the exhaust passage 7, an exhaust port 7a is provided that opens at the top of the housing 2. A fan case 8a is disposed upstream of the exhaust passage 7.

The fan case 8a houses a dehumidification fan 8b. The dehumidification fan 8b has a fan shaft 8c that is rotatably supported on the support shaft 3. The dehumidification fan 8b exhausts the air inside the drum 1 that has become highly humid as the clothes W are dried, and generates an air current that draws warm air into the drum 1.

Specifically, when the dehumidification fan 8b rotates, outside air is first drawn into the inside of the housing 2 through the air intake 2c formed at the bottom of the housing 2. Next, the outside air drawn into the inside of the housing 2 is heated by the flame of the gas burner 10a (described later) and becomes hot air, which is then sent into the inside of the drum 1 through the hot air duct 11 (described later).

Inside the housing 2, there are arranged a motor 9 (electric motor) for rotating the drum 1 and the moisture exhaust fan 8b, a hot air generating unit 10 for generating hot air, a hot air duct 11 for directing the generated hot air into the inside of the drum 1, and a control device 12 for controlling the driving of the motor 9 during drying operation and the on/off operation of the hot air generating unit 10, etc.

The motor 9 has two drive shafts, a first drive shaft 9a and a second drive shaft 9b. A first transmission belt 9c is stretched between the first drive shaft 9a and the drum 1. A second transmission belt 9d is stretched between the second drive shaft 9b and the fan rotation shaft 8c of the dehumidification fan 8b.

The rotational force of the first drive shaft 9a is transmitted to the drum 1 via the first transmission belt 9c, causing the drum 1 to rotate. This rotation of the drum 1 causes the clothes W stored inside the drum 1 to constantly move without remaining in a fixed position.

The rotational force of the second drive shaft 9b is transmitted to the fan rotation shaft 8c via the second transmission belt 9d, rotating the dehumidification fan 8b. The rotation of the dehumidification fan 8b creates an airflow inside the drum 1.

The hot air generating unit 10 includes a gas burner 10a, a gas injection nozzle 10b, a gas supply valve device 10c, and a discharge device 10d.

The fuel gas supplied from the gas supply valve device 10c is injected from the gas injection nozzle 10b toward the gas inlet 10e of the gas burner 10a. The injected fuel gas is guided to the gas burner 10a together with the combustion air around the gas inlet 10e. The combustion gas and the combustion air are then ignited and burned by the discharge device 10d, and the outside air is heated by the combustion to generate hot air.

The combustion air supplied to the gas burner 10a together with the combustion gas is taken in through the air intake 2c at the bottom of the housing 2, just like the outside air used for heating.

The hot air duct 11 extends from above the gas burner 10a to the hot air outlet 5a formed in the ring plate 5. The hot air heated and generated by the gas burner 10a is guided through the hot air duct 11 to the hot air outlet 5a and sent into the inside of the drum 1.

The warm air sent into the drum 1 absorbs moisture from the clothes W stored in the drum 1 and dries the clothes W. As the clothes W dry, the warm air becomes highly humid (high-humidity warm air) and passes through the filter unit 6 toward the dehumidification fan 8b. At this time, lint generated by the clothes W is captured by the filter unit 6.

The high humidity warm air that passes through the filter unit 6 and heads toward the dehumidification fan 8b enters from the front side of the dehumidification fan 8b, heads toward the outer periphery of the dehumidification fan 8b, and is collected in the exhaust path 7 before being discharged outside the unit through the exhaust port 7a.

The control device 12 controls the operation of the motor 9 during drying operation, the ignition and extinguishing operations of the hot air generating unit 10, etc., based on the information input by the user U via a touch panel 42 (see Figure 4) provided on the door body 4 as described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 2 is generally cubic and is composed of a top plate 20, a bottom plate 21, a front plate 22 that is located between the top plate 20 and the bottom plate 21 and extends in the vertical direction, a rear cover 23, and a pair of left and right side plates 24.

A clothes insertion opening 2b for inserting clothes into the drum 1 is provided in the center of the front panel 22. As described above, the clothes insertion opening 2b is covered by the single-leaf door 4. The rear cover 23 constitutes the rear wall 2a described above.

The clothes dryer D configured in this manner is installed in a relatively high position (e.g., higher than the line of sight of the user U), such as above the washing machine L, as shown in FIG. 3.

[Gate body configuration]
Next, the configuration of door body 4 of clothes dryer D will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the door 4 is provided in the center of the front panel 22 of the housing 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. When the door 4 is closed, the clothing insertion opening 2b provided in the front panel 22 is closed by the door 4 (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the door 4 is open, the clothing insertion opening 2b is also open, so that clothing W can be placed inside the drum 1 and clothing W can be removed from inside the drum 1 via the door 4 (i.e., the clothing insertion opening 2b).

The door body 4 is provided along the periphery of the door body 4 and includes an annular frame body 40 that defines the outer shape of the door body 4, a window portion 41 (transparent portion) that is fitted into the frame body 40, and a touch panel 42 (display portion, touch sensor) that is a transparent display that is integrally provided with the window portion 41 below the window portion 41.

The window section 41 has a two-layer structure consisting of an acrylic plate and heat-resistant glass, which are arranged in that order from the outside of the housing 2. Since both the acrylic plate and the heat-resistant glass are made of transparent materials, it is possible to observe the inside of the drum 1 from the outside through the window section 41. An inorganic electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as "inorganic EL") is arranged between the acrylic plate and the heat-resistant glass.

The transparent portion that serves as the window is not limited to this configuration. Therefore, it does not necessarily have to be a two-layer structure using an acrylic plate and heat-resistant glass, and may be a single-layer structure or a structure with three or more layers. Also, organic EL may be used instead of inorganic EL.

The touch panel 42 is configured using a display area of the inorganic EL disposed inside the window 41, which is located on the periphery of the window 41 and below the window 41. The touch panel 42 displays predetermined information and detects contact with the user U's fingers and transmits the detected information to the control device 12.

When the clothes dryer D is about to start being used (i.e., when the user U places clothes W in the drum 1 and then sets the operation of the clothes dryer D), the touch panel 42 goes into a first display state for displaying predetermined information.

In this first display state, as shown in FIG. 4, the touch panel 42 displays information for various inputs. Specifically, buttons for selecting the operation courses (such as the quick-dry course) that the user U can select, a timer for specifying the drying time, etc. are displayed.

After that, when the user U touches the touch panel 42 in the first display state with his/her finger to perform input, the touch panel 42 changes to a second display state that displays information different from that in the first display state.

In this second display state, as shown in FIG. 5, the touch panel 42 displays the remaining time until the drying of the clothes W is completed. In other words, the parts other than the part displaying the time are made transparent. In this second display state, if a change in the operating state occurs (for example, the operation is stopped due to a power outage), the time display disappears and the details and countermeasures are displayed. In addition to the remaining time, the content of the operation currently being performed (the selected operating course, its progress, etc.) may be displayed.

In this second display state, the area of the window 41 other than the touch panel 42 is semi-transparent, so that the clothes W being dried cannot be observed from the outside. However, part or all of the window 41 can be switched to a transparent state by the user U's operation (such as pressing a button not shown) according to the user U's intention.

After that, when the operation of the clothes dryer D ends, the touch panel 42 displays a message indicating that the operation has ended. Then, when the user U has finished removing the clothes W, the touch panel 42 becomes transparent.

In this transparent state, the entire window 41, including the touch panel 42, becomes transparent, and the inside of the drum 1 can be observed from the outside through the window 41. This helps prevent the laundry W from being forgotten to be removed.

As described above, the clothing processing device D has a touch panel 42 on the door 4 that displays predetermined information. In other words, since there is no need to provide the touch panel 42 anywhere other than the window 41 on the front panel 22 of the housing 2, the window 41 can be expanded to the space where the touch panel 42 was previously provided. This allows the window 41 to be configured larger than in conventional clothing processing devices.

In addition, this clothing processing device D employs a transmissive display as the touch panel 42. This allows the inside of the drum 1 to be observed from the outside, not only through the window 41, but also through parts other than the information (e.g. parts other than text), even when specific information is displayed on the touch panel 42. Therefore, the display on the touch panel 42 can be made sufficiently large to make it easier for the user U to grasp the specific information displayed on the touch panel 42.

[Other embodiments]
Although the illustrated embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the clothing processing device is a clothes dryer D that is placed at a relatively high position, such as above a washing machine L. Therefore, in the clothes dryer D, the door body 4 is positioned close to the line of sight of the user U, and in order to facilitate the user U's observation and input, the door body 4 (and thus the window portion 41, which is a transparent portion) is provided on the front panel 22 of the housing 2, and the touch panel 42, which is a display portion, is provided below the window portion 41.

However, the clothing treatment device of the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and depending on the type and location of the clothing treatment device, the door body may be provided on either the front panel or the top panel, and the display unit may be located in another part of the transparent section. Therefore, for example, if the clothing treatment device is a vertical washing machine, the door body may be provided on the top panel, and the display unit may be located in the center or upper part of the transparent section.

In addition, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the touch panel 42, which is a touch sensor, is provided integrally with the window portion 41. This is because by integrating the operation portion for the control device 12 with the touch panel 42, which is the display portion, the space required for arranging the operation portion is eliminated, and the window portion 41, which is the transparent portion, can be configured even larger.

However, the clothing processing device of the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and it is sufficient that the display unit is provided in the transparent section, and it is not necessary to provide an input means such as a touch sensor in the transparent section. Therefore, for example, only the display unit may be provided in the transparent section, and a separate operation panel may be provided on the top plate or front plate, or on a part other than the transparent section of the door body (for example, the frame body).

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, from the viewpoint of ensuring strength and ease of construction, the door body 4 is constructed by fitting a window portion 41, which is a transparent portion, into the frame body 40. In addition, by providing such a frame body 40 and a touch panel 42, which is a display portion, along the periphery, the reading direction of the information displayed on the touch panel 42 is guided, making it easier for the user U to read the information.

However, the clothing treatment device of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the structure of the frame may be modified as appropriate. For example, if the material constituting the transmission section is strong enough by itself, the frame may be omitted.

In addition, in the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the touch panel 42, which is the display unit, is configured to be switchable between a display state and a transparent state. This makes it possible to easily observe the inside of the drum 1 from the outside through the entire window 41, including the touch panel 42, by making it transparent even if predetermined information is displayed large in the display state. In addition, by increasing the option of making the entire window 41 transparent, the options for the shape of the window 41 also increase, making it easier to improve the aesthetic appearance.

However, the clothing processing device of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the display unit may be configured to constantly display predetermined information (e.g., the time) rather than being switchable between a display state and a transparent state.

1...drum (storage chamber), 1a...drum rotating shaft, 1b...front opening, 1c...rear wall, 1d...reinforcing plate, 2...housing, 2a...rear wall, 2b...clothes insertion port, 2c...air intake port, 3...support shaft, 4...door body, 5...ring plate, 5a...warm air outlet, 6...filter unit, 7...exhaust path, 7a...exhaust port, 8a...fan case, 8b...humidity exhaust fan, 8c...fan rotating shaft, 9...motor, 9a...first drive shaft, 9b...second drive shaft, 9c...first transmission belt, 9d...second transmission bell 10...hot air generating unit, 10a...gas burner, 10b...gas injection nozzle, 10c...gas supply valve device, 10d...discharge device, 10e...gas inlet, 11...hot air duct, 12...control device, 12a...operation panel, 20...top plate, 21...bottom plate, 22...front plate, 23...rear cover, 24...side plate, 40...frame, 41...window portion (transparent portion), 42...touch panel (display portion, touch sensor), D...clothes dryer (clothes processing device), L...washing machine, U...user, W...clothes.

Claims (6)

A clothing processing device comprising a housing, a door that can be opened and closed and is provided on a front panel or a top panel of the housing, and a storage chamber that is disposed inside the housing and that stores clothing inserted through the door, the clothing processing device processing the clothing stored in the storage chamber,
the door body has a transparent portion made of a transparent material, through which the inside of the containment chamber can be observed from the outside, and a display portion which is a transmissive display provided in the transparent portion and displays predetermined information ;
the display unit includes a display area for displaying the predetermined state, and is configured to be switchable between a display state in which the predetermined information is displayed in the display area and a transparent state in which the display area is made transparent so that the inside of the containing chamber can be observed from the outside through the display area;
This clothing processing device is characterized in that it is configured to display a message indicating that the operation has ended at least when the operation of the clothing processing device has ended, and to enter the displayed state, and to enter the transparent state at least when the clothing has been completely removed from the storage chamber . The laundry treatment device according to claim 1,
the display state includes a first display state and a second display state different from the first display state,
A clothing processing device characterized in that the first display state displays at least a button for selecting an operating course that the user can choose and a timer for specifying the drying time, and the second display state displays at least the remaining time until the drying of the clothing is completed . The laundry treatment device according to claim 1 or 2,
A clothing processing device characterized in that the display unit is provided on the peripheral edge of the transparent unit. The clothing processing device according to claim 3,
The housing has the door body attached to the front panel,
A clothing processing device characterized in that the display unit is provided below the transparent unit. The laundry processing device according to claim 3 or 4,
The clothing processing device is characterized in that the door body has a frame body provided along the periphery of the door body and into which the transmission part is fitted. The clothing processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The clothing processing device is characterized in that the display unit is a touch sensor that detects contact with a user's fingers.

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