JP7536445B2 - Dryer - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a dryer.

Conventionally, dryers that dry mat-like materials such as futons and mattresses that have become moist due to washing or the like are known. One such dryer has a drying space defined in its housing into which heated air flows, a placement section for placing mat-like materials is disposed within the drying space, and an internal space defined within the placement section is connected to the drying space, and heated air is passed through the placed mat-like material to dry the mat-like material.

In the conventional dryer, the mounting part is configured to be movable, and when the mounting part is moved into the drying space and accommodated in the space , an opening provided on the rear side of the mounting part and communicating with the internal space is connected to an opening provided on the rear wall of the housing that defines the drying space, and air is exhausted from an exhaust path communicating with the opening. In addition, in the conventional dryer, in addition to sealing the connection between the opening of the internal space and the opening on the rear wall, the lower outer periphery on both sides where the mat member of the mounting part is placed and the corresponding side wall of the housing are also sealed. In other words, it is necessary to attach a seal member to the lower outer periphery of the mounting part (or the corresponding side wall of the housing) except for the door side, and the installation work is difficult. In addition, it is difficult to maintain the airtightness of the drying space because the sealing range is wide. In addition, the mounting part is inserted and removed from the housing while receiving the contact resistance of the seal member attached to the lower outer periphery of the mounting part, so it is difficult to move the mounting table.

JP 2000-157795 A JP 2000-288297 A Utility Model Registration No. 3086128

An object of the present invention is to provide a dryer that can connect the space on the mounting portion side and the space on the bottom side in an airtight manner and can achieve good movement of the mounting portion.

The dryer of the embodiment includes a housing in which a drying space is defined, a mounting section on which a breathable mat-like member can be placed and which is configured to be accommodated in the drying space of the housing and has an internal space, the mounting section having an air hole on the mounting surface that communicates between the internal space and the drying space, and a bottom of the housing in which a space that can communicate with the internal space of the mounting section is defined, and the air in the drying space passes through the mat-like member to dry the mat-like member. When the mounting section of the dryer is moved to be accommodated in the drying space of the housing, the mounting section is moved downward relative to the housing at least along an inclined surface provided on an upper surface of the bottom, and when the mounting section is completely accommodated in the drying space of the housing, the internal space of the mounting section and the space of the bottom are airtightly connected via a seal member.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a dryer. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the dryer. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the dryer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a movable placement unit. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the movable placement section. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the movable placement unit. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical section of one hole in a group of punched holes. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the punched hole group shown in FIG. 7. 10 is a front view showing the movable placement section on which the futon is placed. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the movable placement section on which the futon is placed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of a bottom wall portion. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an air hole in the pressure band. This is a cross-sectional view of line BB in Figure 11. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Figure 11.

Hereinafter, the details of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

(Overall composition)
First, the overall configuration of the dryer according to this embodiment will be described. Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a plan view, respectively, showing the configuration of the dryer according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, the front side of the dryer 1 will be referred to as the front, the back side as the rear, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction will be referred to as the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the dryer 1 according to this embodiment includes a main body 2 and a movable placement section 3 that is housed within the main body 2 and on which the futon to be dried by the dryer 1 is placed.

The main body 2 comprises a housing 20, a gas heater 21, an exhaust fan 22, a mist generating unit 23, and a control unit 24. The housing 20 is formed as a hollow, generally rectangular box shape, with a drying space D defined inside, surrounded by an upper wall 25 (see FIG. 11), a pair of side walls 26, a rear wall 27, a bottom wall 28, and a door 29. The movable placement unit 3 can be accommodated within this drying space D.

The door section 29 is attached to one of the side walls 26 by a hinge or the like so as to be able to open and close, and allows the movable placement section 3 to be inserted and removed from the front side into the drying space D. A part of the door section 29 is formed as a window section 291 having optical transparency, for example, made of glass, and further includes a grip section 292 for allowing the user to open and close the door section 29.

The gas heater 21 is provided above the upper wall 25 and at the rear end of the housing 20, and has a gas burner that heats air and supplies the heated air to the intake passage 251 (see FIG. 11) described below through a connecting pipe 253 (see FIG. 3). Note that the gas heater 21 may be replaced by another device that heats air by another method.

The exhaust fan 22 is located in front of the gas heater 21 and has a check damper 221 to prevent backflow of air. It draws in air from within the drying space D and expels it to the outside via the check damper 221.

The mist generating unit 23 is provided between the gas heater 21 and the exhaust fan 22, and is configured as an ultrasonic atomizing device having a liquid storage tank in which liquid containing chemicals such as deodorants, disinfectants, and anti-mite agents is stored, and an ultrasonic vibrator provided at the bottom of the liquid storage tank to generate ultrasonic waves in the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank. The liquid storage tank is fluidly connected to the intake flow path 251 (see FIG. 11) described later by a connecting pipe 231.

The control unit 24 is provided in front of the exhaust fan 22, i.e., at the very front of the housing 20, and has an operation panel 241 that allows the user to give instructions regarding the operation of the dryer 1, and is provided so that the operation panel 241 faces forward. The control unit 24 controls the operation of the gas heater 21, the exhaust fan 22, and the mist generation unit 23 based on the operations performed on the operation panel 241.

The movable placement section 3 is configured to be movable in the front-to-rear direction. When using the movable placement section 3, the user opens the door section 29, moves the movable placement section 3 housed in the drying space D forward to pull the movable placement section 3 out of the drying space D to a certain extent, and places the futon on it. After placing the futon on top, the user moves the movable placement section 3 backwards (in the housing direction) and houses it again in the drying space D, and closes the door section 29. The user can then operate the operation panel 241 to cause the dryer 1 to perform the desired drying operation, thereby drying the futon.

The bottom wall 28 of the housing 20 functions as a part of the travel path when the movable placement unit 3 moves back and forth, and also functions as an exhaust flow path when the movable placement unit 3 is housed in the drying space D. This bottom wall 28 will be described in detail later in conjunction with the following explanation of the configuration of the movable placement unit 3.

(Movable placement portion 3)
The configuration of the movable placement unit 3 will be described in detail. Figs. 4 to 6 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing the configuration of the movable placement unit. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical section of one hole in a group of punching holes provided in the movable placement unit, and Fig. 8 shows a modified example thereof. Figs. 9 and 10 are a front view and a side view, respectively, showing the movable placement unit on which a futon is placed. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of line A-A in Fig. 2, and Fig. 12 is a plan view of the bottom wall of the housing. Fig. 13 is a view for explaining the ventilation holes of the pressing band provided in the movable placement unit. As shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the movable placement unit 3 includes a placement table 31, a base portion 32, and a pressing band 33.

The mounting table 31 is generally formed in a hollow, roughly triangular prism shape with the top and bottom surfaces facing the front-to-rear direction, and one side surface facing downward that faces the apex formed at the most acute angle. In the following description, the front side of the top and bottom surfaces of the triangular prism will be referred to as the front surface of the mounting table 31, the other side as the back surface of the mounting table 31, and the one side surface of the triangular prism facing downward as the bottom surface of the mounting table 31. The other two inclined side surfaces and the curved surface formed at the upper end will be referred to as the mounting surface of the mounting table 31. Therefore, the mounting surface has a shape in which a flat surface is bent so that a virtual folding line facing the front-to-rear direction is positioned at the upper end. The bottom surface of the mounting table 31 is connected to the upper surface of the pedestal portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 6, punched hole groups 311 consisting of multiple circular holes that connect the internal space P (see FIG. 11) of the mounting table 31 to the drying space D are provided on both sides of the mounting table 31. Air flows between the drying space D and the internal space P through the punched hole groups 311. These punched hole groups 311 are provided over a predetermined distance from the top end of the mounting table 31, and this predetermined distance is preferably equal to or greater than half the longitudinal width of the futon.

As shown in FIG. 7, each hole of the punching hole group 311 has a curved surface 311a formed so that the peripheral portion on the drying space D side, i.e., the side where the futon F abuts (upper side in the figure), becomes larger in diameter as it approaches the drying space D side. Therefore, the opening diameter (hole diameter) of each hole of the punching hole group 311 on the drying space D side becomes larger than the opening diameter on the internal space P side. For such punching hole group 311 with curved surface 311a formed on the peripheral portion, the opening diameter on the internal space P side is preferably 5 to 8φ. Note that each hole of the punching hole group 311 may have a curved surface 311a formed not only on the peripheral portion but also over the entire depth direction as shown in FIG. 8, or a tapered surface may be formed so that the diameter becomes larger as it approaches the drying space D side instead of the curved surface 311a.

In addition, a gripping portion 312 is provided on the front side of the mounting base 31 for the user to grip when moving the movable mounting portion 3.

When placing the futon F to be dried on the placement table 31, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the short side of the futon F is oriented in the front-to-rear direction of the placement table 31, and the futon F is placed on the placement surface of the placement table 31 so as to cover the punched hole group 311. At this time, the futon F is folded so as to follow the slope of the placement surface.

The upper end of the mounting table 31 is formed into a curved surface having a curvature, and the radius of curvature is preferably at least 0.9 times the thickness of the futon F to be placed on it. By forming a curved surface with such a radius of curvature, when the futon F is folded and placed on it, the folded part of the futon F can be brought into surface contact along the curved surface, and the stress applied thereto can be dispersed well. If the upper end of the mounting table 31 is formed into a curved surface with an acute angle or a smaller radius of curvature, stress may be concentrated in a part of the folded part of the futon F that abuts against the upper end. If such stress concentration occurs, the part in question is compressed and the density increases, which may reduce the breathability and ultimately reduce the drying efficiency. However, since the mounting table 31 has the above-mentioned radius of curvature, such a decrease in drying efficiency can be avoided. Furthermore, since the punching hole group 311 can be formed even on the curved surface, the drying efficiency can also be improved.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 11, the base 32 is formed in a hollow, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an opening 321a is formed on the upper surface to connect the internal space T with the internal space P of the mounting table 31. On the other hand, an opening 321b is formed on the lower surface of the base 32 to connect the internal space T with a downward exhaust flow path 281 (described later) formed in the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20. These openings 321a and 321b allow air in the internal space P to flow into the downward exhaust flow path 281.

The base 32 has two front casters 322a spaced apart in the left-right direction on the underside of the front end, and a step 322c recessed upward over almost the entire left-right area on the underside of the rear end, and two rear casters 322b spaced apart in the left-right direction on the step 322c. The front caster 322a is formed with a larger diameter than the rear caster 322b, and is arranged so that its lower end is located lower than the rear caster 322b. The rear caster 322b abuts against the upper surface of the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20 so as to be able to run.

Behind the front caster 322a of the base 32, an inclined surface 323 is formed that extends in the left-right direction and slopes downward from the front to the rear. When the movable placement unit 3 is housed in the drying space D, the front end of the inclined surface 323 is located at a position where the support caster 285 described below abuts. By forming this inclined surface 323, the base 32 has a shape that protrudes slightly downward compared to its front and rear ends in the area near the opening 321b, specifically from the rear end of the inclined surface 323 to the front end of the step portion 322c.

As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20, which forms the running surface of the rear caster 322b, also has an inclined surface 283. The inclined surface 283 has the same inclination angle, inclination direction, and inclination length as the inclined surface 323 of the base 32, and is formed so that the rear end of the inclined surface 283 is located at the position where the rear caster 322b abuts when the movable placement unit 3 is accommodated in the drying space D. Therefore, the bottom wall 28 has a shape in which the area in front of the inclined surface 323 protrudes slightly upward. It is preferable to set the height of the inclined surface 283 and the inclined surface 323 so that a small gap is formed between the area and the area near the opening 321b when the movable placement unit 3 is accommodated in the drying space D.

Furthermore, a caster base 284 with a generally U-shaped cross section and an open bottom is provided at the front end of the bottom wall 28, and two support casters 285 that can run and abut against the underside of the base 32 are provided on the upper surface of the caster base 284 at a distance from each other in the left-right direction. When the movable placement unit 3 is housed in the drying space D, the support caster 285 is located at the front end of the inclined surface 323 and abuts against and supports the base 32. When the movable placement unit 3 is housed in the drying space D, the front side of the movable placement unit 3 is supported by the support caster 285, so in this embodiment, the front caster 322a is slightly spaced from the installation surface of the dryer 1. A notch 286 is formed in the caster base 284 at the appropriate position so that it does not come into contact with the front caster 322a of the base 32.

In this way, the inclined surface 283 is formed on the bottom wall 28 corresponding to the rear caster 322b of the base 32, and the inclined surface 323 is formed on the base 32 corresponding to the support caster 285 of the bottom wall 28, so that when the movable placement unit 3 is pulled out of the drying space D, the casters run on the opposing inclined surfaces at the same time. This allows the base 32 to be moved upward so as to be separated from the bottom wall 28 by the height of the inclined surface while maintaining the parallelism between the base 32 and the bottom wall 28, and allows stable horizontal movement. In addition, the rear caster 322b and the support caster 285 are disposed at the same position in the left-right direction. Therefore, the support caster 285 restricts the forward movement of the rear caster 322b, so that when the user moves the movable placement unit 3 forward, the entire movable placement unit 3 can be prevented from slipping out of the drying space D.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the bottom wall portion 28 defines a downward exhaust passage 281 inside, and on its upper surface is formed an opening 282 for connecting the downward exhaust passage 281 to the internal space T, and an opening 287 located behind the opening 282 for fluidly connecting the vertical passage 271 (described later) to the downward exhaust passage 281. The opening 282 is formed in a position facing the opening 321b of the base portion 32 and in approximately the same shape as the opening 321b when the movable placement portion 3 is accommodated in the drying space D.

A seal member 288 is provided on the periphery of the opening 282, and when the movable placement unit 3 is accommodated in the drying space D, the periphery of the opening 321b of the base unit 32 abuts against the seal member 288, and the opening 282 and the opening 321b of the base unit 32 can be airtightly connected via the seal member 288. The seal member 288 is immovably fixed to the bottom wall unit 28 by a fastener such as a screw or adhesive, and any material may be used as long as it can airtightly connect the opposing openings. For example, felt or an elastic material may be used as the seal member 288. The seal member 288 may be provided on the periphery of the opening 321b.

As described above, the rear casters 322b of the movable placement unit 3 abut against the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20 and are supported by the support casters 285, so that the movable placement unit 3 can move relative to the housing 20 in the front-rear direction and can be stored in and removed from the drying space D. Furthermore, when the movable placement unit 3 is stored in the drying space D, it can move downward relative to the housing 20, so that the opening 321b and the opening 282 can be airtightly connected.

As the movable placement section 3 is pulled out from the drying space D, the rear casters 322b approach the support casters 285, causing the front side to tilt downward. However, this tilt causes the front casters 322a to touch the installation surface, and the rear casters 322b to always touch the bottom wall 28 of the housing 20, so the movable placement section 3 can travel stably even when pulled out to a certain extent. The effects of the configuration of the base section 32 and bottom wall section 28 described above will be described in detail later.

The pressure belt 33 is a long, flexible belt-like member provided at both front-rear end portions of the mounting base 31, and presses the short end portion of the futon F against the mounting surface of the mounting base 31. The pressure belt 33 extends from one side surface of the mounting base 31 in the left-right direction (left side in FIG. 9) via the upper curved surface of the mounting base 31 to the other side surface (right side in FIG. 9), and one longitudinal end portion is fixedly connected to one side surface of the mounting base 31. Meanwhile, the other longitudinal end portion of the pressure belt 33 is provided with a connecting member 331 that can be detachably connected to a connecting device 313 provided on the other side surface of the mounting base 31.

An example of a connecting mechanism using such a connecting device 313 and connecting member 331 is one that uses a buckle device and a tongue, which are used in seat belts and the like. The tongue is a flat plate member with holes, notches, etc., formed therein, and can be inserted into an insertion opening provided in the buckle device to lock the tongue inside the buckle device. On the other hand, the tongue can be released from lock by pressing the release button of the buckle device. Alternatively, a hook may be used to lock the two together, or a hook-and-loop fastener may be used, or any other connecting mechanism that is detachable may be used.

In addition, the pressing band 33 has an elastic part 332 formed in a part thereof, which can be elastically stretched in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, when pressing the short-side end of the placed futon F, the pressing band 33 is made to run over the short-side end, so that the pressing band 33 is separated from the placement surface according to the thickness of the futon F, and the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313 are separated. However, the elastic part 332 can be extended by the distance of the separation to connect the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313. Furthermore, the elastic part 332 is constantly generating a restoring force by connecting the connecting member 331 and the connecting device 313 in the extended state, so that the pressing band 33 can uniformly press the futon F toward the placement surface side by the restoring force. Such an elastic part 332 is preferably an elastic member such as a coil spring or a rubber body, and the entire pressing band 33 may be the elastic part 332.

As shown in FIG. 13, the pressure belt 33 has a group of ventilation holes 333 evenly drilled in it, including the stretchable portion 332, allowing ventilation of the futon F that is in contact with the pressure belt 33. Note that in FIG. 13, the group of ventilation holes 333 is formed in circular holes with large spaces between the holes, but the pressure belt 33 may be made of a mesh material with small holes.

(Flow paths and operation in the dryer)
The flow path in the dryer will be described with reference to Figures 11, 14, and 15. Figures 14 and 15 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines B-B and C-C in Figure 11, respectively. For the sake of explanation, in Figure 11, the connection pipes 253 and 254, which are disposed at different positions in the left-right direction from the cut surface, and a part of the connection pipe 231 are virtually shown by dashed lines. Similarly, in Figure 14, the connection pipes 253 and 231 located above the cut surface are virtually shown by dashed lines, and in Figure 15, the connection pipe 254 located above the cut surface is virtually shown by dashed lines. Also, the dotted arrows shown in each of these figures indicate the flow direction of air.

As shown in FIG. 11, above the upper wall 25 of the housing 20, two horizontally extending parallel flat plate sections 25a and 25b are provided, and the gas heater 21, the exhaust fan 22, and the mist generating section 23 are mounted on the uppermost flat plate section 25b. Two spaces are vertically divided and defined by the flat plate section 25a located below the flat plate section 25b. The space defined between the flat plate section 25a and the upper wall section 25 is used as the intake flow path 251, and the space defined between the flat plate section 25a and the flat plate section 25b is used as the upper exhaust flow path 252. The upper exhaust flow path 252 extends slightly rearward from the intake flow path 251 and is fluidly connected to the vertical flow path 271. In addition, since the intake passage 251 and the upper exhaust passage 252 are formed above and below the flat plate portion 25a, it is preferable that the flat plate portion 25a be made of a heat insulating material.

The vertical flow passage 271 is a gap between the rear wall 27 and the flat plate portion 27a located in front of and parallel to the rear wall 27, and is formed as a space with a rectangular cross section that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above and extends in the up-down direction. The vertical flow passage 271 is fluidly connected to the upper exhaust flow passage 252 and the lower exhaust flow passage 281, which together form a single exhaust flow passage.

As shown in Figures 11, 14, and 15, a connection pipe 253 is connected to the intake flow path 251, and a connection pipe 254 is connected to the upper exhaust flow path 252. The connection pipe 253 is formed corresponding to the gas heater 21, and is fluidly connected to the intake flow path 251, so that air heated by the gas heater 21 can be sucked into the intake flow path 251. The connection pipe 231 has one end connected to the liquid storage tank of the mist generation unit 23 and the other end connected to the connection pipe 253, so that the mist generated by the mist generation unit 23 can be supplied to the intake flow path 251 through the connection pipe 253. The connection pipe 254 is formed corresponding to the exhaust fan 22, and is fluidly connected to the upper exhaust flow path 252, so that the air in the upper exhaust flow path 252 can be exhausted by the exhaust fan 22.

The upper wall 25 is also provided with a group of inlet holes 255 that communicate the intake passage 251 with the drying space D and serve as vents for allowing air heated by the gas heater 21 to flow into the drying space D. The group of inlet holes 255 is a plurality of punched holes that are formed over a predetermined range in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the drying space D. The predetermined range here refers to substantially the entire lower region of the intake passage 251, and more specifically, the range from above the rear end of the mounting table 31 in the front-rear direction to the front end of the intake passage 251 in the front-rear direction.

Next, a method of using the dryer 1 will be described. First, the movable placement part 3 is pulled out from the drying space D, and the futon F is placed on the placement surface. Then, the movable placement part 3 is moved rearward in the front-rear direction by a predetermined distance so that the door part 29 can be closed. This movement causes the rear wheel caster 322b and the support caster 285 to run on the opposing surfaces including the corresponding inclined surfaces, and the opening 321b of the base part 32 and the opening 282 of the bottom wall part 28 approach each other and are connected to each other via the seal member 288. In this state, the door part 29 can be closed and the movable placement part 3 can be completely accommodated in the drying space D. When the movable placement part 3 is completely accommodated in the drying space D, the internal spaces P, T of the movable placement part 3 and the downward exhaust flow path 281 are fluidically connected, and therefore the internal spaces P, T and the upward exhaust flow path 252 are fluidically connected.

After the movable placement part 3 is placed in the drying space D, the user controls the control part 24 to operate the exhaust fan 22, and the air in the upper exhaust flow path 252 is exhausted to the outside, causing the internal spaces P and T in the movable placement part 3 to become negative pressure through the vertical flow path 271 and the downward exhaust flow path 281. When the internal spaces P and T become negative pressure, the air in the drying space D passes through the futon F through the punching hole group 311 provided on both sides of the placement table 31 and is sucked into the movable placement part 3. In response to this, the drying space D becomes negative pressure, and the air outside the dryer 1 passing through the gas heater 21 is sucked into the drying space D through the intake flow path 251 connected to the drying space D by the inlet hole group 255.

When the gas heater 21 is operating and air is flowing into the drying space D, the air heated by the gas heater 21 flows into the drying space D as hot air, which passes through the futon F placed on the movable placement section 3, flows into the movable placement section 3, and is then discharged outside the dryer 1, thereby drying the futon F.

When the mist generating unit 23 is operating and air is flowing into the dry space D, the mist-containing air generated by the mist generating unit 23 flows into the dry space D via the connecting pipe 253 and the intake passage 251. This mist-containing air passes through the futon F, allowing chemicals such as deodorants, disinfectants, and anti-mite agents to penetrate into the futon F, and also automating the spraying of the chemicals.

(Effects of the configuration of the base and bottom wall)
The effects obtained by the configuration of the seat of the movable placement portion and the bottom wall of the housing will be described.

According to the embodiment described above, by providing casters on the base 32 and the bottom wall 28, and forming inclined surfaces corresponding to the casters, when the movable placement unit 3 is accommodated, the movable placement unit 3 can be moved downward relative to the bottom wall 28 together with the approximately horizontal movement of the movable placement unit 3. By realizing such a relative downward movement , the opening 321b and the opening 282 can be airtightly connected by moving the movable placement unit 3 downward. In addition, the contact between the seal member 288 provided on the periphery of the opening 282 of the bottom wall 28 and the base 32 can be avoided until just before the opening 321b and the opening 282 are connected, and the sliding distance after the contact can be shortened, for example, to about the length of the inclined surfaces 283, 323 in the front-rear direction. In a form in which only the horizontal movement is performed without such a relative downward movement, the seal member 288 always abuts on the lower surface of the base, and the movable placement unit is caused to slide against the seal member 288, which significantly impairs the running performance of the movable placement unit. On the other hand, in this embodiment, it is possible to avoid such a loss of travelling performance. Also, since the structure is such that the periphery of the opening 321b of the base 32 abuts against the seal member 288 when the movable mounting section 3 is housed in the drying space D, the load on the seal member 288 can be reduced , and the mounting table can be inserted and removed from the housing with a light force. Furthermore, since the seal member 288 is provided on the periphery of the opening 282 of the bottom wall 28 and is configured to seal between the opening 321b of the base 32, the number of places to be sealed can be reduced.

In addition, the front casters 322a of the base 32 come into contact with the installation surface of the dryer 1 after the movable placement unit 3 has been pulled out of the drying space D to a certain extent. This makes it possible to reduce the distance traveled on the installation surface of the dryer 1, which is likely to have surface irregularities and dust, and improves travelling performance compared to a configuration in which the movable placement unit constantly travels on the installation surface. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the movable placement unit constantly travels on the installation surface, dust is likely to adhere to the front casters, which can cause malfunctions, but this embodiment makes it possible to reduce dust adhesion.

In this embodiment, the object to be dried is described as a futon F, but this is not limited to this. Carpets, rugs, mattresses, and other mat-like objects formed from fibrous materials in a mat shape may also be placed on the surface to be dried.

In addition, although the punched hole group 311 and the inlet hole group 255 have been described as being circular holes, they may be rectangular holes, and the mounting surface and upper wall portion 25 may be formed in a mesh shape, with the mesh openings corresponding to the punched hole group 311 and the inlet hole group 255.

The gas heater 21 and the exhaust fan 22 may be arranged in different positions, and the flow path may be reversed. In this case, the heated air from the mounting table 31 flows into the futon F, and the air that passes through this flows into the inlet hole group 255.

In addition, from the viewpoint of simply realizing the downward movement of the movable placement unit 3 when it is accommodated in the drying space D, it is possible to eliminate either the inclined surface 283 or the inclined surface 323, or to eliminate the support caster 285 and keep the front caster 322a in contact with the installation surface even when the movable placement unit 3 is accommodated in the drying space D.

The embodiments of the present invention are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

1 Dryer 20 Housing 28 Bottom wall portion 281 Downward exhaust flow path (exhaust space)
282 opening (second opening)
285 Support caster (caster, second caster)
288 Seal member 3 Movable placement part (placement part)
311 Punching holes (ventilation holes)
321b opening (first opening)
322a Front caster (first caster)
322b Rear wheel caster (caster)
D Drying space F Futon (mat-like member)
P. Internal space

Claims (4)

A housing in which a dry space is defined;
a placement section on which a breathable mat-like member can be placed and which is configured to be accommodated in the drying space of the housing and has an internal space, the placement section having an air hole on the placement surface that communicates with the internal space and the drying space;
a bottom portion of the housing, the bottom portion defining a space that can communicate with the internal space of the placement portion;
A dryer in which air in the drying space passes through the mat-like member to dry the mat-like member,
When the placement unit is moved to be accommodated in the drying space of the housing, the placement unit is moved downward relative to the housing at least along an inclined surface provided on an upper surface of the bottom portion,
A dryer characterized in that, when the mounting portion is completely accommodated in the drying space of the housing , the internal space of the mounting portion and the space of the bottom portion are airtightly connected via a sealing member. A first opening formed in a bottom surface of the placement portion;
a second opening formed on an upper surface of the bottom portion and having substantially the same shape as the first opening;
was established,
The dryer described in claim 1, characterized in that when the mounting portion is completely accommodated in the drying space of the housing, the first opening and the second opening are connected, thereby airtightly connecting the internal space of the mounting portion and the space of the bottom. The dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the placement unit is moved to be pulled out of the drying space of the housing, the bottom surface of the placement unit and the upper surface of the bottom unit move apart while maintaining parallelism. Exhaust fans and
An exhaust flow path connecting the exhaust fan and the bottom is further provided,
A dryer as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the exhaust fan operates, the internal space of the storage section becomes negative pressure through the exhaust flow path, and air in the drying space of the housing passes through the mat-like member and is sucked into the exhaust flow path via the internal space of the storage section and the space at the bottom.