JP7545261B2 - Dryer and washer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dryer for drying clothes and a washing machine equipped with the same.

In recent years, washing machines and dryers that not only perform washing functions but also dry the washed clothes have become widely used. During the drying process, lint can be generated from the clothes, so a filter is provided in the air circulation path to capture the lint. If the captured lint is left in the filter, it can become clogged and reduce the drying ability, making it necessary to clean the filter. Therefore, a filter cleaning device has been proposed to remove the lint that has adhered to the filter.

JP 2019-209239 A

The filter cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 includes an arc-shaped filter body, a ventilation passage provided upstream of the filter body, a rotating shaft installed within the ventilation passage, and a cleaning body that removes dust adhering to the filter body.

In the above-mentioned filter cleaning device, the rotating shaft is rotated to move the cleaning body attached to the rotating shaft and clean the filter body, but the filter cleaning device itself does not have a drive source, and is configured so that a driving force is transmitted from the outside by a gear attached to the rotating shaft. Therefore, the gear provided on the filter cleaning device is configured to mesh with a gear on the drive source side.

When the amount of dust contained in the filter cleaning device increases, maintenance is performed to discharge the dust. During maintenance, the user removes the filter cleaning device from the washing machine and then reattaches it, so it is preferable that the filter cleaning device can be easily attached and detached. If the filter cleaning device is configured to be detachable from the washing machine, there are concerns about the meshing of the gears. In other words, if the gears are designed to mesh with a large margin to allow for misalignment, the gears themselves will become larger, which places restrictions on the structure of the housing. Furthermore, if the gears themselves are small, there is a risk that they will not mesh even with a small misalignment, and the filter cleaning device may not operate normally.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a dryer and a washing machine that can maintain high gear fitting accuracy.

The dryer of the present invention is a dryer for drying clothes, comprising a storage tub for holding clothes to be dried, a dry air generating section for generating dry air to be sent into the storage tub, and a filter housing to which a filter section having a lint filter for collecting lint is attached, the filter housing being configured by combining a first housing member and a second housing member which are formed separately, an insertion opening into which the filter section is inserted and positioned, and a housing gear that engages with the filter gear of the filter section are provided on different surfaces in the insertion direction of the filter section , the filter section is engaged with an inner wall of the insertion opening via a filter sealing member, the direction in which the filter gear and the housing gear engage is a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the filter section, the first housing member occupies a portion of the filter housing which includes the insertion opening and the housing gear, and the first housing member and the second housing member are joined with a housing sealing member sandwiched between them.

In the dryer according to the present invention, the first housing member may be provided with a first housing joint protruding outward on the surface on which the housing gear is provided, and the second housing member may be provided with a second housing joint into which the first housing joint is inserted.

In the dryer according to the present invention, the first housing joint may be configured to be provided along the long side of the surface of the first housing member on which the housing gear is provided.

In the dryer according to the present invention, the filter housing may be configured to have reinforcing ribs formed upright from the bottom surface.

The dryer according to the present invention may be configured to include a fixed receiving portion extending from the reinforcing rib and a fixing member inserted into the fixed receiving portion, and the fixing member fixes the first housing member and the second housing member.

The washing machine according to the present invention is characterized by having a dryer according to the present invention.

According to the present invention, the positional relationship between the insertion port and the housing gear is less likely to change, so that the fitting distance with the filter gear is prevented from varying. This makes it possible to reduce the margin for gear misalignment, and maintain high gear fitting accuracy.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating configurations of a filter housing and a filter unit. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a filter housing to which a filter portion is attached. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a filter housing and a filter portion.

A washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following illustrates an example in which the present invention is applied to a washer-dryer that has both a washing function and a drying function, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a dryer that has only a drying function.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that in Figure 1, only the configuration related to the drying function of the washing machine 100 is shown, and the configuration related to the washing function is omitted.

The washing machine 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a drum-type washer/dryer that is provided with a door 120 that covers an opening on the front side, and by opening the door 120, the washing tub 110 having a rotating drum 111 provided inside is exposed. When the door 120 is closed, the inside is sealed liquid-tight, so that water in the washing tub 110 does not leak out.

After washing and spin-drying the clothes placed in the washing tub 110 (rotating drum 111), the washing machine 100 performs a drying operation by sending dry air into the washing tub 110. In other words, when the washing machine 100 functions as a dryer, the washing tub 110 becomes a storage tub for putting clothes in.

The washing machine 100 has a dry air generating section 130, a blower fan 140, and a filter section 20 as components for the drying operation. The washing machine 100 is also provided with an air circulation path 160 that connects the washing tub 110, the filter section 20, the dry air generating section 130, and the blower fan 140 in that order, and air flows through each section through the air circulation path 160. In addition, the washing tub 110 is connected after the blower fan 140 in the air circulation path 160, and the air is configured to circulate along the air circulation path 160.

The dry air generating unit 130 changes the moist air sent from the washing tub 110 through the filter unit 20 into dry air. Specifically, in the dry air generating unit 130, an evaporator 131 and a condenser 132 in a heat pump (refrigeration cycle) are arranged in order from the upstream side in the air flow direction. The evaporator 131 dehumidifies the moist air (condenses the moisture in the air), and the condenser 132 warms the dehumidified air to make it dry air. Note that the washing machine 100 is equipped with other components of a heat pump (such as a compressor and an expansion valve), but these are omitted in FIG. 1. The blower fan 140 generates an air flow in the air circulation path 160.

The filter unit 20 collects lint generated from the clothes during the drying operation. The filter unit 20 is configured to be attached to a filter housing 10 that is attached inside the washing machine 100. The detailed structure of the filter housing 10 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the filter housing and the filter unit, and Figure 3 is an external perspective view showing the filter housing with the filter unit attached. Note that in Figure 2, for ease of viewing, only a portion of the filter unit 20 is shown, with the upper members omitted.

The filter housing 10 is formed with an air inlet 10a that allows the blown air to flow into the inside, and an air outlet 10b that allows the air inside to flow out to the outside. The air inlet 10a and the air outlet 10b may be appropriately connected to the piping that constitutes the air circulation path 160, and may be sealed so that air does not leak from the connected points.

The filter section 20 includes an air vent 21 provided on the air inlet 10a side, a lint filter 22 provided on the air outlet 10b side, and a cleaning arm section 23 provided between the air vent 21 and the lint filter 22. The filter section 20 takes in circulating air through the air vent 21, passes it through the lint filter 22, and then directs it toward the air outlet 10b. As the circulating air passes through the lint filter 22, lint LT is captured and removed. As the drying operation continues, lint LT that has adhered to the lint filter 22 accumulates.

The cleaning arm unit 23 rotates around an axis, and its tip moves along the lint filter 22. The tip of the cleaning arm unit 23 is made of, for example, an elastic blade member or a brush member, and cleans the lint LT adhering to the surface by scraping it off without damaging the lint filter 22.

The filter unit 20 is provided with a lint storage unit 24 near the end of the rotation range of the cleaning arm unit 23. The lint LT scraped off by the cleaning arm unit 23 is collected in the lint storage unit 24.

A filter gear 25 connected to the axis of the cleaning arm 23 is provided at the bottom of the filter unit 20. The filter gear 25 is configured to fit with a housing gear 11b provided on the bottom surface of the filter housing 10. The housing gear 11b is connected to a drive unit 30 such as a stepping motor. In other words, the driving force transmitted from the drive unit 30 rotates the cleaning arm 23 around the axis via the housing gear 11b and the filter gear 25.

The filter unit 20 is detachable from the filter housing 10, and can be removed from the filter housing 10 by the user as needed. The filter housing 10 is fixed inside the washing machine 100 and cannot be removed. Next, the detailed structure of the filter housing 10 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

Figure 4 is a side view of the filter housing, Figure 5 is a bottom view of the filter housing, and Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the filter housing and the filter section. Note that in Figure 6, only the filter housing 10 is hatched, and hatching of other members is omitted, for ease of viewing.

4 and 5 show the filter housing 10 with the filter unit 20 removed, and FIG. 6 shows the filter housing 10 with the filter unit 20 attached. Also, FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross section bent to pass through the air inlet 10a and the air outlet 10b. The filter housing 10 is a container that houses the filter unit 20, and a portion is extended to provide a portion corresponding to the air inlet 10a and the air outlet 10b. The upper surface of the filter housing 10 is partially opened to form the insertion port 11a. The drive unit 30 is attached to the bottom surface of the filter housing 10. That is, in the filter housing 10, the insertion port 11a and the drive unit 30 are provided on different surfaces. The insertion port 11a is rectangular in top view, and a cavity of approximately the same shape as the insertion port 11a is provided below the insertion port 11a up to the bottom surface. That is, the filter housing 10 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped space that houses the filter unit 20. The drive unit 30 is not housed inside the filter housing 10, but is attached to the outside bottom surface of the filter housing 10. The drive unit 30 and the housing gear 11b provided inside the filter housing 10 may be connected, for example, by providing a hole, and the drive unit 30 may close the hole provided in the filter housing 10 to prevent air from leaking. The drive unit 30 and the housing gear 11b may also be provided on the side of the filter housing 10.

The filter housing 10 is configured by combining a first housing member 11 and a second housing member 12, each of which is formed separately. The first housing member 11 is provided with an air inlet 10a, and the second housing member 12 is provided with an air outlet 10b. Specifically, the first housing member 11 is provided with a cylindrical inlet extension 11f on the side of the filter housing 10, forming the air inlet 10a. The second housing member 12 is provided with a cylindrical outlet extension 12e on the bottom surface of the filter housing 10, forming the air outlet 10b.

In this embodiment, the direction in which the air inlet 10a opens and the direction in which the air outlet 10b opens intersect. In such a structure, it is difficult to provide both in one housing member due to constraints in the molding process, such as the possibility of them getting caught in a mold and becoming unable to be removed. However, because the air inlet 10a and the air outlet 10b are provided in separate housing members, issues in the molding process can be eliminated and design freedom can be improved.

The bottom surface of the filter housing 10 is divided into a first housing bottom surface portion 11c of the first housing member 11 and a second housing bottom surface portion 12a of the second housing member 12, and the housing gear 11b and the drive unit 30 are provided on the first housing bottom surface portion 11c. The first housing member 11 occupies substantially the entire upper surface of the filter housing 10, and an insertion port 11a is provided in the first housing member 11. A second housing side surface portion 12d standing along the outer edge of the second housing member 12 occupies a portion of the side surface of the filter housing 10, and the first housing side surface portion 11e of the first housing member 11 occupies the remaining portion.

A locking portion 26 having approximately the same shape as the insertion opening 11a is provided at the top of the filter portion 20, and a filter sealing member 70 is sandwiched between the locking portion 26 and the insertion opening 11a. By sandwiching and sealing the filter sealing member 70, the first housing member 11 locks and positions the filter portion 20 at the insertion opening 11a. In this way, by locking the filter portion 20 at the insertion opening 11a and positioning the filter gear 25 relative to the filter housing 10, it is possible to precisely fit it with the housing gear 11b.

In addition to the filter section 20, the filter housing 10 also contains a sub-filter 40. The sub-filter 40 is located downstream of the lint filter 22 in the direction in which the circulating air flows, and collects lint LT that is not captured by the lint filter 22. The sub-filter 40 is configured to be detachable from the filter housing 10, and can be removed from the filter housing 10 through the insertion port 11a.

The joint between the first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 is provided on the bottom and side of the filter housing 10. The portion dividing the first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 is like a large opening provided in both of them, and the joint is provided along the outer edge of the opening. In this embodiment, the first housing bottom surface portion 11c of the first housing member 11 is provided with a first housing joint 11g protruding downward, and the second housing member 12 is provided with a groove-shaped second housing joint 12f into which the first housing joint 11g is inserted. The first housing joint 11g extends along the opening of the first housing member 11, and the second housing member 12 has a protruding surface extending from the second housing joint 11f along the opening. A housing sealing member 60 is sandwiched between the first housing joint 11g and the extending portion and the second housing joint 12f and the protruding surface of the extending portion. The housing sealing member 60 is, for example, a packing that seals between the first housing joint 11g and the second housing joint 12f to prevent air leakage.

As described above, pressure may be applied to the inside of the filter housing 10 by circulating air being sent in. At this time, there is a risk that the distance between the first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 may change due to the elasticity of the housing sealing member 60 at the joint of the housing. However, in this embodiment, the insertion port 11a and the housing gear 11b are provided in conjunction with the first housing member 11, so that even if the distance between the first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 changes, the positional relationship between them does not change, and it is possible to prevent variation in the fitting distance with the filter gear 25. Therefore, the margin for considering gear misalignment can be reduced, and the gear fitting precision can be maintained high.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first housing bottom surface portion 11c of the first housing member 11 is provided with a first housing joint portion 11g protruding downward. The first housing joint portion 11g is provided across the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 5) so as to be inserted into the second housing joint portion 12f of the second housing member 12. In this way, since the first housing joint portion 11g protruding downward is provided across the entire width of the first housing member 11, a reinforcing rib is provided on the first housing bottom surface portion 11c, and the first housing bottom surface portion 11c is reinforced to suppress deformation such as bending. As a result, deformation of the first housing bottom surface portion 11c itself on which the housing gear 11b is provided is suppressed, so that the change in the positional relationship between the insertion port 11a and the housing gear 11b can be further suppressed. In addition, by arranging the housing gear 11b and the drive unit 30 close to the first housing joint portion 11g, the positional deviation of the housing gear 11b can be effectively suppressed. In addition, in order for the first housing joint 11g to effectively function as a reinforcing rib for the first housing bottom surface portion 11c, it is preferable that the first housing joint 11g extend as far as possible in one direction along the long side of the first housing bottom surface portion 11c.

The first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 are fixed to each other by a fixing member 50 such as a screw. Specifically, the first fixing receiving portion 11d is provided on the first housing bottom surface portion 11c, the second fixing receiving portion 12b is provided on the second housing bottom surface portion 12a, and the second fixing receiving portion 12b covers the lower part of the first fixing receiving portion 11d. The fixing member 50 is inserted into the screw holes provided in the first fixing receiving portion 11d and the second fixing receiving portion 12b. A reinforcing rib 12c formed in contact with the second housing bottom surface portion 12a extends from the second fixing receiving portion 12b. In this way, by fixing the first housing member 11 and the second housing member 12 by the fixing member 50, the two can be combined more firmly. In addition, by connecting the fixed receiving portion and the reinforcing rib 12c, the fixed receiving portion can function as part of the reinforcing rib 12c, while efficiently utilizing the limited area of the bottom surface.

In this embodiment, the first fixed receiving portion 11d and the second fixed receiving portion 12b (fixed receiving portions) are provided at two locations near the opposing side surfaces (left and right in FIG. 5) of the filter housing 10, but this is not limited and they may be provided at a position closer to the drive unit 30. Furthermore, the reinforcing rib 12c is not limited to being connected to the fixed receiving portions, and may be provided at various parts of the bottom surface of the filter housing 10, or may be provided on the first housing bottom surface portion 11c. In this way, by providing the reinforcing rib 12c to increase the strength of the bottom surface, deformation can be suppressed and the gears can be maintained in an engaged state.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be a basis for restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted solely by the embodiments described above, but is defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 filter housing 10a air inlet 10b air outlet 11 first housing member 11b housing gear 11d first fixed receiving portion (an example of a fixed receiving portion)
12 Second housing member 12b Second fixed receiving portion (an example of a fixed receiving portion)
12c Reinforcing rib 20 Filter portion 25 Filter gear 30 Drive portion 50 Fixing member 60 Housing sealing member 100 Washing machine

Claims (6)

A dryer for drying clothes,
A storage tank for storing clothes to be dried;
A dry air generating unit that generates dry air to be sent to the storage tank;
a filter housing to which a filter unit having a lint filter for collecting lint is attached,
The filter housing is configured by combining a first housing member and a second housing member that are separately formed, and an insertion opening into which the filter section is inserted and positioned and a housing gear that engages with a filter gear of the filter section are provided on different surfaces in an insertion direction of the filter section ,
The filter portion is engaged with an inner wall of the insertion opening via a filter sealing member.
a direction in which the filter gear and the housing gear mesh with each other is a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the filter unit,
the first housing member occupies a portion of the filter housing that includes the insertion opening and the housing gear,
The first housing member and the second housing member are joined with a housing sealing member sandwiched therebetween. 2. The dryer according to claim 1,
The first housing member has a first housing joint portion protruding outward on a surface on which the housing gear is provided,
the second housing member is provided with a second housing joint into which the first housing joint is inserted. The dryer according to claim 2,
The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the first housing joint is provided along a long side of a surface of the first housing member on which the housing gear is provided. A dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The dryer according to claim 1, wherein the filter housing has a reinforcing rib formed upright on a bottom surface thereof. The dryer according to claim 4,
A fixed receiving portion extending from the reinforcing rib;
a fixing member that is inserted into the fixed receiving portion,
The fixing member fixes the first housing member and the second housing member. A washing machine equipped with a dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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