JP7610489B2 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

This embodiment relates to a clothes dryer.

Conventionally, there is a clothes dryer that dries clothes in a drying chamber by heating the air in the drying chamber with a heating device installed in the circulation air duct, and returning the warm air generated by the heating to the drying chamber and circulating it again. In such a configuration, there is a configuration that aims to promote start-up of the heating device by providing an opening and closing mechanism that actively exhausts part of the air in the circulation air duct. The opening and closing mechanism is configured, for example, with an exhaust section that connects the inside and outside of the circulation air duct, a damper that can actively open and close this exhaust section, and a motor that drives the damper.

Here, in order to further improve the drying efficiency and further shorten the operating time, it is effective to increase the volume of warm air supplied to the drying chamber. However, increasing the volume of air increases the wind pressure on the damper, which may open the damper and create a gap. This causes the warm air in the circulating air passage to unintentionally escape through the gap, resulting in a drop in the temperature of the air in the circulating air passage and a decrease in drying efficiency. For this reason, in the past, in order to increase the volume of air, it was necessary to make the damper or motor larger, and to apply greater force to hold the damper against the increased wind pressure so that it would not open unintentionally. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, increasing the volume of air required the damper and motor to be larger, which in turn could lead to an increase in the size of the entire clothes dryer.

JP 2020-10959 A

Therefore, we provide a clothes dryer that can ensure the volume of air exhausted from the circulating air passage while preventing the opening and closing mechanism from becoming too large.

The clothes dryer of the embodiment includes a drying chamber capable of storing clothes, a circulation air duct provided outside the drying chamber and configured to circulate air within the drying chamber, a heating device for heating the air within the circulation air duct, an exhaust section provided midway through the circulation air duct and capable of exhausting a portion of the air flowing within the circulation air duct to the outside of the circulation air duct, an opening/closing member capable of opening and closing the exhaust section by rotating, a pivot section serving as a fulcrum for the rotation of the opening/closing member, and an opening/closing mechanism having a drive section for rotating the opening/closing member around the pivot section.

The exhaust section is provided on the base end side of the opposing area, which is the area where the opening/closing member faces the outer surface of the circulating air passage when the opening/closing member is closed, from the center between the base end, which is the end on the rotating shaft side, and the tip end, which is the end on the opposite side to the rotating shaft, and is not provided on the tip end side.

Or, the area of the exhaust section decreases from the base end, which is the end on the rotating shaft side, to the tip end, which is the end on the opposite side to the rotating shaft, in the opposing region, which is the region where the opening/closing member faces the outer surface of the circulating air passage when the opening/closing member is closed.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a clothes dryer according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circulating air passage and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of an exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration of an exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration of an exhaust unit and its surroundings in a clothes dryer according to a second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a first example of a configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in a clothes dryer according to a third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a second example of the configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a third example of the configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a fourth example of the configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a first example of a configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in a clothes dryer according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a second example of the configuration of the exhaust unit and its surroundings in the clothes dryer according to the fourth embodiment;

Below, clothes dryers according to several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that components that are essentially the same in each embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions will be omitted.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. A washer/dryer 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is an application example of the clothes dryer of this embodiment. The washer/dryer 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a horizontal-axis or diagonal-axis drum-type washing machine with a washing function and a drying function. The clothes dryer of this embodiment can also be applied to a vertical-axis type so-called fully automatic washing machine with a washing function and a drying function. The clothes dryer of this embodiment can also be applied to a configuration that does not have a washing function, for example, a drying-only configuration.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the washer-dryer 10 includes an outer box 11, a door 12, an outer tub 13, a rotating tub 14, a motor 15, a drainage mechanism 16, a blower 17, a circulating air passage 20, and a heater 30. In this embodiment, the door 12 side of the outer box 11, i.e., the left side of the paper in Figure 1, is the front side of the washer-dryer 10. The outer box 11 is formed into a rectangular hollow box shape using, for example, a stainless steel plate, and forms the outer shell of the washer-dryer 10. The outer box 11 has a clothes entrance 111 at the front part that connects the inside and outside of the outer box 11.

The door 12 is provided at the front of the outer box 11 and is configured to be able to open and close the clothing entrance 111. With the door 12 open, the user can insert or remove clothing into or from the rotating tub 14 through the clothing entrance 111.

The outer tank 13 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open front. In this embodiment, the outer tank 13 can store water inside, and in this case functions as a water tank. The outer tank 13 has a circulation outlet 131 and a circulation inlet 132. The circulation outlet 131 is provided, for example, in the upper front part of the peripheral wall constituting the cylindrical part of the outer tank 13, and is provided in a position separated in the left-right direction from the center of the outer tank 13 in the left-right direction, that is, the top of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the outer tank 13. The circulation inlet 132 is provided, for example, in a part of the bottom of the outer tank 13 slightly above the center in the up-down direction of the bottom. The circulation outlet 131 and the circulation inlet 132 communicate the inside and outside of the outer tank 13.

The rotating tub 14 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that can accommodate clothes, and is rotatably accommodated inside the outer tub 13. The rotation axis of the rotating tub 14 overlaps with the central axis of the outer tub 13. The rotating tub 14 has a plurality of communication holes 141. The communication holes 141 communicate the inside and outside of the rotating tub 14. The communication holes 141 are formed in the peripheral wall constituting the cylindrical part of the rotating tub 14 and the entire bottom of the rotating tub 14. The communication holes 141 mainly function as water holes through which water enters and exits during the washing operation and the spin-drying operation, and function as ventilation holes through which air enters and exits during the drying operation. The rotating tub 14, together with the outer tub 13, constitutes a drying chamber in which clothes are accommodated and dried during the drying operation.

The motor 15 is provided, for example, on the outside of the bottom of the outer tub 13. The tip side of the rotating shaft 151 of the motor 15 protrudes into the inside of the outer tub 13 and is connected to the rotating tub 14. For example, an outer rotor type direct drive motor can be used as the motor 15. The motor 15 rotates the rotating tub 14 relative to the outer tub 13. In this case, the rotating shaft 151 of the motor 15, the central axis of the outer tub 13, and the rotating axis of the rotating tub 14 are all aligned.

The drain mechanism 16 has a function of draining water stored inside the outer tub 13 to the outside of the washer-dryer 10. The drain mechanism 16 is composed of a drain valve 161 and a drain pipe 162. The drain valve 161 is an electromagnetically driven on-off valve for liquid. The drain valve 161 opens and closes a drain path that leads from inside the outer tub 13 to the outside of the machine via the drain mechanism 16. The washer-dryer 10 also has a water supply mechanism, the details of which are not shown. The water supply mechanism, not shown, is connected to an external water supply source, such as a water supply, and has a function of supplying water supplied from the external water supply source to the outer tub 13.

The circulation air duct 20 is provided outside the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14, which are drying chambers, and is configured to be able to circulate the air inside the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14. The circulation air duct 20 connects the circulation outlet 131 and the circulation inlet 132. The circulation air duct 20 has the function of taking in the air inside the outer tub 13 from the circulation outlet 131 into the circulation air duct 20, turning the taken-in air into hot air by the action of the heating device 30, and then supplying the hot air into the outer tub 13 from the circulation inlet 132.

The circulating air duct 20 can be configured to include, for example, an exhaust duct 21, a filter box 22, a connecting duct 23, a heat exchanger 24, and an air supply duct 25. The exhaust duct 21, the filter box 22, the connecting duct 23, the heat exchanger 24, and the air supply duct 25 are arranged in order along the flow of air through the circulating air duct 20.

The exhaust duct 21 is a duct that connects the circulation outlet 131 of the outer tank 13 and the filter box 22. The exhaust duct 21 can be made of, for example, a flexible hose. As shown in FIG. 3, the filter box 22 can be made of, for example, a resin, long in one direction, for example, the front-to-rear direction, and rigid container-like member. Inside the filter box 22, for example, two filter members 261 and 262 with different mesh sizes are detachably provided. The two filter members 261 and 262 collect lint and foreign matter contained in the air flowing through the circulation air passage 20. In this case, if the upstream side of the two filter members 261 and 262 is the first filter member 261 and the downstream side is the second filter member 262, the downstream second filter member 262 has a finer mesh than the upstream first filter member 261.

The filter box 22 has an opening at a part of its box-shaped top surface so that, for example, the two filter members 261, 262 can be inserted and removed from the filter box 22. In this case, the outer box 11 is formed with an attachment/detachment opening 112. The attachment/detachment opening 112 is formed through the outer box 11 and communicates with the inside of the filter box 22. The two filter members 261, 262 are inserted and removed from the filter box 22 through the attachment/detachment opening 112.

In this case, the washer-dryer 10 may further include a lid 18. A first filter member 261 is attached to the lid 18, and the lid 18 is configured to be detachable from the filter box 22 together with the first filter member 261. When attached to the filter box 22, the lid 18 closes the attachment/detachment opening 112, and is disposed on the same plane as the surrounding surface of the lid 18 on the top surface of the outer box 11, forming the top surface of the outer box 11, i.e., the top surface of the washer-dryer 10.

The connection duct 23 is a duct that connects the filter box 22 and the heat exchange section 24. The heat exchange section 24 is provided on the inside lower part of the outer box 11 and below the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14. Air taken into the circulation air duct 20 from the outer tub 13 is dehumidified and heated as it passes through the heat exchange section 24, becoming dry warm air. The air supply duct 25 is a duct that connects the heat exchange section 24 and the circulation inlet 132 of the outer tub 13.

The heating device 30 has the function of dehumidifying and heating the air in the circulating air passage 20 to generate hot air. In this embodiment, the heating device 30 can be configured as a heat pump unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle. In this embodiment, the heating device 30 is sometimes referred to as the heat pump unit 30. The heat pump unit 30 can generate hot air at about 60°C to 70°C, which is lower than that of the heater type.

As shown in FIG. 2 etc., the heat pump unit 30 has an evaporator 31, a condenser 32, a compressor 33, an expansion valve 34, etc. The evaporator 31 and the condenser 32 are provided in the heat exchange section 24. The evaporator 31 is provided upstream of the condenser 32 with respect to the air flow in the heat exchange section 24 during drying operation. The evaporator 31 and the condenser 32, together with the compressor 33 provided outside the heat exchange section 24, constitute a heat pump mechanism, i.e., a refrigeration cycle. The air passing through the heat exchange section 24 is cooled by the evaporator 31 and thereby dehumidified. The air dehumidified by the evaporator 31 is then heated by the condenser 32 to become warm air.

The downstream side of the heat exchange section 24 is connected to the circulation inlet 132 of the outer tank 13 by the air supply duct 25. The air blower 17 can be provided, for example, at the connection between the heat exchange section 24 and the air supply duct 25. In this embodiment, the air blower 17 is provided downstream of the condenser 32 and upstream of the circulation inlet 132. The air blower 17 can be configured, for example, with a sirocco fan. The air blower 17 sucks in air from the heat exchange section 24 and discharges it to the air supply duct 25 side. As a result, the warm air dehumidified and heated by the heat exchange section 24 is supplied from the circulation inlet 132 to the outer tank 13 and further to the rotating tank 14 by the blowing action of the air blower 17.

The blower 17 can be configured to blow air at a volume of, for example, 5 m^3 or more per minute. In this case, the washer-dryer 10 can perform a drying operation that has a period during which it blows air at a volume of 5 m^3 or more per minute, for example, at least after the start-up of the heat pump unit 30 has finished.

As also shown in Figures 2 to 4, the washer-dryer 10 further includes an exhaust section 41 and an opening/closing mechanism 50. The exhaust section 41 is provided midway through the circulation air duct 20, and has the function of exhausting a portion of the air flowing through the circulation air duct 20 to the outside of the circulation air duct 20. In each figure, an example of the flow of air circulating through the circulation air duct 20 is indicated by hollow arrows, and an example of the flow of air discharged from the exhaust section 41 to the outside of the circulation air duct 20 is indicated by solid arrows.

The outer box 11 has an opening 113. The opening 113 is formed through a portion of the outer box 11 that corresponds to the exhaust section 41, for example, a portion of the outer box 11 that is closest to the exhaust section 41, and connects the inside and outside of the outer box 11. Air exhausted from the exhaust section 41 to the outside of the circulating air passage 20 is exhausted from the opening 113 to the outside of the machine, i.e., to the outside of the outer box 11.

The exhaust section 41 can be provided, for example, in the filter box 22. The exhaust section 41 is formed, for example, through a flat surface portion of the upper surface of the filter box 22, and connects the inside and outside of the filter box 22. In other words, the surface surrounding the exhaust section 41 is formed as a flat surface.

The opening/closing mechanism 50 has a function of actively opening and closing the exhaust section 41. The opening/closing mechanism 50 can be provided, for example, in the filter box 22. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the opening/closing mechanism 50 can be configured to have an opening/closing member 51, a rotating shaft portion 52, and a drive portion 53. The opening/closing member 51 can be configured, for example, as a rectangular flat plate-like member made of a rigid resin. The opening/closing member 51 can cover the entire exhaust section 41 by rotating toward the exhaust section 41, thereby closing the entire exhaust section 41. In addition, the opening/closing member 51 can open the entire exhaust section 41 by rotating in a direction away from the exhaust section 41.

The opening/closing member 51 can be provided, for example, on the outer surface of the filter box 22, and can be configured to open outward. In this case, the opening/closing member 51 opens the exhaust section 41 by rotating in a direction away from the filter box 22. The opening/closing member 51 also closes the exhaust section 41 by rotating in a direction toward the filter box 22 and contacting the outer surface of the filter box 22. Although not shown in detail, the opening/closing member 51 may be configured to have a flexible rubber material, cushioning material, or the like, in the portion that comes into contact with the filter box 22 when the exhaust section 41 is closed. This can improve adhesion with the filter box 22 when the opening/closing member 51 is closed.

The pivot shaft 52 is a part that serves as a pivot point for the opening/closing member 51, and is provided, for example, at one end of the opening/closing member 51, i.e., along one side of the rectangular opening/closing member 51. In the following description, the end of the opening/closing member 51 on the pivot shaft 52 side, i.e., the end on the side where the pivot shaft 52 is provided, may be referred to as the base end P1, and the end on the opposite side to the pivot shaft 52, i.e., the end on the side where the pivot shaft 52 is not provided, may be referred to as the tip end P2. In addition, the axial direction of the pivot shaft 52 in the opening/closing member 51 may be referred to as the width direction of the opening/closing member 51, and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the pivot shaft 52 in the opening/closing member 51 may be referred to as the length direction of the opening/closing member 51.

The pivot shaft 52 can be configured integrally with the opening/closing member 51, or can be configured separately. When the pivot shaft 52 and the opening/closing member 51 are configured integrally, the pivot shaft 52 can be configured, for example, as portions that protrude outward from both ends of the opening/closing member 51. When the pivot shaft 52 and the opening/closing member 51 are configured as separate members, the pivot shaft 52 can be configured, for example, as a cylindrical member. Both ends of the pivot shaft 52 are attached, for example, to the filter box 22. In this way, the pivot shaft 52 rotatably connects the opening/closing member 51 to the filter box 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pivot shaft 52 can be arranged to extend, for example, perpendicular to the direction in which air flows in the circulating air passage 20, in this case, the direction in which air flows in the filter box 22. That is, in this case, the axial direction of the pivot shaft 52 extends perpendicular to the direction in which air flows in the filter box 22. The pivot shaft 52 can also be arranged upstream of the end of the opening/closing member 51 opposite the pivot shaft 52. That is, in this embodiment, the base end P1 of the opening/closing member 51 is arranged upstream of the tip end P2 of the opening/closing member 51.

The drive unit 53 has a function of rotating the opening/closing member 51 around the pivot shaft 52. The drive unit 53 is an electrically driven actuator, and can be configured, for example, with a motor or a solenoid. The drive unit 53 is connected, for example, to one end of the pivot shaft 52, and rotates the opening/closing member 51 via the pivot shaft 52. The drive unit 53 is driven under the control of, for example, a control device (not shown) provided in the washer/dryer 10.

Next, the specific shape of the exhaust section 41 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the exhaust section 41 is shown with diagonal lines to easily distinguish the exhaust section 41 from the other areas. The area in which the opening/closing member 51 faces the outer surface of the circulating air passage 20 when the opening/closing member 51 is closed, that is, the area covered by the opening/closing member 51, is referred to as the facing area A. The facing area A is, for example, the inner area shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4. The lengthwise dimension of the opening/closing member 51, that is, the dimension from the base end P1 to the tip end P2 in the facing area A, is defined as L. The lengthwise and widthwise directions of the facing area A match the lengthwise and widthwise directions when the opening/closing member 51 is closed.

In this embodiment, the exhaust section 41 is provided in an area on the base end P1 side of the center O between the base end P1 and the tip end P2. That is, the exhaust section 41 is provided in an area of L/2 from the base end P1 side toward the tip end P2 side in the facing area A. In other words, the exhaust section 41 is provided on the base end P1 side of the center O in the length direction of the facing area A, and is not provided on the tip end P2 side.

The exhaust section 41 can be configured with a plurality of rectangular or elliptical holes 411, or slits 411, that extend along the air flow direction, i.e., along the length direction of the facing area A. In this case, the length dimension of each hole 411 is set to L/2 or less. Also, looking at the width direction of the facing area A, each hole 411 is provided up to the vicinity of the end in the width direction of the facing area A. Note that in this specification, the vicinity of the end in the width direction of the facing area A means that the distance between the holes 411 on both ends in the width direction of each hole 411 and the end in the width direction of the facing area A is smaller than the width dimension of each hole 411.

According to the embodiment described above, the washer/dryer 10 includes the outer tub 13, the rotatable tub 14, the circulation air duct 20, the heating device 30, the exhaust section 41, and the opening/closing mechanism 50. The outer tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14 form a drying chamber capable of accommodating clothes. The circulation air duct 20 is provided outside the outer tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14, which form the drying chamber, and is configured to circulate air within the outer tub 13 and the rotatable tub 14. The heating device 30 has a function of heating the air within the circulation air duct 20.

The opening/closing mechanism 50 has an opening/closing member 51, a pivoting shaft 52, and a drive unit 53. The opening/closing member 51 is configured to be able to open and close the exhaust section 41 by pivoting. The pivoting shaft 52 functions as a fulcrum for the pivoting of the opening/closing member 51. The drive unit 53 has the function of pivoting the opening/closing member 51 around the pivoting shaft 52.

The exhaust section 41 is provided on the base end P1 side of the center O between the base end P1, which is the end on the rotating shaft 52 side of the opposing region A, and the tip end P2, which is the end on the opposite side of the rotating shaft 52, but is not provided on the tip end P2 side.

According to this, the exhaust section 41, through which part of the air in the circulating air passage 20 is exhausted, is not provided on the tip end P2 side in the opposing area A, but is provided on the base end P1 side, i.e., on the rotating shaft 52 side, thereby preventing wind pressure from acting on the tip end P2 side of the opening/closing member 51. This makes it unnecessary to make the opening/closing member 51 heavier or increase the output of the drive section 53 in order to counter the wind pressure of the air exhausted from the exhaust section 41, i.e., to prevent the opening/closing member 51 from floating up. As a result, it is possible to ensure the volume of air exhausted from the circulating air passage 20 while preventing the opening/closing mechanism 50 from becoming larger.

In addition, by configuring the exhaust section 41 with multiple small holes 411, even if a small item such as a hairpin placed on the top surface of the washer-dryer 10 accidentally falls into the outer box 11 through the opening 113, the small item can be prevented from entering the circulating air duct 20 through the exhaust section 41.

The configuration of the exhaust section 41 and the opening/closing mechanism 50 described in this embodiment is more suitable for a clothes dryer that employs a heat pump system to generate hot air. That is, the method of generating hot air for drying in a clothes dryer includes a heat pump system using a heat pump unit and a heater system using a heater. The heat pump system clothes dryer 10 of this embodiment circulates the air in the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14 through an evaporator 31 and a condenser 32 provided in the circulation air passage 20, thereby dehumidifying and heating the air in the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14 to generate hot air. The generated hot air then warms the clothes in the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14 and removes moisture from the clothes, thereby drying the clothes.

This type of heat pump system has a slower start-up time and a more gradual rise in air temperature than the heater system. Therefore, by providing an exhaust section 42 that can exhaust part of the air in the circulating air passage 20 and an opening/closing mechanism 50 that can actively open and close this exhaust section 42, the start-up of the heat pump unit 30 can be promoted more effectively.

That is, in the clothes dryer 10 of this embodiment, in the early stage of the drying operation, that is, when the heat pump unit 30 is starting up, the exhaust section 42 is opened to exhaust part of the air in the circulation air duct 20 to the outside. As a result, in the early stage of the drying operation, the air that has removed a lot of moisture from the clothes is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust section 42, accelerating the start-up of the heat pump unit 30. Then, in the middle stage of the drying operation or later, that is, after the heat pump unit 30 has started up, the exhaust section 42 is closed to circulate almost all of the air in the outer tub 13 and the rotating tub 14. As a result, in the middle stage of the drying operation or later, the air that has become hot and circulates through the circulation air duct 20 is heated by the condenser 32 without being exhausted to the outside, so that the air temperature is maintained and the temperature rise is accelerated.

Here, the hot air generated by the heat pump system is about 60°C to 70°C, not over 100°C as seen in the heater system, so the hot air generated by the heat pump unit 30 picks up less moisture per unit volume compared to hot air generated by a heater. For this reason, in a heat pump type clothes dryer 10 such as this embodiment, in order to further increase the drying efficiency and further shorten the operating time, it is effective to increase the air volume.

However, when the air volume is increased, the wind pressure applied to the opening/closing member 51 increases. In this case, if the exhaust section 42 has a conventional configuration, the opening/closing member 51 may float open due to the wind pressure, creating a gap. If this occurs, the warm air in the circulating air duct 20 may unintentionally escape through the gap, resulting in a drop in the temperature of the air in the circulating air duct 20 and a decrease in drying efficiency. In this case, in order to prevent the opening/closing member 51 from floating due to the increased wind pressure, it is common to enlarge the opening/closing member 51 and the drive section 53, etc., and press the opening/closing member 51 with greater force against the increased wind pressure. However, in this case, the opening/closing mechanism 50 may become larger, which may result in an increase in the size of the entire clothes dryer 10, etc.

In contrast, according to this embodiment, as described above, by devising a shape for the exhaust section 42, it is possible to counter the wind pressure of the air discharged from the exhaust section 41, that is, to prevent the opening/closing member 51 from floating up, without making the opening/closing member 51 heavier or increasing the output of the drive section 53. For these reasons, the configuration of the exhaust section 41 and the opening/closing mechanism 50 described in this embodiment is more suitable for a clothes dryer that employs a heat pump method for generating hot air.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In this embodiment, the washer/dryer 10 has an exhaust section 42 instead of the exhaust section 41 of the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Also, in Fig. 5, the area of the exhaust section 42 is indicated by hatching so that the area of the exhaust section 42 can be easily distinguished from the area other than the exhaust section 42.

The exhaust section 42 of this embodiment is provided within a range of L/3 from the base end P1 side to the tip end P2 side of the opposing region A. In this case, the exhaust section 42 can be configured to have a plurality of rectangular or elliptical holes 421, i.e., slits 421, extending along the length direction of the opposing region A, similar to the exhaust section 41. The length dimension of each hole 421 is set to L/3 or less. Also, when viewed in the width direction of the opposing region A, each hole 421 is provided up to the vicinity of the end of the opposing region A in the width direction, similar to the holes 421 of the first embodiment described above.

This also provides the same effects as those of the first embodiment.
Furthermore, the exhaust section 42 of this embodiment is provided within a range of L/3 from the base end P1 side toward the tip end P2 side of the facing region A. In other words, the exhaust section 42 is not provided within a range of 2L/3 from the tip end P2 side toward the base end P1 side of the facing region A. This reliably prevents the wind pressure of the air exhausted from the exhaust section 42 from acting on the tip end P2 side of the opening/closing member 51, thereby more reliably preventing the opening/closing member 51 from floating up. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the opening/closing mechanism 50 from becoming larger while still ensuring the volume of air exhausted from the circulation air passage 20.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 9. In this embodiment, the washer/dryer 10 has, for example, one of exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 instead of the exhaust sections 41 and 42 of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the other configurations are common to the above-mentioned embodiments. Note that in Figures 6 to 9, the areas of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 are shown with diagonal lines to easily distinguish the areas of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 from the areas other than the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46.

The exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 of this embodiment are provided over substantially the entire opposing region A, unlike the first and second embodiments. In this case, the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 are set so that the area of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 decreases stepwise or continuously from the base end P1 to the tip end P2 of the opposing region A. For example, the total area of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 provided on the tip end P2 side with respect to the center O is set to be smaller than the total area of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 provided on the base end P1 side.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust section 43 is configured with so-called comb-tooth-shaped holes 431, 432. In this case, the exhaust section 43 has, for example, one root section 431 and multiple teeth sections 432. The root section 431 is provided on the base end P1 side with respect to the teeth section 432, and can be formed, for example, in a rectangular shape or an elongated hole shape that is long in the width direction of the facing area A. The teeth section 432 is provided on the tip end P2 side with respect to the root section 431, and can be formed, for example, in a rectangular shape or an elongated hole shape that is long in the length direction of the facing area A. Each tooth section 432 is arranged at a predetermined interval along the width direction of the facing area A, in this case, the longitudinal direction of the root section 431. The root section 431 and the teeth section 432 are mutually connected.

The example shown in FIG. 7 is a configuration in which the width dimension of the tooth portion 432 of the exhaust portion 43 in FIG. 6 is increased, the number of tooth portions 432 is reduced, and each tooth portion 432 is trapezoidal. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the exhaust portion 44 is configured with a trapezoidal hole 441. The exhaust portion 44 has a plurality of trapezoidal tooth portions 441. Each trapezoidal tooth portion 441 is formed in a shape that narrows from the base end P1 side of the facing area A toward the tip end P2 side. Each trapezoidal tooth portion 441 is arranged at a predetermined interval along the width direction of the facing area A, and is mutually connected at the lower base side of the trapezoidal tooth portion 441, i.e., the base end P1 side.

The example shown in FIG. 8 is an example in which the exhaust section 45 is composed of multiple circular holes 451. The diameter of each hole 451 can be set to an equal value. In this case, the density of the arrangement of the holes 451 varies depending on the location in the facing area A. That is, in the facing area A, multiple holes 451 are densely arranged on the base end P1 side of the center O, and multiple holes 451 are sparsely arranged on the tip end P2 side of the center O. That is, the number of holes 451 provided on the tip end P2 side of the center O in the facing area A is smaller than the number of holes 451 provided on the base end P1 side.

The example shown in FIG. 9 is an example in which the exhaust section 46 is composed of multiple holes 461, 462 of different diameters. In this case, the exhaust section 46 is composed of two holes 461, 462 with different inner diameters. Of the two holes 461, 462, the hole with the larger inner diameter is called the large diameter hole 461, and the hole with the smaller inner diameter is called the small diameter hole 462. In the opposing region A, multiple large diameter holes 461 are provided on the base end P1 side of the center O, and multiple small diameter holes 462 are provided on the tip end P2 side.

Even with these configurations, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained. That is, the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 of this embodiment are set so that the area of the opposing region A decreases from the base end P1 toward the tip end P2. This makes it possible to prevent the wind pressure of the air exhausted from the exhaust section 42 from acting on the tip end P2 side of the opening/closing member 51, and therefore to prevent the opening/closing member 51 from floating up. As a result, it is possible to ensure the volume of air exhausted from the circulation air passage 20 while preventing the opening/closing mechanism 50 from becoming too large.

In addition, in this embodiment, the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 are provided on the tip end P2 side of the center O of the facing area A, or in an area 2L/3 from the tip end P2 side toward the base end P1 side. This makes it possible to minimize the effect of wind pressure on the tip end P2 side of the opening/closing member 51 while ensuring that the area of the exhaust sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 is as large as possible.

Fourth Embodiment
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. In this embodiment, the washer/dryer 10 has, for example, an exhaust section 47 shown in Fig. 10 or an exhaust section 48 shown in Fig. 11 instead of the exhaust sections 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46 of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the other configurations are common to the above-mentioned embodiments.

Here, the drive unit 53 in each embodiment is provided on one end side of the rotating shaft unit 52. And the exhaust units 47, 48 in this embodiment are not provided within a predetermined range W from the end of the opposing area A on the opposite side to the drive unit 53 side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft unit 52. The exhaust units 47, 48 can be configured to have a plurality of rectangular or elliptical holes 471, 481, i.e., slits 471, 481, extending along the air flow direction, i.e., along the length direction of the opposing area A, similar to the hole 411 in the first embodiment or the hole 421 in the second embodiment. In this case, the predetermined range W is set to a dimension that allows two or more slits 471, 481 to be arranged.

The example shown in FIG. 10 is an example in which the shape of the holes 471 is the same as the shape of the holes 411 in the first embodiment. That is, the length dimension of each hole 471 constituting the exhaust section 47 is set to L/2 or less, similar to the holes 411 in the first embodiment. In this case, each hole 471 is provided on the base end P1 side of the center O in the opposing region A, similar to the first embodiment, and is not provided on the tip end P2 side of the center O.

The example shown in FIG. 11 is an example in which the shape of the holes 481 is the same as the shape of the holes 421 in the second embodiment. That is, the length dimension of each hole 481 constituting the exhaust section 48 is set to L/3 or less, similar to the holes 421 in the second embodiment. In this case, each hole 481 is provided within a range of L/3 from the base end P1 side toward the tip end P2 side in the opposing region A, similar to the second embodiment, and is not provided within a range of 2L/3 from the tip end P2 side toward the base end P1 side.

With these configurations, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained.
Here, when the opening/closing member 51 is about to rise due to the wind pressure of the air discharged from the circulating air passage 20, different forces act on the drive unit 53 side of the rotating shaft 52 and the side opposite the drive unit 53 of the rotating shaft 52. That is, the force restricting the rotation of the rotating shaft 52 and the opening/closing member 51 is large because, for example, the holding force and static torque of the drive unit 53 act on the side of the rotating shaft 52 opposite the drive unit 53. On the other hand, the force restricting the rotation of the rotating shaft 52 and the opening/closing member 51 is small because the holding force and static torque of the drive unit 53 do not act on the side of the rotating shaft 52 opposite the drive unit 53 or only act on it. Then, a torsional force acts on the opening/closing member 51 on the side opposite the drive unit 53. If the torsional force acts repeatedly on the opening/closing member 51 and the rotating shaft 52, the opening/closing member 51 and the rotating shaft 52 may be deformed.

In contrast, the exhaust sections 47, 48 in this embodiment are not provided within a predetermined range W from the end of the opposing region A on the drive section 53 side in the axial direction of the pivot shaft section 52. This makes it possible to suppress the force acting on the opening/closing member 51 and the pivot shaft section 52 opposite the drive section 53 to cause them to lift up due to wind pressure. This makes it possible to suppress the torsional force acting on the opening/closing member 51 and the pivot shaft section 52, and as a result, makes it possible to suppress deformation of the opening/closing member 51 and the pivot shaft section 52.

The embodiments may be applied in combination with one another.
The size and specific shape of the exhaust sections 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 in each embodiment can be appropriately set depending on the amount of air flowing through the circulating air duct 20, the amount of exhaust air from the circulating air duct 20, and the like.
In addition, in each of the above embodiments, a heat pump unit has been described as an example of one aspect of the heating device 30 for heating the air in the circulating air duct 20 to generate warm air, but the heating device 30 may be, for example, a heater type.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied 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 in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

10... washer/dryer, clothes dryer, 13... outer tub, drying chamber, 14... rotating tub, drying chamber, 17... blower, 20... circulating air passage, 30... heat pump unit, 31... evaporator, 32... condenser, 33... compressor, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48... exhaust section, 50... opening/closing mechanism, 51... opening/closing member, 52... rotating shaft section, 53... drive section

Claims (5)

A drying room capable of storing clothes;
a circulation air duct provided outside the drying chamber and configured to circulate air within the drying chamber;
A heating device that heats the air in the circulating air duct;
an exhaust section provided in the middle of the circulation air duct and capable of exhausting a portion of the air flowing through the circulation air duct to the outside of the circulation air duct;
an opening/closing mechanism including an opening/closing member capable of opening and closing the exhaust unit by rotation, a rotation shaft portion serving as a fulcrum for the rotation of the opening/closing member, and a drive portion for rotating the opening/closing member about the rotation shaft portion;
the exhaust section is provided on the base end side of the center between a base end which is an end portion on the side of the rotating shaft section and a tip end which is an end portion on the opposite side of the rotating shaft section in an opposing region which is an area where the opening/closing member faces an outer surface of the circulating air passage when the opening/closing member is closed, and is not provided on the tip end side;
The drive unit is provided on one end side of the rotation shaft unit,
the exhaust section is not provided within a predetermined range from an end of the opposing region on a side opposite to the drive section in the axial direction of the rotation shaft section.
Clothes dryer. A drying room capable of storing clothes;
a circulation air duct provided outside the drying chamber and configured to circulate air within the drying chamber;
A heating device that heats the air in the circulating air duct;
an exhaust section provided in the middle of the circulation air duct and capable of exhausting a portion of the air flowing through the circulation air duct to the outside of the circulation air duct;
an opening/closing mechanism including an opening/closing member capable of opening and closing the exhaust unit by rotation, a rotation shaft portion serving as a fulcrum for the rotation of the opening/closing member, and a drive portion for rotating the opening/closing member about the rotation shaft portion;
the exhaust section is provided on the base end side of the center between a base end which is an end portion on the side of the rotating shaft section and a tip end which is an end portion on the opposite side of the rotating shaft section in an opposing region which is an area where the opening/closing member faces an outer surface of the circulating air passage when the opening/closing member is closed, and is not provided on the tip end side;
A plurality of holes constituting the exhaust portion are provided in the opposing region such that a distance between the holes located on both ends and an end of the opposing region in a direction along the rotation shaft portion is smaller than a dimension of each of the holes in the direction.
Clothes dryer. The exhaust portion is provided within a range of ⅓ of the facing region from the base end side toward the tip end side.
The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2 . A drying room capable of storing clothes;
a circulation air duct provided outside the drying chamber and configured to circulate air within the drying chamber;
A heating device that heats the air in the circulating air duct;
an exhaust section provided in the middle of the circulation air duct and capable of exhausting a portion of the air flowing through the circulation air duct to the outside of the circulation air duct;
an opening/closing mechanism including an opening/closing member capable of opening and closing the exhaust unit by rotation, a rotation shaft portion serving as a fulcrum for the rotation of the opening/closing member, and a drive portion for rotating the opening/closing member about the rotation shaft portion;
The exhaust section has an area that becomes smaller from a base end, which is an end on the rotating shaft side, to a tip end, which is an end on the opposite side to the rotating shaft, in a facing area, which is an area where the opening/closing member faces the outer surface of the circulating air passage when the opening/closing member is closed.
Clothes dryer. The air conditioner further includes a blower configured to blow air at a volume of 5 m^3 or more per minute and blow air through the circulating air duct.
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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