JP7751022B2 - Laundry equipment - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to sterilization or deodorization in laundry equipment.

Coin laundries provide customers with laundry equipment such as washer-dryers installed within the store. Customers bring their own laundry items, such as clothes or bedding, and place them in the machine's drum, then pay a usage fee to have them washed. As coin laundries are generally unmanned, they have introduced a payment system that automates payment. Customers use the laundry equipment on a self-service basis by inserting cash into the payment machine located at each machine.

Patent No. 4883978 Patent No. 5087663

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a laundry machine that can more effectively disinfect or deodorize the drum.

The laundry machine of the embodiment is a laundry machine that washes and/or dries clothes, and at least one of the washing and drying operations, and includes a drum that can store the clothes, a motor that rotates the drum, a sterilization/deodorization mechanism that has at least one of an ozone generating unit that generates ozone, a charged fine particle generating unit that generates charged fine particles, and a mist generating unit that generates mist by atomizing a liquid having a sterilizing or deodorizing effect, and a control device that operates the sterilization/deodorization mechanism to sterilize and/or deodorize the inside of the drum prior to a washing operation or a drying operation of the laundry machine. and an operating means for operating the execution of sterilization and/or deodorization inside the drum, a door lock for locking a door that can close the clothes insertion opening of the drum, and a fan connected to the drum and for discharging air inside the drum to the outside , wherein when the operating means is operated and the door is closed, the control device locks the door and activates the sterilization/deodorization mechanism, and performs the sterilization and/or deodorization inside the drum while rotating the drum with the motor and with the fan stopped before the washing operation or the drying operation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a laundry facility. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a dryer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the dryer. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a washing/drying machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the washer/dryer. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum sterilization process. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clothing sterilization process. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clothing sterilization process according to Modification 1. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a clothing sterilization process according to Modification 2.

Details of embodiments of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

(Laundry facilities)
First, the overall configuration of the laundry facility according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the laundry facility.

As shown in FIG. 1, laundry facility F is a store where laundry equipment, including washing machines, dryers, washer-dryers, shoe washers, and compression packers, is installed and available for use upon payment. In this embodiment, laundry facility F is equipped with laundry equipment including a dryer 1 for drying clothes, a washer-dryer 2 for washing and drying clothes, and a payment machine 3 for processing payments for using the laundry equipment.

Dryer 1 and washer-dryer 2 each have a door D1 that closes the drum D into which the clothes are placed. This door D1 has a handle D2 that the user can grip to open and close the door. This handle D2 is treated with an antibacterial coating, for example. Dryer 1 and washer-dryer 2 also have a mechanism for sterilizing the inside of drum D, as described below.

The payment machine 3 is equipped with a touch panel display 31 for performing operations related to payment and selecting the type of operation related to washing/drying clothes. This touch panel display 31 is treated with an antibacterial coating using antibacterial wax, antibacterial cover glass, etc.

In addition, laundry facility F is equipped with an ozone sterilization device 4, a photocatalytic sterilization device 5, and a sterilizing mist sprayer 6 to sterilize the facility, specifically the spaces that users can enter and exit when using the laundry equipment.

The ozone sterilization device 4 generates ozone at a concentration below the permissible indoor concentration, sterilizing the space with ozone. The photocatalytic sterilization device 5 is a device that sterilizes and deodorizes using photocatalysis, and is configured, for example, to pass air through a photocatalytic ceramic filter. The sterilizing mist sprayer 6 is a device that sprays a mist with sterilizing properties, sterilizing the space by generating and spraying a mist containing hypochlorous acid water.

This type of laundry facility F can reduce pathogenic bacteria and viruses in areas that users touch and in the space within the facility, thereby preventing infection between users via equipment within the laundry facility F and infection via clothing.

(dryer)
The configuration of the dryer will be described below. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the dryer. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the dryer.

As shown in Figure 2, the drying mechanism of the dryer 1 includes a drum D that defines a cylindrical space for storing clothes to be dried, a motor M that rotates the drum D, an air intake path 11 for drawing air into the drum D from the outside, and an exhaust path 15 for exhausting the air from the drum D to the outside.

The intake path 11 is provided with a heating unit 12 that heats the intake air and an inlet temperature sensor 13 that measures the temperature in the intake path 11. The exhaust path 15 is provided with an outlet temperature sensor 16 that measures the temperature in the exhaust path 15 and a fan 17 that exhausts the air inside the drum to the outside.

Furthermore, the dryer 1 is equipped with an ozone generator 14, a charged particle generator NE, and a mist generator MG as a sterilization/deodorization mechanism. The ozone generator 14 is located in the air intake passage 11 and generates ozone, which has sterilization and deodorization effects. The charged particle generator NE generates charged particles and is located near the drum D so that these charged particles are supplied into the drum D. Here, the charged particles include negative oxygen ions, positive hydrogen ions, charged particle water, active oxygen, etc., and have sterilization and deodorization effects. The mist generator MG is located in the air intake passage 11 and generates mist by atomizing a liquid with sterilization/deodorization effects, such as hydrogen subchloride water or hydrogen hypochlorite water. Here, atomization refers to breaking down the liquid into particles large enough to float in the air, and the mist generator MG generates mist using known means, such as a spray nozzle or ultrasonic vibrator. The ozone generator 14, charged fine particle generator NE, and mist generator MG may be installed in any position as long as the air containing the respective generation/generation targets flows into the drum D.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dryer 1 also includes a control system including a control device 90A having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, an input IF (Interface) 91, and an output IF 92.

The control device 90A controls the dryer 1 through cooperation between the CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903. It receives inputs from the inlet temperature sensor 13, outlet temperature sensor 16, operation panel CP (see Figure 1), and open/close sensor DS via the input IF 91, and controls the heating unit 12, motor M, ozone generator 14, fan 17, door lock DL, and charged microparticle generator NE via the output IF 92. The open/close sensor DS detects the open/close state of the door D1 (see Figure 1) of the drum D, and the door lock DL locks the door D1.

The control device 90A controls the heating unit 12, fan 17, and motor M to perform a general drying operation by rotating the drum D while drawing hot air into the drum D, and also performs drum sterilization processing and clothing sterilization processing, which will be described in detail later.

(Washer/dryer)
The configuration of the washer-dryer will be described below. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the washer-dryer. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the washer-dryer.

As shown in FIG. 4, the washer-dryer 2 differs from the dryer 1 in that it further includes, as a washing mechanism, a water supply channel 21 for supplying water into the drum D and a drain channel 22 for draining water from the drum D. The water supply channel 21 is provided with a water supply valve 21V, and the drain channel 22 is provided with a drain valve 22V. The water supply valve 21V and the drain valve 22V switch the water supply channel 21 and the drain channel 22 between a closed state and an open state, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 90B of the washer-dryer 2 differs from the control device 90A of the dryer 1 in that a water level sensor 23 (not shown in FIG. 4) that detects the water level in the drum D is connected to the control device 90 via an input IF 91, and the control device 90 is connected to a water supply valve 21V and a drain valve 22V via an output IF 92.

In addition to the drying operation, drum sterilization process, and clothing sterilization process described above, control device 90B also controls water supply valve 21V, drain valve 22V, and motor M to perform general washing operations by rotating drum D while water is being supplied to drum D. In the following description, when control devices 90A and 90B are not distinguished, they will be collectively referred to as control device 90.

(Drum sterilization treatment)
The drum disinfection process will be described below with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

Drum sterilization processing is processing that is performed prior to operation of dryer 1 and washer-dryer 2, i.e., prior to the drying operation in dryer 1, and the washing or drying operation in washer-dryer 2. The operation panel CP also includes a drum sterilization button for setting whether or not to perform drum sterilization processing, and a lamp or seven-segment display that indicates the status indicated by this button. The control device 90 is also configured to be able to perform one drum sterilization processing prior to operation in accordance with payment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 90 first determines whether the remaining number of drum sterilization processes is one or more (S101).

If the remaining number of times is one or more (S101, YES), the control device 90 determines whether the drum sterilization button on the operation panel CP has been pressed (S102).

If the drum sterilization button is pressed (S102, YES), the control device 90 uses the open/close sensor DS to determine whether the door D1 is closed (S103).

If door D1 is closed (S103, YES), the control device 90 activates the door lock DL to lock door D1 (S104), performs the sterilization/deodorization operation (S105), then performs the discharge operation (S106), and ends the drum sterilization process.

During the sterilization/deodorization operation, the control device 90 rotates the drum D using the motor M and operates the ozone generator 14, the charged particle generator NE, and the mist generator MG. At this time, the fan 17 is stopped. During this sterilization/deodorization operation, ozone generated by the ozone generator 14, charged particles generated by the charged particle generator NE, and mist generated by the mist generator MG fill the drum D and are agitated by the rotation of the drum D, sterilizing and deodorizing the inside of the drum D. Furthermore, during the discharge operation, the control device 90 operates only the fan 17. This discharges the air containing the ozone, charged particles, and mist from inside the drum D to the outside. Note that during the sterilization/deodorization operation, it is sufficient that at least one of the ozone, charged particles, and mist flow into the drum D.

Also, if door D1 is not in a closed state in step S103 (S103, NO), the control device 90 again determines whether door D1 is in a closed state (S103).

Also, in step S102, if the drum sterilization button is not pressed and an instruction to start the washing operation or drying operation is given on the operation panel CP (S102, NO), the control device 90 ends the drum sterilization process.

Also, in step S101, if the remaining number of times is less than 1, i.e., 0 (S101, NO), the control device 90 ends the drum sterilization process.

This drum sterilization process allows the inside of drum D to be sterilized or deodorized using ozone and charged microparticles before the dryer 1 or washer-dryer 2 is operated. This reduces pathogenic bacteria and viruses, preventing the spread of disease through drum D. Note that drum sterilization can also be performed on washing machines that do not have a drying mechanism and only have a washing function.

(Clothing sterilization treatment)
The clothing sterilization process will be described below with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

The clothing sterilization process is performed in the dryer 1 or washer-dryer 2 after the drying operation to sterilize the clothing. Note that the clothing sterilization process assumes that the door D1 has been locked in advance by the door lock DL.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 90 performs a drying operation, i.e., activates the heating unit 12, fan 17, and motor M to rotate the drum D while drawing hot air into the drum D, and then performs a cooling operation to cool the inside of the drum D (S201).

During the cooling operation, the control device 90 stops the heating unit 12 and activates the fan 17 and motor M, causing unheated air to flow into the drum D while agitating the clothes, thereby cooling the clothes that have become hot during the drying operation.

After the cooling operation, the control device 90 performs a sterilization/deodorization operation to sterilize the clothes in the drum D (S202). This sterilization/deodorization operation continues for a preset sterilization/deodorization time. During the sterilization/deodorization operation, the control device 90 stops the fan 17 and activates the ozone generator 14, charged particle generator NE, mist generator MG, and motor M to generate ozone and charged particles while agitating the clothes and creating an airflow within the drum D, thereby sterilizing and deodorizing the clothes with the ozone, charged particles, and mist. As with the drum sterilization process, the sterilization/deodorization operation in the clothing sterilization process only requires that at least one of ozone, charged particles, and mist be introduced into the drum D. Furthermore, the cooling operation prevents a reduction in the sterilization and deodorization effects due to high temperatures, particularly the sterilization and deodorization effects of ozone, which are accelerated by oxidation at high temperatures.

After the sterilization/deodorization operation, the control device 90 performs a discharge operation to discharge the ozone and charged fine particles inside the drum D to the outside (S203), stops the door lock DL, and unlocks the door D1 (S204). During this discharge operation, the control device 90 stops the ozone generator 14, the charged fine particle generator NE, and the mist generator MG, and operates the fan 17 and motor M to discharge the ozone, charged fine particles, and mist from the drum D. Furthermore, by unlocking the door D1 after the discharge operation, the user can be prevented from being exposed to ozone, which can have adverse effects on the human body depending on its concentration.

This type of clothing sterilization treatment reduces the number of bacteria and viruses that are pathogens attached to clothing, preventing the spread of disease through clothing.

(Modification 1 of clothing sterilization treatment)
The clothing sterilization process according to this modification differs from the above-described clothing sterilization process in that the sterilization/deodorization operation is terminated based on a user instruction. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clothing sterilization process according to this modification.

As shown in FIG. 8, after the sterilization/deodorization operation (S202) begins, the control device 90 determines whether a preset sterilization/deodorization time has elapsed since the start of the sterilization/deodorization operation (S301). If the sterilization/deodorization time has not elapsed (S310, NO), the control device 90 determines whether an end instruction has been given by the user (S302). Here, the end instruction is given by pressing an end instruction button provided on the operation panel CP.

If an end command is issued (S302, YES), the control device 90 stops the sterilization/deodorization operation and performs the discharge operation (S203). On the other hand, if an end command is not issued (S302, NO), the control device 90 continues the sterilization/deodorization operation (S202).

Also, in step S301, if the sterilization/deodorization time has elapsed (S301), the control device 90 stops the sterilization/deodorization operation and performs the discharge operation (S203).

In this way, even during the sterilization/deodorization time when the sterilization/deodorization operation is continuing, the sterilization/deodorization time can be extended while taking user convenience into consideration by stopping the sterilization/deodorization operation based on an end instruction from the user. Because the sterilization and deodorization effect of ozone is based on the product of the ozone concentration and the exposure time to ozone, setting a longer sterilization/deodorization time can improve the sterilization and deodorization capabilities.

(Variation 2 of clothing sterilization treatment)
The clothing sterilization process of this modified example is intended for dryers and washer-dryers that do not have door locks, and differs from the clothing sterilization process of modified example 1 in that when the door is opened, the sterilization/deodorization operation is terminated and the discharge operation is started.

As shown in FIG. 9, if the sterilization/deodorization time has not elapsed since the start of the sterilization/deodorization operation (S301, NO), the control device 90 determines whether the door D1 of the drum D is open based on detection by the open/close sensor DS (S401).

If door D1 is open (S401, YES), the control device 90 stops the sterilization/deodorization operation and starts the discharge operation (S203).

On the other hand, if door D1 is not open (S401, NO), the control device 90 continues the sterilization/deodorization operation (S202).

In this way, if door D1 is opened before the sterilization/deodorization time has elapsed since the start of the sterilization/deodorization operation, the sterilization/deodorization operation is stopped and the discharge operation is started, creating negative pressure inside drum D and preventing the user from being exposed to ozone.

The embodiments of the present invention are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its variations are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1... dryer (laundry machine), 12... heating unit, 14... ozone generating section, 17... fan, 90... control device, M... motor, NE... charged fine particle generating section, MG... mist generating section

Claims (2)

A laundry machine that washes and dries clothes, or at least either washes or dries clothes,
a drum capable of containing the garments;
a motor for rotating the drum;
a sterilization/deodorization mechanism having at least one of an ozone generating unit that generates ozone, a charged fine particle generating unit that generates charged fine particles, and a mist generating unit that generates mist by atomizing a liquid having a sterilization or deodorization effect;
a control device that activates the sterilization/deodorization mechanism to sterilize and/or deodorize the inside of the drum prior to a washing operation or a drying operation of the laundry machine;
an operating means for operating the execution of sterilization and/or deodorization in the drum;
a door lock for locking a door capable of closing a clothes insertion opening of the drum;
a fan connected to the drum and configured to exhaust air from within the drum to the outside;
Equipped with
The control device
When the operating means is operated and the door is closed, the door lock is locked and the sterilization/deodorization mechanism is activated to perform the sterilization and/or deodorization inside the drum with the fan stopped before the washing operation or the drying operation ;
After the sterilization and/or deodorization is performed, only the fan is operated to perform a discharge operation for discharging the air from the drum.
A laundry appliance characterized by: The laundry machine according to claim 1, wherein the control device, when the fan is stopped , performs the sterilization and/or deodorization inside the drum while rotating the drum using the motor.