CN113614303A

CN113614303A - Washing and drying integrated machine

Info

Publication number: CN113614303A
Application number: CN202080024573.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 季恒; 福井秋陆
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-04
Filing date: 2020-01-21
Publication date: 2021-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-01-21
Also published as: WO2020199740A1; CN113614303B; JP2020168231A; JP7320774B2

Abstract

A washing and drying integrated machine can improve the maintainability of a drying filter. Washing and drying all-in-one (1) includes: an outer cylinder (3) capable of storing water, and a circulation path (20) having an outlet (20D) and a return (20E) connected to the outer cylinder (3). Washing and drying all-in-one (1) includes: an air blowing part (21) which takes the air in the outer cylinder (3) out of the circulation path (20) from the outlet (20D) and returns the air into the outer cylinder (3) from the return port (20E) to circulate the air, and a heating part (22) which is arranged in the circulation path (20) and heats the air in the circulation path (20). The washing and drying integrated machine (1) includes a drying filter (42) disposed on the side of the outlet (20D) with respect to the heating unit (22) in the circulation path (20). The drying filter (42) has a vertical surface portion (42A) that captures foreign matter in the air that travels from the take-out port (20D) to the return port (20E) in the circulation path (20). The washing and drying integrated machine (1) comprises a water supply part (50) for supplying water to a vertical surface part (42A) from an upper side (Z1), a scraper (62) capable of moving along the vertical surface part (42A), and an actuator for moving the scraper (62).

Description

Washing and drying integrated machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a washing and drying integrated machine.

Background

The washing and drying machine described in the following patent document 1 includes: an outer tub capable of storing water, a drum disposed in the outer tub and accommodating laundry, and a circulation duct. The circulation wind path comprises an air inlet and an air outlet which are connected with the outer cylinder, and an air supply unit with a blower and a heater. When the blower is operated, air in the outer cylinder is circulated so as to be sucked into the circulation air duct from the air inlet and flow into the outer cylinder from the air outlet. The circulated air is heated by the heater in the circulation air duct. The washings in the drum are dried by heated air. A drying filter for capturing foreign matters such as broken threads contained in the circulated air is disposed in the air blowing unit. For cleaning convenience, the drying filter can be detached from the air supply unit.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-244984

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the integrated washer dryer described in patent document 1, the user needs to periodically remove the drying filter and clean it, and therefore, maintenance of the drying filter is troublesome. In particular, in the conventional washing and drying machine, the drying filter needs to be cleaned every time the drying process is finished, so that the times of unloading the drying filter are increased. When the number of times of detaching the drying filter increases, the possibility that the user may damage the drying filter when detaching or attaching the drying filter increases.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a washing and drying all-in-one machine capable of improving maintainability of a drying filter.

Means for solving the problems

The invention relates to a washing and drying integrated machine, which comprises: a box body; an outer tub supported by the tank and capable of storing water; a washing tub accommodated in the outer tub and accommodating laundry; a circulation path having a take-out port and a return port connected to the outer cylinder; a blowing unit that circulates air in the outer tube by taking the air out of the take-out port into the circulation path and returning the air into the outer tube from the return port; a heating unit provided in the circulation path and heating air in the circulation path; a drying filter disposed in the circulation path on the outlet side of the heating unit and having a vertical surface portion for capturing foreign matter in the air flowing from the outlet to the return port in the circulation path; a water supply unit for supplying water to the vertical surface unit from above; a scraper movable along the longitudinal section; and an actuator that moves the scraper.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the washing and drying all-in-one machine further comprises: and a control unit that controls the water supply unit and the actuator, wherein the control unit moves the wiper to a lower portion of the longitudinal section by the actuator and supplies water to the longitudinal section from an upper side by the water supply unit to perform maintenance processing.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the washing and drying all-in-one machine further comprises: a duct that houses the drying filter as a part of the circulation path and has a release hole formed on a lower side of the vertical surface portion; a water discharge path for discharging water in the outer tub; and a flow path connecting the release hole and the drainage path.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the air in the outer tub of the washing and drying all-in-one machine is circulated so as to be taken out from the take-out port into the circulation path and returned from the return port into the outer tub. The circulated air is heated by the heating portion in the circulation path to become hot air, and dries the laundry in the washing drum. The drying filter provided in the circulation path on the outlet side of the heating unit traps foreign matter contained in the air flowing from the outlet to the return port in the circulation path for circulation at the vertical surface portion. Therefore, the foreign matter in the air can be suppressed from adhering to the heating portion.

When the water supply part supplies water to the vertical surface part of the drying filter from the upper side, the foreign matters caught and adhered to the vertical surface part are peeled off from the vertical surface part by the water flowing through the vertical surface part. The foreign matter adhering to the longitudinal surface portion is also peeled off from the longitudinal surface portion by being scraped by a scraper moving along the longitudinal surface portion. The foreign matter peeled off from the vertical surface portion falls into the circulation path, reaches the inside of the outer tube from the outlet, and is removed from the inside of the outer tube when the outer tube is drained. Therefore, the washing and drying integrated machine has the automatic cleaning function of the drying filter realized by water and the scraper, so that a user can maintain the drying filter without detaching the drying filter. Therefore, the maintainability of the drying filter can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, a case is assumed in which the scraper scrapes foreign substances from the vertical surface portion of the drying filter, so that the foreign substances are attached to the scraper, and in this case, water is supplied from the upper side to the vertical surface portion in a state in which the scraper is moved to the lower portion of the vertical surface portion to perform a maintenance process. This enables foreign matter adhering to the wiper to be removed from the wiper by water flowing along the longitudinal section. Thus, the user does not need to maintain either the drying filter or the scraper. Therefore, the maintainability can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to allow water supplied from the water supply part and foreign substances removed from the longitudinal surface part of the drying filter to flow from the release hole of the duct and the flow path to the drainage path without passing through the outer tub. Thus, water and foreign matters can be prevented from adhering to the laundry in the washing tub accommodated in the outer tub.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal left side view of a washer dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outer tub and the drying unit disposed in the washing and drying integrated machine, viewed from the rear side.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tub and the drying unit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a duct and a filter member constituting the drying unit.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the duct, filter member, and scraping mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the duct, filter member, and scraping mechanism.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a washing and drying integrated machine; 2: a box body; 3: an outer cylinder; 5: a water drainage path; 7: a washing drum; 20: a circulation path; 20D: a take-out port; 20E: a return port; 21: an air supply part; 22: a heating section; 24: a control unit; 30: a pipeline; 32U: a release aperture; 42: drying the filter; 42A: a longitudinal section; 50: a water supply part; 62: a scraper; 63: an actuator; 100: a flow path; l: washing the article; t: a foreign matter; z1: an upper side; z2: the lower side.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal left side view of a washing and drying machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of fig. 1 is referred to as a left-right direction X of the washing and drying machine 1, the left-right direction of fig. 1 is referred to as a front-rear direction Y of the washing and drying machine 1, and the up-down direction of fig. 1 is referred to as an up-down direction Z of the washing and drying machine 1. In the left-right direction X, the back side of the drawing sheet of fig. 1 is referred to as a right side X1, and the front side of the drawing sheet of fig. 1 is referred to as a left side X2. Of the front-rear direction Y, the left side in fig. 1 is referred to as a front side Y1, and the right side in fig. 1 is referred to as a rear side Y2. Among the vertical directions Z, the upper side is referred to as an upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as a lower side Z2.

The washing and drying machine 1 is a so-called drum washing and drying machine. Washing and drying all-in-one 1 includes: the water supply device includes a housing 2, an outer cylinder 3 disposed in the housing 2, a water supply path 4 and a drain path 5 connected to the outer cylinder 3, and a drain filter 6 for trapping foreign matter in water discharged from the outer cylinder 3 through the drain path 5. Washing and drying all-in-one 1 still includes: a washing tub 7 which is housed in the outer tub 3 and houses the laundry L; a motor 8 for rotating the washing drum 7; and a drying unit 9 for drying the laundry L in the washing drum 7.

The case 2 is formed in a box shape. The front surface 2A of the case 2 is, for example, a vertical surface. An opening 2B for communicating the inside and outside of the case 2 is formed in the front surface 2A. A door 10 for opening and closing the opening 2B is provided on the front surface 2A.

The outer cylinder 3 is elastically supported by the casing 2 via a hanger bar (not shown). The outer cylinder 3 has a cylindrical circumferential wall 3A centered on an axis J extending in the front-rear direction Y in the horizontal direction H, a disc-shaped rear wall 3B closing a hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the rear side Y2, and an annular front wall 3C continuous with a front end edge of the circumferential wall 3A. The back wall 3B is disposed vertically, and has an outer peripheral portion 3D and a central portion 3E that protrudes one step further toward the rear side Y2 than the outer peripheral portion 3D. A through hole 3F that penetrates the center portion 3E in the front-rear direction Y along the axis J is formed in the center of the center portion 3E. The front wall 3C has an annular first portion 3G protruding from the leading end edge of the circumferential wall 3A toward the axis J, a cylindrical second portion 3H protruding from the inner peripheral edge of the first portion 3G toward the front side Y1, and an annular third portion 3I protruding from the leading end edge of the second portion 3H toward the axis J. Inside the third portion 3I, a passageway 3J that communicates from the front side Y1 to the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A is formed. The doorway 3J faces and communicates with the opening 2B of the box body 2 from the rear side Y2.

The water supply path 4 has one end (not shown) connected to a faucet (not shown) and the other end 4A connected to, for example, the center portion 3E of the rear wall 3B of the outer tube 3. In the water supply, water from the faucet is supplied from the water supply path 4 into the outer tube 3. The outer cylinder 3 stores therein water such as tap water or detergent water in which detergent is dissolved. A water supply valve 11 that is opened and closed to start or stop water supply is provided in the middle of the water supply path 4.

The drainage channel 5 is connected to a lower end of the outer cylinder 3, for example, a lower end of the first portion 3G of the front wall 3C. The water in the outer cylinder 3 is discharged from the drain passage 5 to the outside of the body. A drain valve 12 that is opened and closed to start or stop drainage is provided in the middle of the drain passage 5.

The drain filter 6 is provided in the drain path 5 at an upstream portion of the outer tub 3 from the drain valve 12. Since the front end of the drain filter 6 is exposed to the front surface 2A of the case 2, the user can attach and detach the drain filter 6 to and from the case 2 by grasping the front end of the drain filter 6. The structure of the drain filter 6 can use a known structure.

The washing tub 7 is one turn smaller than the outer tub 3. The washing tub 7 has a cylindrical circumferential wall 7A disposed coaxially with the circumferential wall 3A of the outer tub 3, a disk-shaped back wall 7B closing the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 7A from the rear side Y2, and an annular wall 7C protruding from the front end edge of the circumferential wall 7A toward the axis J side. In the washing tub, a plurality of through holes 7D are formed at least in the circumferential wall 7A, and water in the outer tub 3 flows between the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 7 through the through holes 7D. Thereby, the water level in the outer tub 3 and the water level in the washing tub 7 are matched. In the center of the back surface wall 7B of the washing tub 7, a support shaft 13 is provided extending to the rear side Y2 along the axis J. The rear end of the support shaft 13 is disposed on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 3B of the outer tube 3 through the through hole 3F of the rear wall 3B.

Inside the annular wall 7C, an inlet and outlet 7E that communicates with the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 7A from the front side Y1 is formed. The inlet 7E faces and communicates with the inlet 3J of the outer cylinder 3 and the opening 2B of the case 2 from the rear side Y2. The doorway 3J and the doorway 7E are opened and closed together with the opening 2B by the door 10. The user of the integrated washing and drying machine 1 puts the laundry L into the washing tub 7 through the opened opening 2B, the entrance 3J, and the entrance 7E.

The motor 8 is disposed on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 3B of the outer cylinder 3 in the casing 2. The motor 8 is coupled to a support shaft 13 provided in the washing tub 7. The driving force generated by the motor 8 is transmitted to the support shaft 13, and the washing tub 7 rotates about the axis J along with the support shaft 13. A clutch mechanism (not shown) for transmitting or cutting off the driving force of the motor 8 to the support shaft 13 may be provided between the motor 8 and the support shaft 13.

The drying unit 9 includes a circulation path 20, a blowing section 21, and a heating section 22. The circulation path 20 is a flow path disposed on the upper side Z1 of the outer tube 3 in the casing 2. The circulation path 20 has a middle portion 20A extending in the front-rear direction Y, a rear portion 20B extending from a rear end of the middle portion 20A to the lower side Z2, and a front portion 20C extending from a front end of the middle portion 20A to the lower side Z2. A removal port 20D is formed at the front end of the lower end of the rear portion 20B. The outlet 20D is connected to a portion of the outer peripheral portion 3D of the back wall 3B of the outer tube 3 which is higher than the upper limit water level, and communicates with the inside of the outer tube 3 from the rear side Y2. A return port 20E is formed at the lower end of the front portion 20C. The return port 20E is connected to the upper end of the second portion 3H of the front wall 3C of the outer cylinder 3, and communicates with the inside of the outer cylinder 3 from the upper side Z1.

The blowing unit 21 is a so-called blower, and includes a rotary blade 23 disposed in the circulation path 20 in a region near the upstream side of the ejection port 20D, and a motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary blade 23. When the rotary blade 23 rotates, the air in the outer tub 3, that is, the air in the outer tub 3 and the air in the washing tub 7 are taken out into the circulation passage 20 from the outlet port 20D as indicated by the thick dotted arrow, and then returned into the outer tub 3 from the return port 20E. Thereby, the air in the outer cylinder 3 circulates so as to flow through the outer cylinder 3 and the circulation path 20 in this order.

The heating unit 22 is a heat exchanger in a heat pump, a general heater, or the like, and is at least partially provided in the circulation path 20. The heating unit 22 includes a plurality of fin-shaped heat radiating portions 22A at portions provided in the circulation path 20. Since the heat radiating portion 22A becomes high temperature when the heating portion 22 operates, the air flowing through the circulation passage 20 is heated to become hot air when passing around the heat radiating portion 22A.

The washing and drying all-in-one machine 1 further includes a control section 24 configured as a microcomputer. The control unit 24 controls the operations of the motor 8, the water supply valve 11, the drain valve 12, the air blowing unit 21, and the heating unit 22 to perform the washing and drying operation. The washing and drying operation includes a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process, and a drying process.

Before the washing process begins, the washing drum 7 is filled with detergent. In the washing process, the controller 24 opens the water supply valve 11 for a predetermined time in a state where the drain valve 12 is closed, supplies water to the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 7, and then rotates the washing tub 7 by the motor 8. Thereby, the laundry L in the washing tub 7 is knocked out. In the washing, the laundry L is repeatedly lifted to some extent and then naturally falls down to the water surface, thereby "rolling over". The laundry L is washed away with dirt by the impact of the tumbling action and detergent components contained in the detergent water stored in the washing tub 7. When the control part 24 opens the drain valve 12 to drain water after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of tumbling, the washing process is ended.

In the rinsing process, the controller 24 opens the water supply valve 11 for a predetermined time period in a state where the drain valve 12 is closed, supplies water to the outer tub 3 and the washing tub 7, and then rotates the washing tub 7 by the motor 8. Since the above-described tumbling is repeated, the laundry L is rinsed by the tap water in the washing tub 7. When the control unit 24 performs the draining after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the tumbling, the rinsing process is ended. The rinsing process may be repeated several times. In the spin-drying process, the controller 24 rotates the washing tub 7 to spin-dry the water while the drain valve 12 is opened. The laundry L in the washing drum 7 is dehydrated by a centrifugal force generated by the dehydration rotation of the washing drum 7. The water seeped out from the laundry L by the dehydration is discharged from the drainage path 5 to the outside of the machine body. The dehydration process is performed not only after the rinsing process but also after the washing process.

During the drying process, the control unit 24 generates hot air by the air blowing unit 21 and the heating unit 22, circulates the hot air between the washing drum 7 and the circulation path 20, and supplies the hot air to the laundry L in the washing drum 7. Thereby, the laundry L is dried. Foreign matter such as broken threads is generated during the washing operation, and the foreign matter flows with hot air during the drying process. When foreign matter adheres to and accumulates in the heat radiating portion 22A of the heating portion 22, there is a possibility that performance is degraded due to a decrease in heating efficiency of the heating portion 22 and a deterioration in air flow in the circulation passage 20, and therefore, it is necessary to trap the foreign matter. Therefore, the drying unit 9 further includes: a filter member 25, a bypass 26, and a fill valve 27.

Hereinafter, the air blowing unit 21 and the circulation path 20 will be described in detail, and then the filter member 25, the bypass 26, and the water injection valve 27 will be described. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outer tub 3 and the drying unit 9 as viewed from the rear side Y2. The blower 21 includes a hollow disk-shaped casing 29 in which the rotary blades 23 are accommodated. The casing 29 is a part of the circulation path 20 and is fixed to the case 2. The inner space of the casing 29 constitutes a connection portion between the middle portion 20A and the rear portion 20B in the circulation path 20.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tub 3 and the drying unit 9. The circulation path 20 includes a duct 30 occupying almost the entire rear portion 20B, and a connection hose 31 connecting the housing 29 and the duct 30. The duct 30 includes a main body 32 and a cover 33 (see fig. 2).

The main body 32 has a curved wall 32A curved so as to descend to the lower left along the upper left portion of the circumferential wall 3A of the outer cylinder 3, and a top wall 32B in a substantially semicircular plate shape bulging toward the front side Y1 and extending from the right end of the curved wall 32A to the left side X2. Between the curved wall 32A and the top wall 32B, a downstream space 32C that becomes narrower in the vertical direction Z as it goes to the right side X1 is partitioned. The top wall 32B extends obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2. The top wall 32B is provided with a cylindrical upper coupling portion 32D projecting upward Z1. The internal space of the upper coupling portion 32D is in a state of communicating with the downstream space 32C from the upper side Z1. The internal spaces of the downstream space 32C and the upper connecting portion 32D constitute a part of the internal space of the rear portion 20B of the circulation path 20. The main body 32 has a side wall 32E that extends between the end edges of the curved wall 32A and the top wall 32B so as to close the downstream space 32C from the front side Y1 and the left side X2.

The main body 32 has a first vertical wall 32F extending from the rear end of the curved wall 32A to the lower side Z2, and a lateral wall 32G protruding from the lower end of the first vertical wall 32F to the rear side Y2. The upper end of the first vertical wall 32F is curved in an arc shape along the curved wall 32A, and the lower end of the first vertical wall 32F linearly extends while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2. The lateral wall 32G is strip-shaped and extends along the lower end of the first vertical wall 32F while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H. The rear end portion of the side wall 32E is disposed on the rear side Y2 of the downstream space 32C, and the lower portion of the rear end portion of the side wall 32E is connected to the left ends of the first vertical wall 32F and the lateral wall 32G, respectively.

The main body 32 has an L-shaped second vertical wall 32H in a rear view in which the rear end portion of the side wall 32E and the lateral wall 32G are folded. A single or a plurality of the above-described ejection ports 20D are formed in the lower end portion of the second vertical wall 32H. In the present embodiment, one elongated hole-shaped outlet 20D elongated in the vertical direction Z is formed, and penetrates the second vertical wall 32H in the front-rear direction Y. The second vertical wall 32H is provided with a tubular lower coupling portion 32I that wraps the ejection opening 20D and protrudes toward the front side Y1. A through hole 3K having the same shape as the outlet 20D is formed in the outer peripheral portion 3D of the back wall 3B of the outer cylinder 3. The lower coupling portion 32I is inserted into the through hole 3K from the rear side Y2. Thereby, the outlet 20D is connected to the back wall 3B and communicates with the inside of the outer tube 3.

The main body 32 has an outer wall 32J that continuously borders a right edge of the first vertical wall 32F and left, lower, and right edges of the second vertical wall 32H and protrudes toward the rear side Y2. The outer wall 32J is formed in a substantially U shape in a back view, and both upper ends of the outer wall 32J are connected to the left end and the right end of the rear end of the top wall 32B, respectively. At an upper end portion of the outer wall 32J connected to the right end of the top wall 32B, a notch 32JA recessed toward the front side Y1 is formed. In a front region on the outer peripheral surface of the outer wall 32J, a plurality of first locking portions 32JB are provided so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface. The bolts B1 (see fig. 2) are inserted through insertion holes formed in the first locking portions 32JB and attached to screw holes 3L provided at corresponding positions on the back surface wall 3B of the outer tube 3. Thereby, the pipe 30 including the body 32 is integrally fixed to the outer cylinder 3. The body 32 is formed with a middle space 32K partitioned by the rear end portion of the side wall 32E, the lateral wall 32G, the top wall 32B, and the right portion of the outer wall 32J. The intermediate space 32K is a substantially rectangular space in a rear view, is a thin space in the front-rear direction Y, is adjacent to the first vertical wall 32F from the rear side Y2, and communicates with the downstream space 32C from the rear side Y2.

The main body 32 has a vertical partition plate 32L and a horizontal partition plate 32M projecting from the second vertical wall 32H to the rear side Y2. The vertical partition plate 32L is disposed adjacent to the intermediate space 32K from the left side X2, extends from the rear end of the top wall 32B to the lower side Z2, and is continuous with the edge of the upper side Z1 of the outlet 20D. The horizontal partition plate 32M is disposed below Z2 of the intermediate space 32K and above Z1 of the ejection port 20D, and is stretched between the intermediate portion of the vertical partition plate 32L and the right portion of the outer wall 32J. The lateral separation plate 32M is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2, and extends substantially parallel to the top wall 32B and the lateral wall 32G. A slit 32P that divides the horizontal separation plate 32M into two in the left-right direction X is formed in a middle portion of the horizontal separation plate 32M. A screw hole 32Q is formed in a rear surface portion of the second vertical wall 32H in the slit 32P.

The main body 32 is formed with an arrangement space 32R partitioned by a vertical partition plate 32L, a horizontal partition plate 32M, a top wall 32B, and a right portion of an outer wall 32J. The arrangement space 32R is a substantially rectangular space in a rear view, is a space thin in the front-rear direction Y, and communicates with the intermediate space 32K from the rear side Y2. A portion of the arrangement space 32R located on the upper side Z1 of the lateral wall 32G overlaps the entire region of the intermediate space 32K in a rear view. The filter member 25 is disposed in the disposition space 32R. The main body 32 is formed with an upstream space 32S partitioned by a portion of the longitudinal partition plate 32L located on the lower side Z2 of the lateral partition plate 32M, and right and lower portions of the outer wall 32J. The upstream space 32S is a substantially semicircular space bulging downward Z2 in a rear view, is located below Z2 of the arrangement space 32R with a transverse partition plate 32M therebetween, and communicates with the ejection port 20D from the rear side Y2.

The body 32 is formed with a vertical space 32T that is sandwiched by the left portion of the outer wall 32J and the vertical partition plate 32L from both sides in the left-right direction X and extends in a long and narrow manner in the up-down direction Z. The vertical space 32T is blocked by the left end of the second vertical wall 32H from the front side Y1, and is blocked by the left end of the top wall 32B from the upper side Z1. The lower end of the vertical space 32T communicates with the upstream space 32S from the left side X2.

The cover 33 (see fig. 2) has a contour substantially matching the outer wall 32J and the top wall 32B of the body 32 in a rear view, and is formed in a plate shape having a narrower width toward the lower side Z2. The cover 33 is provided with a plurality of locking portions 33A (see fig. 2) protruding from the outer edge thereof. In correspondence with the locking portion 33A, a plurality of second locking portions 32JC protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the outer wall 32J of the main body 32 are provided in the latter region of the outer peripheral surface. Bolts (not shown) are inserted through insertion holes formed in the respective locking portions 33A and attached to screw holes 32JD provided in the rear end surfaces of the corresponding second locking portions 32 JC. Thereby, the cover 33 is fixed to the main body 32 from the rear side Y2, and the duct 30 is completed (see fig. 2).

In the completed duct 30, the arrangement space 32R, the upstream space 32S, and the vertical space 32T provided on the rear surface side of the main body 32 are closed by the cover 33 from the rear side Y2. The rear end of the vertical partition plate 32L contacts the front surface portion of the cover 33. Therefore, the arrangement space 32R and the vertical space 32T arranged across the vertical partition plate 32L are partitioned. Since a gap Q (see fig. 4) exists between the rear end of the transverse partition plate 32M and the front surface portion of the cover 33, the arrangement space 32R and the upstream space 32S communicate with each other through the gap Q.

The connection hose 31 is, for example, a rubber cylinder, and its internal space is open to the upper side Z1 and the lower side Z2. A bellows part 31A is provided between the upper end and the lower end of the connection hose 31. The lower end of the connection hose 31 is fitted to the upper connection portion 32D of the duct 30. The upper end of the connection hose 31 is connected to the casing 29 of the blower 21. The inner space of the connection hose 31 constitutes a part of the inner space of the rear portion 20B of the circulation path 20. The transmission of vibration of outer tub 3 to blower 21 during washing and drying operation is suppressed by the elastic deformation of bellows 31A.

The filter member 25 is formed in a plate shape thin in the front-rear direction Y. The overall shape of the filter member 25 in a rear view is a rectangle having two sides inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2 and two other sides extending substantially perpendicularly in the vertical direction Z, and more specifically, is a parallelogram.

The filter member 25 includes a frame 41, a drying filter 42, and a water supply cover 43. The frame 41 has: a main body portion 41A having a substantially rectangular contour when viewed from the back; a pair of left and right vertical walls 41B projecting from the body portion 41A to the front side Y1; and a bottom wall 41C protruding from the lower end of the body portion 41A toward the front side Y1, and the frame 41 is made of, for example, resin. The upper edge and the lower edge of the main body portion 41A are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2. The right and left edges of the main body portion 41A extend substantially vertically in the up-down direction Z. An opening 41D penetrating the body portion 41A in the front-rear direction Y is provided over substantially the entire region of the body portion 41A when viewed from the rear. The body portion 41A has a single or a plurality of longitudinal ribs 41E that slit the opening 41D. In the present embodiment, two vertical ribs 41E are provided in a row in the left-right direction X, and the opening 41D is equally divided by these vertical ribs 41E into three small openings 41DA arranged in the left-right direction X. Each small opening 41DA is formed in a vertically long rectangle, strictly speaking, in a parallelogram having two sides parallel to the upper edge and the lower edge of the main body portion 41A.

The bottom wall 41C of the body portion 41A is laid between the lower ends of the left and right vertical walls 41B, and is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H so as to descend toward the left side X2 along the lower edge of the body portion 41A. A locking portion 41CA protruding from the bottom wall 41C to the lower side Z2 is provided at the center portion of the bottom wall 41C in the left-right direction X. The locking portion 41CA is formed with an insertion hole 41CB that penetrates the locking portion 41CA in the front-rear direction Y.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the duct 30 and the filter member 25 viewed from the rear side Y2. In fig. 4, the cover 33 of the duct 30 is not shown (the same applies to fig. 5 and 6 described later). The frame 41 also has a top wall 41F projecting from the upper edge of the main body portion 41A at least to the rear side Y2. The top wall 41F has: a main body 41FA having a rectangular plate shape elongated in the left-right direction X and arranged obliquely left-down along an upper edge of the main body 41A; and an extension portion 41FB which has a rectangular plate shape shorter than the body portion 41FA and extends from the right end of the body portion 41BA to the right side X1 in the horizontal direction H. A plurality of water supply ports 41G of the same shape and the same size are formed in the body portion 41 FA. In the present embodiment, 12 water supply ports 41G are provided. Each water supply port 41G linearly extends in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the up-down direction Z, and penetrates the body portion 41 FA. These water supply ports 41G are aligned in a row at equal intervals in the left-right direction X along the upper end of the rear surface 41AB of the main body portion 41A.

The drying filter 42 is in a state of covering the entire area of each small opening 41DA of the main body portion 41A. Although the drying filters 42 are provided so as to be separated into three pieces corresponding to the respective small openings 41DA, in the present embodiment, the three separated drying filters 42 are regarded as one drying filter 42. Although the drying filter 42 in the present embodiment is a mesh sheet attached to the main body 41A, it may be a grill formed integrally with the main body 41A. Although the drying filter 42 is made of metal in the present embodiment, it may be made of resin in the same manner as the main body 41A. A rear surface portion of the drying filter 42 extending vertically and horizontally is referred to as a vertical surface portion 42A. The vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 is disposed on the same plane as the rear surface 41AB of the main body 41A. The plurality of water supply ports 41G provided in the ceiling wall 41F of the frame 41 are arranged in the lateral direction, i.e., the left-right direction X, along the vertical face portion 42A of the drying filter 42, and face the vertical face portion 42A from the upper side Z1.

The water supply cover 43 has a hollow main body portion 43A that is long in the left-right direction X, and a hollow connecting portion 43B that connects to the main body portion 43A from the right side X1. The internal space 43AA of the main body portion 43A and the internal space 43BA of the connecting portion 43B are in a state of communication. The connecting portion 43B is provided with a tubular tube portion 43C protruding from the connecting portion 43B. Although fig. 4 illustrates the tube 43C protruding to the rear side Y2, the tube 43C may protrude to the right side X1 (see fig. 5). The inner space 43CA of the tube portion 43C communicates with the inner space 43BA of the connecting portion 43B. The internal space 43AA of the body portion 43A, the internal space 43BA of the connecting portion 43B, and the internal space 43CA of the tube portion 43C are integrated to constitute a flow path 43D in the water supply cover 43. The tube portion 43C may be provided not in the connection portion 43B of the water supply cover 43 but in the extended portion 41FB of the ceiling wall 41F of the frame 41 (see fig. 5), for example.

The water supply cover 43 covers the top wall 41F of the frame 41 from the upper side Z1, and is combined with the frame 41. In the filter member 25 thus completed, the internal space 43AA of the main body portion 43A of the water supply cover 43 is blocked from the lower side Z2 by the main body portion 41FA of the top wall 41F, and the internal space 43BA of the connection portion 43B of the water supply cover 43 is blocked from the lower side Z2 by the extension portion 41FB of the top wall 41F. The flow path 43D in the water supply cover 43 is connected to all the water supply ports 41G formed in the top wall 41F from the upper side Z1. The top wall 41F and the water supply cover 43 covering the top wall 41F from the upper side Z1 constitute the water supply unit 50.

As shown in fig. 4, the filter member 25 is housed in the duct 30 by being fitted into the disposition space 32R of the duct 30 from the rear side Y2. The bottom wall 41C of the frame 41 of the filter member 25 is carried by the cross-partition plate 32M of the duct 30, whereby the filter member 25 is positioned within the arrangement space 32R. The locking portion 41CA of the bottom wall 41C is fitted into the slit 32P of the lateral partition plate 32M, and the bolt B2 is fitted into the screw hole 32Q of the slit 32P through the insertion hole 41CB of the locking portion 41CA (see also fig. 3). Thereby, the filter member 25 in the arrangement space 32R is fixed to the duct 30. The locking portion 41CA may be provided at a position outside the bottom wall 41C of the frame 41.

In the frame 41 of the filter member 25 fixed to the duct 30, the bottom wall 41C, the right vertical wall 41B, and the left vertical wall 41B are in contact with the lateral separation plate 32M, the outer wall 32J, and the vertical separation plate 32L of the duct 30, respectively. Further, the main body portion 43A of the water supply cover 43 of the filter member 25 contacts the top wall 32B of the duct 30. Thereby, the filter member 25 occupies almost the entire region of the arrangement space 32R of the duct 30, and is located between the downstream space 32C and the midway space 32K and the upstream space 32S within the duct 30. When the entire circulation path 20 is viewed, the drying filter 42 of the filter member 25 is disposed on the side of the outlet 20D from the heating unit 22 in the circulation path 20 (see fig. 1). The extension portion 41FB of the top wall 41F of the frame 41 and the connection portion 43B of the water supply cover 43 are disposed on the right side X1 of the disposition space 32R through the notch 32JA (see fig. 3) of the outer wall 32J.

The branch passage 26 branches from an upstream portion of the water supply passage 4 closer to the faucet than the water supply valve 11, and is connected to a pipe portion 43C of the water supply cover 43. The water filling valve 27 is provided in the branch line 26 (see fig. 1). The water filling valve 27 is opened and closed to supply water flowing from the water supply path 4 to the branch 26 to the pipe portion 43C or to stop the supply. The opening and closing of the water injection valve 27 is controlled by the control unit 24 (see fig. 1). The water filling valve 27 is included in the above-described water supply part 50.

In the drying process, as described above, hot air is generated and circulated by the air blowing unit 21 and the heating unit 22. The hot air travels from the outlet port 20D to the return port 20E in the circulation path 20, and travels to the air blowing unit 21 while rising at the middle rear portion 20B (see the thick dotted arrow in fig. 1). In the duct 30 constituting the rear portion 20B, the hot air rises from the take-out port 20D via the upstream space 32S, and passes through the drying filter 42 of the filter member 25 toward the front side Y1. The hot air then reaches the downstream space 32C via the intermediate space 32K, rises inside the connection hose 31, and flows into the casing 29 of the blower 21 (see also fig. 2).

The vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 is disposed so as to face the upstream side of the circulation path 20, and captures foreign matter T such as broken threads from the hot air in the circulation path 20. As the drying process proceeds, a large amount of foreign matter T is captured and left on the vertical portion 42A. This can prevent the foreign matter T from adhering to the heating portion 22 provided further downstream from the outlet 20D than the drying filter 42 in the circulation path 20.

After the drying course, that is, after the washing and drying operation is finished, the control part 24 opens the water filling valve 27. The water supply valve 11 may be provided upstream of the faucet from the branching position of the branch 26 in the water supply path 4, and in this case, the controller 24 opens both the water supply valve 11 and the water filling valve 27. Water from the faucet flows into the flow path 43D from the pipe portion 43C of the water supply cover 43 via the water supply path 4 and the branch 26.

The water flowing into the flow path 43D flows out from the flow path 43D to the water supply ports 41G and is sprayed downward from the water supply ports 41G. The water discharged from each water supply port 41G flows down through the vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 from the upper side Z1 to the upper end of the vertical surface 42A as indicated by the thick dotted arrow. The foreign matter T adhering to the vertical surface portion 42A is peeled off from the vertical surface portion 42A by the water flowing through the vertical surface portion 42A, and directly falls into the upstream space 32S of the duct 30 to reach the outlet 20D. Since the vertical ribs 41E extending in the direction in which water and foreign matter T fall are provided around the drying filter 42, the foreign matter T does not hang on the vertical ribs 41E and falls smoothly. The duct 30 is provided with a guide portion 30A inclined toward the outlet 20D, for example, on an outer wall 32J defining the upstream space 32S. In the duct 30, the guide portion 30A and the lower end portion of the vertical partition plate 32L of the main body 32 guide the foreign matter T and the water to the outlet 20D. The foreign matter T reaching the outlet 20D falls into the outer tube 3 through the outlet 20D and remains in the outer tube 3. The water that has dripped from each water supply port 41G to the vertical surface portion 42A also falls from the duct 30 into the outer tube 3 and remains in the outer tube 3, as with the foreign matter T.

The vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 is directly exposed to the upstream space 32S constituting the circulation path 20. Therefore, when water is supplied from the water supply port 41G to the vertical surface portion 42A, the foreign matter T adhering to the vertical surface portion 42A peels off from the vertical surface portion 42A, and then quickly falls into the circulation path 20 and reaches the inside of the outer cylinder 3 through the outlet 20D.

When a predetermined time has elapsed after the water filling valve 27 is opened, the controller 24 closes the water filling valve 27 to stop the supply of water to the water supply unit 50 and open the drain valve 12. In the state where the fill valve 27 is open, the drain valve 12 may be always in the open state. When the drain valve 12 is opened, the water remaining in the outer tub 3 carries the foreign matter T and flows into the drain path 5. That is, the foreign matter T is removed from the inside of the outer cylinder 3 when the outer cylinder 3 discharges water. The foreign matter T flowing into the drainage channel 5 is captured by the drainage filter 6 (see fig. 1). The foreign matter T captured by the drain filter 6 is removed when the user removes the drain filter 6 at an appropriate timing and performs maintenance.

As described above, in the integrated washing and drying machine 1, the water supply unit 50 supplies water from the upper side Z1 to the vertical surface portion 42A of the drying filter 42 at a predetermined timing. That is, the integrated washer dryer 1 has an automatic cleaning function of the drying filter 42 by water. Further, the integrated washing and drying machine 1 has an automatic cleaning function of the drying filter 42 by the scraping mechanism 60 described later. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the duct 30, the filter member 25, and the scraping mechanism 60 viewed from the rear right side. The scraping mechanism 60 includes a stay 61 fixed to the pipe 30, and a scraper 62 and an actuator 63 fitted to the stay 61.

The stay 61 is plate-shaped, fixed to, for example, the right portion of the outer wall 32J of the main body 32 of the duct 30, and arranged to protrude from the main body 32 to the right side X1. The left end of stay 61 is disposed opposite to the lower end of the right end of vertical surface 42A of drying filter 42 from rear side Y2.

The scraper 62 is a linear rod, and is disposed between the vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 and the left end of the stay 61 in the front-rear direction Y. A brush 64 is provided on the front surface of the scraper 62 over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction thereof. The brush 64 is composed of a large number of bristles 64A implanted in the scraper 62. A blade (not shown) made of rubber or the like may be provided in place of the brush 64 in the wiper 62. The scraper 62 is shown in fig. 5 in a vertical standby position. The scraper 62 located at the waiting position is in a state of overlapping the right end portion of the vertical surface portion 42A of the drying filter 42 in a rear view, and the brush 64 is in a state of contacting the right end portion of the vertical surface portion 42A from the rear side Y2. The dimension in the vertical direction Z of the brush 64 at this time is slightly smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction Z of the vertical surface 42A. The scraper 62 located at the standby position may be disposed on the right side X1 of the right end of the vertical surface portion 42A so as not to overlap the vertical surface portion 42A in a rear view. In short, the scraper 62 in the waiting position is located at a position not to interfere with the vertical section 42A from catching the foreign matter T. A base portion constituting a lower end portion of the squeegee 62 at the standby position is connected to the stay 61 via a rotating shaft 65 extending in the front-rear direction Y and penetrating a left end portion of the stay 61. The scraper 62 is rotatable about the rotating shaft 65 along with the rotating shaft 65.

An example of the actuator 63 is an electric motor. The operation of the actuator 63 is controlled by the control unit 24 (see fig. 1). The actuator 63 is disposed on the right side X1 of the main body 32 of the duct 30, i.e., outside the duct 30, and is fixed to the right end of the stay 61 from the front side Y1. Actuator 63 has an output shaft 66 penetrating through the right end of stay 61. The scraping mechanism 60 includes an input gear 67 fixed to a rear end portion of the rotating shaft 65 of the scraper 62, and an output gear 68 fixed to a rear end portion of the output shaft 66. The input gear 67 and the output gear 68 are spur gears, and may be directly meshed with each other or coupled to each other via a single or a plurality of relay gears 69 as shown in fig. 5. When the actuator 63 is operated, the output shaft 66 rotates with the output gear 68, and the rotation is transmitted to the input gear 67 via the relay gear 69, so that the input gear 67 rotates about the rotating shaft 65 with the scraper 62 and the rotating shaft 65.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the main body 32 of the duct 30, the filter member 25, and the scraping mechanism 60. The scraper 62 is rotatable between a waiting position shown by a solid line and a scraping position shown by a two-dot chain line. The scraping position is a position where the scraper 62 is rotated counterclockwise, for example, by 120 degrees, as viewed from the back of the waiting position. The scraper 62 located at the scraping position overlaps with a lower portion of the longitudinal face portion 42A of the drying filter 42 in a rear view. The scraper 62 located at the scraping position may be disposed on the lower side Z2 of the vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42. When the scraper 62 receives the driving force of the actuator 63 and rotates between the waiting position and the scraping position, it moves along the vertical surface 42A so as to scrape almost the entire area of the vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 with the brush 64. In the scraping mechanism 60, at least the scraper 62 is disposed in the disposition space 32R in the duct 30 in a state where the duct 30 is completed by combining the main body 32 and the cover 33.

During the drying process, the control section 24 reciprocates the scraper 62 between the waiting position and the scraping position a plurality of times. Thus, the foreign matter T caught by the drying filter 42 and remaining on the vertical surface portion 42A during the drying process is also scraped by the scraper 62 reciprocating along the vertical surface portion 42A and peeled off from the vertical surface portion 42A. The foreign matter T peeled off from the vertical surface portion 42A falls into the circulation path 20 as described above, reaches the inside of the outer cylinder 3 from the outlet 20D, and is removed from the inside of the outer cylinder 3 when the outer cylinder 3 is drained. The brush 64A of the brush 64 of the scraper 62 is set to be thicker than the mesh of the drying filter 42 so as not to be caught by the mesh of the drying filter 42.

When the drying process is finished, as described above, control section 24 supplies water from upper side Z1 to vertical face section 42A of drying filter 42 through water supply section 50. This water supply lasts, for example, for 1 minute. The foreign matter T adhering to the vertical surface portion 42A is peeled off from the vertical surface portion 42A by the supplied water.

It is assumed that the scraper 62 performs a reciprocating motion to scrape off the foreign matter T from the longitudinal surface portion 42A during the drying process, so that the foreign matter T adheres to the scraper 62, that is, the scraper 62 itself becomes dirty. Therefore, after the drying process is completed, the controller 24 moves the scraper 62 to the scraping position by the actuator 63 and stops at the scraping position while continuing to supply water to the vertical surface portion 42A by the water supply unit 50, thereby performing maintenance processing of the scraper 62. By rotating the scraper 62 here, the foreign matter T remaining on the longitudinal surface portion 42A is scraped off. Then, the foreign matter T adhering to the scraper 62 can be removed from the scraper 62 by the force of the water flowing along the vertical section 42A (see the arrow of the thick two-dot chain line in fig. 6) by the water supplied from the water supply unit 50. Thus, the user does not need to maintain either the drying filter 42 or the scraper 62. Therefore, the maintainability can be improved. When the water supply of 1 minute by the water supply unit 50 is completed, the control unit 24 rotates the wiper 62 and returns to the waiting position. This ends the maintenance process. The time required for the scraper 62 to rotate from the waiting position to the scraping position and return to the waiting position is about 6 seconds.

As described above, since the integrated washer dryer 1 has the function of automatically cleaning the drying filter 42 by the water and wiper 62, the user does not need to detach the drying filter 42 for maintenance. Therefore, the maintainability of the drying filter 42 can be improved. Since the drying filter 42 may be non-detachable, it is possible to achieve a simplified configuration and a reduced cost more than a detachable drying filter. In addition, in the case of the detachable type drying filter, if the user forgets to maintain, the above-mentioned performance degradation may occur, and the washing and drying all-in-one machine 1 having the automatic cleaning function can avoid the performance degradation caused by forgetting to maintain. Further, since the arrangement space required in the case of the detachable drying filter can be utilized for other purposes, it is possible to improve the performance by, for example, increasing the size of the heating unit 22 and the rotary blade 23.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

For example, the actuator 63 for moving the scraper 62 is not limited to the electric motor described above, and a solenoid or the like may be used. The mechanism for transmitting the driving force generated by the actuator 63 to the wiper 62 is not limited to the gear transmission mechanism using the input gear 67, the output gear 68, and the relay gear 69. As an example of such a configuration, pulleys are attached to the rotating shaft 65 of the scraper 62 and the output shaft 66 of the actuator 63, respectively, and these pulleys are connected by wires. The wire is drawn out after being wound around a pulley of the rotating shaft 65 of the scraper 62, for example, around a half circumference, and is connected to an urging member such as a spring. The driving force generated by the actuator 63 is transmitted to the scraper 62 via a wire, so that the scraper 62 rotates from the waiting position to the scraping position. The scraper 62 is rotated from the scraping position to the waiting position by the urging force of the urging member extended at this time to be retracted.

For example, although the scraper 62 is rotatable between the waiting position and the scraping position in the above-described embodiment, the scraper may be linearly moved in the vertical direction Z or the horizontal direction X while maintaining the same posture, for example, to scrape off the foreign matter T on the vertical surface portion 42A of the drying filter 42. When the squeegee 62 moves linearly in the vertical direction Z, the squeegee 62 takes a horizontally long posture, and the waiting position is set on the upper end side of the vertical surface portion 42A and the wiping position is set on the lower end side of the vertical surface portion 42A. When the squeegee 62 moves linearly in the left-right direction X, the squeegee 62 takes a vertically long posture, and the standby position is set on one of the left end side and the right end side of the vertical surface portion 42A, and the wiping position is set on the other of the left end side and the right end side of the vertical surface portion 42A.

In the above-described embodiment, the vertical surface portion 42A of the drying filter 42 is disposed vertically so as to face the outlet 20D side of the circulation path 20, that is, the upstream side, but the vertical surface portion 42A may be disposed along the vertical direction, or may be disposed obliquely to the vertical direction.

The foreign matter T removed from the vertical surface 42A of the drying filter 42 and the water that has been poured onto the vertical surface 42A are transported from the outlet 20D of the circulation passage 20 to the drainage passage 5 via the outer cylinder 3 in the above-described embodiment. Alternatively, the release hole 32U (see fig. 5) may be provided at a lower end portion of the outer wall 32J of the main body 32 of the duct 30 located on the lower side Z2 of the vertical surface portion 42A, and a portion of the drainage channel 5 on the upstream side of the drainage filter 6, for example, may be connected to the release hole 32U through the flow path 100. This enables foreign matter T and water in the duct 30 to reach the drainage channel 5 from the release hole 32U and the flow path 100 without passing through the outer tube 3. This prevents foreign matter T and water from adhering to the laundry L in the washing tub 7.

In the integrated washing and drying machine 1, the drain filter 6 may be omitted. In this case, the foreign matter T caught by each of the drying filters 42 and flowing to the tub 3 is discharged to the outside of the body through the water discharge path 5 (refer to fig. 1) when the tub 3 is drained.

As part of the maintenance process, controller 24 stops the supply of water from water supply unit 50 to dry filter 42, and then circulates the air in outer tub 3 through blower 21. Thus, the drying filter 42, which was previously wetted by spraying water to remove the foreign matters T, is dried by being blown by the air flowing into the circulation passage 20 from the tub 3. By operating the heating unit 22 as well to circulate the hot air, the drying of the drying filter 42 can be promoted. In this way, the user can eliminate the need to dry the filter dryer 42, and the maintainability of the filter dryer 42 can be further improved.

In the drum-type washing and drying all-in-one machine 1 in the above embodiment, the washing tub 7 may be disposed so that the axis J is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H. Furthermore, the washer dryer 1 may be a vertical washer dryer with an axis J extending longitudinally.

Claims

A washing and drying integrated machine is characterized by comprising:

a box body;

an outer tub supported by the tank and capable of storing water;

a washing tub accommodated in the outer tub and accommodating laundry;

a circulation path having a take-out port and a return port connected to the outer tube;

a blowing unit that circulates air in the outer tube by taking the air out of the take-out port into the circulation path and returning the air into the outer tube from the return port;

a heating unit provided in the circulation path and heating air in the circulation path;

a drying filter disposed in the circulation path on the outlet side of the heating unit and having a vertical surface portion for capturing foreign matter in the air flowing from the outlet to the return port in the circulation path;

a water supply unit for supplying water to the vertical surface unit from above;

a scraper movable along the longitudinal section; and

an actuator to move the scraper.
The washing and drying machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit for controlling the water supply unit and the actuator,

the control unit moves the wiper to a lower portion of the longitudinal section by the actuator and supplies water to the longitudinal section from an upper side by the water supply unit to perform maintenance processing.
The washing and drying machine as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a duct that houses the drying filter as a part of the circulation path and has a release hole formed on a lower side of the vertical surface portion;

a water discharge path for discharging water in the outer tub; and

a flow path connecting the release hole and the drainage path.