JP2012090774A - Laundry machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laundry machine which produces a sufficiently dehumidified low-temperature wind to reduce the crease generation of laundry as much as possible.SOLUTION: The laundry machine includes an air blower for circulating air by letting air in an outer tub through a circulating duct and returning the air to the outer tub, an evaporator for cooling the air in the circulating duct, a condenser for heating the air in the circulating duct, a compressor which supplies coolant to the condenser and the evaporator, is variable in output power, and decreases the amount of the coolant supplied as the output power becomes smaller, and control means which executes such controls that when drying the laundry, the compressor is driven with a predetermined output power so as to allow the temperature of the air coming into the outer tub to be not higher than 65°C and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator to be not higher than 30°C, and that the air blower is driven with an output power so as to allow the rotation number of a fan to be rated maximum.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a laundry machine.

  Conventionally, a laundry machine, for example, a drum-type washing machine having a drying function, has a blower and a heat source for drying laundry in the drum. Drying laundry with this kind of drum-type washing machine supplies high-temperature, low-humidity air generated by the blower and heat source into the drum, increasing the temperature of the laundry contained in the drum, This is done by evaporating moisture from the laundry and discharging the evaporated moisture out of the machine. As a method for removing evaporated water, there are, for example, an exhaust method in which air containing evaporated water is discharged to the outside as it is, a dehumidification method in which air containing evaporated water is cooled and condensed to remove water. In the exhaust system, since air containing evaporated water is exhausted outside the apparatus, the humidity of the room in which the drum type washing machine is installed may increase, and mold may be generated in the room. Therefore, a dehumidification method is desired as a method for removing evaporated water. As the heat source, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a heater is used.

  Further, for example, in a washing and drying machine such as Patent Document 1, the amount and speed of air supplied from a blower to a drum are adjusted to be a predetermined value. As a result, a predetermined amount and speed of wind are applied to the laundry in the drum, and the laundry is stretched. As a result, the occurrence of wrinkles in the laundry is reduced.

JP 2009-72500 A

As the dehumidification method described above, for example, it is conceivable to perform heat exchange by directly spraying water on the air containing the evaporated water. In this heat exchange method, the heat exchange with the water contained in the air, that is, cooling. The contact area with water for use is small, the heat efficiency is poor and the dehumidifying effect is insufficient. Therefore, in order to obtain a wrinkle-stretching effect due to wind that is not sufficiently dehumidified, the temperature of the air applied to the laundry is increased by raising the temperature of the heater, and the blower that generates the wrinkle-stretching wind is rotated at a high speed.・ The air volume needs to be increased. However, the method of applying wind with increased wind speed and volume to the laundry at such a high temperature increases power consumption and causes uneven drying due to portions that are exposed to and not exposed to the wind. There is a problem that the laundry fibers are damaged or shrunk in the portion where the contact is made.
Therefore, a laundry machine capable of reducing the occurrence of wrinkles in the laundry as much as possible with low-temperature wind is provided.

  A laundry machine according to an embodiment of the present invention has an outer box, a bottomed cylindrical shape, an outer tub provided in the outer box, a bottomed cylindrical shape that can store laundry, and the outer wall on the outer wall. A hole communicating with the tub, provided in the outer tub so as to be rotatable around a central axis of the outer tub, a drum used for drying the laundry, an inlet connected to the outer tub, and A circulation duct having an outlet; a blower that circulates the air by returning the air in the outer tub from the inlet through the circulation duct and returning from the outlet to the outer tub; and provided in the circulation duct. An evaporator for cooling the air in the circulation duct; and provided in the circulation duct and disposed on the downstream side of the air flow in the operating state of the blower as compared to the evaporator, A condenser that heats the air, The medium is supplied to the condenser and the evaporator, and the output can be changed. The compressor has a smaller supply amount of the refrigerant as the output decreases, and the compressor is placed in the outer tub when the laundry is dried. Control is performed to drive the air at a predetermined output so that the temperature of the incoming air is 65 ° C. or less and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator is 30 ° C. or less, and the output of the fan is the maximum rated value. And a control means for performing the control of driving at the above.

The figure which shows schematically the arrangement | positioning in the circulation duct which shows one Embodiment of this invention. External perspective view of drum-type washing machine (A) is the perspective view which shows the internal structure of an outer case from diagonally back, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the IIIb line | wire of Fig.3 (a) The perspective view which shows the base plate of an outer box from diagonally upward Block diagram showing electrical configuration (A) is the figure which shows the relationship between the temperature of the air which enters in an outer tank, and a wrinkle parameter | index, (b) is the figure which shows the relationship between the temperature of the inlet_port | entrance of an evaporator, and a wrinkle parameter | index, (c) is a fan of a fan Of the relationship between the number of rotations and the index of wrinkles

The laundry machine of this embodiment is applied to a drum type washing machine and will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, the outer case 1 of the drum-type washing machine which is a laundry machine joins the front plate 2, the right side plate 3, the left side plate 4, the rear plate 5, the top plate 6 and the bottom plate 7 to each other. It is configured and has a vertically long box shape when viewed from the front side on the operator side. The front plate 2 has a curved shape in which the center portion in the vertical direction is located at the foremost position. The right side plate 3 is directed rearward from the right end portion of the front plate 2. The left side plate 4 is directed backward from the left end portion of the front plate 2. The rear plate 5 connects the rear end portion of the right side plate 3 and the rear end portion of the left side plate 4. The right side plate 3, the left side plate 4 and the rear plate 5 are each in the form of a vertical plate.

  The top plate 6 closes the space between the front plate 2, the right side plate 3, the left side plate 4 and the rear plate 5 from above. As shown in FIG. 8, a right top plate portion 9, a left top plate portion 10, and a rear top plate portion 11. The main top plate portion 8 has a horizontal plate shape. The right top plate portion 9 is a vertical one directed downward from the right end portion of the main top plate portion 8, and is joined to the upper end portion of the right side plate 3. The left top plate portion 10 is a vertical one directed downward from the left end portion of the main top plate portion 8, and is joined to the upper end portion of the left side plate 4. The rear top plate portion 11 is a vertical member directed downward from the rear end portion of the main top plate portion 8, and is joined to the upper end portion of the rear plate 5.

  In the rear top plate portion 11 of the top plate 6, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, a left handle portion 12 is formed at the left end portion and a right handle portion 13 is formed at the right end portion. These left handle portion 12 and right handle portion 13 are recessed forward relative to the remaining portions of the rear top plate portion 11 excluding both the left handle portion 12 and the right handle portion 13, and have a concave shape with an open rear surface. There is no. The left hand grip 12 and the right hand grip 13 are used to insert fingers when the worker carries the outer box 1. The left handle portion 12 and the right handle portion 13 have a ceiling surface. The operator's fingers inserted into the left handle 12 are hung on the ceiling surface of the left handle 12 from below. Further, the operator's fingers inserted into the right hand hook 13 are hung from below on the ceiling surface of the right hand hook 13.

  The bottom plate 7 closes the space between the front plate 2, the right side plate 3, the left side plate 4 and the rear plate 5 from below. As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 4, the main bottom plate 7 Part 14 and peripheral plate part 15. The main bottom plate portion 14 has a horizontal plate shape. The peripheral plate portion 15 surrounds the main bottom plate portion 14. The bottom plate 7 is fixed by joining the peripheral plate portion 15 to the lower end portions of the front plate 2, the right side plate 3, the left side plate 4 and the rear plate 5. Legs 16 are fixed to the bottom plate 7 at the left front corner, the right front corner, the left rear corner, and the right rear corner, respectively. The legs 16 are placed on the floor surface. When each leg 16 is placed on the floor surface, a gap is formed between the floor surface and the main bottom plate portion 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the top plate 6 is formed with a left outer box exhaust port 17 located on the back wall of the left hand hook 12. The left outer box exhaust port 17 connects the internal space of the outer box 1 to the external space, and is visually unrecognizable from the front. As shown in FIG. 3B, the left outer box exhaust port 17 is composed of a plurality of through holes 18 arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The plurality of through-holes 18 are open toward the rear, and have a vertically long rectangular shape in which the lowest part is arranged at a higher position than the bottom surface of the left handle 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the top plate 6 is formed with a right outer box exhaust port 19 located on the back wall of the right hand hook 13. The right outer box exhaust port 19 connects the internal space of the outer box 1 to the external space, and is visually unrecognizable from the front. The right outer box exhaust port 19 is formed of a plurality of through holes having the same shape as the through hole 18 and arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The plurality of through-holes are opened rearward, and have a vertically long rectangular shape in which the lowest part is disposed at a higher position than the bottom surface of the right-hand handle 13.

As shown in FIG. 3A, an outer tub 20 having a bottomed cylindrical shape is provided in the outer box 1. The outer tank 20 is constituted by joining a tank peripheral plate 21 and a tank rear plate 22 to each other. The tank peripheral plate 21 has a cylindrical shape in which each of the front surface and the rear surface is opened. The tank rear plate 22 has a circular shape that closes the rear surface of the tank peripheral plate 21. The outer tub 20 receives water for washing laundry, and is arranged in an inclined state in which the center line of the outer tub 20 descends from the front toward the rear, for example.
As shown in FIG. 4, an outer box air inlet 23 composed of one through hole is formed at a position corresponding to the lower side of the outer tub 20 in the main bottom plate portion 14 of the bottom plate 7. The outer box air inlet 23 connects the inner space of the outer box 1 to the outer space.

  The tank rear plate 22 of the outer tub 20 is provided with a drum motor 24a located outside the outer tub 20, as shown in FIG. The drum motor 24a has a rotating shaft (not shown) protruding into the outer tub 20, and is located in the outer tub 20 at the front of the rotating shaft of the drum motor 24a as shown in FIG. A drum 24 is provided. The drum 24 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that can accommodate laundry therein, and is used for washing, rinsing, and drying the laundry, and includes a drum peripheral plate and a drum rear plate that are joined to each other. Has been. The drum peripheral plate has a cylindrical shape in which each of the front surface and the rear surface is open, and the drum rear plate has a circular shape that closes the rear surface of the drum peripheral plate. The drum 24 is disposed so that the central axis thereof overlaps with the central axis of the outer tub 20, is provided to be rotatable around the central axis of the drum 24, and the drum motor 24a rotates when the drum motor 24a is in an operating state. It rotates integrally with the shaft.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the drum 24 has a large number of through holes 24b for communicating with the outer tub 20 (only two places are shown in FIG. 1). ). Thereby, the internal space of the drum 24 communicates with the internal space of the outer tub 20 through each of the numerous through holes 24b. A plurality of baffles (not shown) are fixed to the inner peripheral side of the drum 24 in the drum peripheral plate of the drum 24. The plurality of baffles move in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the drum 24 as the drum 24 rotates. As a result, the laundry in the drum 24 moves in the circumferential direction while being hooked on each of the plurality of baffles, and then falls and is stirred by gravity.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front plate 2 is provided with a door 25. The door 25 can be operated by an operator between the closed state and the open state. When the door 25 is closed, the door 25 contacts the front plate 2 of the outer box 1 from the front, and when the door 25 is opened, the door 25 is separated forward from the front plate 2 of the outer box 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the front plate 2 of the outer box 1 is formed with a through-hole shaped entrance 2 a. The entrance 2a is used by an operator to put laundry into and out of the drum 24 through the opening on the front surface of the outer tub 20 and the opening on the front surface of the drum 24, and the drum 24 is opened when the door 25 is open. The laundry is opened so that the laundry can be taken in and out, and the door 25 is closed so that the laundry can be taken in and out of the drum 24 in a closed state.

  A bellows (not shown) is accommodated in the outer box 1. The bellows is an airtight state between the front surface of the outer tub 20 and the door 25 when the door 25 is closed. The bellows is made of rubber and has a cylindrical shape directed in the front-rear direction. The front end is fixed to the front plate 2 of the outer box 1 at the peripheral edge of the entrance / exit 2a, and the rear end is a tank peripheral plate 21 of the outer tank 20. It is fixed to.

  In the outer box 1, a water supply valve 26 (see FIG. 5) is provided at a higher position than the outer tub 20. The water supply valve 26 has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the water supply valve 26 is connected to a tap, and the outlet of the water supply valve 26 is connected to a water injection case (not shown). The water injection case contains a detergent or the like inside. A water supply hose extending to the outer tub 20 is connected to the lower end of the water injection case. The water supply valve 26 uses a water supply valve motor (not shown) as a drive source, and is switched between a closed state and an open state in response to the rotation operation of the water supply valve motor. This closed state is a state in which each of the inlet and outlet of the water supply valve 26 is closed, and the open state is a state in which each of the inlet and outlet of the water supply valve 26 is opened. In the open state of the water supply valve 26, tap water is injected into the outer tub 20 from the water tap through the water supply valve 26, the water supply case, and the water supply hose, and the detergent in the water supply case is also supplied into the outer tub 20. become.

  An upper end of a drain pipe (not shown) is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 20, and a drain valve 27 (see FIG. 5) is interposed in the drain pipe. The drain valve 27 uses a drain valve motor (not shown) as a drive source, and is switched between an open state and a closed state in accordance with the rotation of the drain valve motor. When the drain valve 27 is closed, tap water injected into the outer tub 20 from the water supply valve 26 is stored in the outer tub 20, and when the drain valve 27 is open, tap water in the outer tub 20 is stored at the lower end of the drain pipe. It is discharged to the outside of the outer tub 20 through the section.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 (a) and 4, a circulation duct 28 having an inlet and an outlet connected to the outer tub 20 is accommodated in the outer box 1. The circulation duct 28 includes an exhaust duct 29, a lint capturing duct 30, a relay duct 31, a main duct 32, a fan casing 33, a relay duct 34, and an air supply duct 35.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the exhaust duct 29 is disposed above the tank peripheral plate 21 of the outer tank 20 and has a bellows shape directed in the vertical direction. The exhaust duct 29 has an inlet at the lower end and an outlet at the upper end. The inlet of the exhaust duct 29 is connected to the front end of the tank peripheral plate 21 of the outer tank 20.

  The lint capturing duct 30 is disposed above the tank peripheral plate 21 of the outer tank 20 and has a passage shape oriented in the front-rear direction. The lint capture duct 30 has an inlet at the front end and an outlet at the rear end. The inlet of the lint capturing duct 30 is connected to the outlet of the exhaust duct 29.

  The relay duct 31 is disposed behind the tank rear plate 22 of the outer tank 20, and faces the tank rear plate 22 via a gap having a size that allows air to pass from the rear. The relay duct 31 has a path shape oriented in the vertical direction. The relay duct 31 has an inlet at the upper end and an outlet at the lower end. The entrance of the relay duct 31 is connected to the exit of the lint capturing duct 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, the main duct 32 is fixed to the rear end portion of the main bottom plate portion 14 of the bottom plate 7 and is disposed at the rear end portion in the outer box 1. The main duct 32 has a channel shape directed in the left-right direction, and has an inlet at the right end and an outlet at the left end. The inlet of the main duct 32 is connected to the outlet of the relay duct 31.

  The fan casing 33 is fixed to the left end portion of the main duct 32. The fan casing 33 has a through-hole shaped inlet and a cylindrical outlet. The inlet of the fan casing 33 is connected to the outlet of the main duct 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the relay duct 34 is disposed behind the tank rear plate 22 of the outer tank 20, and faces the tank rear plate 22 through a gap that allows air to pass from the rear. ing. The relay duct 34 has a bellows shape that is directed in the vertical direction, has an inlet at the lower end, and has an outlet at the upper end. The entrance of the relay duct 34 is connected to the exit of the fan casing 33.

  The air supply duct 35 is fixed to the tank rear plate 22 of the outer tank 20 and is disposed behind the tank rear plate 22. The air supply duct 35 has an inlet at the lower end and an outlet at the upper end. The inlet of the air supply duct 35 is connected to the outlet of the relay duct 34. The outlet of the air supply duct 35 is connected to the upper end portion of the tank rear plate 22 of the outer tank 20. Here, the inlet of the exhaust duct 29 corresponds to the inlet of the circulation duct 28, and the outlet of the air supply duct 35 corresponds to the outlet of the circulation duct 28.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a fan motor 36 is fixed to the fan casing 33. The fan motor 36 is disposed outside the fan casing 33, and has a rotating shaft 36 a that protrudes inside the fan casing 33 as shown in FIG. 1. A fan 37 is provided at the tip of the rotation shaft 36 a of the fan motor 36 so as to be located in the fan casing 33. With this configuration, when the fan 37 rotates in the operation state of the fan motor 36, the air in the outer tub 20 is discharged from the exhaust duct 29 of the circulation duct 28, the lint capturing duct 30, the relay duct 31, the main duct 32, and the fan casing. 33, the relay duct 34, and the air supply duct 35 are returned to the inside of the outer tub 20 through this order. Here, the fan motor 36 and the fan 37 correspond to the blower 38 that circulates the air by passing the air in the outer tub 20 from the inlet of the circulation duct 28 through the circulation duct 28 and from the outlet to the outer tub 20. . The flow of air in the circulation duct 28 by the blower 38 is indicated by the broken-line arrows in FIG.

  The type of the blower 38 is appropriately selected according to the amount of air to be circulated, the circulation speed, and the like. For example, the larger the capacity of the drum 24, the greater the amount of air that circulates in the outer tub 20, the drum 24, and the circulation duct 28. For example, when the mass of the laundry is 4 kg, as the blower 38, the rated maximum value of the rotation speed of the fan 37 is 5500 rpm, the rotation speed during normal operation, that is, the drying process is 4500 rpm, and the air volume is 0.05 kg / s. A wind speed of 12 m / s is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a compressor 39, an electronic expansion valve 40, a suction pipe 41 and an accumulator 42 are accommodated in the outer box 1. Further, in the main duct 32 of the circulation duct 28, a capacitor 43 and an evaporator 44 are accommodated as shown in FIGS.

  The compressor 39 supplies refrigerant to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 44, and is, for example, a rotary type, and has a discharge port for discharging the refrigerant and a suction port for sucking the refrigerant. The output of the compressor 39 changes depending on the rotational speed of a comp motor 39a (see FIGS. 1 and 5) housed in a not-shown comp case. For example, the compressor 39 is driven at an output of 50 Hz during normal operation. In some cases, it is possible to drive with an output of 40 Hz, which is the minimum value, that is, the lower limit value of the range that can be driven with a rating as required. That is, the output of the compressor 39 can be changed according to the power from the power source of the inverter (not shown). Becomes smaller, the output of the compressor 39 becomes smaller, and the amount of refrigerant supplied from the compressor 39 to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 44 becomes smaller.

  Each of the condenser 43 and the evaporator 44 is formed by joining a plurality of fins to the surface of the refrigerant pipe. The inlet of the refrigerant pipe of the condenser 43 is connected to the outlet of the compressor 39 as shown in FIG. The inlet of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 44 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant pipe of the condenser 43 via the electronic expansion valve 40. The outlet of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 44 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 39 via the suction pipe 41 and the accumulator 42. In the operating state of the compressor motor 39a of the compressor 39, the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port of the compressor 39 passes through the refrigerant pipe of the condenser 43, the electronic expansion valve 40, the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 44, the suction pipe 41 and the accumulator 42 in this order. Return to the suction port of the compressor 39. Although not shown, a refrigerant pipe (not shown) through which a refrigerant passes is provided between the compressor 39, the condenser 43, the electronic expansion valve 40, the evaporator 44, the suction pipe 41, and the accumulator 42. A refrigeration cycle that flows in this order is configured. Moreover, in FIG. 1, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant in a refrigerating cycle is shown by the solid line arrow.

  Here, the condenser 43 is for heating the air passing through the condenser 43 in the circulation duct 28, and as shown in FIG. 1, the outlet side of the main duct 32 of the circulation duct 28 rather than the evaporator 44, That is, it is arranged on the downstream side of the air flow in the operation state of the fan motor 36 of the blower 38 as compared to the evaporator 44. The evaporator 44 cools the air passing through the evaporator in the circulation duct 28, and is disposed on the inlet side of the main duct 32, that is, on the upstream side in the circulation of air from the condenser 43. Accordingly, the air flowing from the outer tub 20 to the circulation duct 28 comes into contact with the evaporator 44 before the condenser 43.

  According to this configuration, as will be described in detail later, air flowing from the outer tub 20 in the main duct 32 of the circulation duct 28 in the respective operating states of the fan motor 36 of the blower 38 and the compressor motor 39a of the compressor 39. Then, the air is dehumidified and cooled by contacting the evaporator 44, and the dehumidified air is heated by contacting the condenser 43 in the main duct 32. That is, when the laundry in the drum 24 is dried and the undried laundry containing moisture is stored in the drum 24, the evaporator 44 cools the air to remove moisture from the air. The dehumidification is carried out and the condenser 43 heats the air to a predetermined temperature, so that air at a predetermined temperature is supplied into the outer tub 20 at a low humidity. Thereby, the laundry in the drum 24 is dried.

  The electronic expansion valve 40 uses an electronic expansion valve motor (not shown) as a drive source, and the degree of opening and closing of the valve is adjusted by a control device 45 serving as a control means described later. For example, when the difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the evaporator 44 reaches a predetermined temperature, that is, before the liquid bag in which the refrigerant liquid flows into the compressor 39 is generated, the control device 45 is connected to the electronic expansion valve. The degree of opening and closing of the electronic expansion valve 40 is adjusted so that the amount of the refrigerant flowing through 40 decreases.

  A part of the side wall of the main duct 32 between the condenser 43 and the evaporator 44, for example, the ceiling plate 46 of the main duct 32 shown in FIG. Is formed. The duct intake port 47 is composed of a plurality of through holes arranged along a direction orthogonal to the air flow in the main duct 32 when the fan motor 36 is in operation. Further, a duct exhaust port 48 is formed on the side wall of the main duct 32 and a part of the side wall between the outlet of the outer tub 20 and the evaporator 44, that is, on the upstream side of the air flow compared to the evaporator 44. . The duct exhaust port 48 includes a plurality of through holes arranged along a direction orthogonal to the air flow in the main duct 32 when the fan motor 36 is in operation. With this configuration, a part of the air flowing in the circulation duct 28 is discharged from the duct exhaust port 48, and new air is supplied from the duct intake port 47 into the circulation duct 28. The air exhausted from the duct exhaust port 48 rises along the rear plate 5 of the outer box 1 and is discharged from the left outer box exhaust port 17 and the right outer box exhaust port 19 to the outside of the outer box 1. Further, the air supplied from the duct inlet 47 is supplied from the outside of the outer casing 1 through the gap below the bottom plate 7 and the outer casing inlet 23 of the bottom plate 7.

  A compressor discharge side temperature sensor 51 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe and on the discharge port side of the compressor 39. The compressor discharge side temperature sensor 51 measures the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 39. A capacitor temperature sensor 52 is provided on the surface of the capacitor 43. The capacitor temperature sensor 52 measures the surface temperature of the capacitor 43. Further, an evaporator inlet side temperature sensor 53 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe and on the inlet side of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 44. The evaporator inlet side temperature sensor 53 measures the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 44. An evaporator outlet side temperature sensor 54 is provided on the outlet side of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 44. The evaporator outlet side temperature sensor 54 measures the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 44.

  In the circulation duct 28, the upstream side of the evaporator 44 in the air flow, for example, between the outlet of the outer tub 20 and the evaporator 44, more specifically, between the duct exhaust port 48 and the evaporator 44, the drum outlet side temperature. A sensor 55 is provided. The drum outlet side temperature sensor 55 measures the temperature of the air supplied from the inside of the outer tub 20, that is, the drum 24, out of the air flowing through the circulation duct 28. Furthermore, a drum inlet side temperature sensor 56 is provided downstream of the condenser 43 in the air flow in the circulation duct 28, for example, between the fan 37 of the blower 38 and the inlet of the outer tub 20. The drum inlet side temperature sensor 56 measures the temperature of the air flowing in the circulation duct 28 and entering the outer tub 20, that is, the drum 24.

The front panel 2 of the outer box 1 is provided with an operation panel 57 as shown in FIG. The operation panel 57 includes a switch such as a start switch 57a and a display unit 57b. In addition, the operation panel 57 of the present embodiment includes a “wrinkle stretching” switch 57c described later.
The control device 45 described above is provided on the back side of the operation panel 57. The control device 45 shown in FIG. 5 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the overall operation of the washing and drying machine, for example, various operations such as washing, dehydration, and drying. That is, the control device 45 includes a signal from the operation panel 57, a signal from the compressor discharge side temperature sensor 51, a signal from the capacitor temperature sensor 52, a signal from the evaporator inlet side temperature sensor 53, and an evaporator outlet side temperature sensor 54. On the basis of a control program stored in advance based on a signal from the drum, a signal from the drum outlet temperature sensor 55, a signal from the drum inlet temperature sensor 56, a signal from other input means (not shown), and the like. Via the drum motor 24a, the water supply valve 26, the drain valve 27, the fan motor 36 of the blower 38, the compressor motor 39a of the compressor 39, the degree of opening and closing of the electronic expansion valve 40, etc., and the display corresponding to the operated content Is also displayed on the display unit 57b of the operation panel 57.

  Specifically, when the control device 45 determines that the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 39 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature based on a signal from the compressor discharge side temperature sensor 51 when the laundry is dried, Control is performed such that the rotational speed of the compressor motor 39a is lowered to reduce the output of the compressor 39, for example, to drive with a lower limit value output. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the capacitor 43 is lowered, and the temperature of the capacitor 43 is suppressed from increasing.

  Further, when the controller 45 determines that the surface temperature of the capacitor 43 has become equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature based on a signal from the capacitor temperature sensor 52 during the washing, dehydrating and drying washing operations, Control is performed such that the rotational speed of the motor 39a is decreased to reduce the output of the compressor 39, for example, to drive at a lower limit output. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the capacitor 43 is lowered, and the temperature of the capacitor 43 is suppressed from increasing.

  The control device 45 performs SH control (superheat control) during laundry washing, dehydration and drying washing operations. That is, the control device 45 determines the refrigerant to be supplied to the evaporator 44 based on the signal from the evaporator inlet side temperature sensor 53 and the signal from the evaporator outlet side temperature sensor 54 during the washing operation of washing, dehydrating and drying. When it is determined that the difference between the temperature and the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 44 has reached a predetermined temperature, the electronic expansion valve 40 is opened and closed so that the amount of refrigerant flowing through the electronic expansion valve 40 decreases as described above. Control is performed to adjust the degree and appropriately stop driving of the compressor 39 as necessary. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of a liquid bag is suppressed.

  The controller 45 also controls the temperature of the air flowing from the drum 24 and the temperature of the air entering the drum 24 based on the signal from the drum outlet side temperature sensor 55 and the signal from the drum inlet side temperature sensor 56 when the laundry is dried. When the temperature difference reaches a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the laundry has been dried, and the drying control is terminated after a predetermined time.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.
When the operator operates the start switch 57a, the control device 45 starts a standard course of the washing operation, for example. In this standard course, a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process, and a drying process are sequentially performed.
The washing process is a process of washing the laundry in the drum 24 with water by rotating the drum 24 in a state where water is stored in the outer tub 20.
The rinsing process is a process of rinsing the laundry in the drum 24 with water by rotating the drum 24 in a state where water is stored in the outer tub 20. The dehydration process is a process in which moisture is discharged from the laundry in the drum 24 by centrifugal force by rotating the drum 24.

  The drying process is a process of drying the laundry in the drum 24 with wind by setting each of the fan motor 36 of the blower 38 and the compressor motor 39a of the compressor 39 to the operating state. Specifically, the control device 45 drives the compressor motor 39a to execute a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant is supplied to the capacitor 43, the electronic expansion valve 40, and the evaporator 44. Then, the control device 45 drives the fan motor 36 to rotate the fan 37, and passes the air in the outer tub 20, that is, the drum 24 from the inlet of the circulation duct 28 through the circulation duct 28 and from the outlet to the inside of the outer tub 20. Return to return to the air circulation. As a result, air containing a large amount of moisture and moisture by the laundry stored in the drum 24 in the outer tub 20 flows from the outer tub 20 to the circulation duct 28 through the through holes 24 b of the drum 24. Part of the air exiting the outer tub 20 is discharged from the duct exhaust port 48, and the remaining air passes through the evaporator 44. The air passing through the evaporator 44 is dehumidified and cooled by the evaporator 44. The dehumidified air passes through the condenser 43. At this time, air is supplied from the duct inlet 47 into the circulation duct 28, and the air supplied into the circulation duct 28 also passes through the condenser 43. The air passing through these capacitors 43 is heated by the capacitors 43. The air that has passed through the condenser 43 is supplied into the outer tub 20 by the blowing action of the blower 38, and is supplied into the drum 24 from the through hole 24 b of the drum 24. As a result, the air dehumidified by the evaporator 44 and heated by the condenser 43 comes into contact with the laundry in the drum 24, and the laundry is dried. In this case, a large number of through holes 24 b are formed in the peripheral wall of the drum 24, and air is supplied from the through holes 24 b to the drum 24. Therefore, the air supplied to the drum 24 causes the laundry to enter the peripheral wall of the drum 24. It is difficult to press and the occurrence of wrinkles in the laundry is reduced.

  In the drying process, the drum 24 rotates in one direction for 30 seconds in the first half of the drying process and then rotates in the opposite direction for 30 seconds. The drum 24 moves in one direction in the latter half of the drying process. For 30 seconds and then for 30 seconds in the opposite direction is repeated.

  Here, when the operator presses the “wrinkle stretching” switch 57c before the drying process of the washing operation is performed or when only the drying process is performed, the control device 45 performs the “wrinkle stretching” process as the drying process. Execute. In the “wrinkle stretching” process, the control device 45 determines in advance that the temperature of the air that enters the outer motor 20 through the compressor motor 39a of the compressor 39 is 65 ° C. or lower and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator 44 is 30 ° C. or lower. Control driven by output. The output of the compressor 39 differs depending on the size of the drum 24 and the like and the amount of laundry, and is obtained in advance by a test. That is, the control device 45 controls the magnitude of the electric power supplied to the compressor motor 39a, so that when the output of the compressor 39 in the normal drying process is rated, for example, 50 Hz, the compressor in the “wrinkle stretching” process. By driving the compressor 39 with the output of 39 at a rated lower limit value of 40 Hz, for example, the temperature of the air is 65 ° C. or lower and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator 44 is 30 ° C. or lower. This is because by reducing the output of the compressor 39, the supply amount of the high-temperature refrigerant flowing to the condenser 43 is reduced, and the condenser 43 is hardly heated. Further, the temperature at the inlet of the evaporator 44 decreases to a temperature of 30 ° C. or lower because the amount of refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 44 is adjusted by adjusting the output of the compressor 39 and the degree of opening and closing of the electronic expansion valve 40, that is, the evaporator 44 This is because the refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator 44 in such an amount that the inlet temperature is 30 ° C. or lower. In this embodiment, the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 44 is mainly adjusted by the output of the compressor 39. For example, the refrigerant supply amount is adjusted by driving the output of the compressor 39 at a rated lower limit value or more. .

  Further, the control device 45 performs control to drive the blower 38 with an output at which the rotation speed of the fan 37 becomes the maximum rated value. In other words, the control device 45 drives the blower 38 at the maximum number of rotations within the rated range defined by the specifications, in other words, at the maximum number of rotations that allows continuous operation until the blower 38 reaches the end of its life. For example, as described above, when the mass of the laundry is 4 kg, the control device 45 controls the blower 38 so that the rotational speed of the fan 37 is 5500 rpm. The controller 45 adjusts the degree of opening and closing of the electronic expansion valve 40 as necessary so that the temperature of the air entering the outer tub 20 is 65 ° C. or lower and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator 44 is 30 ° C. or lower. May be.

  According to the above configuration, when the “wrinkle stretching” step is performed, the air in the outer tub 20 returns to the outer tub 20 through the circulation duct 28 by driving the blower 38. At this time, since the blower 38 is driven so that the number of rotations of the fan 37 becomes the maximum rated value, the amount of air flowing through the circulation duct 28 is larger than that in the normal drying process. And the temperature of the air which passes the evaporator 44 among the air which flows in the circulation duct 28 will be 30 degrees C or less, and the said air is fully dehumidified. The sufficiently dehumidified air is heated to a low temperature of 65 ° C. or less by the condenser 43. Thereby, the low-temperature wind sufficiently dehumidified is sufficiently supplied into the outer tub 20, and moisture is easily removed from the laundry in the drum 24. Furthermore, since a sufficient amount of wind is supplied to the laundry at a low temperature, the wrinkles of the laundry are easily stretched. That is, according to the present embodiment, the generation of wrinkles in the laundry can be reduced as much as possible with the low-temperature wind.

  In addition, since a large number of through holes 24b are formed in the peripheral wall of the drum 24 and air is supplied from the through holes 24b to the drum 24, the air supplied to the drum 24 presses the laundry against the peripheral wall of the drum 24. Can be reduced as much as possible, and wrinkles are less likely to occur in the laundry.

  Here, a test for confirming the effect of suppressing the generation of wrinkles by controlling the “wrinkle stretching” process and the result thereof will be described with reference to FIG. This test was conducted based on “THREE-DIMENSIONAL SMOOTHENESS APPERANANCE REPLICAAS” of AATCC (American Association of Textiles Chemistry and Colorists) in the United States. From the “wrinkle index” obtained in this test, the effect of suppressing the generation of wrinkles was confirmed. The wrinkle index is divided into six levels of “1”, “2”, “3”, “3.5”, “4”, and “5” according to the number and depth of wrinkles. When the wrinkle index is “1”, it indicates that the number of wrinkles is the largest and the wrinkle depth is large. When the wrinkle index is “5”, the number of wrinkles is the smallest and the wrinkle depth is also small. Represents that. In the test, an example of the configuration / control of this embodiment (see A in FIG. 6A, C in FIG. 6B, E in FIG. 6C) and a comparative example of the conventional configuration / control ( Comparison was made with B in FIG. 6A, D in FIG. 6B, and F in FIG. 6C.

  In Examples A and C and Comparative Examples B and D shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the temperature (° C.) of air entering the outer tub 20 by changing the output of the compressor 39, that is, the rotational speed of the compressor motor 39a. ) And the evaporator 44 at different inlet temperatures (° C.). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, in Example A, the temperature of the air entering the outer tub 20 is 57 ° C., and in Comparative Example B, the temperature of the air entering the outer tub 20 is 77 ° C. did. 6B, in Example C, the temperature at the inlet of the evaporator 44 was 28.5 ° C., and in Comparative Example D, the temperature at the inlet of the evaporator 44 was 32 ° C. The temperature values of Examples A and C were obtained by making the output of the compressor 39 smaller than those of Comparative Examples B and D, that is, by driving the output of the compressor 39 at the rated lower limit value. In addition, the rotation speed of the fan of the air blower 38 of Example A and C and the rotation speed of the fan of the air blower 38 of Comparative Examples B and D are the same. The temperature (° C.) of the air entering the outer tub 20 was obtained by the drum inlet side temperature sensor 56. Further, the temperature (° C.) at the inlet of the evaporator 44 was obtained by the evaporator inlet temperature sensor 53.

  Example E and Comparative Example F shown in FIG. 6C have the same configuration and perform the same control except that a fan having a different rotation speed is used. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, in Example E, a fan 38 having a maximum rated rotation speed of the fan of 5500 rpm is used, and in Comparative Example F, the fan rotation speed is higher than that of Example E. The test was carried out by rotating a fan at the maximum rotation speed and the normal rotation speed using a normal 4500 rpm blower conventionally used. In addition, the output of the compressor 39 in Example E and the output of the compressor 39 in the comparative example F are the same.

  From the above test results, even when the temperature of the air entering the outer tub 20 is a low temperature of 65 ° C. or less, the temperature at the inlet of the evaporator 44 is low, in this case, a low temperature of 30 ° C. or less. Is sufficiently dehumidified, and the sufficiently dehumidified air is supplied into the outer tub 20 by the blower 38 that is driven at the maximum rated number of rotations of the fan. I understood that it can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the laundry is dried in a short time by performing this “wrinkle stretching” process. Therefore, the drum 24 rotates 30 seconds in one direction and then rotates in the opposite direction for 30 seconds in the first half of the “wrinkle stretching” process, and the drum 24 in the second half of the “wrinkle stretching” process. Even if the drying time is shortened by performing the operation of rotating 24 in one direction for 10 to 15 seconds and then rotating in the opposite direction for 10 to 15 seconds, the laundry can be dried in the same manner as in the past. It is possible to reduce the generation of wrinkles. That is, in this embodiment, the drying time can be shortened compared to the conventional case.

  In addition, by making the rotation time of the drum 24 shorter than before, the laundry rotates in the drum 24 while being sufficiently stirred, so that the laundry is less likely to stick to the peripheral wall of the drum 24. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the wrinkle by the laundry sticking to the drum 24 can be reduced.

  As described above, in the laundry device of the present embodiment, the air in the outer tub returns to the outer tub through the circulation duct by driving the blower. At this time, since the blower is driven at the maximum rotation speed of the fan, the amount of air flowing through the circulation duct increases. And the temperature of the air which passes an evaporator among the air which flows through the inside of a circulation duct will be 30 degrees C or less, and the said air is fully dehumidified. The sufficiently dehumidified air is heated to a low temperature of 65 ° C. or less by the condenser. Thereby, the low-temperature wind sufficiently dehumidified is sufficiently supplied into the outer tub, and moisture is easily removed from the laundry in the drum. Furthermore, since a sufficient amount of wind is supplied to the laundry at a low temperature, the wrinkles of the laundry are easily stretched. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of the wrinkle of a laundry with a low temperature wind can be reduced as much as possible.

  This embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

For example, the present invention can be applied to laundry machines such as a vertical washing machine in which the axis of the outer tub is oriented in the vertical direction and a clothes dryer having no washing function.
A through-hole may be appropriately provided in the drum rear plate of the drum, and drying air may be supplied into the drum from the bottom of the drum. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of wrinkles on the laundry due to the laundry sticking to the bottom of the drum during the drying process and the wrinkle stretching process.

  1 is an outer box, 20 is an outer tub, 24 is a drum, 24b is a through hole (hole), 28 is a circulation duct, 38 is a blower, 39 is a compressor, 43 is a condenser, 44 is an evaporator, 45 is a control device (control means) ).

Claims (1)

An outer box,
A bottomed cylindrical shape, and an outer tub provided in the outer box;
It has a bottomed cylindrical shape that can accommodate the laundry, has a hole communicating with the outer tub on the peripheral wall, and is provided in the outer tub so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the outer tub. A drum used for drying;
A circulation duct having an inlet and an outlet connected to the outer tub;
A blower that circulates the air in the outer tub by returning the air in the outer tub through the circulation duct and returning from the outlet into the outer tub;
An evaporator provided in the circulation duct for cooling the air in the circulation duct;
A condenser that is provided in the circulation duct and is disposed on the downstream side of the air flow in the operating state of the blower as compared to the evaporator, and that heats the air in the circulation duct;
While supplying the refrigerant to the condenser and the evaporator, the output can be changed, the compressor whose supply amount of the refrigerant decreases as the output decreases,
When the laundry is dried, the compressor is controlled to drive at a predetermined output in which the temperature of the air entering the outer tub is 65 ° C. or lower and the temperature of the inlet of the evaporator is 30 ° C. or lower; and Control means for performing control to drive the blower at an output at which the rotational speed of the fan is a maximum rated value;
Laundry equipment characterized by comprising.

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