JP4858321B2 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes.

  Conventionally, in clothes dryers or laundry dryers that consistently perform from washing to drying, warm air is supplied while rotating and stirring the items to be dried such as clothes in a drying room or a tank where washing and drying are performed. The clothes have been dried. The warm air has been performed by taking in outside air and receiving heat from a refrigerant condensing unit in a heat pump cycle in which heat is transferred by expansion and compression of a heater or refrigerant.

  In these drying methods, the object to be dried such as clothing is dried while rotating and stirring, so that the hot air blown uniformly hits the entire object to be dried, so that it can be efficiently dried. Since there are many wrinkles due to contact, rotation, and agitation between clothes, a drying basket that can be stored in a drum-type clothes dryer is provided so that the drying method can be selected according to the type of clothes. There has also been proposed a method in which the clothes stored in the drum by switching the air flow path and the clothes hung on the drying basket are dried simultaneously or individually (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the clothes dryer proposed in Patent Document 1. A drum-type drying chamber 52 is rotatably supported on the outer frame 51, and is rotated by a motor 53 via a drum belt 54. The door 55 is provided with a heater 57 that opens and closes a clothing inlet, heats the clothing 56, and a heat exchange type fan 58 that has both a blowing function and a heat exchange function. The heat exchange type fan 58 is surrounded by a fan casing 59 and is driven by a motor 53 via a fan belt 60. A drum support 61 is provided on the front inner surface of the outer frame 51, and a port through which cooling air enters and exits the back cover 62 of the outer frame 51. An inlet 63 for cooling air is located at the center, and an outlet 64 for cooling air is located above. Further, a circulation ventilation path is formed by a circulation duct 65 connected from the fan casing 59 to the heater 57 side.

The compressor 66, the condenser 67, the expansion mechanism 68, and the evaporator 69 constitute a heat pump device, and the device compresses the temperature of the refrigerant so as to be maintained within a certain range by installing the temperature sensor 70. It is controlled by the variable capacity device 71. Water condensed by heat exchange between the heat exchange fan 58 and the evaporator 69 is drained from the drain 72 of the circulation duct 65. An arrow X indicates a flow of circulating drying air, and an arrow Y indicates a flow of cooling air. The drying basket 73 is stored so as to be inserted into a drying basket case 74 extending toward the back side of the outer frame 51, and is pulled out when the clothes 56 are dried by hanging. A drying switching door 75 is provided at the lower front portion of the outer frame 51 so that dedicated hanging drying by the drying basket 73 and drum rotation drying in the drying chamber 52 can be selected.
JP 2001-239096 A

  However, in conventional clothes dryers that can dry while rotating and stirring, and with clothes suspended, the destination of the hot air for drying is determined at the start of the drying operation. Once started, it is difficult to cope with the easiness of drying due to the difference in the material of clothing and the change in load weight of the clothing to be dried over time. In addition, the drying operation is uneconomical because it is blown out to the object to be dried suspended from the drying basket.

  In addition, when clothes are dried by hanging on a drying basket at the top of the outer frame of a drum-type clothes dryer, the moisture taken from the material to be dried by the warm air is released into the room as it is with the warm air, thereby reducing the humidity in the room. There has been a problem that condensation occurs in a low temperature part around the dryer, for example, a window that comes into contact with outdoor air, the back side of the apparatus, a wall surface part, etc. Furthermore, when hot air is blown out toward the object to be dried suspended from the drying basket, heat energy is directly given from the warm air to the space other than the object to be dried. There has been a problem that it cannot be used effectively only for drying the material to be dried.

  In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer that can efficiently dry an object to be dried and that does not adversely affect the environment around the device.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the clothes dryer of the present invention includes a first drying chamber for drying an object to be dried while rotating and stirring, and a second drying chamber for drying the object by hanging the object to be dried. Dehumidifying the first air passage for blowing air to the first drying chamber, the second air passage for blowing air to the second drying chamber, and the drying air flowing through the first and second air passages Dehumidifying means and heating means for heating and heating, a blower for blowing drying air to the first and second drying chambers, and a flow rate adjusting means for supplying drying air to the first and second drying chambers A dry state detecting means for detecting a dry state of the objects to be dried in the first and second drying chambers, and a control device for controlling the flow rate adjusting means. Depending on the output, the flow rate adjusting means sends the first and second drying chambers. It is obtained so as to adjust the air volume.

  As a result, it is possible to efficiently dry clothes without waste at the same time by blowing an appropriate amount of warm air to each drying chamber while detecting the drying state of the material to be dried put into each drying chamber over time. . In addition, by providing a substantially sealed second drying chamber for suspending and drying the material to be dried, moisture taken from the material to be dried is not released around the clothes dryer even during the drying operation. The clothes can be dried without adversely affecting the environment around the equipment.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the drying by a drum and the drying by a suspension can be efficiently performed without waste according to clothing.

  The first invention is a first drying chamber for drying and drying the material to be dried, a second drying chamber for suspending and drying the material to be dried, and a first air blowing to the first drying chamber. A first air passage, a second air passage for blowing air to the second drying chamber, a dehumidifying means and a heating means for dehumidifying and heating the drying air flowing through the first and second air passages, A blower for blowing drying air to the first and second drying chambers, flow rate adjusting means for supplying the drying air to the first and second drying chambers, and a covering of the first and second drying chambers. A dry state detecting means for detecting a dry state of the dried product; and a control device for controlling the flow rate adjusting means, wherein the control device performs the first adjustment by the flow rate adjusting means according to the output of the dry state detecting means. And by adjusting the air flow to the second drying chamber, When the finishing time varies depending on the type and amount of the product, unnecessary heat can be obtained by adjusting the drying capacity in each drying chamber according to the drying state of the material to be dried by changing the ratio of the hot air flow rate. A drying operation without waste can be performed without supplying energy to the drying chamber and the object to be dried.

  In the second invention, in particular, the dry state detection means of the first invention detects the progress of the drying in the first and second drying chambers, and the control device detects the drying state by the output of the dry state detection means. By increasing the amount of air blown to the drying chamber that is delayed and reducing the amount of air blown to the drying chamber where the drying is progressing, it stores the material to be dried sufficiently from the output from the dry state detection means. By distinguishing the drying chambers from the drying chambers that store objects to be dried that are insufficiently dried, and actively blowing warm air to the drying chambers storing objects to be dried that are not sufficiently dried, The wind can be used for drying an object to be dried without waste.

  In a third aspect of the invention, in particular, the dry state detection means of the first or second aspect of the invention has temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the drying air entering and exiting the first and second drying chambers. The detection means detects a temperature difference between the drying air introduced into the first and second drying chambers and the drying air that is led out, and the control means is configured so that the time elapses after starting the drying operation. By increasing the amount of air blown to the drying chamber whose temperature difference is relatively large by the output of the drying state detecting means, the progress of drying of the objects to be dried in each drying chamber is periodically It is possible to grasp and adjust the air flow rate of warm air slightly, and it is also possible to automatically stop the air flow to the drying chamber that has been completed, so wasteful heat is transferred to the drying chamber where drying has progressed. Efficient drying without energy Can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a clothes dryer according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, 1 is a first drying chamber for drying a material to be dried while being stirred and rotated by a drum, 2 is a motor for rotating the drum 1 (first drying chamber), 3 is a first Inlet port for introducing hot air that has been dried into the drying chamber 1, 4 is an outlet port for discharging the air in the first drying chamber 1, 5 is a compressor, 6 is a condenser or a gas cooler, and 7 is a capillary. An expansion mechanism such as a tube and an expansion valve, 8 is an evaporator, 9 is a compressor 5, a condenser 6, an expansion mechanism 7, an evaporator 8, and other components constituting the heat pump system are connected, and a refrigerant flows through the inside. is there.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a second drying chamber for drying the object to be dried, 11 denotes an inlet for introducing warm air into the second drying chamber 10, and 12 denotes air in the second drying chamber 10. , 13 is a flow rate adjusting means such as a three-way valve for diverting warm air to the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16, and 14 is for supplying air for drying the object to be dried The blower 15 is introduced into the first drying chamber 1 and the first air passage through which hot air exhausted from the first drying chamber 1 flows, and 16 is introduced into the second drying chamber 10 and the first air passage. A second air passage through which hot air exhausted from the second drying chamber 10 flows, 17 is a hanging rod for hanging the object to be dried, and 18 is a hanger for hanging the object to be dried.

  19 is a control device that controls the diversion ratio of warm air in the flow rate adjusting means 13, 20 is clothing that is to be dried, 21 is the door of the first drying chamber 1, 22 is the first drying chamber 1 and / or the first. First temperature detecting means for measuring the temperature of the hot air introduced into the second drying chamber 10, and 23 is a second temperature detecting means for measuring the temperature of the hot air discharged from the first drying chamber 1, 24 is a third temperature detecting means for measuring the temperature of the hot air discharged from the second drying chamber 10, 25 is the first, second and third temperature detecting means 22 constituting the dry state detecting means, It is a control device for collecting temperature information measured at 23 and 24 and issuing an instruction regarding the hot air flow ratio of the flow rate adjusting means 13 to the control device 19 based on the result.

  In addition, as a system configuration, moisture is deprived of the material to be dried, and the air exhausted from the first drying chamber 1 or the second drying chamber 10 as moist air becomes a low temperature in the evaporator 8 and is condensed. The condensed water is discharged out of the clothes dryer as drain water, but the drainage mechanism is omitted in this figure. In addition, the first drying chamber 1 for drying an object to be dried while being stirred and rotated by a drum has not only a function of only drying clothes in the drum, but also performs dehydration after washing clothes. Further, it may have a function capable of drying.

  Further, the installation location of the blower 14 is not particularly limited in the air passage after the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16 merge or until the air branches. Further, there is no particular problem even if they are individually installed in the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16 on the side of each drying chamber with respect to the flow rate adjusting means 13. Further, the flow rate adjusting means 13 of the present invention is a mechanism for flowing a fluid from one direction such as a three-way valve or an electromagnetic valve in two directions or a mechanism for flowing a fluid from two directions in one direction. There is no particular limitation as long as the flow rate can be adjusted electrically, magnetically or mechanically. Therefore, there is no particular problem as long as the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16 meet as the installation location, and the air passage branches on the inlet side of the drying chambers 1 and 10. However, there is no particular problem even if it is the confluence of the wind path on the outlet side.

  Further, as the detection location of the dry state detection means, there is no problem as long as the temperature of the hot air entering and exiting each drying chamber can be detected, and the flow rate for diverting the air from the condenser or gas cooler 6 to the drying passage to the drying chamber. It may be a case where it is installed in the outlet 4 of the first drying chamber 1 and the outlet 12 of the second drying chamber 10 until the adjusting means 13, and the inlet of the first drying chamber 1. 3 and the outlet 4 and the inlet 11 and outlet 12 of the second drying chamber 10 have no problem.

  In addition to the present embodiment, the dry state detection means includes a method of measuring the humidity of hot air entering and exiting each drying chamber and a method of measuring the weight of an object to be dried. A method of measuring the temperature of hot air entering and exiting is particularly simple and preferred. Furthermore, the determination of the dry state is made by determining the difference between the temperature of the hot air introduced in the first drying chamber 1 and the temperature of the hot air to be exhausted, When comparing the temperature difference, it is determined that the drying chamber having the larger temperature difference is delayed in drying.

  In the following, the operation of the clothes dryer of the first embodiment will be described with respect to three ways of driving. First, in the case where clothes are dried only in the first drying chamber 1, the flow rate adjusting means 13 is kept 100% open with respect to the first air passage 15. When the blower 14 installed between the condenser 6 and the flow rate adjusting means 13 is driven, the air in the first drying chamber 1 and the first blower passage 15 is moved in the direction of the arrow A in the first blower passage 15. Circulate inside.

  Here, when the heat pump system is operated, a heat dissipation phenomenon occurs in the condenser 6 and a heat absorption phenomenon occurs in the evaporator 8 due to the compression and expansion processes of the refrigerant. Now, when the blower 14 is operated, the air warmed by the condenser 6 is introduced into the first drying chamber 1 rotating by the motor 2 from the introduction port 3 through the flow rate adjusting means 13, and the rotation, Contact with the garment 20 being stirred. The contacted warm air takes moisture from the clothing 20 and is led out from the outlet 4 according to the flow of warm air.

  The warm air deprived of moisture from the clothing further moves in the first air passage 15 and comes into contact with the evaporator 8, so that the temperature is lowered and the contained moisture is condensed to become low-temperature dry air. Furthermore, when this air moves in the 1st ventilation path 15 and contacts with the condenser 6, it becomes high temperature dry air. This high-temperature dry air is further circulated and introduced into the first drying chamber 1 again, thereby promoting the drying of the clothes in the first drying chamber 1.

  Further, depending on the type of clothing, it may be preferable to dry in a suspended state rather than rotating and stirring. When drying in the suspended state, the wet clothes 20 are suspended in the second drying chamber 10 by the hanger 18 and the flow rate adjusting means 13 is made 100% open to the second air passage 16. deep.

  By driving the blower 14 installed between the condenser 6 and the flow rate adjusting means 13, the air in the second drying chamber 10 and the second blower passage 16 moves in the direction of arrow B. Now, when the blower 14 is driven, the warm air heated by the condenser 6 is introduced into the second drying chamber 10 from the inlet 11 through the flow rate adjusting means 13 and comes into contact with the suspended clothes. While taking away moisture adsorbed on clothing. The warm air deprived of moisture from the clothes is led out of the second drying chamber 10 through the outlet 12 and contacts the evaporator 8 via the second air passage 16. By contacting the evaporator 8, the hot air containing moisture taken from the clothes is cooled, and the contained moisture is condensed and removed from the hot air.

  The low-temperature dry air after passing through the evaporator 8 is further brought into high-temperature dry air by coming into contact with the condenser 6 and again into the second drying chamber 10 via the blower 14 and the flow rate adjusting means 13. It leads to drying of clothing.

  Further, the operation in the case where the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and the second drying chamber 10 for hanging and drying are simultaneously used will be described below. The drying state of the clothes is grasped by measuring the temperature difference between the hot air inlets 3 and 11 and the hot air outlets 4 and 12 of the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and the second drying chamber 10 respectively. To do.

  That is, when the garment is moist, the heat of vaporization of water is taken away from the warm air, so that the warm air temperature after contact with the garment decreases. Therefore, in a state where the clothes sufficiently contain moisture at the initial stage of the drying operation, the difference between the warm air temperature at the inlets 3 and 11 and the warm air temperature at the outlets 4 and 12 becomes large, and as the clothes dry, The temperature difference tends to shrink. Based on the relationship between the dry state of clothing and the temperature of warm air entering and leaving the drying chamber, the present embodiment performs a drying operation while performing the following control.

  Wet clothing is placed in each of the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and the second drying chamber 10 in which the object to be dried is suspended and dried, and a drying operation is performed. At the start of operation, the flow rate adjusting means 13 keeps the same ratio of hot air flow to the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16. The temperature detection means measures the temperature of the hot air entering and exiting each drying chamber periodically, accumulates and processes the detection data in the control device 25, and controls the degree of openness of the flow rate adjustment means 13 to each air passage. A command is transmitted to the control device 19 to change the ratio of the amount of hot air flowing through the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16.

  As a result, a large amount of warm air can be sent positively to the drying chamber where the drying of the clothes is delayed, and the drying process using both drying chambers can be efficiently promoted. It is also possible to finish clothing drying performed by two types of drying methods at the same time.

  Here, how to determine the end of clothes drying will be described below, but is not limited thereto. When determining the end of drying, the temperature difference Δ (T1) of the warm air is measured while measuring the temperature (T1) of the warm air periodically introduced into the drying chamber and the temperature (T2) of the warm air exhausted from the drying chamber. -T2) is a certain value after a certain time, for example, 30 minutes after the start of the drying operation, and when the temperature difference is within 3 ° C., it is determined that the drying is finished, and the blower and the heat pump system are stopped. To do.

  Here, the reason for setting the time after the fixed time is that the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the hot air in the drying chamber is small at the start of the operation of the clothes dryer, which makes an erroneous determination regarding the dry state of the clothes. This is because it is desired to detect and judge under the condition that a certain time has passed and the drying process is promoted. Further, not only after a certain period of time has elapsed, but also as a time when the end of drying determination is made, it may be after the time when the temperature difference between hot air entering and exiting each drying chamber reaches the maximum value.

  In addition, the method of detecting the temperature of the hot air to be introduced and the temperature of the hot air to be exhausted is not particularly limited, but temperature detection information such as a temperature sensor and a thermistor can be extracted as an electrical signal. Is preferred.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the clothes dryer in the second embodiment. The same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the figure, where 26 indicates a heater and 27 indicates a dehumidifying means. Here, as the dehumidifying means, there is no problem even if an evaporator in the heat pump system or a part having a temperature lower than other parts in the air passage is provided, and as a specific example, a low-temperature fluid flows or is maintained inside Such as a cooling pipe or a cooling plate.

  Below, the operation | movement of the clothes dryer of this Embodiment 2 is demonstrated about the three ways of driving | operation. First, in the case where clothes are dried only in the first drying chamber 1, the flow rate adjusting means 13 is kept 100% open with respect to the first air passage 15. When the blower 14 installed between the dehumidifying means 27 and the flow rate adjusting means 13 is driven, the air in the first drying chamber 1 and the first air passage 15 circulates in the air passage in the direction of the arrow a. .

  When the blower 14 is driven, the air warmed by the heater 26 is introduced into the first drying chamber 1 rotated by the motor 2 from the inlet 3 through the flow rate adjusting means 13, and is rotated and stirred. Contact with clothing 20. The warm air that has come into contact with the clothing 20 takes moisture from the clothing 20 and is led out from the outlet 4 according to the flow of the warm air. The warm air deprived of moisture from the clothing further moves in the first air passage 15 and comes into contact with the dehumidifying means 27 such as a cooling plate, the temperature is lowered, and the contained moisture is condensed and dried at a low temperature. It becomes air. Furthermore, when this air moves and contacts the heater 26, it becomes high-temperature dry hot air. This hot air is further circulated and introduced again into the first drying chamber 1 to promote drying of the clothes in the first drying chamber 1.

  Further, depending on the type of clothing, it may be preferable to dry in a suspended state rather than rotating and stirring. When drying is performed in a suspended state, the wet clothing 20 is suspended in the second drying chamber 10, and the flow rate adjusting means 13 is 100% open to the second air passage 16.

  By operating the blower 14 installed between the dehumidifying means 27 and the heater 26, the air in the second drying chamber 10 and the blower passage 16 moves in the direction of arrow b. When the blower 14 is driven, the warm air heated by the heater 26 is introduced into the second drying chamber 10 from the introduction port 11 through the flow rate adjusting means 13, and is adsorbed on the clothing while being in contact with the clothing. Take away moisture.

  The warm air deprived of moisture from the clothing is led out of the second drying chamber 10 through the outlet 12 and contacts the dehumidifying means 27 via the second air passage 16. By contacting the dehumidifying means 27, the moving warm air is cooled, and the moisture contained in the warm air is removed from the warm air by condensation. The low-temperature dry air that has passed through the dehumidifying means 27 is subsequently brought into contact with the heater 26 to become high-temperature dry air, which is led again into the second drying chamber 10 via the flow rate adjusting means 13 and the clothes. Drying is promoted.

  The operation in the case where the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and the second drying chamber 10 for hanging and drying are simultaneously used will be described below. The dry state of the clothing is grasped by the temperature difference between the hot air temperature at the inlet and the hot air temperature at the outlet of each of the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and second drying chamber 10. That is, when the garment contains moisture and is moist, since the heat of vaporization when water evaporates from the garment is taken away from the warm air, the hot air temperature after contact with the garment decreases. For this reason, in a state where the clothing contains sufficient moisture at the beginning of the drying operation, the difference between the warm air temperature at the inlet and the warm air temperature at the outlet becomes large, and the temperature difference tends to decrease as the clothing dries. Show.

  Based on the relationship between the dry state of clothing and the temperature of warm air entering and leaving the drying chamber, the present embodiment performs a drying operation while performing the following control. Wet clothes are placed in each of the drum-shaped first drying chamber 1 and the second drying chamber 10, and a drying operation is performed. At the start of operation, the flow rate adjusting means 13 keeps the same ratio of hot air flow to the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16.

  The temperature detection means measures the temperature of the hot air entering and exiting each drying chamber periodically, accumulates and processes the detection data in the control device 25, and controls the degree of openness of the flow rate adjustment means 13 to each air passage. A command is transmitted to the control device 19 to change the ratio of the amount of hot air flowing through the first air passage 15 and the second air passage 16. As a result, a large amount of warm air can be sent positively to the drying chamber where the drying of the clothes is delayed, and the drying process using both drying chambers can be efficiently promoted. It is also possible to finish clothing drying performed by two types of drying methods at the same time.

  As described above, the clothes dryer according to the present invention is useful as a clothes dryer because drying with a drum and drying by hanging can be efficiently and efficiently performed at the same time according to the clothes.

Configuration diagram of clothes dryer in embodiment 1 of the present invention Configuration diagram of clothes dryer in embodiment 2 of the present invention Schematic longitudinal sectional view of a conventional clothes dryer

Explanation of symbols

1 First drying chamber 6 Condenser (heating means)
8 Evaporator (dehumidification means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 2nd drying chamber 13 Flow volume adjustment means 14 Blower 15 1st ventilation path 16 2nd ventilation path 19 Control apparatus 22 1st temperature detection means (dry state detection means)
23 Second temperature detection means (dry state detection means)
22 Third temperature detecting means (dry state detecting means)
25 Control device

Claims (3)

A first drying chamber for rotating and stirring the material to be dried, a second drying chamber for hanging and drying the material to be dried, a first air passage for blowing air to the first drying chamber, A second air passage for blowing air to the second drying chamber, a dehumidifying means and a heating means for dehumidifying and heating the drying air flowing through the first and second air passages, and the first and second drying A blower for blowing drying air to the chamber, flow rate adjusting means for supplying the drying air to the first and second drying chambers, and the drying state of the objects to be dried in the first and second drying chambers A drying state detecting means for detecting, and a control device for controlling the flow rate adjusting means, wherein the control device is configured to control the first and second drying chambers by the flow rate adjusting means according to the output of the dry state detecting means. A clothes dryer that adjusts the amount of air blown through. The drying state detection means detects the progress of drying in the first and second drying chambers, and the control device increases the amount of air blown to the drying chamber where the drying is delayed by the output of the drying state detection means, 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the amount of air blown to the drying chamber where drying is progressing is reduced. The dry state detection means has temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the drying air entering and exiting the first and second drying chambers, and is introduced into the first and second drying chambers by the temperature detection means. The temperature difference between the drying air and the derived drying air is detected, and the control means has a relatively large temperature difference due to the output of the drying state detection means as time elapses from the start of the drying operation. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of air blown into the drying chamber is increased.

Images