JP7560054B2 - Bedding Drying Device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a bedding drying device that dries bedding such as futons.

The bedding dryer described in the following Patent Document 1 includes a housing with a drying chamber formed therein, and a placement member that is stored in a manner that allows it to be pulled out from the drying chamber and on which the bedding is placed. A heater and a fan are provided on the upper part of the housing. The placement member is in an inverted U-shape with multiple through holes. When the drying operation of the bedding dryer starts, the heater and the fan are activated. As a result, outside air is taken in from an outside air intake port behind the heater, heated to become hot air, and flows into the drying chamber. The hot air passes through the bedding placed on the placement member and the through holes of the placement member in order, flows into the internal space of the placement member, and then passes through a suction port at the bottom of the side wall of the drying chamber to an exhaust duct and is discharged outside the machine. The hot air passes through the bedding, promoting the drying of the bedding.

JP 2000-157795 A

The bedding dryer of Patent Document 1 may be configured to expose the bedding to ozone after drying, thereby sterilizing and deodorizing the bedding with the ozone. In this configuration, it is desirable to improve the sterilization and deodorization effect of the bedding, that is, the purification effect of the bedding.

This invention was made against this background, and aims to provide a bedding drying device that can improve the effectiveness of purifying bedding with ozone.

The present invention is a bedding drying device that includes an apparatus body having a drying chamber, an air blowing unit that blows air into the drying chamber, a heating unit that heats the air generated by the air blowing unit to turn it into hot air, and a first supply unit that supplies ozone to the drying chamber, a cart that has a set unit on which bedding is placed in a folded state with a hollow portion provided as a passage for the air generated by the air blowing unit and is stored so as to be able to be pulled out from the drying chamber, a second supply unit that supplies ozone between the bedding placed on the set unit and the set unit, and a control unit that controls the air blowing unit, the heating unit, the first supply unit, and the second supply unit, and the control unit performs a drying operation that includes a drying process in which the air blowing unit and the heating unit are operated to spray hot air onto the bedding in the drying chamber, and an ozone process in which ozone is sprayed onto the bedding in the drying chamber by operating at least the first supply unit and the second supply unit after the drying process.

The present invention is also characterized in that the control unit executes a cooling process between the drying process and the ozone process, in which the control unit operates the air blower unit while at least the heating unit is stopped to cool the drying chamber.

The present invention is also characterized in that, after the ozone treatment, the control unit operates the blower unit while stopping at least the first supply unit and the second supply unit, thereby performing an exhaust process to exhaust the drying chamber.

The present invention is also characterized in that the first supply unit has a first ozone generating unit that generates ozone, the second supply unit has a second ozone generating unit that generates ozone, and the control unit operates the blower unit, the first ozone generating unit, and the second ozone generating unit in the ozone treatment.

The present invention is also characterized in that the first supply unit and the second supply unit share an ozone generating unit that generates ozone and a flow path through which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit flows, the first supply unit has a first branch path that branches off from the flow path and connects to the drying chamber, the second supply unit has a second branch path that branches off from the flow path and connects between the set unit and the bedding on the set unit, and a switching unit is provided at the branch position in the flow path to switch the flow of ozone in the flow path to either the first branch path or the second branch path under the control of the control unit, and the control unit executes, as part of the ozone treatment, a first ozone treatment in which the blower and the ozone generating unit are operated to supply ozone from the first branch path into the drying chamber, and a second ozone treatment in which at least the ozone generating unit is operated to supply ozone from the second branch path between the bedding on the set unit and the set unit.

According to the present invention, in the bedding drying device, when the drying operation starts with the dolly on which the folded bedding is placed in the setting section stored in the drying chamber of the device body, the air blowing section and the heating section are first operated as the drying process. As a result, hot air flows between the drying chamber and the hollow part of the setting section, passing through the bedding at that time, so that the bedding can be dried. In the ozone treatment after the drying operation, the first supply section and the second supply section are operated. As a result, the ozone supplied from the first supply section to the drying chamber is sprayed on the outer part of the folded bedding placed on the setting section, opposite the setting section side. Furthermore, the ozone supplied from the second supply section between the bedding and the setting section is sprayed on the inner part of the folded bedding placed on the setting section. In this way, in the ozone treatment, ozone can be sprayed on both the outer part and the inner part of the folded bedding, so that the entire area of the bedding can be effectively purified by ozone. Therefore, the bedding drying device can improve the purification effect of the bedding by ozone.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the cooling process carried out between the drying process and the ozone process, the heating unit is stopped and the blower unit is operated to supply cold air to the drying chamber, thereby cooling the drying chamber. As a result, in the ozone process after the cooling process, the ozone can be prevented from disappearing due to the heat generated in the drying process, and the bedding can be effectively purified with a large amount of ozone. Therefore, the bedding drying device can further improve the purification effect of bedding with ozone.

In addition, according to the present invention, in the exhaust process carried out after the ozone process, the first supply unit and the second supply unit are stopped and the blower unit is operated to exhaust the drying chamber, thereby reducing the concentration of ozone in the drying chamber. Therefore, after the exhaust process, the user can pull out the cart from the drying chamber without worrying about the ozone in the drying chamber.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the first supply unit and the second supply unit may each have an ozone generating unit, and these ozone generating units may be operated during ozone treatment.

According to the present invention, the first supply unit and the second supply unit may share the ozone generating unit and the flow path through which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit flows, while the first supply unit may have a first branch path branched from the flow path, and the second supply unit may have a second branch path branched from the flow path. A switching unit provided at the branch position in the flow path can cause the ozone flowing through the flow path to flow into the first branch path to be supplied to the drying chamber, or to flow into the second branch path to be supplied between the set unit and the bedding on the set unit. In this case, the ozone treatment includes a first ozone treatment in which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit is supplied from the first branch path into the drying chamber and sprayed onto the outer part of the bedding on the set unit, and a second ozone treatment in which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit is supplied from the second branch path between the bedding and the set unit to be sprayed onto the inner part of the bedding. Therefore, a single ozone generating unit can spray ozone onto both the outer part and the inner part of the bedding in a mountain-folded state.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional right side view of a bedding drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional rear view of the bedding drying device. 1 is a perspective view of a cart included in the bedding drying device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dolly with a portion of the base portion removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cart on which bedding is set. 1 is a perspective view of the bedding drying device with the cart pulled out. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bedding drying device with the cart completely stored; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the bedding drying device. FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic vertical sectional right side view of a bedding drying device according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional rear view of a bedding drying device according to a modified example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional right side view of a bedding drying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is referred to as the left-right direction X of the bedding drying device 1, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y of the bedding drying device 1, and the up-down direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the up-down direction Z of the bedding drying device 1. In the left-right direction X, the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is referred to as the left side X1, and the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is referred to as the right side X2. In the front-rear direction Y, the left side is referred to as the front side Y1, and the right side is referred to as the rear side Y2. In the up-down direction Z, the upper side is referred to as the upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as the lower side Z2. The left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y are examples of the horizontal direction. The horizontal direction is a horizontal direction or a substantially horizontal direction that is slightly inclined relative to the horizontal direction. The up-down direction Z is a vertical direction. The vertical direction is a vertical direction or a substantially vertical direction that is slightly inclined relative to the vertical direction.

The bedding drying device 1 of this embodiment is for commercial use and is installed in a coin laundry or the like. The bedding drying device 1 includes a device body 2 that forms the housing of the device, and a cart 3 that is arranged inside the device body 2 and on which bedding P such as futons and mattresses are placed. The device body 2 is a flat box shape that is elongated vertically in the left-right direction X. The device body 2 has a pair of left and right side walls 4, a bottom wall 5, a top wall 6, a rear wall 7, a front wall 8, and a door 9. The pair of left and right side walls 4 are each a plate that extends vertically and are arranged in parallel. The bottom wall 5 is a plate that extends horizontally and is installed between the lower ends of the pair of side walls 4. The top wall 6 is a hollow body that extends horizontally and is installed between the upper ends of the pair of side walls 4. The rear wall 7 is a hollow body that extends vertically and is installed between the rear ends of the pair of side walls 4, and is also installed between the rear ends of the bottom wall 5 and the top wall 6. The front wall 8 is a hollow body that extends vertically in the left-right direction X, is installed between the front ends of the upper ends of the pair of side walls 4, and is connected to the front end of the top wall 6.

The front part of the device body 2 is formed with a vertically long entrance 2A bordered by the front ends of a pair of side walls 4, the front end of the bottom wall 5, and the front wall 8. The door 9 is a vertically long plate having approximately the same size as the entrance 2A, and is connected to one of the side walls 4, for example the side wall 4 on the right side X2, via a hinge 10 (see FIG. 7). The door 9 can rotate about the hinge 10 between a closed position (see FIG. 1) in which the entrance 2A is closed, and an open position (see FIG. 6) in which the entrance 2A is open. A handle 11 is provided on the front part of the door 9 in the closed position, which is held by the user to open and close the door 9. Inside the device body 2, a drying chamber 2B is provided, which is surrounded by a pair of side walls 4, a bottom wall 5, a top wall 6, a rear wall 7, a front wall 8, and the door 9 in the closed position. The drying chamber 2B is a box-shaped space that occupies most of the volume of the device body 2. When the door 9 is in the open position, the drying chamber 2B is exposed to the front side Y1 from the entrance 2A. At least a portion of the door 9 may be made transparent or translucent, such as with glass, so that the drying chamber 2B can be seen from outside the machine.

The rear surface of the top wall 6 is provided with an intake port 6A facing the outside of the machine, i.e., the outside of the device main body 2, and the lower surface of the top wall 6 is provided with an inlet 6B facing the drying chamber 2B. In addition, an outlet 7A facing the drying chamber 2B is provided at the lower part of the front part of the rear wall 7, and an exhaust port 6C facing the outside of the machine is provided at the upper surface of the top wall 6. The device main body 2 is provided with an intake path 12 that extends from the intake port 6A to the front side Y1 in the top wall 6, then bends to the lower side Z2 and connects to the inlet 6B, and an exhaust path 13 that extends from the outlet 7A to the upper side Z1 in the rear wall 7, then extends to the front side Y1 and the upper side Z1 in the top wall 6 and connects to the exhaust port 6C. In addition, in FIG. 1, it appears that the exhaust path 13 is blocked midway by the intake path 12, but in reality, the exhaust path 13 extends from the outlet 7A to the exhaust port 6C without being blocked midway.

The device body 2 has an electric blower 14 such as a fan arranged in the exhaust passage 13, and an electric heater 15 such as a burner arranged in the intake passage 12. When the blower 14 is activated, the drying chamber 2B, the intake passage 12, and the exhaust passage 13 are in a negative pressure state. As a result, outside air is taken in from the intake port 6A into the intake passage 12 as shown by the black arrow, becomes wind, flows into the drying chamber 2B from the inlet 6B, and then flows out from the outlet 7A into the exhaust passage 13 and is discharged outside the machine from the exhaust port 6C. In other words, the blower 14 blows air into the drying chamber 2B. When the heater 15 is activated with the blower 14 activated, the outside air taken in from the intake port 6A into the intake passage 12 is heated by the heater 15 and becomes warm air, which is supplied to the drying chamber 2B, flows through the exhaust passage 13, and is discharged outside the machine from the exhaust port 6C. In this way, the heating unit 15 heats the air generated by the air blowing unit 14 to turn it into hot air.

For example, in the ceiling wall 6, there are provided a circulation inlet 6D facing the exhaust passage 13, a circulation outlet 6E facing the intake passage 12, and a circulation passage 6F connecting the circulation inlet 6D and the circulation outlet 6E. The circulation inlet 6D is located downstream in the exhaust passage 13 and closer to the exhaust port 6C than the blower section 14. The circulation outlet 6E is located downstream in the intake passage 12 and farther from the intake port 6A than the heating section 15. The circulation outlet 6E communicates with the drying chamber 2B via the intake passage 12, but may be disposed facing the drying chamber 2B so as to communicate directly with the drying chamber 2B.

A lid-shaped opening/closing part 16 that opens and closes the circulation inlet 6D is attached to the top wall 6 via a pivot shaft 17. The opening/closing part 16 can rotate about the pivot shaft 17 between an open position where the circulation inlet 6D is open (see the opening/closing part 16 shown by the dashed line) and a closed position where the circulation inlet 6D is closed (see the opening/closing part 16 shown by the solid line).

The opening/closing unit 16 in the open position is located downstream of the exhaust path 13, closer to the exhaust port 6C than the circulation inlet 6D, and blocks the exhaust path 13. When the blower unit 14 is operated in this state, the wind that flows into the drying chamber 2B through the intake path 12 flows from the circulation inlet 6D to the circulation path 6F in the exhaust path 13, as shown by the black dashed arrow, and then circulates by returning to the intake path 12 and the drying chamber 2B from the circulation outlet 6E. When the opening/closing unit 16 is placed in the closed position to close the circulation inlet 6D, the flow of wind in the exhaust path 13 is not impeded. When the blower unit 14 is operated in this state, the wind that flows into the drying chamber 2B through the intake path 12 flows through the exhaust path 13 in one pass and is discharged from the exhaust port 6C to the outside of the machine without returning to the drying chamber 2B from the circulation inlet 6D via the circulation path 6F. In addition, to prevent the air flowing in one pass from entering the circulation path 6F through the circulation outlet 6E, a separate opening/closing part or a check valve may be provided to open and close the circulation outlet 6E in conjunction with the opening/closing part 16.

The device main body 2 has a first supply unit 18 that supplies ozone to the drying chamber 2B, and a second supply unit 19 that supplies ozone to the bedding P on the cart 3. The first supply unit 18 has a first ozone generating unit 18A that is provided, for example, on the underside of the top wall 6 and exposed to the drying chamber 2B. A known electric ozone generator that generates ozone can be used as the first ozone generating unit 18A.

2, which is a schematic longitudinal sectional rear view of the bedding drying device 1, in relation to the second supply unit 19, a pair of left and right intake ports 7B facing the outside of the machine are provided at the upper part of the rear surface of the rear wall 7, and a pair of left and right supply ports 7C facing the drying chamber 2B are provided at the lower part of the front surface of the rear wall 7. The second supply unit 19 has a pair of left and right supply paths 19A extending from one of the intake ports 7B to the lower side Z2 in the rear wall 7 and connected to the supply port 7C, an electric blower 19B such as a fan arranged on the upper side Z1 of the intake port 7B in each supply path 19A, and a second ozone generator 19C arranged on the lower side Z2 of the intake port 7B in each supply path 19A. A known electric ozone generator that generates ozone can be used as the second ozone generator 19C.

The cart 3 is stored in the drying chamber 2B. The cart 3 has a base portion 21 and a set portion 22 that is provided on the base portion 21 and on which the bedding P is placed. The base portion 21 is a flat box shape in the vertical direction Z, and has approximately the same dimensions as the drying chamber 2B in the front-rear direction Y. The base portion 21 has a pair of left and right side walls 23, a front wall 24 that is installed between the front ends of the pair of side walls 23, and a rear wall 25 that is installed between the rear ends of the pair of side walls 23. The base portion 21 has a lower wall 26 that is installed between the lower ends of the pair of side walls 23 and also installed between the lower ends of the front wall 24 and the rear wall 25, and an upper wall 27 that is installed between the upper ends of the pair of side walls 23 and also installed between the upper ends of the front wall 24 and the rear wall 25.

The side walls 23, front wall 24, and rear wall 25 are each a rectangular plate extending vertically, and the bottom wall 26 and top wall 27 are each a rectangular plate extending horizontally. The base portion 21 has an internal space 21A surrounded by the pair of side walls 23, the front wall 24, the rear wall 25, the bottom wall 26, and the top wall 27. The rear wall 25 is provided with an outlet 25A connected to the internal space 21A. Wheels 28 are provided at the four corners of the underside of the bottom wall 39. The top wall 27 is provided with an inlet 27A (see FIG. 1) connected to the internal space 21A.

The set section 22 has an overall mountain-shaped shape that protrudes from the upper wall 27 of the base section 21 to the upper side Z1. The set section 22 is slightly smaller than the base section 21 in the front-rear direction Y, but has approximately the same dimensions as the drying chamber 2B. The set section 22 has a main body section 29 on which the bedding P is actually placed, and a pair of front and rear end wall sections 30 arranged on both sides of the main body section 29 in the front-rear direction Y. The main body section 29 has an inverted U-shaped or inverted V-shaped cross section that is upside down when viewed from the front. A handle 33 is provided on the upper part of the front part of the end wall section 30 on the front side Y1 (see Figure 3).

The set section 22 has a number of ventilation holes 22A (see FIG. 1) provided on the outer surface of the main body section 29. The ventilation holes 22A are distributed throughout the main body section 29. Each end wall section 30 is a mountain-shaped plate that protrudes upward Z1, and the pair of front and rear end wall sections 30 are fixed to the main body section 29 so as to border the front and rear edges of the main body section 29, respectively. The set section 22 has a mountain-shaped internal space 22B surrounded by the upper wall 27 of the base section 21, the main body section 29, and the pair of front and rear end wall sections 30. Each ventilation hole 22A and the intake port 27A of the upper wall 27 are in communication with the internal space 22B.

The outer surface of the body 29 where the ventilation holes 22A are provided is the surface 22C of the set section 22. The surface 22C has a semicircular arc-shaped top region 22CA that bulges out to the upper side Z1, a left region 22CB that extends from the lower left end of the top region 22CA to the upper wall 27, and a right region 22CC that extends from the lower right end of the top region 22CA to the upper wall 27. In this embodiment, each of the left region 22CB and the right region 22CC is a flat inclined surface, but at least a portion of the left region 22CB and the right region 22CC may be a curved surface. The ventilation holes 22A are distributed throughout the entire area of each of the left region 22CB and the right region 22CC.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dolly 3 is provided with a pressing member 41 and a guide pipe 42. One pressing member 41 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the set section 22 on the upper wall 27 of the base section 21 of the dolly 3. Each pressing member 41 is formed of a pipe bent into an M shape, for example, and specifically has a pair of front and rear vertical sections 41A and a bridge section 41B bridged between the upper ends of these vertical sections 41A. The lower end of each vertical section 41A is disposed in the internal space 21A of the base section 21 and is supported by the base section 21. The middle section of the bridge section 41B in the front-rear direction Y is curved in a U shape so as to be recessed downward Z2.

Each pressing member 41 can rotate in the left-right direction X around the lower end of each vertical portion 41A. A total of four insertion holes 27B are formed in the upper wall 27 of the base portion 21, through which the front and rear vertical portions 41A of each pressing member 41 are inserted, one each. Each insertion hole 27B is longitudinal in the left-right direction X, allowing movement of the vertical portion 41A in the left-right direction X in response to the rotation of the pressing member 41. Each pressing member 41 may be constantly biased by a biasing member (not shown), such as a spring, provided within the base portion 21 so as to approach the set portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide pipes 42 are provided on both the left and right sides of the set section 22. Each guide pipe 42 is composed of a pipe. Specifically, each guide pipe 42 has a first pipe 42A extending horizontally in the front-rear direction Y, a plurality of second pipes 42B branching off from the first pipe 42A, extending horizontally in the left-right direction X toward the set section 22, and then curving to the upper side Z1, and a third pipe 42C extending linearly from the upper end of each second pipe 42B to the upper side Z1.

The first pipe 42A is disposed in the internal space 21A of the base portion 21. The front end of the first pipe 42A is fixed to the front end of the lower wall 26 via a front bracket 43. The front bracket 43 is U-shaped facing the set portion 22 side in a plan view, and the front end of the first pipe 42A is supported by the front bracket 43. The rear end of the first pipe 42A is fixed to the rear end of the lower wall 26 via a rear bracket 44. The rear bracket 44 is U-shaped facing the set portion 22 side in a plan view, and the rear end of the first pipe 42A is supported by the rear bracket 44.

In this embodiment, five second pipes 42B are provided, and are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the fore-and-aft direction Y in the area between the front bracket 43 and the rear bracket 44 of the first pipe 42A. Most of each second pipe 42B is arranged in the internal space 21A of the base portion 21, but the upper end of each second pipe 42B penetrates the upper wall 27 of the base portion 21 and is arranged on the upper wall 27 (see FIG. 3). The periphery of the upper end of each second pipe 42B on the upper wall 27 is preferably sealed.

The third pipes 42C are provided in the same number as the second pipes 42B, and are connected one by one to the upper end of the third pipes 42C. In this embodiment, five third pipes 42C are arranged in a comb shape at equal intervals in the front-rear direction Y. In the guide pipe 42 (not shown in FIG. 4) arranged on the left side X1 of the set part 22, each third pipe 42C is arranged at an incline toward the upper right side along a portion that avoids the ventilation hole 22A in the left region 22CB of the surface part 22C of the set part 22. In the guide pipe 42 arranged on the right side X2 of the set part 22, each third pipe 42C is arranged at an incline toward the upper left side along a portion that avoids the ventilation hole 22A in the right region 22CC of the surface part 22C of the set part 22.

In the right region 22CC, the third pipe 42C at the front end is disposed at the front end of the right region 22CC, the third pipe 42C at the rear end is disposed at the rear end of the right region 22CC, the upper end of each third pipe 42C is disposed at the center of the right region 22CC in the vertical direction Z, and the lower end of each third pipe 42C is disposed at the lower end of the right region 22CC. The third pipe 42C at the front end may be disposed slightly rearward Y2 from the front end of the right region 22CC, and the third pipe 42C at the rear end may be disposed slightly forward Y1 from the rear end of the right region 22CC. The third pipe 42C may be fixed to the right region 22CC, or may be disposed in a floating state, i.e., separated state, from the right region 22CC.

The layout of the third pipes 42C in the left region 22CB is also similar. That is, the third pipes 42C in the left region 22CB and the third pipes 42C in the right region 22CC are arranged symmetrically. In this way, the multiple third pipes 42C are evenly distributed and arranged in the lower half of each of the left region 22CB and the right region 22CC.

Each third pipe 42C is provided with a plurality of outlets 42D that communicate with the interior of the third pipe 42C. These outlets 42D are distributed over the entire outer circumferential surface of the third pipe 42C in the vertical direction Z. Each outlet 42D may be a horizontally extending slit.

As shown in FIG. 5, an inlet 42E that communicates with the inside of the first pipe 42A is provided on the rear end surface of the rear end of the first pipe 42A of each guide pipe 42. The inlet 42E is exposed from the rear surface of the rear wall 25 of the base portion 21. The inlet 42E of the left and right guide pipes 42 are located on both sides of the outlet 25A of the rear wall 25 in the left-right direction X.

As shown in FIG. 6, such a cart 3 can be pulled out from the drying chamber 2B of the device body 2 to the front side Y1 when the door 9 is in the open position. When pulling out or storing the cart 3, the user grasps the handle 33.

The user who pulls out the dolly 3 from the drying chamber 2B of the device main body 2 grasps the left and right pressing members 41 and rotates them apart, i.e., to spread the legs, and then places the bedding P in a mountain-folded state on the setting section 22. When the user releases the left and right pressing members 41, these pressing members 41 rotate closer to each other due to the biasing force of the biasing member described above, and as shown in FIG. 6, at least the bridge portion 41B of each pressing member 41 presses the bedding P against the surface portion 22C of the setting section 22 from the outside in the left-right direction X to the setting section 22. As a result, even if the bedding P has a strong repulsive force, it can be set in the setting section 22 in a mountain-folded state. The dolly 3 may have an operating portion (not shown) such as a lever operated by the user to rotate the pair of pressing members 41 together.

In each of the left region 22CB and the right region 22CC of the surface portion 22C of the set portion 22, the third pipe 42C of each guide pipe 42 is arranged between the bedding P placed on the surface portion 22C in a mountain-folded state and the surface portion 22C (see FIG. 5). As a result, a gap is formed around each third pipe 42C, particularly between the bedding P and the surface portion 22C on both sides of each third pipe 42C in the front-rear direction Y. Since the gap is connected to the nearest ventilation hole 22A in the surface portion 22C, this ventilation hole 22A is not completely blocked by the bedding P.

The user then pushes the cart 3 through the entrance 2A of the device body 2 into the drying chamber 2B to store it. The cart 3 in the stored state is placed on the bottom wall 5 of the device body 2. A pair of left and right guide rails 31 that respectively receive the left and right wheels 28 of the cart 3 are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 5 (see FIG. 2). With each wheel 28 received in the guide rails 31, the cart 3 is positioned in the left-right direction X within the drying chamber 2B.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the user closes the door 9 to the closed position, the base portion 21 is sandwiched between the rear wall 7 of the device body 2 and the door 9, so that the trolley 3 in the drying chamber 2B is positioned in the front-rear direction Y (see FIG. 1). In the trolley 3 with the bedding P placed on the setting portion 22, the bedding P faces the ventilation hole 22A of the main body 29, and the outlet 25A of the rear wall 25 of the base portion 21 is connected to the outlet 7A of the rear wall 7 of the device body 2 (see FIG. 1). In addition, when the trolley 3 is stored in the drying chamber 2B, the inlet 42E of the pair of left and right guide pipes 42 in the trolley 3 are connected to the pair of left and right supply ports 7C, one by one (see FIG. 2).

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the bedding drying device 1. The bedding drying device 1 further includes a control unit 45 configured by a microcomputer or the like, and an electric actuator 46 that rotates the opening and closing unit 16 described above. The actuator 46 is configured by a solenoid, a motor, or the like. The control unit 45 is electrically connected to each of the blower unit 14, the heater unit 15, the actuator 46, the first supply unit 18, and the second supply unit 19, and the control unit 45 controls these electrical components to perform a drying operation for the bedding P. The drying operation includes a drying process for drying the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, a cooling process for cooling the drying chamber 2B after the drying process, an ozone process for purifying the bedding P with ozone after the cooling process, an ozone elimination process for eliminating the ozone in the drying chamber 2B after the ozone elimination process, and an exhaust process for exhausting the inside of the drying chamber 2B after the ozone elimination process.

As the drying process, the control unit 45 operates the air blower 14 and the heater 15 while the opening/closing unit 16 is placed in the closed position and the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 are stopped. Then, warm air, which is outside air taken into the air intake passage 12 from the air intake port 6A and heated by the heater 15, flows into the drying chamber 2B from the inlet 6B and is sprayed on the folded bedding P inside the drying chamber 2B (see FIG. 1).

The hot air blown onto the bedding P passes through the bedding P and reaches the ventilation hole 22A of the main body 29, and flows from the ventilation hole 22A into the internal space 22B of the set section 22. The hot air that passes through the bedding P and flows into the internal space 22B flows down into the internal space 21A of the base section 21, flows through the outlet 25A and the outlet 7A into the exhaust path 13, and is discharged outside the machine from the exhaust port 6C. In this way, the internal space 22B of the set section 22 is a hollow portion that serves as a passageway for the air generated by the blower section 14. The hot air flows through the ventilation hole 22A of the surface section 22C of the set section 22 between the drying chamber 2B and the internal space 22B of the set section 22, passing through the bedding P. When the bedding P is dried by being blown with the hot air for a predetermined time, the control section 45 ends the drying process.

Next, the control unit 45 operates the blower unit 14 as a cooling process with at least the heating unit 15 stopped. As a result, the outside air taken in from the intake port 6A to the intake path 12 flows into the drying chamber 2B as cold air, passes through the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, and then flows out to the exhaust path 13 and is discharged to the outside of the machine from the exhaust port 6C. During the cooling process, the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 are stopped. When the drying chamber 2B and the bedding P are cooled by supplying cold air into the drying chamber 2B for a predetermined time, the cooling process ends. In the ozone process after the cooling process, the ozone can be prevented from disappearing due to the heat generated in the drying process, so the bedding P can be effectively purified with a large amount of ozone. Therefore, the bedding drying device 1 can improve the purification effect of the bedding P by ozone.

Next, the control unit 45 operates the blower unit 14 and the first ozone generator 18A of the first supply unit 18 as ozone treatment, with the opening/closing unit 16 placed in the open position (see the opening/closing unit 16 in broken lines in FIG. 1) and the heating unit 15 and the second supply unit 19 stopped. As a result, the outside air taken in from the intake port 6A into the intake path 12 flows into the drying chamber 2B as cold air, passes through the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, and then circulates by returning to the drying chamber 2B from the circulation inlet 6D of the exhaust path 13. Then, the ozone generated by the first ozone generator 18A is carried by the circulating cold air and sprayed onto the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B. Specifically, the ozone supplied to the drying chamber 2B from the first supply unit 18 becomes ozone wind and is sprayed onto the outer part P1 of the bedding P in a mountain-folded state placed on the set unit 22, opposite the set unit 22 side (see FIG. 2).

After operating the first ozone generating unit 18A for a predetermined time, the control unit 45 stops the blower unit 14 and the first ozone generating unit 18A, and then operates the blower unit 19B and the second ozone generating unit 19C of the second supply unit 19 while continuing to stop the heating unit 15. Then, as shown by the hollow arrows in Figures 1 and 2, outside air is taken into the supply path 19A from the intake port 7B, and then becomes ozone wind carrying the ozone generated by the second ozone generating unit 19C, which is supplied from the supply port 7C through the corresponding inlet 42E into the first pipe 42A of the guide pipe 42.

The ozone wind supplied into the first pipe 42A passes through each second pipe 42B, rises through each third pipe 42C, and flows out from one of the outlets 42D to be sprayed on the bedding P on the set section 22. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the ozone wind flowing out from the outlet 42D of each third pipe 42C in the guide pipe 42 on the left side X1 is supplied between the inner part P2 on the surface part 22C side of the bedding P placed on the surface part 22C of the set section 22 and the left area 22CB of the surface part 22C, and is sprayed on the left part of the inner part P2 that hangs down to the left side X1. The ozone wind flowing out from the outlet 42D of each third pipe 42C in the guide pipe 42 on the right side X2 is supplied between the inner part P2 of the bedding P and the right area 22CC of the surface part 22C, and is sprayed on the right part of the inner part P2 that hangs down to the right side X2.

Because the opening/closing unit 16 remains in the open position, the ozone wind circulates, but because the blower unit 14 is stopped, the force of the ozone wind is relatively weak. This prevents the ozone from escaping to the ventilation hole 22A of the surface unit 22C without being sprayed onto the bedding P. After operating the second ozone generating unit 19C for a predetermined time, the control unit 45 stops the blower unit 19B and the second ozone generating unit 19C to end the ozone treatment. Note that in this embodiment, the first ozone generating unit 18A and the second ozone generating unit 19C operate in this order, but they may operate in the reverse order or simultaneously.

As described above, the control unit 45 operates the blower 14, the first supply unit 18, and the second supply unit 19 in the ozone treatment. This allows ozone to be sprayed onto both the outer portion P1 and the inner portion P2 of the bedding P in the folded state, so that both sides of the bedding P, i.e., the entire area, can be effectively purified with ozone. Therefore, the bedding drying device 1 can improve the purification effect of the bedding P with ozone. Note that, if ozone can be sprayed onto the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B in the ozone treatment, the control unit 45 does not need to operate the blower 14; in this case, it is sufficient to operate at least the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19.

Next, as the ozone removal process, the control unit 45 continues to place the opening/closing unit 16 in the open position, and operates the blower unit 14 and the heater unit 15 while stopping the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19. As a result, the outside air taken in from the intake port 6A to the intake path 12 becomes hot air, flows into the drying chamber 2B, passes through the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, and then circulates by returning to the drying chamber 2B from the circulation inlet 6D of the exhaust path 13. As a result, the ozone in the bedding drying device 1 is decomposed by the heat of the hot air and disappears. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 45 ends the ozone removal process by stopping at least the heater unit 15.

Next, as an exhaust process, the control unit 45 places the opening/closing unit 16 in the closed position (see the opening/closing unit 16 in solid line in FIG. 1) and operates the blower unit 14 with at least the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 stopped. As a result, the outside air taken in from the intake port 6A to the intake path 12 flows into the drying chamber 2B, passes through the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, and then flows out to the exhaust path 13 and is exhausted from the exhaust port 6C to the outside of the machine. As a result, the drying chamber 2B is exhausted. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 45 stops the blower unit 14 to end the exhaust process and terminate the entire drying operation. The exhaust process can reduce the concentration of ozone in the drying chamber 2B. Therefore, after the exhaust process, the user can pull out the cart 3 from the drying chamber 2B without worrying about the ozone in the drying chamber 2B.

This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional right side view of the bedding drying device 1 according to the modified example. FIG. 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional rear view of the bedding drying device 1 according to the modified example. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the same components as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment described above, the first ozone generating unit 18A for applying ozone to the outer portion P1 of the bedding P and the second ozone generating unit 19C for applying ozone to the inner portion P2 of the bedding P are separately provided. That is, the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 have individual ozone generating units in this embodiment, but may share the ozone generating unit 52 as in the modified example. In this case, the single ozone generating unit 52 can apply ozone to both the outer portion P1 and the inner portion P2 of the bedding P in the mountain-folded state.

In the modified example, the first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 also share a flow path 53 through which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit 52 flows. The flow path 53 is an upstream portion of the supply path 19A described above that is connected to the intake port 7B. The blower 19B and the ozone generating unit 52 are arranged in the flow path 53. The first supply unit 18 and the second supply unit 19 also share the blower 19B. The first supply unit 18 has a first branch path 54 branched from the flow path 53, and the second supply unit 19 has a second branch path 55 branched from the flow path 53 (see FIG. 10). An example of the first branch path 54 is an opening formed in the rear wall 7 of the device body 2, which is connected to the drying chamber 2B. An example of the second branch path 55 is composed of a downstream portion of the supply path 19A on the supply port 7C side from the first branch path 54, the supply port 7C, and the guide pipe 42. Therefore, when the dolly 3 is stored in the drying chamber 2B, the second branch path 55 connects between the set section 22 and the bedding P on the set section 22 at the outlet 42D of the third pipe 42C of the guide pipe 42.

A switching unit 56 is provided at the branching position where the flow path 53 branches into the first branch path 54 and the second branch path 55 (see FIG. 10). One example of the switching unit 56 has a lid 56A attached to the rear wall 7 via a pivot shaft 57, and an electric actuator (not shown) that rotates the lid 56A around the pivot shaft 57. The lid 56A can rotate between an open position where the first branch path 54 is open (see the lid 56A shown by the dashed line) and a closed position where the first branch path 54 is closed (see the lid 56A shown by the solid line). The control unit 45 rotates the lid 56A by controlling this actuator. The switching unit 56 may be configured by an electric valve such as a solenoid valve.

When the lid 56A is in the open position, it blocks the passage 53 from the second branch passage 55. When the blower 19B and the ozone generator 52 are operated in this state, the ozone wind generated by the outside air flowing into the passage 53 from the air intake 7B and the ozone generated by the ozone generator 52 flows into the drying chamber 2B from the first branch passage 54 as shown by the white dashed arrow in FIG. 10, and is sprayed on the outer part P1 of the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B. On the other hand, when the lid 56A is in the closed position, the passage 53 and the second branch passage 55 are connected. When the blower 19B and the ozone generator 52 are operated in this state, the ozone wind flows out of the outlet 42D of the third pipe 42C of the guide pipe 42 after flowing through the second branch passage 55 as shown by the white solid arrow in FIG. 10, and is sprayed on the inner part P2 of the bedding P on the set section 22.

In this way, the switching unit 56 having the lid portion 56A switches the flow of ozone in the flow path 53 to either the first branch path 54 or the second branch path 55 under the control of the control unit 45. As part of the ozone treatment according to the modified example, the control unit 45 executes a first ozone treatment and a second ozone treatment after the first ozone treatment.

In the first ozone treatment, the control unit 45 operates the air blower 14, the air blower 19B and the ozone generator 52 with the lid 56A in the open position to supply ozone air from the first branch passage 54 into the drying chamber 2B. At this time, since the opening/closing unit 16 is in the open position (see the opening/closing unit 16 shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9), the ozone air that is supplied into the drying chamber 2B and passes through the bedding P is circulated by returning to the drying chamber 2B from the circulation inlet 6D.

In the second ozone treatment, the control unit 45 stops the blower 14 with the lid unit 56A in the closed position, and then operates the blower 19B and the ozone generator 52 to supply ozone air from the second branch path 55 to between the bedding P on the set unit 22 and the set unit 22. At this time, since the opening and closing unit 16 is still in the open position, the ozone air that has been supplied into the drying chamber 2B and passed through the bedding P is circulated by returning to the drying chamber 2B from the circulation inlet 6D. In the second ozone treatment, since the blower 14 is stopped and the force of the ozone air is relatively weak, it is possible to prevent the ozone air from escaping to the ventilation hole 22A of the surface unit 22C without passing through the bedding P. The first ozone treatment and the second ozone treatment may be performed in this order, in the reverse order, or simultaneously.

The guide pipe 42 also serves to locally raise the bedding P from the surface portion 22C of the set portion 22 to form a gap. Even if the bedding P has poor breathability, this gap allows the warm air and ozone air to flow smoothly. On the other hand, the pressing member 41 serves to press the entire bedding P against the set portion 22 to such an extent that the gap is not narrowed, but the pressing member 41 is not essential and may be omitted.

In the ozone treatment, the opening/closing unit 16 is placed in the open position and the blower unit 14 is operated to circulate ozone air, but if the ozone does not leak outside the machine and can sufficiently penetrate the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, it is not necessary to circulate the ozone air, so the blower unit 14 may be stopped. Also, the drying operation may be composed of at least the drying process and the ozone process. Furthermore, the bedding drying device 1 may be capable of executing a purification operation that purifies the bedding P, that is, sterilizes and deodorizes it. In this case, the purification operation executes the ozone treatment, a weak drying process that removes moisture from the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, the ozone treatment, and the exhaust process in this order.

In addition, in this embodiment, the outside air taken in from the intake path 12 passes through the bedding P in the drying chamber 2B, flows into the internal space 22B of the set section 22 of the cart 3, and is discharged to the outside of the machine from the exhaust path 13 (see FIG. 1). Alternatively, the functions of the intake path 12 and the exhaust path 13 may be reversed, so that the outside air is taken in from the exhaust path 13, reaches the internal space 22B, passes through the bedding P, flows out into the drying chamber 2B, and is discharged to the outside of the machine from the intake path 12. The warm air may also be circulated within the bedding drying device 1. The cart 3 may have only one set section 22 as in this embodiment, or may have multiple set sections 22. The multiple set sections 22 are arranged, for example, side by side in the left-right direction X.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Bedding drying device 2 Device body 2B Drying chamber 3 Cart 14 Air blowing section 15 Heating section 18 First supply section 18A First ozone generating section 19 Second supply section 19C Second ozone generating section 22 Setting section 22B Internal space 45 Control section 52 Ozone generating section 53 Flow path 54 First branch path 55 Second branch path 56 Switching section P Bedding

Claims (5)

an apparatus body including a drying chamber, an air blowing unit that blows air into the drying chamber, a heating unit that heats the air generated by the air blowing unit to turn it into warm air, and a first supply unit that supplies ozone to the drying chamber;
a set section in which bedding is placed in a folded state and a guide pipe is disposed between the set section and the bedding placed on the set section , and a cart is stored in a drawable manner relative to the drying chamber;
a second supply unit that supplies ozone between the bedding placed on the setting unit and the setting unit by discharging ozone from an outlet that is connected to the inside of the guide pipe ;
a control unit that controls the blower unit, the heater unit, the first supply unit, and the second supply unit,
The control unit performs a drying operation of the bedding drying device, the drying process including activating the air blowing unit and the heating unit to spray warm air onto the bedding in the drying chamber, and an ozone process including activating at least the first supply unit and the second supply unit after the drying process to spray ozone onto the bedding in the drying chamber. The first supply unit has a first ozone generator that generates ozone,
The second supply unit has a second ozone generator that generates ozone,
The bedding drying device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit activates the air blower, the first ozone generating unit, and the second ozone generating unit in the ozone treatment. an apparatus body including a drying chamber, an air blowing unit that blows air into the drying chamber, a heating unit that heats the air generated by the air blowing unit to turn it into warm air, and a first supply unit that supplies ozone to the drying chamber;
A cart having a hollow portion that serves as a passageway for the air generated by the air blowing unit and a set section on which bedding is placed in a folded state, the cart being stored in a drawable manner relative to the drying chamber;
A second supply unit that supplies ozone between the bedding placed on the setting unit and the setting unit;
a control unit that controls the blower unit, the heater unit, the first supply unit, and the second supply unit,
The control unit executes a drying operation including a drying process in which the blower unit and the heater unit are operated to blow hot air onto the bedding in the drying chamber, and an ozone process in which ozone is blown onto the bedding in the drying chamber by operating at least the first supply unit and the second supply unit after the drying process,
The first supply unit and the second supply unit share an ozone generating unit that generates ozone and a flow path through which the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit flows,
the first supply unit has a first branched passage branched from the flow passage and connected to the drying chamber,
The second supply section has a second branch path branching from the flow path and connecting between the set section and the bedding on the set section,
a switching unit is provided at a branch position in the flow path to switch a flow of ozone in the flow path to either the first branch path or the second branch path under the control of the control unit;
The control unit, as part of the ozone treatment, performs a first ozone treatment in which the blower unit and the ozone generating unit are operated to supply ozone from the first branch path into the drying chamber, and a second ozone treatment in which the ozone generating unit is operated to supply ozone from the second branch path between the bedding on the set unit and the set unit. The bedding drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit executes a cooling process between the drying process and the ozone process, in which the control unit operates the air blower unit while stopping at least the heating unit to cool the drying chamber. The bedding drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit, after the ozone treatment, performs an exhaust process in which the blower unit is operated while at least the first supply unit and the second supply unit are stopped, to exhaust the drying chamber.

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