U.S. patent application number 15/767101 was filed with the patent office on 2018-10-11 for washing and drying machine.
The applicant listed for this patent is AQUA CO., LTD., QINGDAO HAIER WASHING MACHINE CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Ryuji KANEDA, Takahiro TSUJI.
Application Number | 20180291544 15/767101 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58487362 |
Filed Date | 2018-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180291544 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TSUJI; Takahiro ; et
al. |
October 11, 2018 |
WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE
Abstract
A fully automatic washing and drying machine includes an outer
tub elastically supported in a housing; a washing/dewatering tub
rotatably arranged in the outer tub; a hot air supplying unit
including a heater and a fan, and air heated by the heater is
supplied into the washing/dewatering tub by the fan from an upper
part of the outer tub; and a discharging port arranged at a lower
part of the outer tub and configured to discharge the air which has
been in contact with washings in the washing/dewatering tub. The
discharging port is connected to an exhaust duct extending upward,
and an exhaust port is formed in the exhaust duct. The discharging
port is located at a position higher than a water overflowing level
at which water overflows from the outer tub.
Inventors: |
TSUJI; Takahiro; (Tokyo,
JP) ; KANEDA; Ryuji; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QINGDAO HAIER WASHING MACHINE CO., LTD.
AQUA CO., LTD. |
Qingdao, Shandong
Xhiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
|
CN
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
58487362 |
Appl. No.: |
15/767101 |
Filed: |
October 9, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
October 9, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2016/101566 |
371 Date: |
April 9, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 37/26 20130101;
D06F 58/20 20130101; D06F 39/04 20130101; D06F 2105/28 20200201;
D06F 33/00 20130101; D06F 2105/24 20200201; D06F 2103/36 20200201;
D06F 25/00 20130101; D06F 58/30 20200201 |
International
Class: |
D06F 25/00 20060101
D06F025/00; D06F 58/28 20060101 D06F058/28; D06F 33/02 20060101
D06F033/02; D06F 39/04 20060101 D06F039/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 9, 2015 |
JP |
2015-201460 |
Claims
1. A washing and drying machine, comprising: an outer tub
elastically supported in a housing; a washing/dewatering tub
rotatably arranged in the outer tub; a hot air supplying portion
comprising a heater and a fan, wherein air heated by the heater is
supplied into the washing/dewatering tub by the fan from an upper
part of the outer tub; and a discharging port arranged at a lower
part of the outer tub and configured to discharge the air that has
been in contact with washings in the washing/dewatering tub.
2. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, further
comprising an exhaust portion, wherein no water stored in the outer
tub leaks through the exhaust portion during a washing process, and
the air discharged from the discharging port is discharged through
the exhaust portion during a drying process.
3. The washing and drying machine according to claim 2, wherein the
exhaust portion comprises an exhaust duct connected to the
discharging port and extending upward, and the exhaust duct has an
exhaust port located at a position higher than a water overflowing
level at which the water overflows from the outer tub.
4. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the
housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for the
washings, the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate, and an air inlet
of the hot air supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to and
separated from an inner wall surface of the accommodating chamber,
wherein the air flowing in the accommodating chamber is taken into
the air inlet by the fan.
5. The washing and drying machine according to claim 4, wherein the
accommodating chamber has an opening communicating with a space
between the housing and the outer tub, and the air in the space is
taken into the accommodating chamber by the fan and flows in the
accommodating chamber.
6. The washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the
housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for washings,
the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an accommodating
chamber provided on the top plate, the accommodating chamber has an
opening communicating with a space between the housing and the
outer tub, and an air inlet of the hot air supplying portion is
arranged to be opposed to the opening, and the air in the space is
taken into the air inlet by the fan.
7. The washing and drying machine according to claim 4, further
comprising a controller configured to perform a first drying
operation and a second drying operation, wherein in the first
drying operation, the heater and the fan are operated to supply the
air heated by the heater into the outer tub from the hot air
supplying portion, and the second drying operation follows the
first drying operation, in the second drying operation, the heater
is stopped and the fan is operated, so that the air being not
heated by the heater is supplied into the outer tub from the hot
air supplying portion.
8. The washing and drying machine according to claim 2, wherein the
housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for the
washings, the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate, and an air inlet
of the hot air supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to and
separated from an inner wall surface of the accommodating chamber,
wherein the air flowing in the accommodating chamber is taken into
the air inlet by the fan.
9. The washing and drying machine according to claim 3, wherein the
housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for the
washings, the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate, and an air inlet
of the hot air supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to and
separated from an inner wall surface of the accommodating chamber,
wherein the air flowing in the accommodating chamber is taken into
the air inlet by the fan.
10. The washing and drying machine according to claim 2, wherein
the housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for
washings, the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate, the accommodating
chamber has an opening communicating with a space between the
housing and the outer tub, and an air inlet of the hot air
supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to the opening, and the
air in the space is taken into the air inlet by the fan.
11. The washing and drying machine according to claim 3, wherein
the housing comprises a top plate having a loading port for
washings, the hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate, the accommodating
chamber has an opening communicating with a space between the
housing and the outer tub, and an air inlet of the hot air
supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to the opening, and the
air in the space is taken into the air inlet by the fan.
12. The washing and drying machine according to claim 5, further
comprising a controller configured to perform a first drying
operation and a second drying operation, wherein in the first
drying operation, the heater and the fan are operated to supply the
air heated by the heater into the outer tub from the hot air
supplying portion, and the second drying operation follows the
first drying operation, in the second drying operation, the heater
is stopped and the fan is operated, so that the air being not
heated by the heater is supplied into the outer tub from the hot
air supplying portion.
13. The washing and drying machine according to claim 6, further
comprising a controller configured to perform a first drying
operation and a second drying operation, wherein in the first
drying operation, the heater and the fan are operated to supply the
air heated by the heater into the outer tub from the hot air
supplying portion, and the second drying operation follows the
first drying operation, in the second drying operation, the heater
is stopped and the fan is operated, so that the air being not
heated by the heater is supplied into the outer tub from the hot
air supplying portion
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a washing and drying
machine.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the past, a washing and drying machine implemented by
adding a drying function to a so-called swirl type washing machine
(fully automatic washing machine), in which clothes are washed by a
water flow generated in a washing/dewatering tub through a pulsator
disposed at the bottom of the washing/dewatering tub, is known. An
example of such a washing and drying machine is disclosed in Patent
Document 1, for example.
[0003] In the washing and drying machine disclosed in Patent
Document 1, a hot air supplying unit for supplying high-temperature
air into the washing/dewatering tub is disposed on a top plate
having a loading port for washings. An opening of the upper surface
of an outer tub equipped with the washing/dewatering tub is covered
by an outer tub cover having an inner lid. The hot air generated by
the hot air supplying unit is blown into the washing/dewatering tub
from the above of the outer tub through a hot air duct connected to
the outer tub cover. The inner lid is formed with an exhaust hole
through which the hot air supplied to the washing tub flows to the
outside of the outer tub and is discharged to the outside of the
machine through a vent hole or the like on the back of an outer
box.
[0004] In the above configuration, since the exhaust hole is formed
in the inner lid of the upper surface of the outer tub, the hot air
supplied from the above of the outer tub is easily released to the
exhaust hole before spreading to the lower part of the
washing/dewatering tub. For this reason, in the washing/dewatering
tub, the hot air easily contacts the upper surface of the washings,
and the hot air hardly permeates the washings. Therefore, in the
above configuration, there is concern that the drying efficiency is
low.
RELATED TECHNICAL LITERATURE
Patent Literature
[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication
No. 2007-44228
SUMMARY
Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure
[0006] The present disclosure is made in view of the above problem,
and aims to provide a washing and drying machine capable of
improving the drying efficiency.
Solution to the Technical Problem
[0007] A washing and drying machine according to a first aspect of
the present disclosure includes an outer tub elastically supported
in a housing; a washing/dewatering tub rotatably arranged in the
outer tub; a hot air supplying portion including a heater and a
fan, where air heated by the heater is supplied into the
washing/dewatering tub by the fan from an upper part of the outer
tub; and a discharging port arranged at a lower part of the outer
tub and configured to discharge the air which has been in contact
with washings in the washing/dewatering tub.
[0008] According to the above configuration, since the discharging
port for the air inside the outer tub is formed at the lower part
of the outer tub, the hot air fed into the outer tub from the above
easily spreads to the lower part of the washing/dewatering tub. As
a result, the hot air easily permeates the washings in the
washing/dewatering tub, so that an improvement in drying efficiency
can be expected.
[0009] The washing and drying machine according to this aspect
further includes an exhaust portion through which no water stored
in the outer tub leaks during a washing process, and the air
flowing from the discharging port is discharged during a drying
process. For example, the exhaust portion may include an exhaust
duct connected to the discharging port and extending upward. In
this case, an exhaust port is formed in the exhaust duct at a
position higher than a water overflowing level at which the water
overflows from the outer tub.
[0010] According to the above configuration, it is possible to
provide a discharging port at the lower part of the outer tub
without concerning water leakage during the washing process.
[0011] In the washing and drying machine according to this aspect,
the housing includes a top plate having a loading port for
washings. The hot air supplying portion is disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate. An air inlet of
the hot air supplying portion is arranged to be opposed to and
separated from an inner wall surface of the accommodating chamber.
The air flowing in the accommodating chamber is taken into the air
inlet by the fan.
[0012] According to the above configuration, since the air heated
by the heat generated from the hot air supplying portion can be
heated by the heater, it is possible to suppress the heating amount
of the heater and suppress the power consumption of the washing and
drying machine during the drying process.
[0013] In the above configuration, the accommodating chamber
further includes an opening communicating with a space between the
housing and the outer tub, and the air in the space is taken into
the accommodating chamber by the fan and flows in the accommodating
chamber.
[0014] With such a configuration, since the air heated by the heat
generated from the outer tub can be taken into the accommodating
chamber, the further heated air can be taken into the intake port
of the hot air supplying portion, and it is possible to further
suppress the heating amount.
[0015] In the washing and drying machine according to this aspect,
the housing may include a top plate having a loading port for
washings. The hot air supplying portion may be disposed in an
accommodating chamber provided on the top plate. The accommodating
chamber has an opening communicating with a space between the
housing and the outer tub. The air inlet of the hot air supplying
portion is arranged to be opposed to the opening, and the air in
the space is taken into the air intake port by the fan.
[0016] According to the above configuration, since the air heated
by the heat generated from the outer tub can be taken into the hot
air supplying portion, the power consumption of the washing and
drying machine during the drying step can be suppressed.
[0017] As described above, in the case that the washing and drying
machine is configured to heat the air taken into the hot air
supplying portion with the heat from the outer tub and the hot air
supplying portion, the washing and drying machine further includes
a controller configured to carry out a first drying operation and a
second drying operation. In the first drying operation, the heater
and the fan are operated to supply the air heated by the heater
into the outer tub from the hot air supplying portion. The second
drying operation follows the first drying operation. In the second
drying operation, the heater is stopped and the fan is operated, so
that the air being not heated by the heater is supplied into the
outer tub from the hot air supplying portion.
[0018] With such a configuration, the washings can be dried by
using the residual heat of the hot air supplying portion and the
outer tub, so that it is possible to suppress the power consumption
of the washing and drying machine in the drying process.
Effect of the Present Disclosure
[0019] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to
provide a washing and drying machine capable of improving the
drying efficiency.
[0020] The effect or the significance of the present disclosure
will be further clarified by the description of the embodiments
described below. It is to be noted that the following embodiments
are merely examples for implementing the present disclosure, and
the present disclosure is not limited to the ones described in the
following embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating a fully
automatic washing and drying machine according to an
embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating a fully automatic washing
and drying machine with a rear cover being removed and an upper
cover being opened according to an embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating a fully automatic washing
and drying machine shown in FIG. 2 with a hot air supplying unit, a
water supply unit and a water level sensor being further removed
according to an embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an outer tub to which an
exhaust duct is attached, as viewed from the rear, according to an
embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating
essential parts of the embodiment in which the outer tub and the
exhaust duct are cut at the central portion in the left-right
direction of the exhaust duct.
[0026] FIG. 6(a) is a sectional view of the exhaust duct taken
along line A-A' in FIG. 5 according to the embodiment, and FIG.
6(b) is a sectional view of the exhaust duct taken along line B-B'
in FIG. 5 according to the embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
fully automatic washing and drying machine according to an
embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operation control actions
in a drying process according to an embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating main parts in a
configuration of a fully automatic washing and drying machine
according to modification I.
[0030] FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating main parts in a
configuration of a fully automatic washing and drying machine
according to modification II.
[0031] FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of a fully automatic
washing and drying machine according to modification III.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0032] 1: Fully automatic washing and drying machine (washing and
drying machine); 10: Housing; 12: Top plate; 14: Loading port; 20:
Outer tub; 20c: Discharging port; 24, Washing/dewatering tub; 50:
Hot air supplying unit (hot air supplying portion); 50A: Hot air
supplying unit (hot air supplying portion); 51a: Air inlet; 52:
Fan; 53: Heater; 80: Exhaust duct (exhaust portion); 83: Exhaust
port; 100: Accommodating chamber; 106: First opening (opening);
107: Second opening (opening); 108: Third opening (opening); 109:
Fourth opening (opening); 110: Opening/closing valve (exhaust
portion); 130: Air intake (opening); 201: Controller
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Hereinafter, a washing and drying machine according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with
reference to the drawings.
[0034] FIGS. 1 to 3 are views illustrating a configuration of a
fully automatic washing and drying machine 1. FIG. 1 is a side
sectional view of the fully automatic washing and drying machine 1,
and FIG. 2 is a top view of the fully automatic washing and drying
machine 1 with a rear cover 102 being removed and an upper cover 15
being opened. FIG. 3 is a top view of the fully automatic washing
and drying machine 1 shown in FIG. 2 with a hot air supplying unit
50, a water supply unit 60 and a water level sensor 70 being
further removed.
[0035] The fully automatic washing and drying machine 1 includes a
housing 10 constituting an external appearance. The housing 10
includes a body portion 11 in a rectangular barrel shape with upper
and lower surfaces open, a top plate 12 for covering the upper
surface of the body portion 11, and a base 13 for supporting the
body portion 11. A loading port 14 is formed in the top plate 12.
The loading port 14 is covered with an openable and closable top
cover 15.
[0036] An outer tub 20 is elastically suspended and supported in
the housing 10 by four hanging bars 21 having a vibration isolating
device. The upper surface of the outer tub 20 is covered with an
outer tub cover 22. An opening 22a having substantially the same
size as the loading port 14 is formed in the outer tub cover 22 at
a position opposite to the loading port 14. The opening 22a is
covered with an inner cover 23 so that the opening 22a is opened or
closed.
[0037] A washing/dewatering tub 24 is disposed in the outer tub 20.
The washing/dewatering tub 24 rotates around a rotation axis
extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of dewatering
holes 24a are formed on the entire inner peripheral surface of the
washing/dewatering tub 24. A balance ring 25 is provided on the
upper portion of the washing/dewatering tub 24. A pulsator 26 is
disposed at the bottom of the washing/dewatering tub 24. A
plurality of blades 26a are radially provided on the surface of the
pulsator 26.
[0038] A driving unit 30 configured to generate torques for driving
the washing/dewatering tub 24 and the pulsator 26 is disposed at
the outer bottom of the outer tub 20. The driving unit 30 includes
a driving motor 31 and a transmission mechanism 32. The
transmission mechanism 32 includes a clutch mechanism 32a. By
switching the clutch mechanism 32a, the torque of the driving motor
31 is only transferred to the pulsator 26 in a washing process/a
rinsing process so as to only rotate the pulsator 26, and the
torque of the driving motor 31 is transferred to the pulsator 26
and the washing/dewatering tub 24 in the dewatering process so as
to integrally rotate the pulsator 26 and the washing/dewatering tub
24.
[0039] A drain outlet 20a is formed at the outer bottom of the
outer tub 20. The drain outlet 20a is provided with a drain valve
40 which is connected to a drain hose 41. When the drain valve 40
is opened, water stored in the washing/dewatering tub 24 and the
outer tub 20 is discharged to the outside of the machine through
the drain hose 41.
[0040] An operation portion 16 is provided on the front portion of
the top plate 12. Various operation buttons such as a power button
16a, a start button 16b, a mode selection button 16c, etc. are
arranged in the operation portion 16. The power button 16a is a
button for turning on and turning off the power of the fully
automatic washing and drying machine 1. The start button 16b is a
button for starting operations. The mode selection button 16c is a
button for selecting an arbitrary operation mode from a plurality
of operation modes related to a washing operation, a washing and
drying operation and a drying operation.
[0041] An accommodating chamber 100 is provided at the rear portion
of the top plate 12, and is closed from the outside. The
accommodating chamber 100 is composed of an accommodating recess
101 and a rear cover 102. The accommodating recess 101 has a bottom
surface 101a, a front side surface 101b, a rear side surface 101c,
a left side surface 101d and a right side surface 101e. The top
surface of the accommodating recess 101 is open and covered with
the rear cover 102. A hot air supplying unit 50, a water supply
unit 60, a water level sensor 70 and the like are arranged in the
accommodating chamber 100.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the hot air supplying unit 50 is
disposed on the left side of the center in the accommodating
chamber 100. The hot air supplying unit 50 includes a casing 51, a
fan 52, a heater 53 and a hot air duct 54. The hot air supplying
unit 50 is a hot air supplying portion of the present
disclosure.
[0043] The casing 51 is in a substantially L-shaped rectangular
shape which extends rightward and then bends forward. In the casing
51, an air inlet 51a is formed on the rear surface on the left end
side and an air outlet 51b is formed on the bottom surface on the
right end side. The air inlet 51a and the rear side face 101c of
the accommodating recess 101 are opposed and separated from each
other, and no opening communicated with the outside (such as an air
intake) is formed in a region opposed to the air inlet 51a.
Further, a plurality of first attachment portions 51c used for
fixing the hot air supplying unit 50 are provided at appropriate
positions of the casing 51.
[0044] The fan 52 is a centrifugal fan, and includes a blower 52a
and a motor 52b for rotating the blower 52a. The blower 52a is
arranged in the casing 51 so as to face the air inlet 51a. The
heater 53 is disposed downstream of the blower 52a in the casing
51. The heater 53 is a self-temperature controllable PCT heater (a
semiconductor heater) for which the lower the temperature of the
air to be heated is, the larger the amount of heat generated will
be. It is noted that a fan other than the centrifugal fan and a
heater other than the PCT heater may be used for the hot air
supplying unit 50.
[0045] The hot air duct 54 is formed of an elastic member or the
like to have flexibility, and has an end connected to the exhaust
port 51b of the casing 51 and the other end connected to the air
outlet 20b formed in the outer tub cover 22. The air outlet 20b
faces the interior of the washing/dewatering tub 24.
[0046] The water supply unit 60 is disposed on the right side of
the center in the accommodating chamber 100. The water supply unit
60 includes a water injection portion 61, a water supply valve 62,
a bath water pump 63 and a water supply duct 64. The water
injection portion 61 is in a rectangular shape which is long in the
front-to-rear direction. A first influx port 61a and a second
influx port 61b for taking in tap water and a third influx port 61c
for taking in the bath water are formed on the upper surface of the
water injection portion 61, and a water injection port 61d is
formed at the bottom of the water injection portion 61. In
addition, a softener box (not shown) into which the softener is
charged is accommodated in the water injection portion 61 so that
the softener box can be pulled out from the front. Furthermore, a
plurality of second attachment portions 61e used for fixing the
water supply unit 60 are provided at appropriate positions in the
water injection portion 61.
[0047] The water supply valve 62 is a dual valve having a first
outflux port 62a connected to the first influx port 61a and a
second outflux 62b connected to the second influx port 61b. A first
connection port 62c is formed on the upper surface of the water
supply valve 62. The first connection port 62c faces outside while
the accommodating recess 101 is covered with the rear cover 102,
and a water supply hose (not shown) extending from a faucet is
connected to the first connection port 62c.
[0048] A bath water supply hose 63a of the bath water pump 63 is
connected to the third influx port 61c. A second connection port
63b is formed on the upper surface of the bath water pump 63. The
second connection port 63b faces outside while the accommodating
recess 101 is covered with the rear cover 102, and the bath water
hose (not shown) is connected to the second connection port 63b.
When bath water is supplied from a bathtub, a water inlet at the
top end of the bath water hose is immersed in the bathtub.
[0049] The water supply duct 64 is formed of an elastic member or
the like to have flexibility. An end of the water supply duct 64 is
connected to the water injection port 61d, and the other end of the
water supply duct 64 is connected to a water supply port (not
shown) formed in the outer tub cover 22.
[0050] When a valve on the side of the first outflux port 62a of
the water supply valve 62 is opened, the tap water is taken into
the water injection portion 61 through the first influx port 61a.
The taken-in tap water is discharged from the water injection port
61d without passing through the softener box. Likewise, the bath
water taken into the water injection portion 61 through the third
influx port 61c by the bath water pump 63 is also discharged from
the water injection port 61d without passing through the softener
box. On the other hand, when a valve on the second outflux port 62b
side of the water supply valve 62 is opened, the tap water is taken
into the water injection portion 61 through the second influx port
61b. The taken-in tap water passes through the softener box, and is
discharged from the water injection port 61d while being mixed with
the softener. The tap water and the bath water discharged from the
water injection port 61d are supplied into the outer tub 20 via the
water supply duct 64.
[0051] The water level sensor 70 is disposed on the right side of
the water supply valve 62 in the accommodating chamber 100. An air
trap (not shown) is formed at the bottom of the outer tub 20, and
the water level sensor 70 and the air trap are connected through an
air hose 71. The water level sensor 70 is configured to detect the
water level in the washing/dewatering tub 24 (the outer tub
20).
[0052] As shown in FIG. 3, on the bottom surface 101a of the
accommodating recess 101, a plurality of first attachment
projections 103 corresponding to the first attachment portions 51c
are formed at a position where the hot air supplying unit 50 is
disposed, and a plurality of second attachment projections 104
corresponding to the second attachment portions 61e are formed at a
position where the water supply unit 60 is disposed. Further, on
the bottom surface 101a, a sensor mounting portion 105 is formed at
a position where the water level sensor 70 is disposed. Moreover,
the following openings are formed on the bottom surface 101a: a
first opening 106 through which the hot air duct 54 and the water
supply duct 64 are passed; a second opening 107 through which
electric wires from the hot air supplying unit 50 are passed; a
third opening 108 through which electric wires from the water
supply unit 60 and the water level sensor 70 are passed and a
fourth opening 109 through which the air hose 71 extending from the
water level sensor 70 is passed. The first opening 106, the second
opening 107, the third opening 108, and the fourth opening 109
correspond to the opening of the present disclosure.
[0053] The first attachment portion 51c is fixed to the first
attachment projection 103 by a screw. Thus, the hot air supplying
unit 50 is fixed in the accommodating chamber 100 without
contacting the bottom surface 101a of the accommodation recess 101.
Further, the second attachment portion 61e of the water supply unit
60 is fixed to the second attachment projection 104 by a screw or
the like, so that the water supply unit 60 is fixed in the
accommodating chamber 100 without contacting the bottom surface
101a of the accommodating recess 101. Moreover, the water level
sensor 70 is fixed to the sensor attachment portion 105 without
contacting the bottom surface 101a of the accommodating recess 101.
In this manner, since none of the hot air supplying unit 50, the
water supply unit 60 and the water level sensor 70 contacts the
bottom surface 101a, the first opening 106, the second opening 107,
the third opening 108 and the fourth opening 109 are hardly blocked
by the hot air supplying unit 50, the water supply unit 60 and the
water level sensor 70.
[0054] In the accommodating chamber 100, no intake port for taking
air into the accommodating chamber 100 is actively formed on any of
the front, rear, right and left, and up and down wall surfaces.
However, in the first opening 106, the second opening 107, the
third opening 108, and the fourth opening 109 formed in the bottom
face 101a of the accommodating recess 101, gaps are generated
between these openings 106.about.109 and the hot air duct 54, the
water supply duct 64, various electrical wires, the air hose 71 and
the like passing through these openings 106.about.109. Therefore,
in the drying process, these openings 106.about.109 are served as
air intake for taking air into the accommodating chamber 100.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 1, at the side surface on the rear side of
the outer tub 20, a discharging port 20c is formed at a lower
portion. The discharging port 20c is connected to an exhaust duct
80. The exhaust duct 80 extends upward, and an exhaust port 83 is
formed near the upper end thereof. The exhaust duct 80 is the
exhaust portion of the present disclosure.
[0056] At a position, which is opposed to the exhaust port 83, on
the rear surface of the body portion 11 of the housing 10, an
external exhaust port 11a constituted by a plurality of holes are
formed. Ideally, even if the vertical position of the outer tub 20
changes depending on the weight of the washings thrown into the
washing/dewatering tub 24 while the vertical position of the
exhaust port 11a of the exhaust duct 80 is varied accordingly, at
least a part of the exhaust port 83 does not deviate from the
external exhaust port 11a, and preferably, the whole exhaust port
83 does not deviate from the external exhaust port 11a.
[0057] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the outer tub 20 to which the
exhaust duct 80 is attached as viewed from the rear. FIG. 5 is a
longitudinal sectional view of essential parts of the outer tub 20
and the exhaust duct 80 cut at the central portion in the
left-right direction of the exhaust duct 80. FIG. 6(a) is a
sectional view of the exhaust duct 80 taken along line A-A' in FIG.
5, and FIG. 6(b) is a sectional view of the exhaust duct 80 taken
along line B-B' in FIG. 5. It is noted that, the exhaust port 83 is
drawn with a dot dash line in FIG. 6(a) for convenience.
[0058] A detailed configuration of the exhaust duct 80 is described
with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.
[0059] The exhaust duct 80 is formed by overlapping a first casing
81 facing the housing 10 and a second casing 82 facing the outer
tub 20 in the front and rear direction, and bonding a flange
portion 81a of the first casing 81 to a flange portion 82a of the
second casing 82 through a bonding method such as vibration welding
to seal water. The exhaust duct 80 has a substantially cuboid shape
that is long in the vertical direction and flat in the front-rear
direction. On a surface facing the housing 10 of the exhaust duct
80, a substantially rectangular exhaust port 83 is formed at the
upper end of the exhaust duct 80. On a surface facing the outer tub
20 of the exhaust duct 80, an intake port 84 is formed at the lower
end of the exhaust duct 80. The intake port 84 has a cylindrical
shape and protrudes into the exhaust duct 80. The width of the
lower end of the exhaust duct 80 in the left-right direction
gradually decreases toward the intake port 84.
[0060] The discharging port 20c formed at the lower portion of the
side surface of the outer tub 20 has a cylindrical shape and
protrudes outward. The outer diameter of the discharging port 20c
is equal to the inner diameter of the intake port 84 of the exhaust
duct 80. The exhaust duct 80 is fixed to the outer tub 20 in such a
manner that the intake port 84 is fitted into the discharging port
20c of the outer tub 20 and the surface facing the outer tub 20 is
brought into close contact with the outer tub 20. At this time, the
discharging port 20c and the intake port 84 are connected in a
water-sealed state by using a sealing element or the like.
[0061] An overflow chamber 90 is formed at the upper part of the
outer tub 20. For the overflow chamber 90, the upper side of a
front wall 91 is opened toward the outer tub 20. When the water
level in the outer tub 20 exceeds the height of the front wall 91,
the water overflowing from the outer tub 20 flows into the overflow
chamber 90. An overflow opening 92 is formed at the bottom of the
overflow chamber 90. A tip end 93a of an overflow pipe 93 extending
from the overflow opening 92 is connected to an overflow hose (not
shown) extending to the drain hose 41. The water overflowing the
overflow chamber 90 is discharged from the overflow opening 92, and
is guided to the drain hose 41 through the overflow pipe 93 and the
overflow hose. The exhaust port 83 of the exhaust duct 80 is formed
at a position the height of which is higher than that of the front
wall 91, i.e. overflow water level Lofw. Since the overflow level
Lofw is higher than the highest water level Lmax among the water
levels determined according to the amount of the washings, the
position of the exhaust port 83 is higher than the maximum water
level Lmax.
[0062] The water accumulated in the exhaust duct 80 has the same
level as the level of the water stored in the outer tub 20 during
the washing process. In the present embodiment, since the exhaust
port 83 of the exhaust duct 80 is formed at a position higher than
the overflow level Lofw, it is possible to prevent the water from
leaking from the exhaust port 83 during the washing process.
[0063] Two first barriers 85 and two second barriers 86 are
arranged inside the exhaust duct 80. The first barriers 85 protrude
from the left or right inner wall surface at the upper side of the
exhaust duct 80, the second barriers 86 protrude from the left or
right inner wall surface at the lower side of the exhaust duct 80.
The protrusion length of the first barriers 85 is smaller than the
protrusion length of the second barriers 86. Moreover, the first
barrier 85, the second barrier 86 on the right side and the first
barrier 85, the second barrier 86 on the left side are formed at
different height positions of the exhaust duct 80.
[0064] When the pulsator 26 rotates during the washing process,
since the surface of the water fluctuates in the outer tub 20 and
the exhaust duct 80, the water may rise to a higher position in the
exhaust duct 80. However, in the present embodiment, since the
first barriers 85 and the second barriers 86 can suppress the rise
of water due to the fluctuation, the water is more difficult to
leak from the exhaust port 83 during the washing.
[0065] It is desirable that at least the first barriers 85 located
at the highest position in the exhaust duct 80 is arranged at a
position higher than the overflow water level Lofw. In addition,
the protrusion length of the first barriers 85 and the protrusion
length of the second barriers 86 may be the same. Further, the
first barrier 85, the second barrier 86 on the right side and the
first barrier 85, the second barrier 86 on the left side may be
formed at the same height position of the exhaust duct 80.
[0066] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of
the fully automatic washing and drying machine 1.
[0067] The fully automatic washing and drying machine 1 further
includes a controlling unit 200 in addition to the components
described above. The controlling unit 200 includes a controller
201, a memory 202, a motor driver 203, a clutch driver 204, a water
supply driver 205, a pump driver 206, a drain driver 207, a fan
driver 208, and a heater driver 209.
[0068] The operation portion 16 outputs, to the controller 201, a
signal input from a button operated by the user among various
buttons such as the power button 16a, the start button 16b, the
mode selection button 16c and the like. The water level sensor 70
is configured to detect the water level in the outer tub 20 and
output a water level detection signal corresponding to the detected
water level to the controller 201.
[0069] The motor driver 203 is configured to drive a driving motor
31 according to a control signal from the controller 201. The
clutch driver 204 is configured to drive a clutch mechanism 32a
according to the control signal output from the controller 201.
[0070] The water supply driver 205 is configured to drive the water
supply valve 62 according to a control signal from the controller
201. The pump driver 206 is configured to drive the bath water pump
63 according to a control signal from the controller 201. The drain
driver 207 is configured to drive the drain valve 40 according to a
control signal from the controller 201.
[0071] The fan driver 208 is configured to drive the fan 52
according to a control signal output from the controller 201. The
heater driver 209 is configured to drive the heater 53 according to
a control signal output from the controller 201.
[0072] The memory 202 includes an electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access memory
(RAM) and the like. A program for executing a washing operation, a
washing-drying operation, and a drying operation of various
operation modes is stored in the memory 202. In addition, various
parameters and various control flags used for executing these
programs are stored in the memory 202.
[0073] Based on signals from the operation portion 16, the water
level sensor 70 and the like, the controller 201 controls the motor
driver 203, the clutch driver 204, the water supply driver 205, the
pump driver 206, the drain driver 207, the fan driver 208, the
heater driver 209, and the like according to the program stored in
the memory 202.
[0074] In the fully automatic washing and drying machine 1, the
washing operation, the washing-drying operation, or the drying
operation of various operation modes is performed. The washing
operation is an operation in which only the washing is performed,
and a washing process, an intermediate dewatering process, a
rinsing process and a final dewatering process are sequentially
executed. The washing-drying operation is an operation in which the
washing process and the drying process are performed continuously,
that is, the drying process is performed immediately after the
final dewatering process. The drying operation is an operation in
which only the drying process is performed.
[0075] In the washing process and the rinsing process, the pulsator
26 rotates in the right direction and the left direction while the
water is stored in the washing/dewatering tub 24. A water flow is
generated in the washing/dewatering tub 24 by the rotation of the
pulsator 26. During the washing process, the washings are washed by
the water flow generated and the detergent contained in the water.
During the rinsing process, the washings are rinsed by the water
flow generated.
[0076] In the intermediate dewatering process and the final
dewatering process, the washing/dewatering tub 24 and the pulsator
26 integrally rotate at a high speed. The washings are dewatered by
the action of the centrifugal force generated in the
washing/dewatering tub 24.
[0077] In the drying process, the hot air is supplied from the hot
air supplying unit 50 into the outer tub 20 by operating the fan 52
and the heater 53. In the washing/dewatering tub 24, the pulsator
26 repeatedly rotates clockwise and counterclockwise. The washings
in the washing/dewatering tub 24 contact the hot air guided into
the washing/dewatering tub 24 while being stirred by the pulsator
26, and thus are dried.
[0078] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operation control actions
in the drying process.
[0079] In the present embodiment, a heating-drying operation and a
residual heat drying operation following the heating-drying
operation are performed during the drying process. Hereinafter, the
drying process will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
8.
[0080] When the drying process is started, the controller 201 first
executes the heating-drying operation. That is, the controller 201
controls the fan driver 208 to operate the fan 52 at a first
rotation speed (S1), and controls the heater driver 209 to operate
the heater 53 (S2). The first rotation speed is, for example, 3500
rpm. Further, the controller 201 controls the motor driver 203 to
operate the driving motor 31, so as to drive the pulsator 26 to
perform an inverse operation in left-right direction (S3). For
example, the ON/OFF time of the inversion operation is set as
follows: ON for 3 seconds, and OFF for 1.5 seconds. The ON time in
the drying process is longer than the ON time of the usual washing
process or the rinsing process, and the washings are actively moved
in the washing/dewatering tub 24 by the inversion operation of the
pulsator 26 having such long ON time.
[0081] When the fan 52 rotates, the air is taken into the
accommodating chamber 100 from the space between the housing 10 and
the outer tub 20 through the first opening 106, the second opening
107, the third opening 108, and the fourth opening 109 on the
bottom surface 101a of the accommodating chamber 100. The taken-in
air flows in the accommodating chamber 100, and flows toward the
air inlet 51a provided in the casing 51 of the hot air supplying
unit 50, and is sucked into the casing 51 from the air inlet 51a.
The sucked air is heated by the heater 53 to become hot air, and is
blown into the outer tub 20 from the above through the hot air duct
54. In the outer tub 20, the washings in the washing/dewatering tub
24 are stirred by repeating the right-left inversion operation of
the pulsator 26. The hot air blown into the outer tub 20 is blown
into the washing/dewatering tub 24 from the above, and comes in
contact with the washings stirred in the washing/dewatering tub 24
to take away moisture from the washings. As a result, the washings
are dried. The air that has taken away moisture from the washings
passes through the dewatering holes 24a and the like of the
washing/dewatering tub 24, flows between the washing/dewatering tub
24 and the outer tub 20, and is discharged from the discharging
port 20c provided at the lower portion of the side surface of the
outer tub 20. The discharged air flows in the exhaust duct 80, and
is discharged out of the machine through the exhaust port 83 of the
exhaust duct 80 and the external exhaust port 11a of the housing
10. It is noted that a flow of air in the heating-drying operation
is indicated by arrows in FIG. 1.
[0082] As the heating-drying operation proceeds, the casing 51 of
the hot air supplying unit 50 and the outer tub 20 are heated by
the heat of the hot air. In this way, the air heated by the heat
emitted from the outer tub 20 is taken into the accommodating
chamber 100, and the air flowing in the accommodating chamber 100
is further heated by the heat emitted from the casing 51. In this
manner, the air having a higher temperature than the air outside
the fully automatic washing and drying machine 1 is taken into the
air inlet 51a of the hot air supplying unit 50. As a result, as
compared with the case where the external air is directly taken
into the hot air supplying unit 50, the amount of heating of the
heater 53 is suppressed and the power consumption is
suppressed.
[0083] The controller 201 determines whether a preset
heating-drying time has elapsed (S4). When the preset
heating-drying time has elapsed (S4: YES), the controller 201 stops
the heater 53 (S5). At this time, the heating-drying operation is
completed.
[0084] Next, the controller 201 executes the residual heat drying
operation. The controller 201 controls the rotation speed of the
fan 52 to increase, so as to cause the fan 52 to operate at a
second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed (S6).
The second rotation speed is, for example, 5000 rpm.
[0085] The air heated by the residual heat of the outer tub 20 and
the casing 51 is taken into the air inlet M a of the hot air
supplying unit 50, and the air is supplied to the outer tub 20 as
air having residual heat without being heated by the heater 53. The
washings in the washing/dewatering tub 24 come into contact with
the air having residual heat, and are dried. Herein, since the
rotation speed of the fan 52 is increased, the volume of the air
having residual heat is larger than the volume of the hot air
during the heating-drying operation. Therefore, it is possible to
compensate for the decrease in drying efficiency due to a decrease
in the temperature of the air contacting the washings by increasing
the volume of the air.
[0086] The controller 201 determines whether a preset residual heat
drying time has elapsed (S7). When the residual heat drying time
has elapsed (S7: YES), the controller 201 stops the fan 52 (S8),
and stops the driving motor 31 to stop the pulsator 26 (S9). At
this time, the residual heat drying operation is completed, and the
drying process is completed.
Effect of the Present Embodiment
[0087] As described above, according to the present embodiment,
since the discharging port of the air from the outer tub 20 is
formed at the lower part of the outer tub 20, the hot air fed into
the outer tub 20 from the above easily travels to the lower part of
the water tub 24. As a result, the hot air easily permeates the
washings in the washing/dewatering tub 24 so that the improvement
in drying efficiency can be expected.
[0088] Further, according to the present embodiment, the exhaust
duct 80 connected to the discharging port 20c and extending upward
is provided, and the exhaust port 83 is provided at a position
higher than the overflow water level Lofw where water is overflowed
from the outer tub 20. Thus, the water accumulated in the outer tub
20 will not leak during the washing process, and the air exhausted
from the discharging port 20c can be discharged during the drying
process. Thereby, it is possible to provide the air discharging
port 20c at the lower part of the outer tub 20 without considering
the water leakage during the washing process.
[0089] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the air
inlet 51a of the hot air supplying unit 50 is arranged to be
opposed to and separated from the rear side face 101c of the
accommodating chamber 100, so that the air flowing in the
accommodating chamber 100 is taken into the air inlet 51a by
operating the fan 52. As a result, since the heater 53 is used to
heat the air heated by the heat from the hot air supplying unit 50,
the heating amount of the heater 53 can be suppressed, and the
power consumption of the heater 53, that is, the fully automatic
washing and drying machine, can be suppressed.
[0090] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, through
the first opening 106, the second opening 107, the third opening
108, and the fourth opening 109 formed in the bottom surface 101a
of the accommodating chamber 100, the air heated by the heat from
the outer tub is taken into the accumulating chamber 100 from the
space between the housing 10 and the outer tub 20. As a result, the
further heated air can be taken into the air inlet 51a of the hot
air supplying unit 50, and the heating amount of the heater 53 can
be further suppressed.
[0091] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, during the
drying process, the residual heat drying operation, in which the
air heated by the residual heat of the hot air supplying unit 50
and the outer tub 20 is supplied to the outer tub 20 as air having
residual heat, is performed immediately after the heating-drying
operation, in which the air heated by the heater 53 is supplied to
the outer tub 20 as the hot air. As a result, the residual heat of
the hot air supplying unit 50 and the outer tub 20 can be used to
dry the washings. Therefore, the power consumption of the fully
automatic washing and drying machine 1 during the drying process
can be suppressed.
[0092] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been
described above, the present disclosure is not limited by the
above-described embodiment. In addition, various modifications can
be made to the embodiments besides the above embodiment.
Modification I
[0093] FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating main parts of the
fully automatic washing and drying machine 1 according to
modification I.
[0094] In the above embodiment, the exhaust duct 80 is provided on
the downstream of the discharging port 20c of the outer tub 20. In
contrast, in this modification, an opening/closing valve 110 for
opening and closing the discharging port 20c is arranged at the
discharging port 20c to replace the exhaust duct 80, as shown in
FIG. 9. Under the control of the controller 201, the
opening/closing valve 110 is closed in the washing process, the
rinsing process, the intermediate dewatering process and the final
dewatering process, and is opened in the drying process. In this
modification, the opening/closing valve 110 is the exhaust portion
of the present disclosure.
[0095] Similar to the embodiment described above, with the
configuration of this modification, the water stored in the outer
tub 20 will not leak during the washing process, and the air
flowing from the discharging port 20c can be discharged during the
drying process.
Modification II
[0096] FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating main parts of the
fully automatic washing and drying machine 1 according to
modification II.
[0097] In this modification, as shown in FIG. 10, the exhaust port
83 is provided with an exhaust fan 120. For example, an axial flow
fan is used as the exhaust fan 120. In the drying process, the
exhaust fan 120 operates under the control of the controller
201.
[0098] With the configuration of this modification, the air in the
outer tub 20 can be drawn strongly into the exhaust duct 80 through
the discharging port 20c, thus the air in the outer tub 20 easily
flows to the discharging port 20c. As a result, the heat air fed
into the outer tub 20 from the above is more easily distributed to
the lower portion of the washing/dewatering tub 24 so that a
further improvement in drying efficiency can be expected.
Modification III
[0099] FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the fully automatic
washing and drying machine 1 according to modification III.
[0100] In the above embodiment, the air is taken into the
accommodating chamber 100 from the space between the housing 10 and
the outer tub 20, and the air flowing in the accommodating chamber
100 is taken into the air inlet 51a of the hot air supplying unit
50. In contrast, in this modification, a hot air supplying unit 50A
having the air inlet 51a on the lower surface of the casing 51A is
disposed in the accommodating chamber 100. An air intake 130
connected to the space between the housing 10 and the outer tub 20
is formed on the bottom surface 101a in the accommodating chamber
100, so that the air intake 130 and the air inlet 51a are opposed
to each other. In this configuration, the air passes the air intake
130 through the space between the housing 10 and the outer tub 20,
and is directly taken into the air inlet 51a of the hot air
supplying unit 50A. The air intake 130 is the opening of the
present disclosure.
[0101] According to the configuration of this modification, the air
heated by the heat from the outer tub 20 can also be taken into the
hot air supplying unit 50A. Therefore, similar to the above
embodiment, the power consumption of the fully automatic washing
and drying machine during the drying process can be suppressed.
Other Modifications
[0102] In the above embodiment, the air is taken into the
accommodating chamber 100 from the space between the housing 10 and
the outer tub 20 through the first opening 106 and the like.
However, an intake port for taking in the air outside the fully
automatic washing and drying machine 1 may provided at a position
distant from the hot air supplying unit 50, that is, the position
in the vicinity of the right side surface 101e, the rear side
surface 101c of the accommodating chamber 100. In this case, the
external air taken into the accommodating chamber 100 through the
air inlet is heated by the heat generated by the casing 51 of the
hot air supplying unit 50, and then taken into the air inlet 51a of
the hot air supplying unit 50. Therefore, even with such a
configuration, the power consumption of the fully automatic washing
and drying machine 1 during the drying process can be
suppressed.
[0103] In the above-described embodiment, the discharging port 20c
and the exhaust duct 80 are provided at the lower portion of the
side surface of the outer tub 20 facing the rear surface of the
housing 10. However, the discharging port 20c and the exhaust duct
80 may be provided at the lower portion of the side surface of the
outer tub 20 facing the right side surface or the left side surface
of the housing 10. In addition, the discharging port 20c may be
provided at any position at the lower portion of the outer tub 20.
For example, it may be provided at the bottom face instead of the
side face of the outer tub 20.
[0104] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the fully
automatic washing and drying machine 1 with the washing/dewatering
tub 24 rotating about the rotation axis extending in the vertical
direction has been exemplified. However, the present disclosure may
also be applied to a fully automatic washing and drying machine
with a washing/dewatering tub which rotates about a rotation axis
inclined with respect to the vertical direction.
[0105] Moreover, the embodiments of the present disclosure can be
variously modified within the scope of the technical idea disclosed
in the claims.
* * * * *