JP2012210513A - Drying unit and drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drying device for clothing and the like including a compact heat pump device that can be housed in longitudinally narrow vacant space provided below and behind a storage tub for drying clothing and the like within a housing, by which an increase in ventilation resistance in an air passage formed within the heat pump device can be suppressed, prescribed drying performance can be maintained and an increase in drying noise can be suppressed.SOLUTION: A drying device is configured to cause an airflow to flow from an inflow port 19a of a heat-absorber air passage 19 located on a left side of a housing 1 through a communicating large opening in an upper portion 23a and a side portion 23b in an air inlet chamber 23 to a side portion 25b in a discharge chamber 25 in communication with an outflow port 20b of a heat-radiator air passage 20 located on a right side of the housing 1 opposite to the inflow port 19a. Thus, an effective cross-sectional area of a flow channel from the heat-absorber air passage 19 to a heat absorber 12 and a heat radiator 13 in a heat exchange chamber 14 can be kept relatively large, flow velocity can be reduced, and an increase in ventilation resistance within the heat-absorber air passage 19 and in the heat absorber 12 can be suppressed.

Description

  The present invention incorporates a drying unit using a heat pump device in a heat source for drying clothes or the like, or a drying apparatus for storing an object to be dried such as clothes in a predetermined space and drying the space. The present invention relates to a washing / drying machine having a washing function for clothes and the like.

  As an example of the prior art, a laundry dryer for washing and drying clothes will be described.

  Conventionally, this type of washing and drying machine has a configuration as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the conventional washer / dryer is provided with a cylindrical water tank 103 elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions 102 inside a casing 101, and vibrations during washing and dehydration are caused by the suspensions 102. It is configured to absorb.

  In addition, a cylindrical, horizontal axis type rotating tank 105 that accommodates a so-called dry object 104 (hereinafter referred to as clothing 104) that is a target of washing or drying of clothes or the like is rotatably provided inside the water tank 103. Then, the rotation shaft 106a is rotated by the drive motor 106 to be rotated.

  A plurality of baffles (not shown) for stirring the clothes 104 are provided on the inner wall of the rotating tub 105, and a plurality of small holes 105 a are provided on the peripheral wall of the rotating tub 105.

  On the front surface of the housing 101, there are provided an opening 101a through which clothes 104 are taken in and out and a door 107 for opening and closing the opening. In addition, similar openings 103a and 105b are provided on the front side of the water tank 103 and the rotating tank 105, respectively, and the opening 103a of the water tank 103 is water-tightly connected to the opening 101a of the housing 101 by the bellows 108. ing.

  Further, the bottom of the water tank 103 has a drainage port 109 for discharging washing water, and the drainage port 109 is connected to a drainage hose 111 via a drainage valve 110, and its tip end is outside the washing and drying machine. Has been derived.

  The blower 112 blows and supplies the hot air heated by the heater 113 from the air supply port 114 into the rotary tank 105.

  The circulation duct 115 passes through the rotary tank 105 and the water tank 103 and dehumidifies the damp drying air. One end of the circulation duct 115 is connected to the exhaust port 116 at the bottom of the water tank 103 and the other end is connected to the blower 112. Yes.

  The water supply valve 117 controls water supply from a water supply hose 118 connected to a water tap (not shown) or the like.

  The operation of the conventional washing and drying machine configured as described above is as follows.

  When performing the washing operation, the door 107 is opened, the clothes 104 and the detergent are put into the rotating tub 105, and the operation is started.

In operation, first, the water supply valve 117 opens a water supply opening (not shown) on the washing water side, and the water tank 103 is opened.
When a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the rotary tank 105, the drive motor 106 is operated, and the rotary tank 105 is rotationally driven to perform a cleaning operation.

  After a predetermined time, the drive motor 106 is stopped, the drain valve 110 is opened, and dirty water is drained from the rotary tank 105 and the water tank 103 and drained to a drainage place outside the washing / drying machine via the drain hose 111.

  Next, water is supplied to the water tank 103 and the rotating tank 105 in the same manner as described above, and a rinsing operation is performed.

  When the rinsing is completed, the drain valve 110 is opened and drained, and then the rotating tub 105 is rotationally driven at a high speed by the drive motor 106, whereby the clothes 104 are dehydrated.

  When the washing / rinsing operation is completed as described above, the drying operation is started.

  In the drying process, the rotary tub 5 is driven to rotate at a low speed by the drive motor 106, and the hot air heated by the heater 113 is blown in the direction of arrow a by the blower 112 while stirring the clothes 104, and passes through the blower passage 120. The air is fed into the rotary tank 105 from the air supply port 114 as indicated by an arrow b.

  This hot air takes away moisture from the clothes 104, passes through the water tank 103 through the small hole 105 a of the rotary tank 105, and reaches the circulation duct 115 through the exhaust port 116.

  At this time, the water supply valve 117 opens a water supply port (not shown) on the cooling water side, and as a result, cooling water is poured into the circulation duct 115.

  Therefore, when the warm air containing moisture from the clothing 104 deprives moisture passes through the circulation duct 115, it is cooled by the cooling water to cause condensation of the moisture, and the wet warm air is dehumidified by the condensation, and the arrow c As shown in FIG.

  The cooling water and dew condensation water are drained out of the washing / drying machine via the drain valve 110.

  As described above, the conventional washing / drying machine circulates the hot air in the circulation path of the heater 113, the blower 112, the air supply port 114, the rotary tank 105, the water tank 103, the exhaust port 116, and the circulation duct 115, thereby rotating the rotary tank The garment 104 in 105 can be dried.

  However, in the configuration of the above conventional washer-dryer, the heat used for drying the clothes 104 is all discarded to the outside by the cooling water of the circulation duct 115 or the heat radiation from the housing 101, and is reused. It never happened.

  Therefore, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a radiator that dissipates the heat of the compressed refrigerant, a throttle means for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and heat from the surroundings by the reduced-pressure and low-pressure refrigerant. It has been proposed that a heat pump device configured by connecting a depriving heat absorber with a pipe line so as to circulate the refrigerant is provided in the washing / drying machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  According to this configuration, the moisture evaporated from the clothing is condensed on the heat absorber, so that the clothing can be efficiently dried, and the heat of the warm air containing moisture from the clothing is absorbed by the heat absorber. The heat of the refrigerant sent to the compressor via the refrigerant and warmed by the compressor is dissipated by the radiator, and the hot air can be reheated. Therefore, heat can be used effectively.

JP 7-178289 A

  However, as described above, the clothes dryer or the washing dryer provided with the heat pump device includes a heat pump device in which a compressor, a radiator, a squeezing means, and a heat absorber are connected by a pipe line such as a copper tube, a heat absorber, It requires an air passage for flowing air to the radiator, and has more components than a heater-type clothes dryer or washing dryer. These components must be stored compactly.

  However, in order to reduce the size of the heat pump device and to ensure the drying performance, the heat absorber and the radiator are secured to a predetermined size, the available space of the housing is effectively used, and the heat pump device is made compact. There is a need to.

  However, in order to realize the above-mentioned configuration, the outer shell dimensions of the dryer are limited, so the heat sink of the heat pump device, the airflow path for flowing the heat to the radiator, and the duct communicating with the water tank are folded in a complicated manner. Alternatively, the flow passage cross-sectional area must be reduced, and as a result, the ventilation resistance of the air passage is increased.

  For this reason, problems such as an increase in blowing noise of the blower and a decrease in blowing performance and drying performance occur, and countermeasures are required.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems. For example, in the case of a clothes dryer, a small heat pump device that can be accommodated in an empty space of the housing, and maintains a predetermined drying performance of the heat pump device. And it aims at providing the clothes dryer which suppressed the increase in drying noise.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the drying unit of the present invention is provided with a suction chamber facing the suction side opening surface of the heat sink constituting the heat pump device, and further communicated with the suction chamber, A heat absorber air passage that guides air through an inflow port disposed above, and a portion of the heat absorber air passage that is continuous with the suction chamber and is located above the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber. A heat absorption side upper air passage to be formed, and a suction side air passage that is continuous with the suction chamber and is located on the side of the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber to form a part of the heat absorber air passage are provided. Further, a discharge chamber provided facing the discharge-side opening surface of the radiator that constitutes the heat pump device, a radiator air passage communicating with the discharge chamber, and the discharge chamber are connected to the radiator. A discharge-side air passage that is located at least on a side of the discharge-side opening surface and forms a part of the radiator air passage; at least the inlet, the heat-absorption-side upper air passage, the suction chamber, The air is guided to the outside of the heat pump device through the heat absorber, the radiator, and the discharge chamber.

  Therefore, the side part of the suction chamber and the side part of the discharge chamber communicate with the heat absorber air path and the heat radiator air path, respectively. Airflow can be passed diagonally. As a result, it is possible to suppress the flow of air to the side surface of either one of the left and right directions in the heat absorber and the heat radiator, and to flow the air flow in a substantially full width region, both the heat absorber and the heat radiator have a predetermined dehumidifying performance, A decrease in heating performance can be suppressed.

In addition, an air flow in a direction substantially parallel to the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber is caused to flow to the heat exchange chamber, and an air flow from the heat exchange chamber is caused to flow in a direction substantially parallel to the opening surface on the discharge side of the radiator. Therefore, the size of the heat sink and the radiator in the facing direction of the heat pump device can be reduced, and the configuration can be made compact.

  In addition, since the heat sink air passage communicates with the suction chamber from the upper part and the side part, the flow passage cross-sectional area immediately before the heat sink is inflow is formed large, and as a result, the airflow flowing to the heat absorber is increased. The flow velocity can be reduced, and an increase in the ventilation resistance of the heat sink air passage can be suppressed to suppress an increase in noise of the blower means.

  Furthermore, the drying device of the present invention is configured such that the heat pump device includes a storage unit that stores an object to be dried such as clothing, a blowing unit that conveys air heat-exchanged by the heat pump device, and the heat exchange by the blowing unit. In the housing having a wind circuit having an air supply duct and an exhaust duct that circulates the discharged air from the heat pump device into the storage portion and circulates from the storage portion to the heat pump device. It is arranged at the bottom.

  With this configuration, the heat pump device and the air path configuration can be compactly arranged in the lower rear portion of the storage portion that becomes an empty space in the housing while maintaining a large volume on the opening surface side required for ventilation of the heat absorber and the heat radiator. The compactness of the heat pump device can be utilized.

  Therefore, the predetermined drying performance of the heat pump device can be maintained while being a small heat pump device that can be accommodated in a limited narrow space of the drying device.

  In the drying unit of the present invention, the air flow in the heat pump device flows in substantially parallel to the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber, and flows out substantially parallel to the discharge side opening surface of the radiator, In a compact configuration, a heat absorption side upper air passage, a heat absorption side air passage, and a discharge side air passage that are continuous with the respective chambers of the heat radiator and the heat absorber are provided. It is possible to flow an air current in a substantially full width region, suppress an increase in ventilation resistance, maintain a predetermined drying performance of the heat pump device, and suppress an increase in noise accompanying the drying action.

  Furthermore, the drying device of the present invention can arrange the heat pump device taking advantage of its compactness, so that it does not increase in size more than necessary, suppresses a decrease in drying performance in the heat pump device, and performs a quiet drying operation. It is something that can be done.

The rear view of the washing-drying machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing seen from the side surface of the washing and drying machine in the embodiment The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus in the embodiment Sectional view by the AA line of FIG. Sectional view by the BB line of FIG. System conceptual diagram of a washing and drying machine showing the configuration of the refrigerant circuit and the flow of drying air in the same embodiment Sectional drawing seen from the side surface of the washing and drying machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention The rear view of the heat pump apparatus which the washing-drying machine in Embodiment 3 of this invention comprises The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus in the embodiment The rear view of the heat pump apparatus which the washing-drying machine in Embodiment 4 of this invention comprises The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus in the embodiment Rear view of washing and drying machine equipped with heat pump device and blower in same embodiment Rear view of a washing and drying machine equipped with a heat pump device and a blower in the same embodiment in different arrangements The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus which the washing dryer in Embodiment 5 of this invention mounts The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus which the washing dryer in Embodiment 6 of this invention mounts The front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus which the washing dryer in Embodiment 7 of this invention mounts Sectional view of a washing and drying machine showing a conventional example

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compressor and a radiator that dissipates heat of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, a throttle means that depressurizes the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and the depressurized refrigerant is heated from the surroundings. A heat pump device including a refrigerant circulation circuit in which a heat absorber that deprives the refrigerant is connected so that the refrigerant circulates, a heat exchange chamber in which the heat absorber and the radiator are arranged so that their respective opening surfaces substantially face each other, and A suction chamber provided facing the opening surface on the suction side, and a heat sink air passage for guiding air from the outside of the heat pump device to the suction chamber via an inlet disposed above the compressor; A heat absorption side upper air passage which is continuous with the suction chamber and is located above the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber and forms a part of the heat absorber air passage; A suction side air passage which is located on a side of the suction side opening surface of the heat sink and forms a part of the heat sink air passage, and a discharge chamber provided facing the discharge side opening surface of the radiator. A radiator air passage that guides the air in the discharge chamber to the outside of the heat pump device, and the radiator air passage that is continuous with the discharge chamber and is located at least on the side of the discharge-side opening surface of the radiator. A discharge side air passage that forms a part of the air, and at least air to the outside of the heat pump device through the inlet, the heat absorption side upper air passage, the suction chamber, the heat absorber, the radiator, and the discharge chamber It is the structure which guides.

  With this configuration, an air flow in a direction substantially parallel to the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber is caused to flow to the heat exchange chamber, and an air flow from the heat exchange chamber is substantially parallel to the opening surface on the discharge side of the radiator. Since it is the structure which flows in a direction, the dimension of the facing direction of the said heat absorber and heat radiator in a heat pump apparatus can be made small, and it can comprise compactly.

  Further, the side portion of the suction chamber and the side portion of the discharge chamber communicate with the heat absorber air passage and the radiator air passage, respectively. Airflow can be passed diagonally. As a result, it is possible to suppress the flow of air to the side surface of either one of the left and right directions in the heat absorber and the heat radiator, and to flow the air flow in a substantially full width region, both the heat absorber and the heat radiator have a predetermined dehumidifying performance, A decrease in heating performance can be suppressed.

  Further, since the heat sink air passage communicates with the suction chamber from the upper part and the side part, a cross-sectional area of the flow path immediately before the heat sink is inflow is formed large. The flow velocity can be reduced, and the increase in ventilation resistance of the heat sink air passage can be suppressed to suppress the generation of noise such as wind noise.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the opening width dimension h of the suction chamber continuous with the suction side air passage is made larger than approximately half of the height dimension H of the heat absorber.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to flow the airflow sucked obliquely from above into the suction chamber from the heat sink air passage to the lower part of the heat sink, and as a result, the air flow is at the height of the heat sink. It can be passed diagonally to the side of the discharge chamber through a heat absorber and a heat radiator facing each other from the entire direction. Accordingly, both the heat absorber and the heat radiator can exhibit predetermined dehumidifying performance and heating performance based on the opening area.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the opening width dimension w of the suction chamber continuous with the heat absorption side upper air passage is made larger than substantially half of the width dimension W of the heat absorber.

  By adopting such a configuration, when the airflow is sucked into the suction chamber from the heat sink air passage obliquely from above, the volume of the upper air passage on the heat absorption side works effectively in addition to the volume of the suction chamber. The flow velocity of the airflow can be sufficiently reduced and substantially uniformed in the suction chamber with respect to the entire suction area of the opening surface on the suction side. As a result, the heat sink air passage communicates with the suction chamber at a position offset laterally rather than in front (front) of the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber, that is, with the opening surface of the heat absorber. Even in the case of a wind circuit configuration in which the airflow flows substantially in parallel, the airflow can be made to flow into the heat absorber substantially uniformly, and the pressure loss due to the collision of the airflow at the fin tip in the heat absorber is reduced to reduce the pressure of the heat absorber. Ventilation resistance can be kept low.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the distance facing the suction side opening surface of the heat sink in the suction chamber is shortened as the distance from the suction side air passage is increased.

  With this configuration, the distribution of the airflow in the lateral direction on the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber is made more uniform, and the dehumidifying performance of the heat absorber and the heating performance of the radiator can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 5 is arranged such that the heat exchange chamber is inclined so that the distance of the suction chamber facing the opening side of the suction side of the heat absorber becomes shorter as it goes away from the suction side air passage. It is a thing.

  By adopting such a configuration, without increasing the ventilation resistance in the suction chamber, the distribution of the air flow in the lateral direction on the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber is made more uniform, the heat exchange performance of the heat absorber, Dehumidification performance can be improved.

  In the invention according to claim 6, at least the heat pump device, the suction chamber, the discharge chamber, the heat absorber air passage, and the radiator air passage are accommodated in a single case. .

  With this configuration, the heat pump device can be easily assembled, and quality control in the manufacturing process can be unified.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage unit that is disposed in a housing and stores an object to be dried such as clothing, a heat pump device that is disposed in a rear lower portion of the storage unit in the housing, and the heat pump device. An air supply duct that conveys heat-exchanged air; an air supply duct that supplies the heat-exchanged air from the heat pump device into the housing portion and circulates the air from the housing portion to the heat pump device; An air duct having an exhaust duct; and the heat pump device includes a compressor and a radiator that dissipates heat of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor; throttle means that depressurizes the high-pressure refrigerant; A refrigerant circulation circuit in which a refrigerant is connected so that the refrigerant circulates, and further to the heat pump device. A heat exchange chamber in which the heat sink and the heat radiator are arranged so that their respective opening surfaces substantially face each other; a suction chamber provided facing the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber; and air from the inside of the storage unit A heat sink air passage that leads to the suction chamber through an inlet disposed above the compressor, and the heat sink located above the suction side opening surface of the heat sink. A heat absorption side upper air passage that forms a part of the heat sink air passage, and a portion of the heat sink air passage that is continuous with the suction chamber and is located on the side of the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber. A suction side air passage, a discharge chamber provided facing an opening surface on the discharge side of the radiator, a radiator air passage for guiding the air in the discharge chamber to the storage portion side, and the discharge chamber Continuous, discharge in the radiator A discharge-side air passage that forms a part of the heat-dissipator air passage is provided at least on a side portion of the opening surface on the side, and includes at least the heat-absorption-side upper air passage, the suction chamber, the heat-absorber, and the heat-dissipator The air is guided to the outside of the heat pump device through the discharge chamber.

  By adopting such a configuration, the heat pump device is provided in the lower rear portion of the storage portion that becomes an empty space in the housing while maintaining a large volume on the opening surface side required for ventilation of the heat absorber and the radiator by utilizing the compactness of the heat pump device. In addition, the air passage configuration can be arranged in a compact manner.

  Therefore, since the heat pump device can be arranged taking advantage of its compactness, it does not increase in size more than necessary, and it can suppress a decrease in drying performance in the heat pump device and can perform a quiet drying operation. is there.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the compressor is arranged side by side with the heat exchange chamber substantially in the left-right direction of the housing, and the inlet of the heat absorber air passage or the outlet of the radiator air passage is arranged. At least one of the exhaust ducts is disposed substantially above the compressor, the other is disposed on the side opposite to the side on which the compressor is disposed, and further connected to the inlet of the heat sink air passage. And an air supply duct that connects the discharge port of the radiator air passage and the storage portion are disposed on the side surfaces facing each other in the housing.

  With this configuration, in the empty space at the rear lower part of the casing, the arrangement configuration of the refrigerant circuit components and the air passage components of the heat pump device and the connection structure of the exhaust duct and the air supply duct are the most in the front-rear direction. Can be stored small.

  In a ninth aspect of the present invention, the air blowing means is arranged in an exhaust duct or an air supply duct connected to a heat absorber air passage or a radiator air passage of the heat pump device.

  By adopting such a configuration, the heat pump device and the air blowing means that are the main noise sources during the drying operation can be concentrated on the rear lower part of the casing, and as a result, the noise to the front of the casing The propagation distance from the space side can be taken. As a result, noise in front of the housing can be reduced, and sound absorption and sound insulation measures for reducing dry noise can be concentrated in the lower rear portion of the housing, improving workability, Costs for reducing drying noise can be kept low.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the exhaust duct connected to the air blowing means or the connecting portion of the air supply duct is formed of an elastic body.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the propagation of vibrations to the storage unit side during the drying operation of the heat pump device and the air blowing unit incorporating the compressor, and as a result, vibration of the installation floor surface due to vibration propagation of the housing Noise generation can be prevented.

  In addition, even when an object to be dried such as clothes moves in the storage unit during a drying operation or the like, and the storage unit is largely displaced due to this, the large displacement is absorbed by the elastic body portion. be able to.

  As a result, compressors, pipes, etc. supported by anti-vibration materials etc. in the heat pump device, impellers in the blower means etc. come into contact with other structures, generating abnormal noise or impact of contact Can be prevented, and reliability and durability can be improved.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the air blowing means and the heat pump device are accommodated in a single case, and the suction chamber and the discharge chamber are formed in the case.

  By adopting such a configuration, a configuration is obtained in which the heat pump device and the air blowing means, which are the main noise sources during the drying operation, are enclosed by the case, and the sound is insulated by the double wall together with the housing of the clothes dryer. The noise itself generated by the drying device can be reduced.

  Further, each component of the heat pump device and the air blowing means can be made into a single unit, so that the unit can be easily attached to the housing in the manufacturing process, and quality control can be unified. Furthermore, replacement work at the time of service can be easily performed from one side (for example, the back side of the housing).

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a rear view of a washing / drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view seen from the side of the washing / drying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat pump device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from above. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 6 is a system conceptual diagram of a washing / drying machine showing the configuration of the refrigerant circuit and the flow of drying air in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, a cylindrical outer tub 3 elastically supported by a plurality of suspensions 2 is provided inside the casing 1 of the washing / drying machine 1x, and vibrations during washing and dehydration are absorbed by the suspension 2. It is configured to do. Inside the outer tub 3, a cylindrical inner tub 5 that accommodates an object to be dried (hereinafter referred to as clothing) 4 is rotatably provided. The inner tank 5 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 6.

  Here, the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5 are provided in the casing 1 so as to be inclined so that the back surface is lower than the front surface, and the rotation axis direction of the inner tub 5 is raised by 20 to 30 degrees from the horizontal direction. It is inclined to.

  On the front surface of the housing 1, there are provided an opening 1a for taking in and out the garment 4 and a door 7 for opening and closing the opening 1a. Similar openings 3 a and 5 a are provided on the front side of the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5, and the opening 3 a of the outer tub 3 is water-tightly connected to the opening 1 a of the housing 1 by a bellows 8. .

  A drain port 9 for discharging washing water is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 3 and is connected to a drain valve 10.

  In addition, a heat absorber 12 and a heat radiator 13 that are in the form of a fin and tube heat exchanger constituting the heat pump device 11 are provided at the lower back of the outer tub 3. The heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 are disposed substantially in parallel so that the surfaces having the largest areas face each other, and the arrangement direction thereof is substantially the same as the front-rear direction of the housing 1, and the outer tub 3 The empty space in the housing 1 formed by the inclination is effectively utilized and accommodated.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, in the heat pump device 11, the compressor 15 has a heat exchange chamber 14 in which the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 are housed when viewed from the back side of the housing 1. They are arranged side by side on the left side. The heat exchange chamber 14 is formed by providing a pair of air passage walls 14 a and 14 b in the heat pump device 11 for regulating the flow of the wind so that the wind that has passed through the heat absorber 12 passes through the radiator 13.

  The heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 constitute a well-known refrigerant circuit 18 together with the compressor 15, a throttle means (hereinafter referred to as a throttle valve) 16 and a pipe line 17, all of which are in the heat pump device 11. Contained. Further, in the heat exchange chamber 14, the heat absorber air passage 19 is provided on the suction side opening surface 12 a side of the heat absorber 12, and the discharge side opening surface (hereinafter referred to as discharge side opening surface) 13 a side of the radiator 13. Each of them is provided with a radiator air passage 20 to constitute an air passage communicating with the heat exchange chamber 14.

  Furthermore, each element constituting the refrigerant circuit 18, and the heat pump device 11 including the heat exchange chamber 14, the heat absorber air passage 19, and the radiator air passage 20 are configured in an integrated unit 21, and It is detachably attached from the back.

  Further, a drain water container 22 for storing dehumidified water from the heat absorber 12 is provided at the lower part of the heat exchange chamber 14, and the water stored in the drain water container 22 is supplied from a discharge port (not shown). It is discharged outside.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the heat sink air passage 19 has an inflow port 19 a disposed above the compressor 15, and a suction side opening surface (hereinafter referred to as a suction side opening) of the heat sink 12. A suction chamber 23 is formed on the 12a side. The suction chamber 23 corresponds to a region indicated by broken line hatching in FIGS. 3 and 4. A suction side air passage 23b that is continuous with the suction chamber 23 and forms a part of the heat sink air passage 19 is provided on the side of the suction chamber 23. The dimension of the suction side air passage 23b in the vertical direction of the opening is provided. (Opening width dimension of the suction chamber that is continuous with the suction side air passage 23b) h is set to a dimension that opens the lower part of the suction chamber larger than approximately half of the height dimension H of the heat absorber 12, as shown in FIG. Yes.

  Further, an upper end of the suction chamber 23 is provided with a heat absorption side upper air passage 23a that is continuous with the suction chamber 23 and forms a part of the heat absorber air passage 19, and extends in the left-right direction of the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a. The dimension (opening width dimension of the suction chamber 23 continuous with the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a) w is set to a dimension that opens larger than approximately half of the front width W of the heat absorber 12, as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, the inflow port 19a communicates with the suction chamber 23, the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a, and the suction side air passage 23b. Further, the heat absorber air passage 19 is separated from the compressor 15 by a partition wall 24.

Further, the radiator air passage 20 forms a discharge chamber 25 on the discharge side opening surface 13 a side of the radiator 13. The discharge chamber 25 corresponds to a region indicated by dotted line hatching in FIGS. 3 and 4. The radiator air passage 20 is connected to the discharge chamber 25 and is located at least on the side of the discharge-side opening surface 13a of the radiator 13 to form a part of the radiator air passage 25b. Is provided.

  Here, the discharge port 20b of the radiator air passage 20 communicates with the discharge chamber 25 via the discharge side air passage 25b, and opens the right side wall of the heat exchange chamber 14 when viewed from the back side of the housing 1. Is provided.

  1 is disposed on the right side of the heat pump device 11 as viewed from the back side of the housing 1, and the suction port 26 a of the blower 26 is located downstream of the radiator air passage 20. In FIG. 5, the discharge port 20b is connected in communication.

  Further, the air outlet 26 b of the blower 26 communicates with an air supply duct 27 that is located on the rear side of the right side as viewed from the back side of the housing 1. An air supply port 27 a of the air supply duct 27 is opened inside the outer tub 3. The air supply duct 27 is provided on the outer surface of the outer tub 3, and an air supply hose made of a bellows-like stretchable and flexible material corresponding to the elastic body of the present invention is connected to the outlet 26b. 28 is provided.

  On the other hand, the inlet 19a of the heat absorber air passage 19 communicates with an exhaust duct 29 provided on the left rear side when viewed from the back side of the housing 1 shown in FIG. The exhaust duct 29 is provided on the outer surface of the outer tub 3, and the exhaust port 29 a opens to the inside of the outer tub 3 at a position away from the air supply port 27 a of the air supply duct 27. And the exhaust port hose 30 which consists of a bellows-like extendable flexible material equivalent to the elastic body of this invention is provided in the connection part with the inflow port 19a. A lint filter 31 for collecting lint and the like is provided in the middle of the exhaust duct 29.

  Further, the air supply duct 27 and the exhaust duct 29 are provided with a seal structure (for example, a labyrinth seal) 3 b so as not to directly communicate in the outer tub 3.

  Therefore, due to the connection structure of the heat pump device 11, the air supply duct 27, and the exhaust duct 29, as shown in FIG. 6, the air blown by the blower 26 passes through the air supply duct 27 and passes from the air supply port 27a to the outer tub 3. After entering the inner tub 5 and passing through the clothing 4 in the inner tub 5, exiting from the exhaust port 29 a, passing through the exhaust duct 29, the heat absorber air passage 19 of the heat pump device 11, and the heat absorption in the heat exchange chamber 14. The air circuit that passes through the radiator 12 and the radiator 13, passes through the radiator air passage 20, returns to the blower 26, and circulates in the direction of the arrow X is configured.

  Further, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 18 is configured to reduce the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant and the radiator 13 that radiates the heat of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 15 from the compressor 15 as indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. The throttle valve 16 and the refrigerant that has been depressurized by the throttle valve 16 and sequentially flow through the heat absorber 12 that takes heat away from the surroundings and circulates to realize a heat pump cycle.

  Furthermore, a control means 32 is provided on the inner front side of the housing 1, and this control means 32 controls the operation of the drive motor 6, the drain valve 10, the blower 26, the compressor 15 and the like, Control the dehydration and drying process.

  The operation of the washing / drying machine 1x configured as described above will be described below.

  In the washing process, water is supplied until the water level reaches a predetermined water level in the outer tub 3 with the drain valve 10 closed, and the garment 4 and the inner tub 5 containing the washing water are rotated by the drive motor 6 to wash the clothing 4. I do.

  Also in the rinsing process after washing, water is supplied into the outer tub 3 as in the previous washing process, and the garment 4 is rinsed by rotating the inner tub 5.

  In the dehydration step, the drain valve 10 is opened to drain the water in the outer tub 3 to the outside of the machine, and then the inner tub 5 containing the clothing 4 is rotated at high speed by the drive motor 6 to dehydrate.

  Further, in the drying process, the inner tub 5 is rotated at a low speed by the drive motor 6 and the compressor 15 of the heat pump device 11 is operated. As a result, the clothes in the inner tub 5 are stirred up and down with the rotation of the inner tub 5, and the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation circuit is compressed by the compressor 15, and this pressure causes the radiator 13 and the throttling. The valve 16 and the heat absorber 12 are circulated. In the radiator 13, heat is released from the high-pressure refrigerant, and in the heat absorber 12, the heat is absorbed by the refrigerant that is decompressed by the throttle valve 16 and becomes low pressure.

  Further, during the drying process, the blower 26 is operated, and warm air heated by heat radiation of the radiator 13 is blown into the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 5 through the air supply duct 27 from the air supply port 27a. .

  The warm air blown into the inner tub 5 deprives moisture when passing through the gap between the clothes 4, passes through the exhaust duct 29 from the exhaust port 29 a of the outer tub 3 and passes through the lint filter 31 in a wet state. At this time, foreign matters such as lint that are scattered due to the air flow and flow from the exhaust port 29 a are removed, and reach the heat absorber air passage 19 of the heat pump device 11.

  When the wet warm air flowing into the heat absorber air passage 19 passes through the heat absorber 12, sensible heat and latent heat are taken away and dehumidified, and separated into dry air and dehumidified water. This dry air is heated again when passing through the radiator 13, flows as warm air to the blower 26, and circulates in the order described above.

  Further, the dehumidified water condensed by the heat absorber 12 is stored in the drain water container 22 and discharged from the discharge port to the outside of the apparatus.

  By repeating the above operation, drying of the garment 4 is advanced, and is appropriately terminated after a lapse of time.

  As described above, the heat absorbed by the heat absorber 12 using the heat pump device 11 is recovered by the refrigerant and is radiated again by the radiator 13, so that the clothing 4 can be given more heat than the energy input to the compressor 15. It becomes possible to reduce the drying time and save energy.

  Here, the heat exchanger chamber 14 in which the openings of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction of the housing 1 and the heat absorber wind located on the suction side opening surface 12a side of the heat absorber 12 are disposed. In the air passage configuration in which the passage 19 and the radiator air passage 20 located on the discharge side opening surface 13a side of the radiator 13 communicate with each other, the heat absorber air passage 19 is disposed on the suction side opening surface 12a side of the heat absorber 12 in the suction chamber. The air that has flowed into the heat sink air passage 19 flows into the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a and the suction side air passage 23b continuous with the suction chamber 23 from the inlet 19a.

  The radiator air passage 20 has a discharge chamber 25 on the discharge opening 13 a side of the radiator 13, and the air that has passed through the radiator 20 flows out into the discharge chamber 25 and is continuous with the discharge chamber 25. The flow is from the discharge side air passage 25b to the discharge port 20b of the radiator air passage 20.

By configuring the inside of the heat pump device 11 so that such an air flow is formed, a configuration that keeps the openings of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 large can be obtained. In addition, the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a of the suction chamber 23 can be made compact without extending the air circuit portion of the heat pump device 11 more than necessary, for example, by extending it beyond the front width of the heat absorber 19. As a result, the unit 21 in which the heat pump device 11 is integrated can be accommodated in the lower part of the back surface of the outer tub 3 that becomes an empty space in the housing 1.

  Furthermore, the unit 21 is arranged with the heat exchange chamber 14 in the left direction of the housing 1 when viewed from the back side of the housing 1 shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 15 is disposed in the heat pump device 11, and the heat sink air passage 19 is located substantially above the compressor 15, and the blower 26 is viewed from the rear side of the casing 1 shown in FIG. 1 through the discharge port 20 b of the radiator air passage 20. 15, the heat exchange chamber 14 is positioned to the right of the heat exchange chamber 14. The exhaust duct 29 is connected to the inlet 19 a of the heat sink air passage 19, and the air supply duct 27 is connected to the outlet 26 b of the blower 26. Are disposed on the side surfaces facing each other on the left and right sides of the casing 1, so that the components of the refrigerant circuit 18 and the air path components in the heat pump device 11 are arranged in the empty space at the lower rear of the casing 1. , Exhaust duct 29 and air supply duct The connection structure of bets 27, it is possible to minimize storage in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, if the suction side air passage 23b continuous with the suction chamber 23 and the discharge side air passage 25b continuous with the discharge chamber 25 communicate with each other, the substantially opposite directions of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 that are substantially facing each other ( The airflow can be passed in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 3, and the airflow can flow over the entire width of the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 in the lateral direction without the airflow being deviated to one of the side surfaces. it can.

  Further, the opening width dimension h of the suction side air passage 23b continuous with the suction chamber 23 is made larger than approximately half of the height dimension W of the heat absorber 12, so that the heat absorber air path 19 above the compressor 15 is increased. As shown by the arrow II in FIG. 5 from the inflow port 19a, when the air flow is sucked into the suction chamber 23 in an obliquely upward direction, the air flow can also reach the lower part of the heat absorber 12 by the formation of the suction chamber 23. As a result, the airflow from the heat absorber air passage 19 can be effectively flowed.

  Therefore, the airflow facing from the entire height direction of the heat absorber 12 can be passed diagonally through the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 to the discharge side air passage 25b continuous with the discharge chamber 25. The radiator 13 can also exhibit predetermined dehumidifying performance and heating performance based on the opening area.

  Furthermore, by making the opening width dimension w of the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a continuous with the suction chamber 23 larger than substantially half of the width dimension W of the heat absorption element 12, as shown by the arrow II in FIG. When an airflow is sucked upwardly into the suction chamber 23 from the inlet 19 a of the airflow path 19, the airflow is generated in the suction chamber 23 due to the expansion of the volume by the heat absorption side upper airflow path 23 a and the suction chamber 23. Thus, the flow velocity is sufficiently decelerated, and the heat absorber 12 can pass through the heat absorber 12 in a substantially uniform state over the entire suction opening of the heat absorber 12.

  In other words, on the upstream side of the heat absorber 12, by providing the suction chamber 23 continuous with the suction side air passage 23 b and the heat absorption side upper air passage 23 a of the heat absorber 12, not from the front (front) of the heat absorber 12. Even if an air flow flows from a side (an approximately parallel direction to the suction side opening surface 12a) such as the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a and the heat absorption side air passage 23b that are continuous with the suction chamber 23, the heat flow from the radiator 12 Can flow in substantially uniformly. As a result, the pressure loss due to the collision of the airflow at the fin tips of the heat absorber 12 can be reduced, and the ventilation resistance of the heat absorber 12 can be kept low.

As described above, according to the configuration of the first embodiment, the airflow flowing in from the inlet 19a of the heat absorber air passage 19 located in the left direction when viewed from the back side of the housing 1 shown in FIG. The heat absorption side upper air passage 23a and the heat absorption side air passage 23b continuous with the chamber 23 communicate with large openings, sequentially pass through the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13, and the rear side of the housing 1 shown in FIG. From the inlet 19a to the side 25b of the discharge chamber 25 communicating with the outlet 20b of the radiator air passage 20 located in the right direction opposite to the inlet 19a.

  The air flow can reduce the flow velocity while keeping the effective flow path cross-sectional areas of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 in the heat exchanger chamber 14 from the heat absorber air passage 19, and the heat absorber air passage 19. The increase in the ventilation resistance of the inside and the heat absorber 12 can be suppressed.

  Therefore, even when a small heat pump device 11 that can be accommodated in an empty space narrow in the front-rear direction at the rear lower portion of the casing 1 of the washing / drying machine 1x is configured to suppress an increase in ventilation resistance of the air passage in the heat pump device 11. It is possible to maintain a predetermined drying performance and suppress an increase in drying noise.

  Further, the connection between the blower 26 and the air supply duct 27 and the connection between the heat sink air passage 19 and the exhaust duct 29 are performed via the air supply hose 28 and the exhaust hose 30 which are elastic bodies. Due to the flexibility of the outlet hose 28 and the exhaust outlet hose 30, it is possible to suppress propagation of vibration to the storage tank 3 side during the drying operation of the heat pump device 11 incorporating the compressor 15 and the blower 26.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the installation floor from generating vibration and noise due to vibration propagation of the housing 1.

  In addition, the clothes 4 move in the storage tank 3 during the drying operation or the like, and the storage tank 3 may be greatly displaced due to this movement. The large displacement is also caused by the air supply hose 28 and the exhaust hose 30 ( It can be absorbed by the elastic part).

  Therefore, the compressor 15 and piping supported by the vibration isolator (not shown) in the heat pump device 11 and the impeller (not shown) constituting the blower 26 come into contact with other structures. Therefore, it is possible to prevent abnormal noise from being generated or to be damaged by contact impact, and to improve reliability and durability.

  In the first embodiment, the arrangement of the compressor 15 and the blower 26 of the heat pump device 11 is maintained in a state where the configuration relationship between the heat absorber 12 and the suction chamber 23 and the configuration relationship between the radiator 13 and the discharge chamber 25 are maintained. The same effect can be expected when the exhaust duct 27 and the air supply duct 29 are similarly arranged left and right as viewed from the back side of the housing 1 shown in FIG.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view seen from the side of the washing / drying machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Here, the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, the difference from the first embodiment is the arrangement of the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13.

  That is, in the first embodiment, the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 are arranged vertically with respect to the horizontal direction of the housing 1, but in the second embodiment, the structure is shown in FIG. Thus, according to the inclination of the outer tub 3, the arrangement heights of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 are made different so that the upper surface of the heat pump device 11 is in the same direction as the rear surface inclination direction of the outer tub 3. is there.

Therefore, by adopting such a configuration, in addition to obtaining the same effects as those of the first embodiment, in particular, the arrangement of the heat absorber 12 and the radiator 13 in the height direction of the heat pump device 11 has a degree of freedom. As a result, it is possible to use a heat exchanger that is slightly larger than the configuration shown in the first embodiment.

  Furthermore, the inclination of the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 can ensure a large volume of the heat absorption side upper air passage 23a particularly in the suction chamber 23. As a result, the heat absorber air passage 19 flowing into the heat pump device 11 from the heat absorber air passage 19 can be secured. The wind speed of the airflow can be further reduced. Therefore, the distribution of the airflow flowing through the heat absorber 12 can be made substantially uniform throughout, and improvement in drying efficiency can be expected.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 is a rear view of the heat pump device provided in the washing / drying machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the heat pump device as viewed from above. Here, the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  8 and 9, the difference from the first embodiment is that the discharge port 20b of the radiator air passage 20 is disposed in the upper part of the compressor 15, and the inlet 19a of the heat absorber air passage 19 is heated. The side where the compressor 15 is arranged with respect to the exchanger chamber 14 is a point arranged oppositely in the left-right direction.

  Therefore, although not shown, the blower is connected to the discharge port 20b of the radiator air passage 20 on the suction side (suction port), and is disposed at a position away from the heat pump device 11.

  As a result, in addition to obtaining the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the unit 21 constituting the heat pump device 11 can be reduced in size, and the restrictions on the arrangement in the housing can be relaxed.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the heat pump device included in the washing / drying machine according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a front view of the heat pump device viewed from above, and FIG. 12 is equipped with the heat pump device and a blower. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the washing / drying machine in which the heat pump device and the blower are mounted in different arrangements. Here, the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  10 and 11, the difference from the first embodiment is that the blower 26 directly connected to the outlet 20b of the radiator air passage 20 in the first embodiment is separated and the outlet 20b is formed in a duct shape. The outlet 20b is open at the top of the heat pump device 11 in communication with the side 25b of the discharge chamber 25.

  By adopting such a configuration, the blower 26 can be disposed at a position away from the heat pump device 11 as shown in FIG. 12, so that the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. The degree of freedom is increased in the arrangement of the device 11 and the blower 26, and integration corresponding to the configuration of the washing / drying machine 1x becomes possible.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the blower 26 can be disposed on the windward side of the heat absorber 12, and even in such a case, it is possible to incorporate the blower 26 suitable for the configuration of the washing / drying machine 1 x.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 14: is the front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus with which the washing / drying machine in Embodiment 5 of this invention mounts. Note that the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the difference from the first embodiment is that the depth dimension of the suction chamber 33 in the front-rear direction of the housing 1 (distance facing the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber 12) The point is that the suction side air passage 33b communicating with the inlet 19a of the passage 19 is made larger toward the side.

  With this configuration, the ventilation resistance on the suction side air passage 33b side where the suction chamber 33 is opened in the heat sink air passage 19 is lower than the ventilation resistance on the suction side air passage 33d side in the reverse direction, and as a result, the arrow III As shown, the air flow on the suction side air passage 33b side easily flows, the distribution of the air flow in the lateral direction on the suction side opening surface 12a side is made more uniform, and the dehumidification and heating performance of the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 are improved. Can be improved.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 15: is the front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus with which the washing / drying machine in Embodiment 6 of this invention is mounted. Note that the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the difference from the first embodiment is that the heat absorber 12 is disposed so that the suction side air passage 34 b side continuous with the suction chamber 34 is gradually separated from the substantially forward direction of the housing 1. However, the radiator 13 is also arranged in parallel with this.

  In other words, in this configuration, the heat exchange chamber 14 is inclined so that the distance of the suction chamber 34 facing the suction side opening surface 12a of the heat absorber 12 becomes shorter as the distance from the suction side air passage 34b increases. It is.

  With this configuration, since the airflow flowing diagonally toward the discharge side air passage 35b continuous with the discharge chamber 35 in the radiator air passage 20 is closer to the front side with respect to the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13, the suction chamber 34, the distribution of the airflow in the lateral direction (substantially parallel to the suction side opening surface 12a) on the suction side opening surface 12a is made more uniform without increasing the ventilation resistance from 34 to the discharge chamber 35. 13 dehumidification and heating performance can be improved.

(Embodiment 7)
FIG. 16: is the front view seen from the upper side of the heat pump apparatus with which the washing / drying machine in Embodiment 7 of this invention is mounted. Note that the same constituent elements as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Therefore, the following will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the difference from the first embodiment is that the blower 26, the heat sink air passage 19, the radiator air passage 20, the heat exchanger chamber 14 including the heat absorber 12 and the heat radiator 13 are included. The heat pump device 11 including the compressor 15, the throttle valve 16, and the pipe line 17 is configured to be housed in an integrated case 36.

  With this configuration, the heat pump device 11 and the blower 26 that are the main noise sources during the drying operation in the washing / drying machine 1x are surrounded by the case 36, so that the double wall is formed together with the casing 1 of the washing / drying machine 1x. As a result, it is possible to reduce the noise of the washing / drying machine 1x.

  In addition, each component of the heat pump device 11 and the blower 26 can be configured as a single unit, which can be easily attached to the housing 1 in the manufacturing process, and quality control can be unified. Further, replacement work at the time of service can be easily performed from the rear side of the housing 1.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the washing / drying machine for washing and drying clothes has been described. However, a drying apparatus (for example, a grain drying apparatus) that uses a heat pump device as a dehumidifying / drying unit may be similarly employed. In such a case, the present invention is not deviated.

  As described above, the heat pump device of the dryer according to the present invention is a small heat pump device, suppresses an increase in ventilation resistance of the air passage in the heat pump device, maintains a predetermined drying performance possessed by the heat pump device, and Since the increase in drying noise can be suppressed, the clothes storage tank is not only a washing and drying machine including vertical and horizontal washing and drying machines, but also a dehumidifier using a clothes drying machine and a heat pump, a bathroom drying device, Can also be applied to uses such as a bathroom dryer.

1x Washer / Dryer 1 Case 3 Storage tank (storage unit)
4 Clothing (to be dried)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Heat pump apparatus 12 Heat absorber 12a Suction side opening surface 13 Radiator 13a Discharge side opening surface 14 Heat exchange chamber 15 Compressor 16 Throttle valve 17 Pipe line 18 Refrigerant circuit 19 Heat absorber air path 20 Radiator air path 23 Suction chamber 23a Heat absorption Side upper air passage 23b Suction side air passage 25 Discharge chamber 25b Discharge side air passage 26 Blower (blower means)
27 Air supply duct 28 Air supply hose (elastic body)
29 Exhaust duct 30 Exhaust port hose (elastic body)
33 Suction chamber 33b Suction side air path 34 Suction chamber 34b Suction side air path 35 Discharge chamber 35b Discharge side air path 36 Case

Claims (11)

  The refrigerant circulates through a compressor and a radiator that radiates the heat of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, a throttle means that depressurizes the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a heat absorber that draws heat from the surroundings of the depressurized refrigerant. In the heat pump device having the refrigerant circulation circuit connected as described above, facing the heat exchange chamber in which the heat absorber and the radiator are arranged so that the respective opening surfaces substantially face each other, and the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber A suction chamber provided; a heat sink air passage that guides air from outside the heat pump device to the suction chamber through an inlet disposed above the compressor; and the heat absorption chamber. A heat-absorbing-side upper air passage that forms a part of the heat-absorbing device air-flow path and is positioned above the suction-side opening surface of the heat sink, and the suction-side opening surface of the heat-absorbing device. A suction side air passage which is located on a side and forms a part of the heat sink air passage; a discharge chamber provided facing an opening surface on the discharge side of the radiator; and air in the discharge chamber A radiator air passage that leads the outside of the heat pump device and a discharge chamber that is continuous with the discharge chamber and that is positioned at least on the side of the discharge-side opening surface of the radiator to form a part of the radiator air passage A drying unit provided with a side air passage and configured to guide air to the outside of the heat pump device through at least the inlet, the heat absorption side upper air passage, the suction chamber, the heat absorber, the heat radiator, and the discharge chamber .   The drying unit according to claim 1, wherein an opening width dimension h of the suction chamber continuous with the suction side air passage is larger than approximately half of a height dimension H of the heat absorber.   The drying unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an opening width dimension w of the suction chamber continuous with the heat absorption side upper air passage is larger than substantially half of a width dimension W of the heat absorber.   The drying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a distance facing the suction side opening surface of the heat sink in the suction chamber is shortened as the distance from the suction side air passage is increased.   5. The heat exchange chamber according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange chamber is inclined so that a distance facing the suction side opening surface of the heat absorber in the suction chamber becomes shorter as the distance from the suction side air passage increases. Drying unit as described in any one.   6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least the heat pump device, the suction chamber, the discharge chamber, the heat absorber air passage, and the radiator air passage are housed in a single case. The drying unit described in. A storage unit that is disposed in the housing and stores an object to be dried such as clothing, a heat pump device that is disposed in the lower rear portion of the storage unit in the housing, and air that is heat-exchanged by the heat pump device. A wind circuit including a blowing unit and a supply duct and an exhaust duct for supplying the heat exchanged air by the blowing unit from the heat pump device into the storage unit and circulating the air from the storage unit to the heat pump unit; The heat pump device includes a compressor and a radiator that dissipates heat of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, a throttle unit that depressurizes the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and the decompressed refrigerant takes heat from the surroundings. The heat pump is configured to include a refrigerant circulation circuit connected so that the refrigerant circulates, and the heat pump and the radiator are further provided in the heat pump device. A heat exchange chamber disposed so that the respective opening surfaces substantially face each other, a suction chamber provided facing the opening surface on the suction side of the heat absorber, and air from the inside of the storage portion is supplied to the compressor. A heat sink air passage that leads to the suction chamber through an inlet port disposed above, and is connected to the suction chamber and is located above the suction-side opening surface of the heat absorber and is one of the heat sink air passages. A heat-absorbing-side upper air passage that forms a portion, and a suction-side air passage that is continuous with the suction chamber and is located on the side of the suction-side opening surface of the heat-absorbing device and forms a part of the heat-absorbing-device air passage A discharge chamber provided to face the opening side of the discharge side of the radiator, a radiator air passage for guiding the air in the discharge chamber to the storage portion side, and the discharge chamber. At least on the discharge-side opening surface A discharge-side air passage that forms a part of the heat-dissipator air passage is provided at a side portion, and at least the inlet, the heat-absorption-side upper air passage, the suction chamber, the heat-absorber, the heat-dissipator, A drying device configured to guide air to the outside of the heat pump device through a discharge chamber.   The compressor is arranged side by side with the heat exchange chamber substantially in the left-right direction of the housing, and at least one of the inlet of the heat absorber air path or the outlet of the radiator air path is connected to the compressor. The exhaust duct connected to the inlet of the heat sink air passage, and the other side disposed on the side opposite to the side on which the compressor is disposed, and the discharge of the radiator air passage The drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an air supply duct that connects an outlet and the storage portion is disposed on each side surface of the housing that faces each other.   The drying apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the blower is disposed in an exhaust duct or an air supply duct connected to a heat absorber air passage or a radiator air passage of the heat pump device.   The drying apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a connecting portion of the exhaust duct or the air supply duct connected to the blower unit is configured by an elastic body.   The drying device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the air blowing unit and the heat pump device are housed in a single case, and the suction chamber and the discharge chamber are formed in the case. .

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