WO2024105942A1

WO2024105942A1 - Washer-dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2024105942A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/028125
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正雄今成; 真理黒澤; 崇博藤井; 晴樹額賀; 駿河原崎; 壮一佐野; 謙進浅野; 智史小沼; 丈曽我; 聡凜佐々木; 大貴田中; 拓也小山; 幸太郎高橋
Original assignee: 日立グローバルライフソリューションズ株式会社
Priority date: 2022-11-16
Filing date: 2023-08-01
Publication date: 2024-05-23

Abstract

A washer-dryer (100) comprises: a connection part (253) that connects an outer tub (20) with a return airflow path (252); and a filter (258) that collects lint. The return airflow path is provided at an upper potion on the backside of the outer tub, and the filter is provided to the connection part. The outer peripheral shape of the filter is substantially an arc shape so as to extend along the outer periphery of the backside of the outer tub. An exhaust port (257) may be provided at a location immediately downstream of an outlet of the filter in the connection part. Thus, the washer-dryer (100) inhibits clogging of the filter, and ensures a stable exhaust volume.

Description

Washing and drying machine

The present invention relates to a washer/dryer.

　Washing and drying machines, which can wash and dry clothes in one go, use a blower fan and heat source to create high-temperature, low-humidity air during the drying operation, which is then blown into the washing tub to raise the temperature of the clothes and evaporate the moisture from the clothes, using a hot-air drying method to dehumidify the evaporated moisture. Methods for removing evaporated moisture include cooling and dehumidifying circulating air, and replacing circulating air with surrounding low-humidity air. Furthermore, there are two types of cold heat source for cooling and dehumidifying: a heat pump and cooling water.

In the heat pump system, the heat extracted from the circulating air by dehumidifying it with a cooling medium is used to heat the same circulating air, and as a result the compressor has to do work, the temperature level of the circulating air rises. To balance dehumidification and heating and ensure stable operation of the heat pump, cooling equivalent to the compressor input is performed, but normally part of the circulating air is sucked in and exhausted from the surrounding air, which also serves as part of the dehumidification and heat exhaust.

This exhaust volume differs between the time-saving and energy-saving courses. In the time-saving course, a large air volume is used and the heat pump output is increased to promote dehumidification and heating. On the other hand, in the energy-saving course, the air volume is reduced and the heat pump output is also lowered to operate with a high COP (Coefficient of Performance). For this reason, the exhaust volume is basically equivalent to the amount of exhaust heat generated by the compressor's work, and so it differs between the two courses.

Furthermore, in order to minimize wrinkles in laundry at the end of the drying cycle, the circulating air from the blower fan is blown directly onto the laundry from the door-side opening of the drum, so the pressure inside the drum is easily affected by the air volume. Furthermore, the pressure loss in the return air duct also increases with the square of the air speed when the air volume is large, so the pressure drop inside the air duct becomes large.

Patent document 1 describes a conventional technology related to exhaust mechanisms. Patent document 1 describes a heat pump mechanism including "a housing forming an outer shell, a drying tub provided within the housing for storing clothes, a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reducer, and an evaporator, a drying tub having an air outlet and an air inlet provided in the drying tub, the evaporator being accommodated on the air outlet side and the condenser being accommodated on the air inlet side, a compressor accommodating section connected to an intake port provided in the drying tub closer to the air outlet than the evaporator, a temperature detection section for detecting the temperature of the condenser, an exhaust port provided in the drying tub closer to the air outlet than the intake port, and a device for opening and closing the intake port and the and a control unit that controls the opening and closing of the exhaust port, and when the temperature of the condenser detected by the temperature detection unit does not exceed a predetermined temperature, the control unit closes the inlet port and closes the exhaust port to circulate the air in the drying tub through the drying air duct, and when the temperature of the condenser detected by the temperature detection unit exceeds the predetermined temperature, the control unit opens the inlet port and opens the exhaust port to draw air in the housing into the compressor housing, introduces the drawn air from the inlet port into the drying air duct, and discharges the introduced air from the exhaust port.

Also, as a conventional technology related to an exhaust mechanism, there is one described in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 discloses a washer/dryer that includes "an outer tub supported within a housing, an inner tub supported within the outer tub, a heat pump device that connects a compressor, a radiator that radiates heat from the compressed refrigerant, a throttling means that reduces the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and a heat absorber where the reduced-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat from the surroundings with a pipe so that the refrigerant circulates, a circulation air duct through which air circulates through the outer tub, the heat absorber, and the radiator in that order, a blowing means that circulates air within the circulation air duct, and an overflow port that discharges the washing water outside the outer tub when the washing water stored in the outer tub reaches or exceeds a predetermined water level, and an air inlet from the circulation air duct to the outer tub and an air outlet from the outer tub to the circulation air duct are provided above the overflow port."

JP 2022-91428 A JP 2005-46414 A JP 2020-18915 A

The conventional techniques disclosed in

Patent Documents

1 and 2 are expected to suppress clogging of the filter and ensure a stable exhaust volume, as explained below.

For example, the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 has an exhaust filter installed at the exhaust port. In the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, if the filter becomes clogged during the drying process, the amount of exhaust air will decrease when some of the moist air is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port, which may result in a longer drying time.

Furthermore, for example, the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 branches the main stream of moist air flowing inside the duct on the return air duct side into a branch stream during the drying process, and exhausts a portion of the moist air to the outside by utilizing the dynamic pressure of the main stream in addition to the static pressure inside the duct. This conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 is highly dependent on the dynamic pressure of the main stream when exhausting, making the exhaust volume prone to fluctuations. And with the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, if the volume of mainstream air decreases during the drying process, the exhaust volume also decreases, which can result in longer drying times.

Also, for example, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 2, the exhaust port is provided so as to face the side wall of the drum. In such a conventional technology described in Patent Document 2, water blown off by the high speed rotation of the drum during washing and spin-drying directly moistens the exhaust port. As a result, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 2, lint (dust) that flows out with the exhaust air during the subsequent drying operation adheres to and sticks to the exhaust port, so when some of the moist air is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust port, the exhaust volume decreases, and the drying time may be prolonged. In addition, since the conventional technology described in Patent Document 2 does not have a means for cleaning lint that has adhered to the exhaust port, continued operation may result in the exhaust port becoming clogged.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main objective is to provide a washer-dryer that prevents the filter from clogging and ensures a stable exhaust volume.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a washing and drying machine comprising an outer tub capable of storing liquid therein, a substantially cylindrical drum supported rotatably within the outer tub and in which laundry is stored, a heat pump having a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion means, a return air duct connecting the outer tub and the heat pump, a connection part connecting the outer tub and the return air duct, and a filter for collecting lint, wherein the connection part is provided on an upper part of the rear surface of the outer tub, the filter is provided on the connection part, and the shape of the outer peripheral portion of the filter is substantially arc-shaped so as to fit along the outer peripheral portion of the rear surface of the outer tub.
Other means will be described later.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent filter clogging and ensure a stable exhaust volume.

1 is an external perspective view of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment; 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inside of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a circulation air passage of the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. 4 is an enlarged view of a connection portion that connects an outer tub and a return air duct of the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a blow-out nozzle and a sprinkler nozzle of a washer/dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a variable resistor device of the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the static pressure rise and the air volume with respect to the air path resistance and the rotation speed of the blower fan of the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is an external view of a heat pump unit in a washer/dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of a heat pump unit in the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device of a washer/dryer according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a process diagram illustrating an operation process of the washer/dryer according to the embodiment. 13 is an enlarged view of a connection portion that connects an outer tub and a return air duct of a washer/dryer of a modified example. FIG. 1 is a side view of a washer/dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention with a side panel removed; 13 is a view of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 as seen obliquely from behind, with the rear panel and side panels removed. FIG. 13 is a view of the bottom of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 viewed from above. 13 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an outer tub of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12. FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the air outlet. 13 is a top view of the heat pump unit of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12. FIG. FIG. 17 is a see-through view of the inside of the heat pump unit of FIG. 16 . 13 is a schematic diagram of the outer tub of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 as viewed from the side. FIG. 13 is a rear (back side) view of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 with the top panel, side panels and back panel removed. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the upper part of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 as viewed from the right side. FIG. 21 is a partially enlarged view showing an upper part on the right side of the washer/dryer of FIG. 20 . FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of an upstream duct portion and an exhaust duct configured in an upper portion of the washer-dryer of FIG. 20. 13 is a rear (back side) view of the washer/dryer of FIG. 12 with the side and back panels attached. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a downstream duct portion and an exhaust duct according to the embodiment. 4 is a plan view of the downstream duct portion and the exhaust duct according to the embodiment, as viewed from above. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each figure merely illustrates the present invention in a schematic manner to allow a sufficient understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. In addition, in each figure, common or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations thereof will be omitted.

[Embodiment 1]
The present embodiment is intended to provide a washer/dryer that can solve not only the problems of the conventional technology described above, but also the following problems.

For example, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the air volume differs greatly when the unit is operating in two courses, the time-saving course and the energy-saving course. In the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, if the area of the exhaust port is adjusted to match the operation of one of the courses, the diameter of the exhaust port, exhaust resistance, exhaust volume, etc. must be adjusted when the other course is operated. The conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 has an issue in that it is desirable to reduce or eliminate the adjustments to the diameter of the exhaust port, exhaust resistance, exhaust volume, etc.

In addition, the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 narrows the air duct to adjust the air duct resistance when operating a course other than the time-saving course and energy-saving course, or when operating in hot air spin-drying mode, and when changing the fan rotation speed conditions to change the blowing air temperature and blowing air speed, the static pressure gradient on the return air duct changes drastically. This conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the change in the static pressure gradient on the return air duct reduces the exhaust volume, which can result in longer drying times.

In addition, with the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, when exhausting air midway through a wind duct for courses with different air volumes, the pressure loss in the wind duct increases with the square of the wind speed, so to obtain the same exhaust ratio for the air volume, the exhaust resistance must be changed significantly. The conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 has an issue in that it is desirable to be able to easily change the exhaust resistance.

In addition, for example, the conventional technology described in Patent Document 2 provides an exhaust port directly in the outer tank, and uses the difference between the internal pressure of the outer tank and the surrounding external air pressure as a driving force to exhaust moist air from the exhaust port during the drying process. Such conventional technology described in Patent Document 2 is configured to narrow the exhaust port. Therefore, the conventional technology described in Patent Document 2 has the problem that sufficient space cannot be secured for installing an exhaust filter with only an exhaust air duct according to the exhaust volume.

<Configuration of a washer/dryer>
Hereinafter, the configuration of a washer/dryer 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of the washer/dryer 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inside of the washer/dryer 100 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the washer/dryer 100 will be described as a drum type washer/dryer.

First, referring to FIG. 1, the external appearance of the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment has a housing 1 on the top of a base 1h. The housing 1 is formed by combining

side panels

1a and 1b, which are mainly made of steel plates and resin molded products, a back cover 1d, and a reinforcing material (not shown) with the top of the base 1h to form a skeleton, and further by attaching a front cover 1c to the front and a top cover 1e to the top. The top cover 1e is provided with a detergent dispenser 7. An operation switch 12 for operating the washer-dryer 100 is provided in the upper part of the front cover 1c. In addition, a door 9 for inserting and removing laundry 30 (see FIG. 2), such as cloth, is provided in the center of the front cover 1c. The door 9 is a door glass 9a fixed to a resin door frame 9b, and is attached to the housing 1 by a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the schematic structure of the inside of the washer-dryer 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the washer-dryer 100 has an outer tub 20 inside. The outer tub 20 is supported by a plurality of suspensions 5 (however, FIG. 2 shows only one of the suspensions 5) provided at the bottom. The outer tub 20 contains a substantially cylindrical drum 29 as an inner tub. Here, "substantially cylindrical" includes a cylinder and a tube with a shape close to a cylinder. The drum 29 holds laundry 30. A fluid balancer 31 is provided on the outer periphery of the opening of the drum 29 to reduce vibration caused by imbalance of the laundry 30 during spin-drying. In addition, a plurality of lifters 33 are provided inside the drum 29 to lift up the laundry 30. The drum 29 is directly connected to a motor M10 for driving the drum via a main shaft 35 connected to a metal flange 34 for the drum. However, the drum 29 may also be configured as a so-called belt-driven system in which a pulley fixed to the main shaft is connected to a motor fixed to the outer tub 20 via a belt.

A bellows 10 is attached to the opening of the outer tub 20. The bellows 10 is a rubber-based packing made of an elastic body. The bellows 10 maintains the watertightness between the inside of the outer tub 20 and the door 9. The bellows 10 enables the washer-dryer 100 to prevent water leakage during the washing, rinsing, and spin-drying processes. The drum 29 has many small holes (not shown) in the side wall for centrifugal spin-drying and ventilation.

A filter 258 for collecting lint and a water sprinkler mechanism 271 for cleaning the filter 258 are provided at the upper rear of the outer tub 20. The details of the filter 258 and the water sprinkler mechanism 271 will be described later. A water supply solenoid valve for supplying water is provided above the outer tub 20. A water receiving section 23 for receiving water is provided below the outer tub 20, and a drain port 21 for draining the water in the water receiving section 23 is provided at the bottom of the water receiving section 23. The drain port 21 is connected to a drain hose 26 via a drain valve V1. An overflow hose 17 is attached to the front of the outer tub 20. The overflow hose 17 merges with the drain hose 26 downstream of the drain valve V1. Therefore, the overflow hose 17 is configured to be connected to the drain hose 26 regardless of the open/close state of the drain valve V1. This type of washer/dryer 100 can forcibly drain water when the amount of water increases above a predetermined water level to which the overflow hose 17 is attached. However, the washer/dryer 100 may be configured so that the overflow hose 17 and the drain hose 26 join upstream of the drain valve V1.

The washer-dryer 100 is provided with a circulation pump 18 at the bottom. The circulation pump 18 is a pumping means for pumping up the washing water to the top of the outer tub 20 and spraying it on the laundry 30 in the drum 29. The circulation pump 18 is preferably fixed to the side of the base 1h (see FIG. 1) arranged below the outer tub 20. During the detergent dissolving process, pre-washing process, main washing process, first rinsing process, and second rinsing process (see steps S5, S6, S7, S8, and S9 in FIG. 10), the washing water flows from the drain port 21 of the water receiving section 23 provided below the outer tub 20 through the lint filter 222 into the suction port side of the circulation pump 18, and is pressurized by the circulation pump 18. During the detergent dissolving process (step S5) shown in FIG. 10, the washing water pressurized by the circulation pump 18 is returned to the water receiving section 23 again from the circulation discharge port 24 provided to communicate with the circulation pump 18. During the pre-wash step, main wash step, first rinse step, and second rinse step (see steps S6, S7, S8, and S9) shown in FIG. 10, the wash water pressurized by the circulation pump 18 is sprayed toward the inside of the drum 29 from a water spray nozzle 223 (see FIG. 5) that is provided in communication with the circulation pump 18.

The washer-dryer 100 is configured as a hot air drying system in which air is circulated between the drum 29 and the heat pump unit 300 by the blower fan 2 (see FIG. 3) during the drying process to dry the clothes. The heat pump unit 300 is a unit that incorporates a heat pump having a compressor 307 (see FIG. 8B), a condenser 301 (see FIG. 8B), an expansion means 308 (see FIG. 8B), and an evaporator 302 (see FIG. 8B). The washer-dryer 100 is equipped with the blower fan 2 for circulating air, the heat pump unit 300 for dehumidifying and heating the circulating air, a hot air duct 251 (see FIG. 3) for directing the heated circulating air (hot air) into the inside of the drum 29, and a return air duct 252 (see FIG. 3) for returning the moist air discharged from the drum 29 to the outer tub 20 to the heat pump unit 300. The washer-dryer 100 is provided with a hot air duct 251 (see FIG. 3) as a circulating air passage on the sending side and a return air passage 252 (see FIG. 3) as a circulating air passage on the return side to circulate the circulating air (hot air). Details of the heat pump unit 300 will be described later. The washer-dryer 100 sends the circulating air (hot air) dehumidified and heated by the heat pump unit 300 to the hot air duct 251 (see FIG. 3) and blows it from the blowing nozzle 221 into the inside of the drum 29 to dry the laundry 30. The washer-dryer 100 also sends the moist air discharged from the drum 29 to the outer tub 20 after drying the laundry 30 to the return air passage 252 (see FIG. 3) and returns it to the heat pump unit 300.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the circulation air duct (hot air duct 251 and return air duct 252) of the washer-dryer 100. Figure 3 shows the internal configuration of the washer-dryer 100 as seen from the right rear. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the connection part 253 that connects the outer tub 20 of the washer-dryer 100 to the return air duct 252.

As shown in FIG. 3, the washer/dryer 100 is equipped with a hot air duct 251 and a return air duct 252. One end of the hot air duct 251 is connected to the heat pump unit 300, and the other end is connected to an outlet nozzle 221 provided at the front of the outer tub 20. Meanwhile, one end of the return air duct 25 is connected to a connection part 253 provided at the upper back surface of the outer tub 20, and the other end is connected to the heat pump unit 300. A blower fan 2 is provided on the outlet side of the heat pump unit 300.

The washer-dryer 100 is provided with a filter 258 at a connection part 253 provided at the upper part of the back surface of the outer tub 20. The washer-dryer 100 may be provided with multiple filters 258 in the direction of air flow. In this embodiment, the washer-dryer 100 is described as having two filters 258, filter 258a as a primary filter and filter 258b as a secondary filter, in that order from the upstream side.

By providing multiple filters 258 in the direction of air flow, the washer-dryer 100 can arrange the meshes of the filters 258 in a plane that is overlapping each other. This type of washer-dryer 100 can make the mesh density of each filter 258 coarser than when there is only one filter 258, and because multiple filters 258 collect lint, it is possible to prevent lint from being densely collected in a single filter 258, and as a result, stable exhaust can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 4, at least one of the multiple filters 258 may have a frame 259 around it and may be configured to be removable together with the frame 259 from the filter mounting portion 254 provided at the connection portion 253. In this embodiment, the filter 258b, which is the secondary filter, is configured to have a frame 259 around it and to be removable together with the frame 259 from the filter mounting portion 254. In this type of washer-dryer 100, the filter with the frame 259 can be removed from the filter mounting portion 254, so that the user can manually wash this filter.

In addition, in this embodiment, the washer-dryer 100 is described as having a water sprinkler mechanism 271 (see FIG. 2) upstream of the primary filter 258a for cleaning the filter 258a, and the water sprinkler mechanism 271 sprays water onto the filter 258a during the washing process or before the drying process to clean the filter 258a. The washer-dryer 100 is described as having a configuration in which the secondary filter 258b is removable from the filter attachment portion 254, allowing the user to manually clean the filter 258b.

Filter 258a may be washed after the drying process is completed. Also, water sprayed from water spray mechanism 271 (see FIG. 2) may pass through filter 258a and reach filter 258b. This allows washer-dryer 100 to wash not only filter 258a but also filter 258b.

The water used to wash the filter 258a flows down the back of the outer tub 20 and is guided to the drain outlet 21 (see Figure 2) located below the outer tub 20. The water that reaches the filter 258b, which is the secondary filter, is guided to the bottom of the heat pump unit 300 via the return air duct 252, and is ultimately discharged outside the unit together with the drain water (condensed water) generated in the evaporator 302 (see Figure 8B) located inside the heat pump unit 300.

The return air passage 252 is shaped to connect the connection part 253 provided at the upper part of the back surface of the outer tub 20 to the heat pump unit 300 while going around and avoiding the motor M10 (see FIG. 2) provided at the center of the back surface of the outer tub 20 at the connection part 253. The outer peripheral shape of the return air passage 252 is approximately arc-shaped or fan-shaped so as to follow the outer periphery of the outer tub 20 at the connection part 253. Here, "approximately arc-shaped" includes an arc shape and a shape close to an arc shape. In addition, at least a part of the multiple filters 258 provided at the boundary between the connection part 253 and the back surface of the outer tub 20 may be formed in an approximately arc-shaped (or fan-shaped) outer peripheral side to match the shape of the return air passage 252 at the connection part 253. By making it in such a shape, the air flow in the outer tub 20 due to the rotation of the drum 29 becomes a flow that traces the approximately arc shape on the outer periphery of the filter 258, so that the lint attached to the filter 258 can be efficiently removed by the air flow. At least some of the multiple filters 258 are preferably formed in a concave shape so that the inner periphery can avoid the motor M10 (see Figure 2) while ensuring a large surface area.

The exhaust port 257 is provided immediately after the outlet of the filter 258 in the connection part 253. The exhaust port 257 is preferably provided on a wall surface located in the opposite direction to the direction of air flow in the return air duct 252 in the connection part 253. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 257 is described as being provided on the wall surface of the return air duct 252 on the side closer to the hot air duct 251 in the connection part 253. By providing the exhaust port 257 in such a location, the washer-dryer 100 can make the static pressure in the return air duct 252 approximately equal to the internal pressure of the outer tub 20, and exhaust air to the outside from the exhaust port 257 by using the differential pressure between the static pressure in the return air duct 252 and the atmospheric pressure as a driving force. Such a washer-dryer 100 can exhaust air to the outside from the exhaust port 257 with almost no effect from the dynamic pressure of the mainstream air in the return air duct 252, and can stably exhaust air.

The exhaust port 257 is provided with a variable exhaust means 306 for changing the amount of exhaust. The variable exhaust means 306 has a door-like member that rotates around a hinge, and an electric rotation mechanism that rotates the door-like member. The washer-dryer 100 can adjust the amount of exhaust by adjusting the opening and closing amount of the variable exhaust means 306 (i.e., the opening and closing amount of the exhaust port 257 by the door-like member).

As shown in FIG. 5, the washer-dryer 100 is provided with a blow-out nozzle 221 for spraying circulating air (hot air) into the inside of the drum 29, and a water spray nozzle 223 for spraying wash water into the inside of the drum 29, at the upper front part of the outer tub 20. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the blow-out nozzle 221 and the water spray nozzle 223 of the washer-dryer 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the blow-out nozzle 221 is provided at a position opposite the water spray nozzle 223 on the circumference of the outer tub 20.

3 and 6, a variable resistance device 256 is provided in the middle of the hot air duct 251. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the variable resistance device 256. The variable resistance device 256 is a variable resistance means for changing the resistance of the air flowing through the hot air duct 251. FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the variable resistance device 256 through a part of a cover 261 provided on the variable resistance device 256. As shown in FIG. 6, the variable resistance device 256 has a door-like shape that rotates around a hinge. When the washer-dryer 100 weakens the resistance of the air flowing through the hot air duct 251, it raises the door (flap) of the variable resistance device 256 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6 to open the hot air duct 251. When the washer-dryer 100 strengthens the resistance of the air flowing through the hot air duct 251, it lowers the door (flap) of the variable resistance device 256 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6 to partially close the hot air duct 251. For example, in a drying course that requires high-temperature hot air or when a high temperature is required during the drying course, the washer-dryer 100 lowers the door (flap) of the variable resistor device 256 and drives it in a direction to close the air passage (hot air duct 251). As a result, the washer-dryer 100 closes the hot air duct 251 by about half, increasing the resistance of the air passage (hot air duct 251). At the same time, the washer-dryer 100 increases the rotation speed of the blower fan 2 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the washer-dryer 100 compresses the air in the hot air duct 251, further increasing the temperature of the air (dry air) raised by the heat pump unit 300.

7 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the resistance curve of the circulating air duct and the static pressure P and the air volume Q with respect to the rotation speed of the blower fan 2. In FIG. 7, line L11 shows the resistance curve of the circulating air duct when the variable resistor device 256 is open (the hot air duct 251 is fully open), and line L12 shows the resistance curve of the circulating air duct when the variable resistor device 256 is closed (the hot air duct 251 is partially closed). For example, when the air duct resistance of the variable resistor device 256 is increased, the resistance curve of the circulating air duct shifts from the state of line L11 to the state of line L12. Therefore, in order to obtain the same air volume q2 as before the air duct resistance of the variable resistor device 256 is increased from the operating point of the rotation speed N1, air volume q1, and air duct loss p1 of the blower fan 2, the washer-dryer 100 increases the rotation speed of the blower fan 2 from the rotation speed N1 to the rotation speed N2. This strengthens the adiabatic compression of air by the blower fan 2, allowing the washer-dryer 100 to obtain a higher air temperature at the outlet of the blower fan 2.

The blow-out nozzle 221 is located adjacent to the bellows 10 at the opening of the outer tub 20 so as to blow air directly from the opening onto the laundry 30 in the drum 29 (see FIG. 5). The cross-sectional area of the blow-out nozzle 221 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the hot air duct 251, so the hot air is blown out at a high speed onto the laundry 30, improving heat transfer performance.

FIG. 8A is an external view of the heat pump unit 300. FIG. 8B is an internal configuration diagram of the heat pump unit. As shown in FIG. 8A, the internal equipment of the heat pump unit 300 is covered by a heat pump unit case 310. An air supply port 260 is provided near the center of the upper part of the heat pump unit case 310. The air supply port 260 is provided at a position leading to the space between the evaporator 302 (see FIG. 8B) and the condenser 301 (see FIG. 8B) provided inside the heat pump unit 300. The heat pump unit case 310 is also provided with an inlet (not shown) connected to the return air passage 252 (see FIG. 3) and an outlet (not shown) connected to the hot air duct 251 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 8B, the heat pump unit 300 includes a heat pump having a compressor 307, a condenser 301, an expansion means 308, and an evaporator 302. In this embodiment, a variable expansion valve is used as the expansion means 308, but the expansion means 308 may be a fixed expansion means such as a capillary tube.

The basic flow of circulating air is that it passes through the evaporator 302, then flows into the condenser 301, and reaches the intake port of the blower fan 2 (see Figure 3). An air inlet 260 is provided between the evaporator 302 and the condenser 301. Therefore, the amount of air flowing into the evaporator 302 is the amount of air blown out by the blower fan 2 minus the amount of exhaust air exhausted through the exhaust port 257. When air flows into the condenser 301, an amount of air equal to the amount of exhaust air flows in from the air inlet 260. Therefore, the amount of air passing through the condenser 301 is equal to the amount of air blown out by the blower fan 2. In the evaporator 302, the circulating air exchanges heat with a low-temperature cooling medium, so that the air is dehumidified and drain water (condensed water) is generated.

In order to drain the drain water to the outside, a drain pump (not shown) is provided as necessary, and is usually activated by detecting the amount of accumulated drain water or at predetermined intervals.

The fins of the evaporator 302 and condenser 301 are spaced about 1 to 2 mm apart to ensure heat exchange performance, and lint that has not been removed by the filter 258 may adhere to them. To deal with this unforeseen situation, the washer-dryer 100 may be provided with a water sprinkler mechanism 271 (see FIG. 2) in advance, and may employ a method of cleaning in advance or a method of cleaning by detecting changes in the air volume when the water sprinkler mechanism is attached.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device CL of the washer/dryer 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device CL includes a microcomputer 110. The microcomputer 110 acquires operation signals generated by the operation switch 12 in response to user operation, and various information signals generated by various sensors (water level sensor 22, drain temperature sensor SN1, air path temperature sensor SN2, outside air temperature sensor SN3, hot air temperature sensor SN4, and conductivity sensor 4) during the washing and drying processes.

The microcomputer 110 includes an operation pattern database 111, a process control unit 112, a rotation speed calculation unit 113, a clothes weight calculation unit 114, an electrical conductivity measurement unit 115, a detergent amount and washing time determination unit 116, a turbidity judgment unit 117, and a threshold memory unit 118. The operation pattern database 111 stores operation pattern data. The process control unit 112 controls the operation of each part in each process. The rotation speed calculation unit 113 calculates the rotation speed of the drum 29. The clothes weight calculation unit 114 calculates the weight of the clothes in the drum 29. After being put into the drum 29, the weight of the clothes becomes heavier by being immersed in the washing water during the washing operation, and then becomes lighter by being dried during the drying operation, approaching the weight when it was put into the drum 29. The electrical conductivity measurement unit 115 measures the electrical conductivity of the washing water. The electrical conductivity of the washing water decreases as the concentration of the detergent dissolved in the washing water decreases. The detergent amount and washing time determination unit 116 determines the detergent amount and washing time. The turbidity determination unit 117 determines the turbidity of the wash water. The turbidity of the wash water decreases as the amount of dirt dissolved from the laundry 30 into the wash water decreases and the transparency of the wash water improves. The threshold memory unit 118 stores thresholds for controlling the operation of each component.

The microcomputer 110 controls the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 16, the drain valve V1, the motor M10, the variable exhaust means 306, the variable resistor device 256, the blower fan 2, the circulation pump 18, the water supply pump 19, the compressor 307, and the expansion means 308 via the drive circuit. The microcomputer 110 also controls the display 14 and the buzzer (not shown) to inform the user of information related to the washer/dryer 100.

When the power switch 11 is pressed to turn on the power, the microcomputer 110 starts up and executes a basic control processing program for washing and drying, and executes the process shown in FIG. 10, for example. FIG. 10 is a flow chart explaining the operation of the washing and drying operation (from washing to drying) in the washer-dryer 100. The process from washing to drying in the washer-dryer 100 is explained below.

As shown in FIG. 10, in step S1, the control device CL accepts input of a course selection for the operation process of the washer/dryer 100 (course selection). Here, the user opens the door 9, places laundry 30 to be washed in the drum 29, and closes the door 9. The user then operates the operation switch 12 to select and input an operation process course. By operating the operation switch 12, the selected operation process course is input to the control device CL. The control device CL reads the corresponding operation pattern from the operation pattern database 111 based on the input operation process course, and proceeds to step S2. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the standard washing/drying course (wash-rinse twice-spin-dry) has been selected.

In step S2, the control device CL executes a process to detect the weight (amount of fabric) of the laundry 30 placed in the drum 29 (cloth amount sensing). Specifically, the process control unit 112 drives the motor M10 to rotate the drum 29, and the clothing weight calculation unit 114 calculates the weight (amount of fabric) of the laundry 30 before water is poured in.

In step S3, the control device CL executes a process of calculating the amount of detergent and the operating time. The conductivity measurement unit 115 detects the conductivity (hardness) of the supplied water. In addition, a drain temperature sensor SN1 provided at the bottom of the outer tub 20 (e.g., drain outlet 21) detects the temperature of the supplied water. The detergent amount/washing time determination unit 116 determines the amount of detergent to be added and the operating time by map search based on the detected amount of fabric, the water conductivity (hardness) obtained by the conductivity measurement unit 115 using the detection value from the conductivity sensor 4, and the water temperature. The process control unit 112 then displays the determined amount of detergent and operating time on the display 14.

In step S4, the control device CL waits for a predetermined time (detergent addition waiting process) and then proceeds to step S5. While waiting, the user refers to the amount of detergent displayed on the display 14 and adds detergent to the detergent addition section (not shown). If automatic detergent addition is set, the detergent addition operation can be omitted.

The washing process is broadly divided into a detergent dissolving process (step S5), a pre-wash process (step S6), and a main wash process (step S7). The main wash process is further divided into a first main wash process and a subsequent second main wash process, but there is no functional problem even if the processes are not clearly distinguished in terms of the operation process. Also, the function of the washing process as a whole will not change even if some of the operations in the processes described below are omitted.

In step S5, the control device CL executes the detergent dissolving process. A specific solenoid valve of the water supply solenoid valve 16 is opened to supply water. The water is introduced into the detergent inlet and then into the outer tub 20. The detergent solution introduced into the outer tub 20 is supplied to the water receiving section 23 (see Figures 2 and 5) located at the bottom of the drum 29 through a water supply path (not shown). After the detergent solution is introduced, the circulation pump 18 (see Figures 2 and 4) is driven, and the water in the water receiving section 23 flows from the drain port 21 through the lint filter 222 into the suction port (not shown) of the circulation pump 18. The wash water pressurized by the circulation pump 18 is returned to the water receiving section 23 again from the circulation discharge port 24 (see Figure 2) that communicates with the outlet of the circulation pump 18 (circulation path for the detergent dissolving process).

The control device CL detects the conductivity at this point using the conductivity sensor 4 (discrimination means) located inside the water receiving section 23, and compares it with the conductivity database for a highly concentrated detergent aqueous solution and the conductivity database for a fabric softener aqueous solution.

By repeating the circulation, a uniform, high-concentration detergent solution is produced, with detergent dissolved in a small amount of water. The high-concentration detergent solution is sprayed onto the clothes. At this time, the drum 29 is rotated, and the laundry 30 is agitated while the circulation pump 18 sprays the detergent evenly.

In step S6, the control device CL executes the pre-wash process. In this process, the laundry 30 soaked in detergent liquid is usually present in the outer tub 20, and a small amount of detergent liquid is present in the water receiving section 23 at the bottom of the outer tub 20. By rotating the drum 29, the laundry 30 is lifted to the top of the drum 29, and then the laundry is beaten by a tumbling action that causes the laundry 30 to fall to the bottom by gravity. As a result, the detergent liquid soaked in the laundry 30 is squeezed out, and the circulation pump 18 is driven intermittently as necessary to spray the detergent liquid again on the laundry 30. Even during this operation, if the so-called washing temperature of the washing water and the laundry is increased, the washing performance can be improved, so the airflow from the blower fan 2 is heated by the heat pump unit 300 and then blown as necessary. By increasing the washing temperature level, the penetration of the high-concentration detergent liquid into the laundry 30 can also be promoted. As shown in FIG. 5, the blowing nozzle 221 is provided at a position opposite the water spray nozzle 223 on the circumference of the outer tub 20. In order to promote the spraying of high-concentration detergent liquid (washing water) and the penetration of high-concentration detergent liquid (washing water) into the laundry 30, the washer-dryer 100 controls the high-concentration detergent liquid (washing water) sprayed from the spray nozzle 223 to prevent interference of the hot air sprayed from the blow-out nozzle 221. This allows the washer-dryer 100 to efficiently wash the laundry 30. Since the laundry 30 is in a state where the high-concentration detergent liquid is retained, heat conduction is better than when air occupies the gaps between the fibers of the laundry 30, and heating can be performed efficiently. This allows more dirt to be separated from the fibers in a short time. The separated dirt is quickly dispersed in the retained high-concentration detergent liquid, preventing it from coagulating and reattaching.

Also, a separate circulation pump (not shown) with a smaller flow rate than the circulation pump 18 may be installed. In this case, the liquid droplets may be mixed into the warm air by pumping up water from the water receiving section 23 and spraying it into the warm air near the blower outlet, and then sprayed onto the laundry 30. If additional water is supplied during the washing process until the normal circulation level is ensured and then sprayed by the circulation pump 18, the temperature of the laundry 30 will drop rapidly. Therefore, by using the above configuration and spraying a smaller amount of circulating water on the warm air, the water contained in the laundry 30 can be replaced evenly and little by little. This makes it possible to prevent a sudden drop in temperature of the laundry 30, thereby improving washing performance.

A cleaning process of the filter 258 may be performed at some point between the pre-washing process and the main washing process. In order to remove lint that could not be removed by the swirling flow caused by the rotation of the drum 29 during the drying process and thread debris that accumulated when only washing operations were performed, water is sprayed onto the filter 258 from the water spray mechanism 271 (see FIG. 2), but the sprayed water can be used as cleaning water for the washing process. Since water can be sprayed without waste, it is preferable to spray water including cleaning the filter 258b, which is the secondary filter. After cleaning, the variable exhaust means 306 is opened. In this embodiment, an exhaust hatch is provided as the variable exhaust means 306. Fine water droplets that did not fall into the mesh of the filter 258 can be removed by diffusing the air in the warm air duct 251 to the surrounding outside air, which reduces the humidity in the circulating air duct. If the filter 258 is dry at the start of drying, lint adhesion is suppressed and stable exhaust can be achieved.

In step S7, the control device CL executes the main washing process. In the main washing process, additional water is supplied when the pre-washing process is completed, increasing the amount of water in the water receiving section 23 and raising the water level. This water level is maintained at a level sufficient to pump wash water from the water receiving section 23 by the circulation pump 18 and spray it continuously from the watering nozzle 223 at the top of the outer tub 20.

Spraying from the water spray nozzle 223 may be continuous or intermittent. Specifically, while there is still a lot of dirt adhering to the backside, etc., of the laundry 30, water is sprayed continuously to promote agitation of the wash water. This allows the wash water held by the laundry 30 to always be replaced with wash water with a low concentration of dirt. After most of the dirt has been removed, it is more efficient to remove the remaining dirt mainly using the mechanical force of beating. Therefore, it is preferable to spray intermittently in the latter half of the process so as not to interfere with the mechanical force. Furthermore, by making the driving force of the circulation pump 18 intermittent, power consumption can be reduced, which is also preferable from the standpoint of energy conservation.

The water sprinkler nozzle 223 is located in the outer tub 20 above the central axis of the rotatable drum 29 when viewed from the front of the washer-dryer 100, and forward when viewed from the side of the washer-dryer 100. This allows the water sprinkler nozzle 223 to spray at a wide angle relative to the radial direction of the drum 29 (see FIG. 5). In this first main washing step, in addition to spraying over a wide area, the rotation of the drum 29 lifts up the laundry 30 that has accumulated below the drum 29 and drops it from above inside the drum 29, applying a mechanical force to the laundry 30 to beat it. The larger the drum diameter, the greater the synergistic effect of spraying over a wide area and beating, and the shorter the time for the main washing step.

The control device CL also executes the second main wash process as necessary. By supplying water at the end of the first main wash process described above, the amount of water in the second main wash process is made greater than the amount of water in the first main wash process. The circulation flow rate of the circulation pump 18 in the second main wash process is made greater than the circulation flow rate of the circulation pump 18 in the first main wash process. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the motor M10 of the drum 29 in the second main wash process is made lower than the rotation speed of the motor M10 in the first main wash process. The combination of the first and second main wash processes is an operating algorithm that suppresses darkening and stiffness of the laundry 30.

During part or all of the first or second main washing process, the washing water pumped up by the circulation pump 18 may be sprayed from the spray nozzle 223 while the drum 29 is rotated with the laundry 30 stuck to the inner side wall of the drum 29 without tumbling. This operation pushes out the washing water contained in the laundry 30 by centrifugal force, and washing is performed by the flow of washing water inside the fibers, which is constantly sprayed and supplied by the spray nozzle 223. This can suppress the generation of lint caused by rubbing of the laundry 30 against each other, reduce the amount of lint circulating with the circulating air in the drying process, and reduce the cleaning process of the evaporator.

As described above, in the case of the washer/dryer 100, the laundry 30 is mainly washed by beating, in which the lifter 33 lifts the laundry 30 to the top of the drum 29 as the drum 29 rotates, and then the laundry 30 falls to the bottom of the drum 29 by gravity. Since the overflow hose 17 is connected to the front of the outer tub 20, in some cases the wash water may flow up to the position of the overflow hose 17.

In step S8, the control device CL executes the first rinse step. In this step, the drain valve V1 is opened to drain the wash water, and then the drain valve V1 is closed to supply rinse water to a predetermined water level in the outer tub 20. The drum 29 is then rotated to agitate and rinse the laundry 30 and the rinse water.

In step S9, the control device CL executes the second rinse step. In the second rinse step, similar to the first rinse step, the drain valve V1 is opened to drain the rinse water, and then the drain valve V1 is closed to supply rinse water to a predetermined water level in the outer tub 20. The drum 29 is then rotated to agitate and rinse the laundry 30 and the rinse water.

During part or all of the first or second rinsing steps, the rinsing operation may involve spraying rinsing water pumped up by the circulation pump 18 from the spray nozzle 223 while rotating the drum 29 with the laundry 30 stuck to the inner wall of the drum 29 without tumbling. This operation pushes out the rinsing water contained in the laundry 30 by centrifugal force, and by constantly spraying and supplying water from the spray nozzle, it is possible to suppress the generation of lint caused by the rubbing of the laundry 30 against each other, reduce the amount of lint circulating with the circulating air in the drying process, and reduce the cleaning process of the evaporator 302.

In step S10, the control device CL executes the spin-drying process. In this process, the drain valve V1 is opened to drain the rinse water from the outer tub 20, and then the drum 29 is rotated to centrifugally spin-dry the laundry 30. The spin-drying rotation speed is increased to a set rotation speed according to the load, unless there is a malfunction such as the laundry 30 being unbalanced and the current value of the motor M10 exceeding the upper limit. When the spin-drying rotation speed is increased and the drum 29 rotates at high speed, vibrations are transmitted to the outer tub 20, and the outer tub 20 itself vibrates slightly. In addition, the bellows 10 can absorb the vibrations transmitted to the door 9 side due to the high-speed rotation of the drum 29. The warm air ducts 251 are also connected to the air outlets of the outer tub 20 by the bellows 10, so that vibrations can be absorbed.

Furthermore, during this spin-drying process, a cleaning process for the filter 258 can also be performed. In order to remove lint that was not removed by the swirling flow caused by the rotation of the drum 29 during the previous drying process, and thread debris that has accumulated when only washing cycles are performed multiple times, water is sprayed onto the filter 258 from the water spray mechanism 271 (see Figure 2). After cleaning, the exhaust fan, which is a variable exhaust means, is driven. Fine water droplets that do not fall into the mesh of the filter 258 can be removed by diffusing the air in the warm air duct 251 into the surrounding outside air, thereby reducing humidity in the circulating air duct.

Furthermore, if necessary, the variable exhaust means 306 is kept open during the spin-drying process to ensure communication with the surrounding outside air. During the spin-drying process, the outer tub 20 tilts backward due to an increase in internal pressure caused by the high speed rotation of the drum 29, but the variable exhaust means 306 can reduce the backward tilt by connecting it to the surrounding outside air, thereby improving the reliability of the bellows 10, etc.

In addition, to promote dehydration, warm air is blown into the drum 29 to warm the laundry 30, expanding the fibers and lowering the viscosity of the water, making it easier to remove water and enhancing dehydration. In this case, the heat pump unit 300 may be driven, but if it takes time for the compressor 307 to warm up, the air temperature may be increased by adiabatic compression by narrowing the air path with the variable resistance device 256. Since the air path resistance increases, it is better to ensure the circulating air volume by rotating the blower fan 2 at high speed. The suction pressure of the blower fan 2 decreases, and the pressure of the return air path 252 also decreases, but since the driving force of the exhaust can be based on the difference between the internal pressure of the outer tub 20 and the atmosphere, a stable exhaust volume can be ensured. Accordingly, by exhausting part of the moist return air and replenishing it with outside air from the air inlet 260 (see FIG. 8A), the specific heat can be kept small, and higher temperature air can be continuously supplied into the drum 29, which can promote dehydration.

When air is blown by the blower fan 2 during the dehydration process, it is blown directly into the drum 29 from the blowing nozzle 221, which can easily cause the internal pressure of the drum 29 to rise. However, in this embodiment, by opening the variable exhaust means 306, the drum 29 can communicate with the outside air through the exhaust port 257 without any resistance to the rise in internal pressure, so the drum 29 can be prevented from tilting backward too much. This can protect the bellows 10.

In step S11, the control device CL executes the drying process. In the drying process, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, first, the blower fan 2 is driven, and then the compressor 307 in the heat pump unit 300 is driven. The expansion means 308 is once fully opened to perform an origin adjustment, and then the opening degree is adjusted so that the thermistor (not shown) installed in the suction pipe of the compressor 307 does not become low temperature. The rotation speed of the compressor 307 is adjusted so that the difference between the thermistor (not shown) installed in the discharge pipe and the hot air thermistor installed at the outlet of the blower fan 2 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. After the air that has become hot in the heat pump unit 300 is pressurized by the blower fan 2, it is blown into the drum 29 through the blowing nozzle 221 to exchange heat with the laundry 30 and evaporate moisture from the laundry 30. The circulating air containing the moisture evaporated from the laundry 30 is returned to the heat pump unit 300 from the outer tub 20 via the return air duct 252. In the heat pump unit 300, the circulating air is cooled by the evaporator 302 located on the windward side, below the dew point temperature, and dehumidified. The air is then heated in the condenser 301, becoming low-humidity warm air.

In this embodiment, when air flows from the outer tub 20 into the return air passage 252, a portion of the air is exhausted from the exhaust port 257, and the same amount of air is taken in from the surrounding outside air through the intake port 260 of the heat pump unit 300. As a result, high humidity air is exhausted and lower humidity air is taken in, resulting in an operation with enhanced dehumidification. At this time, the lint collected by the filter 258 is prevented from accumulating on the filter 258 because the airflow generated in the gap between the drum 29 and the outer tub 20 as the drum 29 rotates flows in a manner that traces the approximately arc-shaped shape of the filter 258. This provides stable exhaust and air circulation throughout the drying process.

Also, at the end of the drying process, the warm air temperature may be increased to increase the temperature of the laundry 30, thereby sterilizing the laundry and preventing the smell of damp laundry. In this case, the compressor rotation speed is increased and the air volume is rather suppressed, but the warm air temperature is increased by tightening the variable resistor. In other words, the air duct resistance is increased to increase the rotation speed of the blower fan 2, which corresponds to the air duct loss p2 and air volume q2 in Figure 7. Since the static pressure ΔP in front of and behind the blower fan 2 is increased, the suction side of the blower fan becomes low pressure, and the static pressure level of the circulation path from the return air duct 252 to the heat pump unit 300 is reduced. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 257 is directed toward the connection part 253 between the return air duct 252 and the outer tub 20, which is not affected by the static pressure of the return air duct 252 or the dynamic pressure of the main flow, so a stable exhaust volume can be ensured.

The drying judgment is made by measuring the exhaust air temperature T1a of the outer tub 20 using the air duct temperature sensor SN2 installed at the connection 253 between the outer tub 20 and the return air duct 252 and the hot air temperature T4a using the hot air temperature sensor SN4 installed on the outlet side of the blower fan 2 at the start of drying or at a specified time after the start of a certain operation (setting of initial temperature). After that, after a specified time corresponding to the load has elapsed, the exhaust air temperature T1b and hot air temperature T4b of the outer tub 20 are measured for the end judgment, and the difference between the initial temperature and the end judgment temperature is calculated (ΔT1 = T1a - T1b, ΔT4 = T4a - T4b). Furthermore, the end of drying is judged by checking whether or not these temperature differences (ΔT1 - ΔT4) are equal to or greater than the specified temperature.

At the end of the drying process, a cleaning process is carried out on the filter 258. Since the main purpose is to remove lint that was not removed by the swirling flow caused by the rotation of the drum 29 during the drying process, it is preferable to reduce the amount of water sprayed to a level that does not affect the humidity inside the drum 29. If a process is set to sterilize the laundry 30 by raising its temperature at the end of the drying process, the cleaning process is carried out before that, and the variable exhaust means 306 is opened afterwards. Even when sterilizing by raising the temperature, part of the circulating air that may become highly humid at the outlet of the outer tub 20 can be exhausted from the exhaust port 257, so the humidity of the circulating air can be efficiently reduced.

The cleaning process for the filter 258 may be set to be performed separately from the drying process, and it is preferable that the process can be selected to reflect the degree of lint adhesion, for example, by selecting the process after only the washing course is operated.

If the drying process is not set in the course selection process (step S1), operation ends in step S10.

The washer-dryer 100 has a filter 258 attached to a connection 253 provided at the upper back surface of the outer tub 20 that is connected to the return air passage 252, so that a sufficient surface area for the filter 258 can be secured. In addition, the washer-dryer 100 has an air flow in the outer tub 20 caused by the rotation of the drum 29 that traces the roughly arcuate shape of the filter 258, so that lint adhering to the filter 258 can be efficiently removed during operation. This allows the washer-dryer 100 to secure a constantly stable exhaust volume.

In addition, since the washer-dryer 100 can exhaust air without being affected by the dynamic pressure of the main flow of circulating air, it is easy to adjust the exhaust volume to accommodate different courses and different air blowing conditions during the course of a course. This also allows the washer-dryer 100 to ensure a constant and stable exhaust volume.

In addition, the washer-dryer 100 can arrange the meshes in a plane by forming the filter 258 in two sheets in the flow direction as necessary. In such a washer-dryer 100, the mesh (density) of each filter 258 can be made coarser than when there is only one filter 258. In other words, the washer-dryer 100 can obtain the same lint removal function as a single fine-mesh filter with a two-sheet filter 258. When collecting lint with the two-sheet filter 258, the washer-dryer 100 can avoid the lint from being densely collected on one filter 258, and as a result, can ensure a constant and stable exhaust. In other words, the washer-dryer 100 can collect lint with the two-sheet filter 258, and can avoid the lint from being densely collected on one filter 258 (especially the filter 258a, which is the primary filter). This type of washer/dryer 100 can efficiently collect lint even under conditions of high air volume, which also ensures constant and stable exhaust.

It is preferable that the washer-dryer 100 communicates the air inlet 260 (see FIG. 8A) and the exhaust port 257 (see FIG. 4) provided on the heat pump unit 300. When the washer-dryer 100 is not operating, the air inlet 260 (see FIG. 8A) and the exhaust port 257 (see FIG. 8A) can communicate the circulating air passage including the outer tub 20, the return air passage 252, and the heat pump unit 300 to the surrounding outside air. The washer-dryer 100 can ensure a path from the heat pump unit 300 to the exhaust port 257 (see FIG. 4) in both the outer tub 20 and the return air passage 252, and does not accumulate moisture inside the outer tub 20 and the return air passage 252, thereby suppressing the growth of mold.

The washer-dryer 100 also has an exhaust port 257 (see FIG. 4) on the wall of a connection part 253 provided at the upper part of the back surface of the outer tub 20, which is connected to the return air duct 252. This type of washer-dryer 100 makes it difficult for wash water and water during spin-drying to splash up to the exhaust port 257 (see FIG. 4), making it difficult for lint to adhere, which also ensures constant and stable exhaust.

In addition, after cleaning the filter 258, the washer/dryer 100 can open the variable exhaust means 306 (see FIG. 4) to release water droplets remaining on the filter 258 into the surrounding outside air along with the exhaust air. This type of washer/dryer 100 can reduce the degree of wetness of the filter 258 and make it easier for the air flow in the outer tub 20 to peel off the lint from the filter 258, ensuring constant and stable exhaust air.

In addition, the washer-dryer 100 can exhaust air without being affected by the dynamic pressure of the main flow of circulating air, so exhaust air can be exhausted only due to the influence of the internal pressure of the drum 29 on the operating conditions. This type of washer-dryer 100 can minimize the amount of exhaust adjustment by the variable exhaust means 306 (see Figure 4).

<Main features of the washer/dryer>
(1) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the washer-dryer 100 of this embodiment is configured such that a return air duct 252 is connected and fixed to a connection part 253 provided on the upper back surface of the outer tub 20, a filter 258 is provided on the connection part 253, and the outer periphery of the filter 258 is formed into an arc shape so that the outer periphery of the filter 258 fits along the outer periphery of the outer tub 20.

The washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment has an arc-shaped connection with the connection part 253 of the return air duct 252, so that the wind speed of the dry air flowing through the return air duct 252 can be increased. As a result, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment can improve the cleanability of the filter 258 by cleaning the filter 258 using the wind pressure of the dry air. In other words, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment can efficiently remove lint adhering to the filter 258 because the wind speed of the dry air is high. Therefore, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment can prevent the filter 258 from clogging. Furthermore, by preventing the filter 258 from clogging during the drying process, a constantly stable exhaust volume can be ensured.

Furthermore, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment is configured to increase the wind speed of the dry air flowing in the return air duct 252 and use the wind pressure of that air to exhaust the air. Unlike the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment is not configured to branch air from the main stream of air flowing in the duct into a branch stream and use the dynamic pressure of the main stream in addition to the static pressure in the duct to exhaust the air, so a stable exhaust volume can be ensured in this respect as well.

(2) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment may be configured with an exhaust port 257 located immediately after the outlet of the filter 258 in the connection part 253.

Unlike the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment does not change the flow rate of dry air midway through the return air duct 252. Because the flow rate of dry air is stable, adjustments to the diameter of the exhaust port 257, exhaust resistance, exhaust volume, etc. can be reduced or eliminated.

(3) As shown in FIG. 4, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment may be configured with a variable exhaust means 306 for changing the amount of exhaust air provided at the exhaust port 257. In addition, the variable exhaust means 306 may be opened after the filter 258 is cleaned.

The washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment uses the variable exhaust means 306 to reduce adjustments to the exhaust volume for multiple drying courses, thereby ensuring a stable exhaust volume.

(4) The variable exhaust means 306 may be opened after the filter 258 is cleaned.
The washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment can efficiently release water droplets remaining on the filter 258 into the surrounding air by opening the variable exhaust means 306 as necessary after cleaning the filter 258.

(5) As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that a plurality of filters 258 are provided in the direction of air flow.
In the washer/dryer 100 according to this embodiment, the mesh size (density) of each filter 258 can be made coarse. This makes it possible for the washer/dryer 100 to prevent lint from being densely collected in each filter 258, thereby ensuring constant and stable exhaust.

(6) As shown in FIG. 4, at least one of the multiple filters 258 (particularly filter 258b, which is the secondary filter) is provided with a frame 259 around its periphery and can be removed together with the frame 259 from the filter mounting portion 254.

In the washer/dryer 100 according to this embodiment, the filter (particularly the secondary filter 258b) having the frame 259 can be removed from the filter attachment portion 254, allowing the user to manually wash the filter.

As described above, the washer-dryer 100 according to this embodiment can prevent clogging of the filter 258 and ensure a stable exhaust volume. Furthermore, since the washer-dryer 100 can ensure a stable exhaust volume and circulating air volume, it can perform a washing and drying operation with good drying efficiency and reduced power consumption. Furthermore, since the washer-dryer 100 can prevent lint accumulation in the heat pump unit 300 depending on the frequency of use, it can operate continuously without a decrease in drying performance.

[Modification]
4, the washer/dryer 100 according to the embodiment is configured to include a variable exhaust unit 306 at the exhaust port 257. In contrast, in the modified example, a washer/dryer 100A is provided in which an exhaust fan 263 is provided at the exhaust port 257.

Below, the configuration of the washer-dryer 100A of the modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the washer-dryer 100A of the modified example. As shown in FIG. 11, the washer-dryer 100A of the modified example is different from the washer-dryer 100 of the embodiment (see FIG. 4) in that an exhaust fan 263 is provided in the exhaust port 257 instead of the variable exhaust means 306 (see FIG. 4). The exhaust fan 263 is a means for forcibly exhausting a portion of the air passing through the return air passage 252 to the outside. The washer-dryer 100 can adjust the exhaust volume by adjusting the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 263. Since the washer-dryer 100 can forcibly exhaust air by the exhaust fan 263, the exhaust volume can be adjusted more actively than the washer-dryer 100 of the embodiment (see FIG. 4).

As described above, according to the washer-dryer 100A of the modified example, like the washer-dryer 100 of the embodiment (see FIG. 4), clogging of the filter 258 can be suppressed and a stable amount of exhaust can be ensured.
Moreover, according to the washer/dryer 100A of the modified example, the amount of exhaust air can be adjusted more actively than in the washer/dryer 100 (see FIG. 4) according to the embodiment.

[Embodiment 2]
In the present embodiment 2, a washer/dryer is provided in which the refrigerant piping is arranged so as to simplify the configuration of the heat pump and improve the assembly of the heat pump, in contrast to the invention described in Patent Document 3 (JP 2020-18915 A). Note that Patent Document 3 (JP 2020-18915 A) describes the following invention.

Patent document 3 describes a washer/dryer in which a case that forms the outer shell of a heat pump unit is disposed behind a suspension along the lateral (horizontal) direction of the washer/dryer, and a compressor that forms the heat pump is disposed at one end of the case (see paragraphs 0011-0012 and Figures 1 and 2). Patent document 3 also describes, with regard to the refrigerant piping of a heat pump, that "if the refrigerant pipe 26 extends upward from the discharge port of the compressor 22, the portion where the refrigerant pipe 26 is first bent may be defined as the upper end of the compressor 22." (paragraph 0025)

Patent Document 3 describes a configuration in which the compressor that constitutes the heat pump is disposed behind the suspension of the washer/dryer. And while Patent Document 3 provides the above-mentioned explanation of the refrigerant piping of the heat pump, it does not specifically explain the arrangement of the refrigerant piping that connects the other devices that constitute the heat pump. To simplify the configuration of the heat pump and improve the assembly of the heat pump, careful consideration must be given to the arrangement of the refrigerant piping of the heat pump.

As described above, the second embodiment provides a washer/dryer in which the refrigerant piping is arranged in a way that simplifies the heat pump configuration and improves the assembly of the heat pump.

The washer-dryer according to the second embodiment includes an outer tub capable of storing liquid therein, a drum as an inner tub that is rotatably installed inside the outer tub and that stores laundry, an air circulation duct and a blower that circulate air through the inside of the drum, a heat pump unit that dehumidifies and heats the air flowing through the air circulation duct, and a suspension that supports the outer tub at the bottom of the outer tub, and the drum is inclined so that its central axis is raised toward the front. In this washer-dryer, the compressor of the heat pump unit is located behind the suspension that is located at the rearmost side of the washer-dryer among the suspensions, the refrigerant inlet and outlet of the condenser of the heat pump unit, and the refrigerant inlet and outlet of the evaporator are each located on the rear side of the washer-dryer relative to the condenser and the evaporator, and at least the expansion valve of the heat pump unit is located on the rear side of the washer-dryer relative to the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator.

According to the washer/dryer of the second embodiment, it is possible to provide a washer/dryer in which the refrigerant piping is arranged so as to simplify the configuration of the heat pump and improve the assemblyability of the heat pump.
Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The outline of the configuration of the washer-dryer 100B will be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 16. Fig. 12 is a side view of the washer-dryer 100B according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the side panel 1hc (Fig. 13) removed. Fig. 13 is a diagonal rear view of the washer-dryer 100B of Fig. 12, with the rear panel and the side panel removed. Fig. 14 is a top view of the bottom of the washer-dryer 100B of Fig. 12. Fig. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the outer tub 20 of the washer-dryer 100B of Fig. 12. Fig. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the air outlet 60b.

In this embodiment, the side seen to the right when looking at the washer-dryer 100B from the front will be described as the right side, and the side seen to the left as the left side. The left-right direction of the washer-dryer 100B may be referred to as the width direction, and the front-rear direction as the depth direction.

As shown in Figure 12, the washer/dryer 100B is a drum-type washer/dryer with a drying function. A skeleton is formed on top of the base 1he by combining reinforcing materials such as side panels 1hc (see Figure 13) and front panel 1hf (see Figure 15), which are mainly made of steel plate and resin molded parts, on top of which a front design panel 1ha, a back panel 1hb, and a top panel 1hd are attached to form the housing 1. An opening is formed in the front design panel 1ha for putting in and taking out laundry such as clothes, and this opening is openably covered by a door 9.

An outer tank 20 is disposed inside the housing 1. The outer tank 20 is capable of storing liquid inside and is supported by a number of suspensions 27. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 12, 13, and 16, four suspensions 27a to 27d are disposed at the bottom of the outer tank 20, and two suspensions 27e and 27f are disposed at the top of the outer tank 20.

As shown in FIG. 15, a drum 29 is provided inside the outer tub 20 as an inner tub, and laundry is stored in the drum 29. A fluid balancer 31 is provided on the outer periphery (periphery) of the opening of the drum 29 to reduce vibration caused by unbalance of the laundry during spin-drying. The drum 29 is configured to be rotatable via a rotary drive shaft M10a by a motor M10 provided on the back (bottom) of the outer tub 20. For this reason, the drum 29 is also called a rotating drum.

As shown in FIG. 13, a heat pump unit 40 for implementing the drying function is disposed on the rear side of the washer/dryer. The heat pump unit 40 dehumidifies and heats the air circulating inside the drum 29. The air dehumidified and heated by the heat pump unit 40 passes through the ventilation passage 60a of the air circulation duct 60 disposed on the rear side and upper part of the outer tub 20 (see FIG. 12), and is sent to the opening of the outer tub 20.

As shown in FIG. 16, an air outlet 60b is provided at the opening of the outer tub 20, and air blown to the air outlet 60b through the air passage 60a is blown into the inside of the drum 29 through the opening 29a of the drum 29, as shown by arrow F1. Bellows 10 are provided between the outer tub 20 and the front panel 1hf, and in addition to preventing leakage of wash water, the bellows 10 are airtight and prevent air leakage during drying.

The air used to dry the laundry inside the drum 29 flows out into the outer tub 20, flows through an air exhaust port (not shown) on the rear of the outer tub 20 into the return passage 60c of the air circulation duct 60, and returns to the heat pump unit 40 through the return passage 60c.

In order to form the above-mentioned air flow, the blower 70 is provided integrally with the heat pump unit 40. When the blower 70 is driven, the air (hot air) sucked into the blower 70 from the heat pump unit 40 flows into the air passage 60a connected to the outlet (blower outlet 70a) of the blower 70. Meanwhile, the return passage 60c is connected to the intake port 40a of the heat pump unit 40, and the air flowing through the return passage 60c returns to the heat pump unit 40 from the intake port 40a of the heat pump unit 40.

The heat pump unit 40 will be described with reference to Figures 17 and 18. Figure 17 is a top view of the heat pump unit of the washer/dryer of Figure 12. Figure 18 is a see-through view of the inside of the heat pump unit of Figure 16.

An air flow path 60d within the heat pump is formed inside the case 40b of the heat pump unit 40, connecting the intake port 40a of the heat pump unit 40 to the blower outlet port 70a. The air flow path 60d within the heat pump forms part of the air circulation duct 60.

The heat pump configured in the heat pump unit 40 has an evaporator 41, a compressor 42, a condenser 43, an expansion valve 44, and a gas-liquid separator 45. The evaporator 41 is a radiator, the condenser 43 is a cooler, and the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43 configure a heat exchanger.

The refrigerant piping 180 includes a refrigerant piping 181 (first refrigerant piping) that connects the evaporator 41 and the compressor 42, a refrigerant piping 182 (second refrigerant piping) that connects the compressor 42 and the condenser 43, a refrigerant piping 183 (third refrigerant piping) that connects the condenser 43 and the expansion valve 44, and a refrigerant piping 184 (fourth refrigerant piping) that connects the expansion valve 44 and the evaporator 41. A gas-liquid separator 45 is provided midway through the refrigerant piping 181 (first refrigerant piping) that connects the evaporator 41 and the compressor 42. In this heat pump unit 40, the refrigerant circulates through the evaporator 41, gas-liquid separator 45, compressor 42, condenser 43, expansion valve 44, and evaporator 41 in that order. The air flowing through the air circulation duct 60 is cooled and dehumidified in the evaporator 41 in the heat pump air flow path 60d that runs from the intake 40a of the heat pump unit 40 to the blower outlet 70a, and then heated in the condenser 43.

In the heat pump unit 40, the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) is connected in the condenser 43 and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant pipe 183 (third refrigerant pipe) is connected, and the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant pipe 184 (fourth refrigerant pipe) is connected in the evaporator 41 and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe) is connected are each disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41. In addition, because the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, the refrigerant inlets and refrigerant outlets of the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41 are arranged side by side on one surface.

The expansion valve 44 and the gas-liquid separator 45 are disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B with respect to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41. In this embodiment, the compressor 42 is arranged in parallel with the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41 in the left-right direction, so that the expansion valve 44 and the gas-liquid separator 45 are disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B with respect to the compressor 42, the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41. Furthermore, the refrigerant inlet to which the refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe) is connected in the compressor 42, i.e., the refrigerant inlet to which the refrigerant pipe portion from the gas-liquid separator 45 of the refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe) is connected, is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B with respect to the main body of the compressor 42. Furthermore, the refrigerant outlet to which the refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) is connected in the compressor 42 is disposed on the upper surface of the compressor 42.

The refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) is connected in the condenser 43 and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant pipe 183 (third refrigerant pipe) is connected, and the refrigerant inlet to which refrigerant pipe 184 (fourth refrigerant pipe) is connected in the evaporator 41 and the refrigerant outlet to which refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe) is connected are each positioned on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41, and at least the expansion valve 44 is positioned on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the compressor 42, the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41, so that at least the refrigerant pipe 183 (third refrigerant pipe) and the refrigerant pipe 184 (fourth refrigerant pipe) can be positioned together on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41. Furthermore, if the gas-liquid separator 45 is provided, the gas-liquid separator 45 can be arranged on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the condenser 43 and the evaporator 41, so that the refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe), together with the refrigerant pipe 183 (third refrigerant pipe) and the refrigerant pipe 184 (fourth refrigerant pipe), can be arranged together on the rear side of the washer-dryer relative to the condenser and the evaporator.

In this embodiment, the end of the refrigerant pipe 181 (first refrigerant pipe) that is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 42 is located closer to the front of the washer-dryer than the ends of the condenser 43 and evaporator 41 that are located on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B, i.e., the locations where the refrigerant inlets and outlets of the condenser 43 and evaporator 41 are located.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant piping 180 that constitutes the heat pump can be consolidated into a compact area, and the overall length of the refrigerant piping 180 can be shortened. And by shortening the overall length of the refrigerant piping 180, the efficiency of the heat pump can be improved.

By arranging the refrigerant pipes 181-184 in this manner, the refrigerant pipes 180 constituting the heat pump can be arranged together on one end side of the heat pump unit 40 in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, almost all of the refrigerant pipes 180 constituting the heat pump are arranged on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the compressor 42, the condenser 43, and the evaporator 41. In this case, a portion of the refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) connected to the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 42 is arranged in an area that overlaps with the compressor 42.

As shown in FIG. 14, the compressor 42 is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B relative to the suspension 27a (dashed line L1), which is disposed closest to the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B among the four suspensions 27a-27d disposed at the bottom of the outer tub 20. In other words, the compressor 42 is disposed closer to the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B than the suspension 27a. This allows the refrigerant piping 180 that constitutes the heat pump to be consolidated into a compact area, and the overall length of the refrigerant piping 180 can be shortened. Furthermore, shortening the overall length of the refrigerant piping 180 can improve the efficiency of the heat pump.

The arrangement of the compressor 42 will be described using Figure 19. Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the outer tub of the washer/dryer in Figure 12 as seen from the side. Note that in Figure 19, the outer tub 20 is depicted as if it were rectangular.

In the washer/dryer 100B of this embodiment, the outer tub 20 and drum 29 have their central axes 20a inclined at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal line VL so that the front is raised. Therefore, the distance between the side surface 20c of the outer tub 20 and the horizontal surface of the base 1he becomes narrower the closer to the rear surface of the washer/dryer 100B. In this case, the distance between the side surface 20c of the outer tub 20 and the horizontal surface of the base 1he is narrowest at the intersection 20d of the side surface 20c (or an extension of the side surface 20c) of the outer tub 20 and the rear surface (bottom surface) 20b (or an extension of the rear surface 20b), which forms a rectangular corner. In other words, the intersection 20d is the lowest point (bottommost point) of the outer tub 20.

Therefore, it is preferable to place the compressor 42 closer to the rear side of the washer/dryer 100B than the intersection point 20d, which is the lowest point. By placing the compressor 42 closer to the rear side of the housing 1, a sufficient distance in the up-down direction (vertical direction) from the outer tub 20 can be secured, allowing a larger compressor 42 to be installed. By making it possible to increase the size of the compressor 42, the performance of the compressor 42 can be improved, and the heat pump unit 40 can be made smaller.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 42 is disposed on the upper surface of the compressor 42, and the refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) connected to this refrigerant outlet is piped to a position higher than the compressor 42. Therefore, even if a part of the body of the compressor 42 is located on the front side of the washer-dryer 100B from the intersection point 20d, which is the lowest point of the outer tub 20, interference between the refrigerant pipe 182 (second refrigerant pipe) and the outer tub 20 can be avoided. In this case, it is preferable that the compressor 42 is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100B from the line (extension line) indicated by the dotted line extended along the rear part 20b (bottom part) of the outer tub 20. This allows a large space to be secured above the compressor 42, increasing the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the refrigerant pipe 180, especially the refrigerant pipe 184 (fourth refrigerant pipe), and improving the degree of freedom in the design of the heat pump unit 40.

[Embodiment 3]
In contrast to the invention described in Patent Document 2 (JP 2005-46414 A), the present embodiment 3 provides a washer/dryer that can suppress a decrease in drying efficiency caused by condensation water generated by a drop in the temperature of the hot, humid air when a part of the hot, humid air is exhausted, which flows back into the circulating air duct. Note that Patent Document 2 (JP 2005-46414 A) describes the following invention.

Patent Document 2 describes a washer-dryer that is equipped with a heat pump device, in which the moist air after removing moisture from the clothes in the drum serving as the inner tub is cooled and dehumidified by a heat absorber, and then heated by a radiator, and this process is repeated to progress the drying of the clothes in the drum. In this washer-dryer, some of the air circulating in the circulation air duct is exhausted from an exhaust port, and heat is appropriately released outside the circulation air duct, preventing the compressor of the heat pump device from being overloaded and shutting down (see paragraph 0033). Patent Document 2 also describes a configuration in which an exhaust port is provided in the outer tub, and hot, humid air that has passed through the outer tub is exhausted from the exhaust port, allowing heat to be released outside the circulation air duct (see paragraph 0027).

In the invention described in Patent Document 2, when hot, humid air is exhausted from an exhaust port provided in the outer tank, condensation occurs in the exhaust path connecting the outer tank and the external exhaust port provided in the housing due to a drop in temperature of the hot, humid air, and this condensed water may flow back into the outer tank, which is the circulating air path, reducing the drying efficiency.

As described above, this third embodiment provides a washer/dryer that can prevent condensation water generated by a drop in the temperature of hot, humid air from flowing back into the circulating air duct and reducing the drying efficiency when a portion of the hot, humid air is exhausted.

The washer-dryer according to the third embodiment is a washer-dryer with washing and drying functions, and includes an outer tub for storing water, a drum as an inner tub that is rotated inside the outer tub, a heat pump unit having a heat exchanger, an air circulation duct including a feed duct for sending air from the heat pump unit to the outer tub and a return duct for returning air from the outer tub to the heat pump unit, and an exhaust duct branching off from the return duct and discharging a portion of the circulating air flowing through the air circulation duct to the outside of the machine, and the exhaust duct is located on the same side of the washer-dryer widthwise as the feed duct with respect to a straight line that passes through the center of the rotation drive shaft of the drum and extends in the vertical direction.

According to the washer-dryer of this embodiment 3, it is possible to prevent condensation water from occurring due to a decrease in the temperature of the hot and humid air being exhausted, and it is possible to prevent the condensation water from flowing back into the circulating air duct and reducing the drying efficiency.
Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The outline of the configuration of the washer-dryer 100C will be described with reference to Figs. 12, 13, and 15. Fig. 12 is a side view of the washer-dryer 100C according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the side panel 1hc and the back panel 1hb removed. Fig. 13 is a diagonal rear view of the washer-dryer 100C of Fig. 12, with the back panel 1hb and the side panel 1hc removed. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the outer tub 20 of the washer-dryer 100C of Fig. 12.

In this embodiment, when looking at the washer-dryer 100C from the front, the side seen to the right is referred to as the right side, and the side seen to the left is referred to as the left side. The left-right direction of the washer-dryer 100C may be referred to as the width direction, the front-rear direction as the depth direction, and the up-down direction as the height direction.

As shown in FIG. 12, the washer/dryer 100C is a drum-type washer/dryer with washing and drying functions. A framework is formed on top of the base 1he by combining reinforcing materials such as side panels 1hc (see FIG. 13) and front panel 1hf (see FIG. 15), not shown, which are mainly made of steel plate and resin molded parts, and the housing 1 is formed by attaching a front design panel 1ha, a back panel 1hb, and a top panel 1hd on top of that. An opening is formed in the front design panel 1ha for putting in and taking out laundry such as clothes, and this opening is openably covered by a door, not shown.

An outer tank 20 is disposed inside the housing 1. The outer tank 20 is capable of storing liquid inside and is supported by a number of suspensions 27.

As shown in FIG. 15, a drum 29 is disposed inside the outer tub 20 as an inner tub. The drum 29 has a cylindrical side portion 29b with numerous holes 29d, and the rear side of the side portion 29b is closed by a bottom surface 29c. The drum 29 has an opening a on the front side, and a fluid balancer 31 is provided on the outer periphery (periphery) of the opening 29a to reduce vibrations caused by unbalance of the laundry during spin-drying. The drum 29 is configured to be rotatable via a rotary drive shaft M10a by a motor M10 provided on the bottom portion (rear portion) of the outer tub 20. For this reason, the drum 29 is also called a rotating drum.

As shown in FIG. 13, a heat pump unit 40 for implementing the drying function is disposed on the rear side of the washer/dryer 100C. The heat pump unit 40 includes an evaporator (heat radiator), a compressor, a condenser (cooler), an expansion valve, and a gas-liquid separator. The evaporator and condenser form a heat exchanger, and the evaporator is disposed downstream of the condenser. The air circulating between the heat pump unit 40 and the outer tub 20 and the drum 29 is blown by the blower 70, cooled and dehumidified by the condenser, and then heated by the evaporator. The air dehumidified and heated by the heat pump unit 40 dries laundry such as clothes in the drum 29, becomes hot and humid, and returns to the heat pump unit 40. In order for the air for drying the laundry to circulate between the heat pump unit 40 and the drum 29, an air circulation duct 60, which is an air circulation flow path, is configured between the heat pump unit 40 and the outer tub 20.

The air circulation duct 60 will be described with reference to Figures 20 and 21. Figure 20 is a rear (back) view of a washer/dryer 100C according to this embodiment, which has a similar configuration to the washer/dryer 100B of Figure 12, with the top panel 1hd, side panel 1hc, and back panel 1hb removed. Figure 21 is a partial enlarged view of the upper part of the washer/dryer 100C according to this embodiment, which has a similar configuration to the washer/dryer 100B of Figure 12, as viewed from the right side.

In this embodiment, the configuration of the air circulation duct 60 is defined based on the heat pump unit 40. In this embodiment, the blower 70 (see FIG. 13) is configured integrally with the heat pump unit 40 (see FIG. 13), so the configuration of the air circulation duct 60 is defined based on the blower 70 and the heat pump unit 40.

20, the air circulation duct 60 includes a feed duct 61 arranged upstream of the drum 29 as part of the air circulation duct section, a return duct 62 arranged downstream of the drum 29 as part of the air circulation duct section, and an exhaust device 200 that exhausts part of the circulating air. The feed duct 61 is arranged between the heat pump unit 40 and the outer tub 20, and constitutes an air circulation duct section (first air duct) that sends air from the heat pump unit 40 to the outer tub 20. More specifically, the feed duct 61 is arranged between the outer tub 20 and a blower 70 located downstream from the heat pump unit 40, and is connected to the heat pump unit 40 via the blower 70. On the other hand, the return duct 62 is arranged between the outer tub 20 and the heat pump unit 40, and constitutes an air circulation duct section (second air duct) that returns air from the outer tub 20 side to the heat pump unit 40 side.

The feed duct 61 is formed by connecting at least two members. The members constituting the upstream duct portion 61a of the feed duct 61 are mainly arranged on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20, and the members constituting the downstream duct portion 61b of the feed duct 61 are mainly arranged on the upper side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20.

In other words, in this embodiment, the feed duct 61 includes an upstream duct section 61a and a downstream duct section 61b, the upstream duct section 61a being disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20 and disposed upstream of the downstream duct section 61b in the direction of the circulating air flow, and the downstream duct section 61b being disposed on the top side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20 and disposed downstream of the upstream duct section 61a in the direction of the circulating air flow.

One end 611 (upstream end) of the feed duct 61 is connected to the heat pump unit 40. The other end 612 (downstream end) of the feed duct 61 is connected to the nozzle (air inlet) 20e1 provided on the front side 20e of the outer tank 20, as shown in FIG. 21. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, one end 611 of the feed duct 61 is connected to the blower outlet 70a of the blower 70 via a connecting member 63a such as a bellows. The other end 612 of the feed duct 61 is connected to the nozzle (air inlet) 20e1 via a connecting member 63b such as a bellows.

In this case, one end 611 of the feed duct 61 is one end 61a1 of the upstream duct section 61a, and the other end 61a2 of the upstream duct section 61a is connected to one end 61b1 (upstream end) of the downstream duct section 61b via a connecting member 63c such as a bellows. The other end 61b2 of the downstream duct section 61b is the other end 612 of the feed duct 61.

The upstream duct section 61a is configured to extend in the front-to-rear direction of the washer-dryer 100C, and the downstream duct section 61b is configured to extend in the up-down direction of the washer-dryer 100C.

The return duct 62 is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20. A bent portion 62c is provided between the upstream duct portion 62a and the downstream duct portion 62b of the return duct 62. The upstream duct portion 62a is disposed above the rotation drive shaft M10a of the drum 29 and extends in the left-right direction of the washer-dryer 100C. The downstream duct portion 62b is disposed on the opposite side of the rotation drive shaft M10a of the drum 29 from the side where the upstream duct portion 61a of the feed duct 61 is disposed in the left-right direction of the washer-dryer 100C, and extends in the up-down direction of the washer-dryer 100C.

One end 621 (upstream end) of the return duct 62 is connected to the air outlet 20f2 provided on the bottom (back) 20f of the outer tank 20. The other end 622 (downstream end) of the return duct 62 is connected to the intake 40a (air inlet) of the heat pump unit 40, as shown in FIG. 20. Specifically, one end 621 of the return duct 62 is connected to the outlet 20f2 via a connecting member such as a bellows (not shown), and the other end 622 of the return duct 62 is connected to the intake 40a via a connecting member 63c such as a bellows.

The configuration of the feed duct 61 and the return duct 62 is not limited to the configuration described above. The feed duct 61 and the return duct 62 may be divided into more members, or the feed duct 61 may be composed of a single member. Furthermore, the connecting members such as bellows used at the connection points of each duct and each duct section are provided appropriately as necessary, and the connecting points of each duct and each duct section are not limited to the configuration described above.

In addition, when the explanation "duct A is connected to duct B" does not specify that they are directly connected, this includes cases where duct A and duct B are indirectly connected via a connecting member such as a bellows or other duct member.

The exhaust device 200 will be described with reference to Figs. 22 to 24. The exhaust device 200 is a device that exhausts a portion of the circulating air circulating between the heat pump unit 40 and the drum 29 to the outside of the washer-dryer 100C. Fig. 22 is a partially enlarged view showing an upper part of the right side of the washer-dryer 100C in Fig. 20. Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the upstream duct section 61a and the exhaust duct 210 configured at the upper part of the washer-dryer 100C in Fig. 20. Fig. 24 is a view of the washer-dryer 100C in Fig. 12 as seen from the rear (back side) with the side panel 1hc and back panel 1hb attached.

As described in paragraph 0027 of Patent Document 2, when the air circulating between the outer tank 20 and the drum 29 and the heat pump unit 40 (hereinafter referred to as circulating air) continues to circulate, the amount of heat contained in the air continues to increase, and accordingly, the amount of heat contained in the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle continues to increase. The increase in the amount of heat in the refrigerant leads to an increase in the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, which increases the load on the compressor.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, an exhaust device 200 for exhausting a portion of the circulating air is provided in the air circulation duct 60 in order to suppress an increase in the load on the compressor.

The exhaust device 200 has an exhaust duct 210 that exhausts the hot and humid air after passing through the outer tank 20 from the return duct 62 to the outside of the air circulation duct 60. The exhaust duct 210 has a valve housing duct section 212, an upstream exhaust duct section 211 provided upstream of the valve housing duct section 212, and a downstream exhaust duct section 213 provided downstream of the valve housing duct section 212.

The upstream exhaust duct section 211 is a duct section that connects the return duct 62 and the valve housing duct section 212, with one end 211a (upstream end) connected to one end 621 (upstream end) of the return duct 62 and the other end 211b (downstream end) connected to the valve housing duct section 212. A connecting member 211c made of a bellows or the like is provided midway through the upstream exhaust duct section 211. The upstream exhaust duct section 211 forms a flow path that flows a portion of the hot and humid circulating air upward and forward.

The valve housing duct section 212 constitutes a part of the exhaust duct 210, and houses a valve 215 inside, as shown in FIG. 23. The valve housing duct section 212 has a connection section 212a (see FIG. 25) on its underside to which the upstream exhaust duct section 211 is connected. The downstream exhaust duct section 213 is also connected to the valve housing duct section 212.

As shown in FIG. 24, an exhaust port 214 is provided on the rear surface of the washer/dryer 100C, and the downstream end of the downstream exhaust duct section 213 is connected to the exhaust port 214.

The valve 215 is controlled by a control device (not shown) to open and close the exhaust duct 210. When the valve 215 is closed, the exhaust of part of the circulating air is stopped, and the entire amount of the circulating air cannot circulate between the outer tub 20 and the drum 29 and the heat pump unit 40. When the valve 215 is opened, the exhaust of part of the circulating air is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 of the washer-dryer 100C through the exhaust duct 210 and the exhaust port 214.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the exhaust duct 210 is disposed adjacent to the feed duct 61. The feed duct 61 is a duct through which dehumidified and heated high-temperature, low-humidity air flows. By disposing the exhaust duct 210 adjacent to the feed duct 61 through which high-temperature air flows, cooling of the high-temperature, high-humidity air (exhaust) flowing through the exhaust duct 210 is suppressed, and condensation of the high-temperature, high-humidity air (exhaust) is suppressed.

Here, the proximity of the exhaust duct 210 and the feed duct 61 means that both the exhaust duct 210 and the feed duct 61 are at least positioned on one side of the washer-dryer 100C (the right side in FIG. 20) with respect to a straight line L2 that passes through the center of the rotation drive shaft M10a of the drum 29 and extends in the vertical direction.

In other words, the washer-dryer 100C of this embodiment is a washer-dryer 100C with washing and drying functions, and is equipped with an outer tub 20 for storing water, a drum 29 that is rotated inside the outer tub 20, a heat pump unit 40 with a heat exchanger, an air circulation duct 60 including a feed duct 61 that sends air from the heat pump unit 40 to the outer tub 20 and a return duct 62 that returns air from the outer tub 20 to the heat pump unit 40, and an exhaust duct 210 that branches off from the return duct 62 and exhausts a portion of the circulating air flowing through the air circulation duct 60 to the outside of the machine, and the exhaust duct 210 is located on the same side of the line L2 that passes through the center of the rotation drive shaft M10a of the drum 29 and extends in the vertical direction as the feed duct 61 is located in the width direction of the washer-dryer 100C.

This close arrangement will be described in more detail using Figures 25 and 26 in addition to Figure 23. Figure 25 is a perspective view of the downstream duct portion 61b and the exhaust duct 210 according to this embodiment. Figure 26 is a plan view of the downstream duct portion 61b and the exhaust duct 210 according to this embodiment, viewed from above.

In Figures 25 and 26, the downstream duct portion 61b of the feed duct 61 is configured to be made up of two members, and only the members on one end 61b1 (upstream end) side of the downstream duct portion 61b are shown. In other words, in Figures 25 and 26, the members on the other end 61b2 (downstream end) side of the downstream duct portion 61b (see Figure 21) are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 23, the space (flow path) in exhaust duct 210 and the space (flow path) in feed duct 61 have a distance (dimension) of D1 at the valve housing duct portion 212. On the other hand, the width (dimension) of the space (flow path) in exhaust duct 210 is W212, and the width (dimension) of the space (flow path) in feed duct 61 is W61b. In this case, D1 is smaller than W212 and W61b.

In this embodiment, at least a portion of the exhaust duct 210 (the valve housing duct portion 212 in this embodiment) and at least a portion of the feed duct 61 (the downstream duct portion 61b in this embodiment) are parallel to each other. In this embodiment, in this parallel portion, the exhaust duct 210 is disposed close to the feed duct 61 so that the widthwise distance D1 between the flow path space formed inside the exhaust duct 210 and the flow path space formed inside the feed duct 61 is smaller than the width (dimension) W212 of the flow path space formed inside the exhaust duct 210 and the width (dimension) W61b of the flow path space formed inside the feed duct 61.

In other words, in the washer-dryer of this embodiment, the exhaust duct 210 is arranged so that at least a part of it (in this embodiment, the valve storage duct section 212) is parallel to at least a part of the feed duct 61 (in this embodiment, the downstream duct section 61b). At least a part of the exhaust duct 210 (the valve storage duct section 212) is arranged close to at least a part of the feed duct 61 (the downstream duct section 61b) so that the distance D1 in the width direction between the flow path space formed inside the exhaust duct 210 and the flow path space formed inside the feed duct 61 is smaller than the width W212 of the flow path space formed inside the valve storage duct section 212 of the exhaust duct 210 and the width W61b of the flow path space formed inside the downstream duct section 61b of the feed duct 61 in the part where at least a part of the exhaust duct 210 (the valve storage duct section 212) and at least a part of the feed duct 61 (the downstream duct section 61b) are parallel to each other.

In this case, in the washer-dryer 100C of this embodiment, the feed duct 61 includes an upstream duct section 61a and a downstream duct section 61b. The upstream duct section 61a is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20, and is disposed upstream of the downstream duct section 61b in the flow direction of the circulating air. The downstream duct section 61b is disposed on the top side of the washer-dryer 100C relative to the outer tub 20, and is disposed downstream of the upstream duct section 61a in the flow direction of the circulating air. At least a part of the exhaust duct 210 (valve housing duct section 212) is disposed in parallel to and adjacent to the downstream duct section 61b of the feed duct 61.

As shown in FIG. 26, the flow path space formed inside the downstream duct portion 61b of the feed duct 61 has a width (dimension) of W61b in the portion parallel to the valve storage duct portion 212. This width (dimension) W61b widens toward the downstream side, becoming a width (dimension) of W1. In this case, the width (dimension) W1 is greater than the width (dimension) W61b. Therefore, the flow path space formed inside the downstream duct portion 61b widens toward the downstream side. In other words, the feed duct 61 has a widened portion 61w (in the downstream duct portion 61b).

The exhaust duct 210 and the feed duct 61 are arranged in close proximity to each other so that the flow path space of width W212 formed inside the exhaust duct 210, i.e., the flow path space formed inside the valve storage duct section 212, has a range OL of overlap in the width direction with the flow path space formed inside the widened section 61w of the feed duct 61. Here, the width direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the downstream duct section 61b and the exhaust duct 210 and is horizontal.

In other words, in the washer/dryer 100C of this embodiment, the feed duct 61 has a widened portion 61w, and the exhaust duct 210 is arranged in close proximity so that the flow path space of width W212 formed therein has a range OL of overlap in the width direction with the flow path space at the widened portion 61w of the feed duct 61.

In the washer/dryer 100C of this embodiment, by configuring the exhaust duct 210 and the feed duct 61 as described above, at least a portion of the exhaust duct 210 can be brought close to the feed duct 61. This prevents the air (exhaust air) flowing through the exhaust duct 210 from suddenly decreasing in temperature until it reaches the exhaust port 214 provided in the housing 1, thereby preventing the occurrence of condensation. This prevents the condensed water from flowing back into the outer tub 20, ensuring high energy efficiency.

As shown in Figures 23 and 25, the downstream duct section 61b of the feed duct 61 is formed by joining an upper member 61b3 and a lower member 61b4. The valve storage duct section 212 of the exhaust duct 210 is also formed by joining an upper member 212b and a lower member 212c. In this case, the upper member 61b3 of the downstream duct section 61b and the upper member 212b of the valve storage duct section 212 are integrally molded, and a plurality of ribs 216 (Figures 22 and 23) are provided between the upper member 61b3 of the downstream duct section 61b and the upper member 212b of the valve storage duct section 212 to connect the two members in the width direction.

That is, in the washer-dryer 100C of this embodiment, the feed duct 61 includes an upstream duct portion 61a and a downstream duct portion 61b, the upstream duct portion 61a is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer 100C with respect to the outer tub 20 and is disposed upstream of the downstream duct portion 61b in the flow direction of the circulating air, the downstream duct portion 61b is disposed on the top side of the washer-dryer 100C with respect to the outer tub 20 and is disposed downstream of the upstream duct portion 61a in the flow direction of the circulating air, and at least a portion of the exhaust duct 210 (the valve storage duct) The downstream duct portion 61b is disposed in parallel with and adjacent to the downstream duct portion 61b of the feed duct 61, the downstream duct portion 61b being formed by joining an upper member 61b3 and a lower member 61b4, the exhaust duct 210 being formed by joining an upper member 212b and a lower member 212c, the upper member 61b3 of the downstream duct portion 61b and the upper member 212b of the exhaust duct 210 being integrally molded, and a plurality of ribs 216 (FIGS. 22 and 23) are provided between the upper member 61b3 of the downstream duct portion 61b and the upper member 212b of the exhaust duct 210, connecting them in the width direction.

With this configuration, the washer/dryer 100C of this embodiment can improve heat transfer from the feed duct 61 to the exhaust duct 210 (particularly the valve storage duct portion 212), and can suppress a drop in temperature of the air (exhaust air) flowing through the exhaust duct 210.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of the embodiment with other configurations, and it is also possible to add other configurations to the configuration of the embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of each configuration with other configurations.

1 Housing 20 Outer tank 29 Drum (inner tank)
30 Laundry 251 Warm air duct (circulating air duct on the supply side)
252 Return air duct (return side circulation air duct)
253 Connection part 254 Filter attachment part 256 Variable resistor device 257

Exhaust port

258, 258a, 258b Filter 259 Frame 263 Exhaust fan 271 Sprinkler mechanism 300 Heat pump unit (heat pump)
301 Condenser 302 Evaporator 306 Variable exhaust means 307 Compressor 308 Expansion means (variable expansion valve)

Claims

An outer tank capable of storing liquid therein;
A substantially cylindrical drum that is rotatably supported within the outer tub and that accommodates laundry;
A heat pump having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, and an evaporator;
A return air duct connecting the outer tank and the heat pump;
A connection portion that connects the outer tank and the return air duct;
a filter for collecting lint;
The connection portion is provided on an upper part of a rear surface of the outer tank,
The filter is provided at the connection portion,
The washing/drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral portion of the filter is formed into a substantially arc shape so as to fit along the outer peripheral portion of the rear surface of the outer tub.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 1,
The washer/dryer is characterized in that the exhaust port is provided at a position immediately behind the outlet of the filter in the connection portion.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 2,
The washer/dryer is characterized in that the exhaust port is provided with a variable exhaust means for changing an exhaust amount.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 3,
The variable exhaust means is opened after the filter is cleaned.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 1,
The washing/drying machine is characterized in that the filter is provided in a plurality of sheets in the direction of air flow.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 5,
At least one of the plurality of filters has a frame around it and can be removed together with the frame from a filter mounting portion provided at the connection portion.
The washing machine is provided with an outer tub capable of storing a liquid therein, a drum rotatably provided inside the outer tub and configured to store laundry, an air circulation duct and a blower for circulating air through the inside of the drum, a heat pump unit for dehumidifying and heating air flowing through the air circulation duct, and a suspension for supporting the outer tub at a lower portion thereof,
In the washing and drying machine, the drum is inclined so that the central axis thereof is upwardly extended toward the front.
the compressor of the heat pump unit is disposed rearward of a suspension that is positioned rearwardly of the suspension of the washer-dryer;
a refrigerant inlet and outlet of the condenser of the heat pump unit, and a refrigerant inlet and outlet of the evaporator of the heat pump unit, are disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer relative to the condenser and the evaporator, and at least an expansion valve of the heat pump unit is disposed on the rear side of the washer-dryer relative to the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 7,
a first refrigerant pipe connecting the evaporator and the compressor, a second refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser, a third refrigerant pipe connecting the condenser and the expansion valve, and a fourth refrigerant pipe connecting the expansion valve and the evaporator,
The washer/dryer, wherein at least the third refrigerant pipe and the fourth refrigerant pipe are disposed on a rear side of the washer/dryer with respect to the condenser and the evaporator.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 8,
A gas-liquid separator is provided in the first refrigerant pipe,
the gas-liquid separator is disposed on a rear side of the washer-dryer with respect to the condenser and the evaporator,
The washer/dryer, wherein the first refrigerant pipe is disposed on a rear side of the washer/dryer with respect to the condenser and the evaporator.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 9,
a side of an end of the first refrigerant piping connected to a refrigerant outlet of the compressor is located closer to a front side of the washer-dryer than ends of the condenser and the evaporator located on a rear side of the washer-dryer.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 7,
The compressor is disposed on a rear side of the washer/dryer relative to a line extending along a rear portion of the outer tub.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 7,
The compressor is disposed on a rear side of the washing/drying machine relative to a lowest point of the outer tub.
A washing and drying machine having a washing function and a drying function,
An outer tank for storing water;
A drum that is rotated inside the outer tub;
A heat pump unit having a heat exchanger;
an air circulation duct including a feed duct for feeding air from the heat pump unit to the external tank and a return duct for returning air from the external tank to the heat pump unit;
an exhaust duct that branches off from the return duct and exhausts a portion of the circulating air flowing through the air circulation duct to the outside of the aircraft;
The exhaust duct is disposed on the same side in the width direction of the washer/dryer as the feed duct, with respect to a straight line passing through the center of the rotation drive shaft of the drum and extending in the vertical direction.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 13,
the exhaust duct is disposed so that at least a portion of the exhaust duct is parallel to at least a portion of the supply duct;
At least a portion of the exhaust duct is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the feed duct such that, in a portion where at least a portion of the exhaust duct and at least a portion of the feed duct are parallel to each other, the distance in the width direction between the flow path space formed inside the exhaust duct and the flow path space formed inside the feed duct is smaller than the width of the flow path space formed inside the exhaust duct and the width of the flow path space formed inside the feed duct.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 13,
The feed duct has a widened portion,
The exhaust duct is disposed adjacent to the flow path space in the widened portion of the feed duct so that a flow path space formed therein overlaps with the flow path space in the widened portion of the feed duct in a width direction of the exhaust duct.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 14,
The feed duct comprises an upstream duct portion and a downstream duct portion,
the upstream duct portion is disposed on a rear side of the washer-dryer with respect to the outer tub, and is disposed upstream of the downstream duct portion in a flow direction of circulating air,
the downstream duct portion is disposed on an upper surface side of the washing/drying machine with respect to the outer tub, and is disposed downstream of the upstream duct portion in a flow direction of circulating air,
At least a portion of the exhaust duct is disposed in parallel with and adjacent to the downstream duct portion of the feed duct.
The washing and drying machine according to claim 14,
The feed duct comprises an upstream duct portion and a downstream duct portion,
the upstream duct portion is disposed on a rear side of the washer-dryer with respect to the outer tub, and is disposed upstream of the downstream duct portion in a flow direction of circulating air,
the downstream duct portion is disposed on an upper surface side of the washing/drying machine with respect to the outer tub, and is disposed downstream of the upstream duct portion in a flow direction of circulating air,
At least a portion of the exhaust duct is disposed in parallel with and adjacent to the downstream duct portion of the feed duct;
the downstream duct portion is formed by joining an upper member and a lower member,
The exhaust duct is formed by joining an upper member and a lower member,
A washer-dryer in which the upper member of the downstream duct portion and the upper member of the exhaust duct are integrally molded, and a plurality of ribs connecting in the width direction are provided between the upper member of the downstream duct portion and the upper member of the exhaust duct.