CN201157811Y - Atomization units and tumble washer dryers - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides an atomization unit and a drum type washing and drying machine. The structure of the atomization unit is: a liquid storage container, which stores the liquid used as a mist generation source; an ultrasonic vibrator, which controls the liquid stored in the liquid storage container applying ultrasonic vibration; a liquid injection device, which injects liquid into the liquid storage container; and a liquid temperature sensor, which measures the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container, and the atomization unit maintains the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container at no more than At a temperature near the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator, the ultrasonic vibrator is operated to generate mist.

Description

Atomization units and tumble washer dryers

technical field

The utility model relates to an atomizing unit and a drum-type washing and drying machine. The drum-type washing and drying machine has the atomizing unit, which supplies mist to dried clothes and other laundry to reduce wrinkles on the clothes and the like.

Background technique

Conventionally, in the drying process, a rotary drum into which laundry such as clothes is placed is rotated at high speed. In this drying step, the laundry is dried while sticking to the inner wall of the rotary drum, etc., and therefore, wrinkles cannot be avoided on the dried laundry or the like. When the clothes after such a drying process are hung on a hanger or the like for drying, labor and time for stretching out wrinkles are required, and further labor and time for ironing thereafter are required to be increased.

Therefore, such a washing and drying machine has recently been developed: it has an atomizing unit that generates mist composed of fine liquid droplets, and introduces the mist into a rotating drum with clothes etc. Some static and wrinkles. As such an example, a washing and drying machine having a structure disclosed in JP-A-2003-311067 is known.

The washing and drying machine 40 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-311067, as shown in 8A, a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a washing and drying machine having a conventional atomizing unit, has an outer tub 42, which Elastically supported inside the casing 41; and an inner tub 43, which is rotatably arranged in the outer tub 42, and accommodates laundry. In addition, the washing and drying machine 40 has: an air supply device (circulation blower) 44, which sends hot air into the inner tub 43; a heating device (heater) 45, which heats the air sent by the air supply device 44; The hot air circulation path 46 has a heat exchanger, and circulates the hot air sent from the air blower 44 . In addition, the spray device 47 is provided near the hot air supply port 48 of the hot air circulation path 46 (hot air supply path) that supplies the hot air passing through the heating device 45 to the inner tub 43 . Furthermore, it has a structure which sprays mist into a hot-air circulation path in a drying process. The sprayed mist can remove the static electricity generated when the clothes are stirred during the drying process, eliminate the discomfort brought by the static electricity to the human body, and at the same time reduce the wrinkles of the clothes after drying.

In addition, in the clothes dryer 50 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-158585, as shown in FIG. 9 , which is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of a clothes dryer having a conventional atomizing unit, it is composed of the following parts: : a drying chamber 51 for accommodating clothes; a hot air generating mechanism composed of a blower 53 and a heater 54 that generate hot air supplied to the drying chamber 51; an electrolytic mist generating mechanism that generates electrolytic mist supplied to the drying chamber 51 An air pump 55 and an electrolytic mist generator 56; and their control unit 57. The electrolytic mist generated from the electrolytic mist generating means is supplied to the downstream side of the heater 54 of the hot air generating means, that is, the subsequent stage. Furthermore, by mixing the electrolytic mist with the hot air from the heating device of the heater 54 , the temperature of the electrolytic mist is increased and supplied to the drying chamber 51 . According to such a clothes dryer 50, deodorization can be performed while drying, which can save space and reduce costs, and there is no problem of deodorization performance degradation due to long-term use.

For the spray device 47 of the washing and drying machine 40 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-311067, as shown in FIG. A water inlet 47a on the pipe and a spray port 47b for spraying mist. Furthermore, in the drying process, the spray device 47 is configured to spray mist into the hot air circulation path 46, and the water supplied from the water inlet 47a is mechanically turned into a mist state by an internal mechanism and sprayed from the spray port 47b. Therefore, the mist sprayed from the spray port 47b is mainly composed of coarse liquid droplets, and its suspending property is poor. Therefore, in this washing and drying machine 40, the mist cannot sufficiently fill every corner of the inner tub 43, and the entire clothes cannot be moistened. As a result, there is a problem that wrinkles cannot be effectively reduced over the entire clothing after drying.

In addition, in the laundry dryer 50 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-158585, the electrolytic mist generator 56 is arranged in the machine room 52 provided in the lower part of the drying room 51 . Furthermore, the electrolytic mist generated from the electrolytic mist generator 56 is supplied to the downstream side of the heater 54 and mixed with the hot air from the heater 54 , thereby increasing the temperature of the electrolytic mist and then released upward from the duct chamber 58 . Here, the electrolytic mist is sprayed from a discharge portion (bottom plate of the drying chamber 51 ) formed with a plurality of slits or holes, and supplied into the drying chamber 51 . Although a plurality of slits or holes are formed in the discharge part of the laundry dryer 50 of this structure, most of the mist collides with the lower surface of the bottom plate without slits or holes, and condenses to form water droplets. Therefore, in the clothes dryer 50, most of the mist generated from the electrolytic mist generator 56 disappears on the way and cannot reach the clothes in the drying chamber 51, so that the clothes cannot be moistened to reduce wrinkles. In addition, since the hot air is supplied into the duct chamber 58 having a large water content (humidity) due to the formation of water droplets in this way, the hot air with a large water content is also introduced into the drying chamber 51, and even if some deodorizing effect can be expected, the Clothes cannot be dried sufficiently.

Utility model content

The atomization unit of the present invention has: a liquid storage container, which stores the liquid as a source of mist; an ultrasonic vibrator, which applies ultrasonic vibration to the liquid stored in the liquid storage container; a liquid injection device, which injects the liquid into the liquid storage container and a liquid temperature sensor, which measures the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container, and the atomization unit maintains the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container at a temperature not exceeding the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator, so that The ultrasonic vibrator acts to generate mist.

When the mist unit with such a structure is formed, by maintaining the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container at a high temperature, a high-temperature mist can be generated, and the mist produced by the mist unit can be sprayed on the object to be treated. , to condense moisture on its surface and efficiently wet the surface of the object to be treated. In addition, by keeping the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage container in a range not exceeding the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator, deterioration of the ultrasonic vibrator can be suppressed, and good high-temperature mist generation performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a drum-type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drum-type washing and drying machine viewed from the back side of the housing for explaining the arrangement of the air circulation path and the atomizing unit.

Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view seen from the back side of the casing for explaining the structure of the circulating air supply path and the atomizing unit of the drum type washing and drying machine.

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating a connection structure between an atomizing unit and a water tub of the drum type washing and drying machine.

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view for explaining the structure of the atomizing unit of the drum type washing and drying machine.

Fig. 6 is a rear cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of an atomizing unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine.

Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an atomizing unit of a drum-type washing and drying machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a conventional washing and drying machine having an atomizing unit.

Fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a conventional atomization unit.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a conventional clothes dryer having an atomizing unit.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, best embodiments of the atomization unit and the drum-type washing and drying machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, it should be considered that the embodiments disclosed below are merely examples at all points and do not limit the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is not the content disclosed in the embodiments, but should be understood as shown by the description of the scope of the claims, and should be understood as including all changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the scope of the claims.

First, the structure and operation|movement of the drum-type washing-drying machine provided with the atomization unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention are demonstrated in detail based on FIGS. 1-4. Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a drum-type washing and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drum-type washing and drying machine viewed from the back side of the housing for explaining the arrangement of the air circulation path and the atomizing unit. Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view seen from the back side of the casing for explaining the structure of the circulating air supply path and the atomizing unit of the drum type washing and drying machine. Fig. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating a connection structure between an atomizing unit and a water tub of the drum type washing and drying machine.

For the drum-type washing and drying machine 1, the water tub 3 is arranged in the housing 2 of the washing and drying machine in a suspended state through a suspension structure not shown. A bottomed cylindrical rotary drum 4 is arranged in the water tub 3 such that its axis direction is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side. On the front side of water tub 3, there is formed a laundry inlet and outlet connected to the opening end of rotary drum 4. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, by opening the opening formed on the front side of the washer-dryer housing 2 and provided on the upwardly inclined surface, that is, the openable and closable door 5, laundry can be put into the rotary drum 4 through the clothes inlet and outlet or from the Take out from the rotating drum 4. Because the door 5 is arranged on the upward inclined surface, the operation of taking out and putting in the laundry can be implemented without bending down. For the drum type washing machine that generally takes out and puts in the laundry from the opening in the horizontal direction, it can be improved. Poor workability.

On the rotary drum 4, a large number of through holes 4c communicating with the inside of the water tub 3 are formed on the peripheral wall 4a and the bottom wall 4b thereof. Bottom surface openings 4 d are formed on the bottom wall 4 b at a plurality of positions along the circumferential direction facing the air guide openings 18 formed in the water tub 3 . In addition, stirring protrusions 4e are provided at a plurality of positions on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 4a. The rotary drum 4 is rotationally driven in forward and reverse directions by a motor 6 attached to the back side of the water tub 3 . In addition, a water supply line 7 and a drain line 8 are piped to the water tank 3 , and water is supplied to and drained from the water tank 3 by controlling a water supply valve and a drain valve (not shown).

When the door 5 is opened, laundry and detergent are thrown into the rotary drum 4 from the opening, and the drum type washing and drying machine 1 starts to operate, a predetermined amount of water is injected into the water tub 3 from the water supply pipe 7 . The rotary drum 4 is rotationally driven by the motor 6, and the washing process starts. Together with the rotation of the rotary drum 4, the laundry contained in the rotary drum 4 is repeatedly stirred up by the stirring protrusion 4e in the direction of rotation and dropped from an appropriate height position after being stirred up. Apply to laundry for washing.

After the necessary washing time has elapsed, the dirty washing liquid is discharged from the drain line 8 . Furthermore, the washing liquid contained in the laundry is dehydrated by the dehydration operation of rotating the rotary drum 4 at a high speed, and then water is supplied from the water supply line 7 into the water tub 3 to perform rinsing and dehydration steps. In this rinsing and spin-drying process, the laundry accommodated in rotary drum 4 is also repeatedly stirred by stirring protrusions 4e and dropped together with the rotation of rotary drum 4, thereby performing rinsing and washing. Furthermore, after performing rinsing and washing, the water contained in the laundry is dehydrated again by the dehydration operation of rotating the rotary drum 4 at a high speed, and the rinsing and dehydration steps are completed.

In this drum type washing and drying machine 1, a function of drying the laundry contained in the rotary drum 4 is provided, and a circulating air supply path 9 is provided, and the circulating air supply path 9 exhausts the air in the water tub 3. Air and dehumidification, the dry air after heating is sent in the bucket 3 again. On the way of the circulating air supply path 9 , at the low positions in the washing and drying machine housing 2 , there are dehumidifiers such as evaporator 10 ; heating devices such as condenser 11 ; and air supply devices such as blower fan 12 . The circulating air supply path 9 is made up of the following parts: the circulating air introduction pipeline 13 from the water bucket 3 to the air supply fan 12 ; and the dry air supply pipeline 14 from the air supply fan 12 to the water bucket 3 . Further, above the air guide port 18 formed on the bottom surface of the bucket 3 close to the dry air blowing duct 14, an atomizing unit 30 to be described later is connected.

The dry air blowing duct 14 is configured to have a lower duct 15, a flexible duct 16, and an upper duct in order from the upstream side in the space at the rear (the back side of the water tub 3) in the washer-dryer casing 2. Road 17. A communication port 17 a is opened below the downstream end of the upper pipeline 17 , and the communication port 17 a is connected to an air guide port 18 provided on the back surface of the water tub 3 . The upper pipe 17 rises obliquely near the center of the housing 2 at its lower portion. In addition, the upper duct 17 is bent at approximately 90° in the middle, and its upper portion is inclined downward toward the air guide port 18 of the water tub 3 . The flexible duct 16 is made of a flexible pipe, and prevents the vibration of the lower duct 15 accompanying the rotation, start, and stop of the rotary drum 4 from being transmitted to the blower fan 12 side. The dry air dehumidified by the evaporator 10 and heated by the condenser 11 is sent to the water bucket 3 and the rotating drum 4 inside it through the dry air supply line 14 through the air guide port 18 .

The air blowing fan 12 is driven by high-speed rotation, thereby generating the flow of air in the circulating air supply path 9, and the high-humidity air in the rotating drum 4 containing the laundry is discharged to the water tank through the through hole 4c provided on the peripheral wall 4a. 3 The circulating air is introduced into the duct 13 toward the blower fan 12 side. Furthermore, the air in the circulating ventilation path 9 condenses and dehumidifies moisture by the evaporator 10 located upstream of the ventilation fan 12 , and is heated by heat exchange with the condenser 11 to become high-temperature dry air.

The heated dry air is sent to the dry air supply pipeline 14 from the blower fan 12 toward the water bucket 3 , and is sent into the water bucket 3 through the air guide port 18 arranged on the water bucket 3 . The high-temperature dry air sent into the water tub 3 is introduced into the rotary drum 4 through the bottom surface opening 4d and the through hole 4c provided on the bottom wall 4b of the rotary drum 4. The humid air flows out to the water tub 3 from the through hole 4c provided in the peripheral wall 4a, and is introduced into the circulating air introduction duct 13 again. The drying process is carried out by air circulating through the circulation air supply path 9 (circulation air introduction line 13 , dry air supply line 14 ).

Here, in the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a "wrinkle smoothing process" is provided for the purpose of rotating the atomizing unit 30 and the rotary drum 4 described later, while Smoothes and reduces wrinkles in dried laundry. In this "wrinkle smoothing process", the evaporator 10 and the condenser 11 are stopped, and the rotary drum 4 and the blower fan 12 are rotated at a rotation speed lower than that in a normal drying process. Furthermore, the atomization unit 30 is activated to generate the mist 20 composed of fine liquid droplets, and the mist 20 falls into the flow of dry air flowing through the dry air blowing duct 14 . As a result, fine wet mist and dry mist are sent to the rotary drum 4 in the bucket 3 .

In this way, the following steps can be performed: filling every corner of the rotary drum 4 with the mist, effectively moistening the surface of the clothes, reducing wrinkles on the clothes in a dry state, and having a wrinkle reducing effect. Furthermore, then, the atomizing unit 30 is stopped, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 and the blower fan 12 is increased to the same speed as the normal drying process, and the evaporator 10 and the condenser 11 are operated to perform normal drying. Running can smooth out the wrinkles of the clothes while drying the clothes.

In addition, in the above-mentioned "wrinkle smoothing process", wrinkles can be reduced by the mist 20 as described above, and a deodorizing effect can also be expected by the following principle. Generally, the bad smell is that the bad smell components are attached as molecules on the surface of the clothes. For example, the odor of cigarettes and barbecue is like this, but the collision of the mist 20 with the odor molecules dissolves the odor molecules into the water molecules themselves and detaches them from the clothes. Furthermore, after such mist treatment, dry operation is performed to evaporate the water in which the odor components are dissolved by high temperature and low humidity air, thereby preventing the odor molecules from reattaching to the clothes and deodorizing.

Next, according to Fig. 5, Fig. 6 and the above-mentioned drawings, the structure of the atomization unit 30 and the "wrinkle smoothing process" involved in the present invention will be described in detail. 5 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the atomizing unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a rear view illustrating the structure of the atomizing unit of the drum-type washing and drying machine. cutaway view.

The atomizing unit 30 is arranged on the rear side of the water bucket 3, and is configured to have: a water storage container 31, which is a liquid storage container for storing water 21, which is a liquid as a source of mist generation; Water 21 in the water container 31 applies ultrasonic vibration; Water injection device 33, it is the liquid injection device that water 21 is injected in the water storage container 31; temperature sensor. Furthermore, the water storage container 31 of the atomizing unit 30 is directly connected to the upper pipe of the dry air supply pipeline 14 (the circulating air supply path 9) via the connection port 31e at the upper position adjacent to the air guide opening 18 on the back side of the bucket 3. on road 17.

The water storage container 31 is disposed outside the back surface of the water tub 3 . Moreover, the side wall 31b of the front side facing the water tub 3 of the water storage container 31 is formed along the back surface of the water tub 3, and is inclined with respect to a vertical direction. The rear side wall 31b of the water storage container 31 is formed in the vertical direction along the back panel of the washer-dryer casing 2, and the bottom wall 31a side of the water storage container 31 is formed wide.

Water 21 as a source of mist generation is stored in the water storage container 31. A water injection port 31c through which water 21 is injected from a water injection device 33 is provided at an upper portion of the water storage container 31 . Furthermore, an opening bank 31 d is provided on the side wall 31 b facing the upper duct 17 . In addition, a connection port 31 e is provided at a portion above the air guide port 18 connected to the upper duct 17 .

The water 21 poured into the water storage container 31 from the water injection port 31c overflows from the opening bank 31d through the connection port 31e into the upper pipe 17 above the air guide port 18 . Thus, with a simple structure, the water 21 in the water storage container 31 can be maintained at a constant water level.

And, the water 21 overflowing from the opening bank 31d is sent into the bucket 3 through the connection port 31e, the upper pipe 17 and the air guide port 18, and is discharged out of the drum type washing and drying machine 1 through the drain pipe 8.

The ultrasonic vibrator 32 is arranged such that the vibrating surface 32 a of the piezoelectric element generating ultrasonic vibrations is in close contact with the bottom wall 31 a of the water storage container 31 . Further, by operating the piezoelectric element, ultrasonic vibration is transmitted in the ultrasonic transmission direction (direction perpendicular to the vibration surface 32 a ) 32 b, and the liquid column 22 is formed in the water storage container 31 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6 , the ultrasonic vibrator 32 is installed obliquely so that the vibrating surface 32a faces the side opposite to the connection port 31e, and therefore the liquid column 22 is formed facing the inner surface direction of the side wall 31b on the side opposite to the connection port 31e. Accompanying the formation of the liquid column 22, as indicated by the arrows, in the water storage container 31, convection of the water 21 and the air that rises along the liquid column 22, descends and ascends along the inner surface of the side wall 31b occurs. At the same time, the ultrasonic vibration transmitted by the liquid column 22 vibrates the surface of the water 21 finely, thereby weakening the surface tension near the front end of the liquid column 22, and generating tiny liquid droplets corresponding to the fine vibration of the liquid column 22. That is, mist (fog) 20. The mist 20 is pushed out by the convective motion of the water 21 and emitted toward the ultrasonic wave transmitting direction 32b. Furthermore, the mist 20 descends and rises along the inner surface of the side wall 31b along with the convection of the water 21 and the air, and then, along the surface of the stored water 21 and the inner surface of the side wall 31b, is emitted to the air guide port through the connection port 31e 18 above the upper pipeline 17. The mist 20 discharged into the upper duct 17 is immediately sent into the water tub 3 from the lower air guide port 18 , and then introduced into the rotary drum 4 through the bottom opening 4 d of the rotary drum 4 .

And, as mentioned above, the liquid column 22 is inclined to the inner surface of the side wall 31b on the opposite side of the connection port 31e, so the water 21 will not overflow into the upper pipeline 17 directly through the connection port 31e through the liquid column 22, and can Excessive reduction of the water 21 in the water storage container 31 is prevented.

The water injection device 33 is used to replenish the water 21 consumed by the mist 20 generated in the water storage container 31 . The water supply port provided below the water injection device 33 is connected to the water injection port 31c of the water storage container 31 through a water injection hose 34, and an on-off valve (not shown) is provided at an appropriate position between them. The water injection device 33 opens the on-off valve when the atomization unit 30 is activated. Further, the water 21 is fed from the water supply port 33a of the water injection device 33 through the water injection hose 34 for a predetermined time sufficient for the water to be stored in the water storage container 31 . The excess water 21 overflows from the opening bank 31d of the side wall 31b, and the water 21 in the water storage container 31 is kept at a constant water level. The water injection operation in the initial stage of start-up is used to replenish the water 21 in the water storage container 31 that has decreased due to evaporation or the like while the water injection device 33 is not in use, so that the atomization unit 30 is always operated at a constant water level.

The water temperature sensor 35 is configured using a thermistor or the like, and measures the water temperature in the water storage container 31 . When the water temperature measured by the water temperature sensor 35 exceeds a predetermined temperature (set to the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 described later, or a temperature slightly lower than it), the water 21 is supplied from the water injection device 33 to lower the water temperature, So that the water temperature in the water storage container 31 will never exceed the above-mentioned predetermined temperature. In this way, by supplying water 21 from the water injection device 33, the water 21 in the water storage container 31 is rapidly cooled, and without using a special cooling device, the water 21 in the water storage container 31 will not exceed the upper limit of the use of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 temperature.

Here, in order to fill every corner of the rotating drum 4 with the mist 20 , the suspending property of the mist 20 becomes important. That is, in order to ensure sufficient suspending properties of the mist 20, it is preferable to use the mist 20 with a particle diameter of less than 10 μm. If the particle size of the mist 20 is 10 μm or more, the mist 20 simply falls down due to its own weight, and the efficiency of filling the inside of the rotary drum 4 is low. However, the mist 20 having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more is called a wet mist, and has a characteristic of high wettability.

That is, the wet mist having a particle size of 10 μm or more collides with the pipeline on the way to be introduced into the rotary drum 4 , thereby easily condenses and adheres to the pipeline, and the amount of the wet mist decreases before reaching the inside of the rotary drum 4 . In addition, the wet mist with a particle size of 10 μm or more combines with each other to form a large particle size mist 20 , which tends to cause significant adhesion to pipelines on the way. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the connecting port 31e is located near the upper side of the air guide port 18 and the moving path is set as short as possible, the reduction of the wet mist can be suppressed to a small amount as much as possible.

On the other hand, the mist 20 having a particle diameter of less than 10 μm is called a dry mist, and has a high suspending property and a small particle diameter, so it has a characteristic of high surface tension and low wettability. Therefore, the mist 20 with a particle diameter of less than 10 μm will not adhere to the pipeline on the way, and can efficiently reach the rotating drum 4, and the rotating drum 4 can be filled with the mist 20 with a particle diameter of less than 10 μm.

However, the dry mist with a particle size of less than 10 μm has low wettability, so even if the dry mist is filled in the rotary drum 4, the purpose of fully moisturizing the clothes cannot be achieved. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the water temperature in the water storage container 31 is maintained as high as a predetermined temperature as much as possible to operate the ultrasonic vibrator 32 to generate the mist 20 . Under the situation of generating mist 20, the higher the water temperature in the water storage container 31 is, the amount (atomization amount) of the mist 20 generated will increase (atomization efficiency improves), and meanwhile, the temperature of the mist 20 produced will also change. high. When the mist 20 of this high temperature is filled in the rotary drum 4, even the dry mist with a particle diameter of less than 10 μm is easy to condense and condense on the surface of the clothes and the peripheral wall 4a of the rotary drum 4 at a temperature lower than that of the mist 20, etc. superior. At this time, rotating drum 4 is rotationally driven to agitate the clothes, thereby efficiently moistening the whole clothes.

However, there is an upper limit temperature for use in the ultrasonic vibrator 32 , and the ultrasonic vibrator 32 tends to deteriorate when used above the upper limit temperature. The use upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 is based on the internal structure of the piezoelectric element. For example, the ultrasonic vibrator 32 has: a piezoelectric ceramic body made of lead zirconate titanate or the like; The surface is protected by covering it with a surface protection material consisting of stainless steel foil. The piezoelectric ceramic body on which the electrodes are arranged and the stainless steel foil are bonded using an epoxy resin-based adhesive, and the upper limit temperature that can be used can be limited by the material of the adhesive. That is, for the adhesive strength of epoxy resin adhesives, when the ambient temperature exceeds about 40°C, it begins to decrease, and when it exceeds about 60°C, it drops very much. Therefore, when using such epoxy resin adhesives In the ultrasonic vibrator 32 for the agent, the practical upper limit temperature for use is about 50°C.

If the material of the adhesive is changed, the upper limit temperature for use is also changed. Therefore, it is difficult to uniquely determine the upper limit temperature for use of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 . In the case of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 using an epoxy resin adhesive, it is preferably used in a temperature range of 50° C. or lower (predetermined temperature: for example, 45° C. to 50° C.). In addition, in the case of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 using another adhesive, it is preferable to use it within a temperature range of (upper limit temperature for use −5° C.) or higher and lower than the upper limit temperature for use.

When the temperature of the water in the water storage container 31 exceeds the upper limit temperature for use of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 , deterioration of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 is likely to progress. If the temperature is lower than (usage upper limit temperature -5°C), the temperature of the mist 20 generated by the mist unit 30 becomes low, so that the effect of efficiently moisturizing the entire clothes as described later cannot be sufficiently obtained. In this way, by keeping the water temperature in the water storage container 31 within a range not exceeding the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator 32, deterioration of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 can be suppressed, and good high-temperature mist generation performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

Next, in the drum type washing and drying machine 1 using the above atomization unit 30 , the operation when performing the "wrinkle smoothing process" for the purpose of smoothing and reducing the wrinkles of the clothes will be described.

The temperature of the water in the water storage container 31 is maintained at a predetermined temperature, such as 50°C, within a range not exceeding the upper limit temperature of the ultrasonic vibrator 32, and the ultrasonic vibrator 32 arranged on the bottom wall 31a of the water storage container 31 is operated to generate The high-temperature mist 20 is introduced into the rotary drum 4 of the drum-type washing and drying machine 1 through the circulating air supply path 9 . Here, a heating device may be disposed in the water storage container 31, and the temperature of the water in the water storage container 31 may be raised by the heating device. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the water storage capacity in the water storage container 31 is decreased, and at the same time, the ultrasonic vibrator 32 is vibrated to increase the water temperature in the water storage container 31 . That is, it is configured so that the high-temperature mist 20 can be generated inexpensively with a simple structure.

The mist 20 is generated by such a high water temperature and introduced into the rotary drum 4 to fill every corner of the rotary drum 4 with wet mist and dry mist. Furthermore, the humidity is raised uniformly throughout the entire rotary drum 4, and at the same time, the rotary drum 4 is rotationally driven at a low rotational speed, so that moisture condenses on any surface portion of the clothes, and the clothes can be evenly moistened.

Furthermore, after making the whole clothes wet in this way, rotary drum 4 and blower fan 12 are rotationally driven at a high rotational speed. The evaporator 10 and the condenser 11 are activated to perform a drying operation, whereby wrinkles adhering to the clothes are spread by moisture. Further, by agitating the clothes whose wrinkles have been unfolded by moisture, the wrinkles can be flattened and reduced.

In the atomizing unit 30 of the embodiment of the present utility model, an opening bank 31d is provided on the side wall 31b. When the atomizing unit 30 is activated, it is controlled in the following manner: the water 21 The action of pouring into the water storage container 31 and overflowing from the opening bank 31d. The opening bank 31d is provided at a height of at least 20 mm or more from the bottom wall 31a of the water storage container 31 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic vibrator 32 from easily deteriorating due to the operation of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 in a state where the water level is excessively lowered.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the mist 20 is introduced into the rotating drum 4, the blower fan 12 may be rotated at a low rotational speed. At this time, the blowing rate of the air flow in the circulating blowing path 9 is preferably 0.05 m ³ /min to 1.00 m ³ /min. If the air volume is lower than 0.05m ³ /min, when the wet mist is introduced into the rotary drum 4, the clothes in the rotary drum 4 will become an obstacle, and the wet mist cannot fully enter the rotary drum 4, and sometimes the wet mist will A part of it will flow and fall between the bucket 3 and the rotating drum 4. In addition, the amount of dry mist introduced into the rotary drum 4 is reduced, and the above-mentioned effects cannot be sufficiently obtained.

In addition, when the air flow rate of the air flow in the circulating air supply path 9 exceeds 1.00m ³ /min, the wet mist collides with the wall of the dry air supply pipeline 14 (upper pipeline 17), causing the wet The presence of fog is reduced in proportion.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, rectifying fins 36 are provided around the connection port 31e of the water storage container 31 connected to the circulating air supply path 9 . The straightening fins 36 are constituted by a plate-shaped member, and cross the air circulation path 9 at a position on the side entering the air circulation path 9 from the connection port 31e. The rectifying fins 36 are used to rectify (direction change) the mist 20 generated in the water storage container 31 toward the airflow flowing through the circulating air supply path 9 . In this way, by making the ultrasonic transmission direction 32b of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 inclined toward the inner surface direction of the side wall 31b on the opposite side of the connection port 31e, and providing the rectifying fins 36 around the connection port 31e, the water storage container 31 The mist 20 generated inside and introduced into the circulating air supply path 9 is sent toward the air flow circulating in the circulating air supply path 9, and is introduced into the rotary drum 4 while being uniformly mixed and diffused in the air flow.

Moreover, in embodiment of this invention, it has the structure which measures the water temperature in the water storage container 31 by the water temperature sensor 35. As shown in FIG. However, it is also possible to have a structure in which, without using the water temperature sensor 35, the water temperature in the water storage container 31 is estimated from the operation elapsed time based on the water temperature rise characteristic accompanying the operation of the ultrasonic vibrator 32, and the replenishment of the water 21 to the storage container is started. The operation of the water container 31 maintains the water temperature at the above-mentioned predetermined temperature.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present utility model, there is such a structure: when the atomization unit 30 is activated, the water 21 is automatically injected into the water storage container 31 from the water injection device 33 and overflowed from the opening bank 31d. action. However, FIG. 7 is a side sectional view illustrating the structure of the atomizing unit of the drum type washing and drying machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. A water level sensor 37 serving as a liquid level sensor of a pressure detection type or the like is provided on the bottom wall 31a of the water storage container 31 or its surrounding portion. Furthermore, it is only necessary to inject water 21 into the water storage container 31 from the water injection device 33 when the water level measured by the water level sensor 37 is less than a predetermined water level (for example, 10 mm) from the bottom wall 31 a of the water storage container 31 . Thus, when the atomizing unit 30 is activated, it is not necessary to automatically fill the water storage container 31 with water from the water filling device 33, and the water filling operation is performed only when the water level drops excessively. As a result, the water level in the water storage container 31 can be maintained at a predetermined water level or higher, and the ultrasonic vibrator 32 can be prevented from easily deteriorating.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present utility model, there is such a structure: the connection port 31e connected to the circulating air supply path 9 of the water storage container 31 is provided with rectifying fins 36, and the mist 20 generated in the water storage container 31 It is introduced into the circulating air flow path 9 from this connection port 31e. However, it is also possible to have such a structure: keep a distance from the connection port 31e of the water storage container 31 to the circulating air supply path 9, and connect them through the mist deriving conduit, so that the water generated in the water storage container 31 The mist 20 is sent from the mist outlet duct toward the airflow flowing through the circulating air supply path 9 . In this way, in addition to making the high-temperature mist 20 generated in the water storage container 31 uniformly mixed and diffused in the air flow, it can also be introduced into the rotary drum 4 . In addition, the temperature drop when the mist 20 is introduced into the rotary drum 4 can be suppressed, the water storage container 31 or the water injection device 33 of the atomization unit 30 can be arranged at any position in the washing and drying machine housing 2, and the washing and drying machine can be used. The free space in the dryer housing 2 realizes space saving as a whole.

And, in the embodiment of the present utility model, the example of using water 21 has been described as the source of mist generation in the atomization unit 30, but depending on the application, silver ion electrolyte solution, cleaning solution, deodorizing solution, deodorizing solution, etc. can also be used. The effect corresponding to each liquid preparation (mist generation source) can be obtained.

Claims (9)

1. an atomization unit is characterized in that,

This atomization unit has: liquid storage vessel, and it stores the liquid in the source that produces as fog; Ultrasonic oscillator, it applies ultrasonic vibration to the liquid that is stored in the described liquid storage vessel; Priming device, it injects liquid in the described liquid storage vessel; And liquid temperature sensor, it is measured the fluid temperature in the described liquid storage vessel,

This atomization unit maintains the fluid temperature in the described liquid storage vessel near the temperature the described SC service ceiling temperature of the SC service ceiling temperature that is no more than described ultrasonic oscillator, described ultrasonic oscillator is moved produce fog.

2. atomization unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that,

Described ultrasonic oscillator utilizes surface protecting material to cover the surface of piezoelectric element, and the fluid temperature in the described liquid storage vessel is maintained described surface protecting material can deterioration and in the temperature range of peeling off.

3. atomization unit as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that,

Described ultrasonic oscillator uses the bonding described piezoelectric element of epoxide resin adhesive and described surface protecting material and covering surfaces, the fluid temperature in the described liquid storage vessel is maintained that described epoxide resin adhesive undergoes no deterioration and in the temperature range of deterioration.

4. atomization unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that,

Surpassed under the situation of predetermined temperature at the fluid temperature of measuring by described liquid temperature sensor,, made the interior fluid temperature of described liquid storage vessel be no more than the SC service ceiling temperature of described ultrasonic oscillator by from described priming device additive liq.

5. atomization unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that,

In described liquid storage vessel, be provided with open levee at its sidewall.

6. atomization unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that,

In described liquid storage vessel, be provided with liquid level sensor at its diapire or its periphery.

7. drum-type washing drying machine, in bucket, be provided with the swing roller that is driven in rotation, this swing roller is formed with through hole, be used to hold washings, by carrying out to the feedwater in the described bucket, the control of the rotation of draining and described swing roller, implement washing, rinsing, each operation of dehydration, and, utilize air-supply arrangement that the air in the described bucket is circulated by the circulation air-supply path with dehydrating unit and heater, implement the drying process of washings thus, it is characterized in that

Have each the described atomization unit in the claim 1～6 in the way in described circulation air-supply path, the fog that will produce in the liquid storage vessel of described atomization unit imports in the described swing roller via described circulation air-supply path.

8. drum-type washing drying machine as claimed in claim 7 is characterized in that,

In described liquid storage vessel and connector that described circulation air-supply path links to each other, has rectifying ribs, the fog that produces in described liquid storage vessel carries out rectification by described rectifying ribs, and sends into towards the air stream that circulates in described circulation air-supply path.

9. drum-type washing drying machine as claimed in claim 7 is characterized in that,

Derive conduit from the connector that links to each other with described circulation air-supply path of described liquid storage vessel to having the fog that is connected both the described circulation air-supply path, the fog that produces in described liquid storage vessel is derived conduit from described fog and is sent into towards the air stream that circulates described circulation air-supply path.

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