JP2014050500A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

Power consumption during drying operation is reduced.
SOLUTION: A heat pump device 10, a drum drive motor 3 for rotationally driving a rotary drum 2, a blower means 6 for supplying warm air heated by the heat pump device 10 into the rotary drum 2, and a blower means 6. The circulation air path 5 that guides the drying air to the rotary drum 2 after flowing the drying air from the heat absorber 14 to the radiator 12, the state detection means 16 that detects the state of the heat pump device 10, and the control means that controls the drying operation The control means 20 has a drive output reduction means 21 for reducing the drive output of the rotary drum 2, and controls the ON / OFF of the compressor 11 by the output of the state detection means 16. In the OFF state, the drive output of the rotary drum 2 is reduced by the drive output reducing means 21.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes and the like.

  Conventionally, in this type of clothes dryer, a heat pump device is used for drying clothes and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 9 shows a conventional clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, a rotating drum 52 is rotatably provided in the main body 51, and the power of the motor 53 is transmitted to the rotating drum 52 via a belt 54 to be rotated. An air passage 55 for introducing drying air into the rotary drum 52 is connected in communication, and the blower 56 blows the drying air to the rotary drum 52.

  The heat pump device 57 is connected to the compressor 58, the radiator 59, the throttle means 60, and the heat absorber 61 through a pipe line 62 so that the refrigerant circulates.

  The gas refrigerant compressed and vaporized at a high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 58 enters the radiator 59, exchanges heat with the drying air flowing through the air passage 55, the air is heated, and the refrigerant is cooled by the drying air and liquefied. . The liquefied low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant enters the throttle means 60 and is depressurized, becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, enters the heat absorber 61, exchanges heat with the drying air flowing through the air passage 55, and the air is cooled and dehumidified. The refrigerant is heated and vaporized by the drying air, becomes a gas refrigerant, and returns to the compressor 58 again.

  On the other hand, the air in the rotary drum 52 flows into the air passage 55 from the exhaust port 63 by the blower 56 and is blown to the heat absorber 61, and after being cooled and dehumidified, is heated by the radiator 59 and is rotated from the blower port 64 to the rotary drum. 52 flows in. The drying air blown by the blower 56 circulates through the rotary drum 52 and the heat pump device 57 through the air passage 55 to dry the clothes in the rotary drum 52.

  In the initial stage of the drying operation, the temperature of the air flowing into the heat absorber 61 is low and is gradually heated by the input of the compressor 58. In the latter stage of the drying operation, the air temperature becomes high, the refrigerant temperature becomes high, and the compressor 58 is overloaded. Therefore, it is considered that a part of the circulating air is discharged, outside air having a low temperature is introduced to discharge heat of an excessive input of the compressor 58, and the heat pump device 57 is stabilized in a safe state ( For example, see Patent Document 2).

  Considering the refrigerant refrigeration cycle in the heat pump device 57, the amount of heat taken from the radiator 59 to the drying air is larger than the amount of heat taken from the drying air by the heat absorber 61 by the amount of power consumed by the compressor 58. Therefore, if the drying air is circulated as it is, the amount of heat of the entire drying air increases, the amount of heat of the refrigerant in the heat pump device 57 increases, the pressure increases, and eventually exceeds the motor torque of the compressor 58. This is to prevent current from flowing. If it is not sufficient to replace the low temperature outside air with the circulating air, the compressor 58 is stopped.

JP 7-178289 A JP-A-2004-215543

  However, in the conventional configuration, even when the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation, the motor that drives the rotating drum is driven in the same way as when the compressor is in the ON state, and the drying is performed when the compressor is in the OFF state. There is a problem that unnecessary electric power is consumed even in a situation where the progress of is not temporarily progressing.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems and to provide a clothes dryer that can reduce power consumption during a drying operation.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a clothes dryer of the present invention includes a heat pump device, a rotating drum that houses and dries clothing, a drum driving motor that rotationally drives the rotating drum, and heating by the heat pump device. A blowing means for supplying the heated air into the rotating drum, a circulation air passage for guiding the drying air blown by the blowing means from the heat absorber to the radiator and then leading to the rotating drum, A state detection unit that detects a state of the heat pump device; and a control unit that controls a drying operation. The control unit includes a drive output reduction unit that reduces a drive output of the rotating drum, and the state detection unit. The compressor is turned ON / OFF by the output of the compressor, and when the compressor is in the OFF state, the drive output of the rotating drum is controlled by the drive output reducing means. It is obtained so as to decrease.

  Thereby, when the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation, it is possible to reduce the driving output of the rotating drum and reduce the power consumption of the drum driving motor.

  When the compressor is OFF during the drying operation, the clothes dryer of the present invention can reduce the drive output of the rotating drum and reduce the power consumption during the drying operation.

System conceptual diagram of clothes dryer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Cross section of the main part of the clothes dryer Cross section of the main part of the clothes dryer Block diagram of the clothes dryer (A)-(c) Time chart showing operation of the clothes dryer (A)-(c) Time chart which shows operation | movement of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 2 of this invention. (A) (b) Time chart which shows operation | movement of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 3 of this invention (A)-(c) Time chart which shows operation | movement of the clothes dryer in Embodiment 4 of this invention. Sectional view of the main parts of a conventional clothes dryer

A first invention includes a compressor driven by an induction motor, a heat radiator, a throttle means, and a heat absorber connected by a pipe line so that a refrigerant circulates, a rotating drum that houses and dries clothes and the like, A drum driving motor for rotating the rotating drum; a blowing means for supplying warm air heated by the heat pump device into the rotating drum; and drying air blown by the blowing means from the heat absorber. A circulation air passage that leads to the rotating drum after flowing into the container, a state detecting means for detecting the state of the heat pump device, and a control means for controlling the drying operation, the control means comprising: Drive output reduction means for reducing drive output, and the compressor is ON / OFF controlled by the output of the state detection means, and when the compressor is OFF By reducing the drive output of the rotating drum by the drive output reducing means, when the compressor is OFF during the drying operation, the drive output of the rotating drum is reduced and the power consumption of the drum drive motor is reduced. Can be reduced.

  In the second invention, in particular, the drive output reducing means of the first invention is such that when the compressor is in the OFF state, the rotational speed of the rotary drum is lower than when the compressor is in the ON state. When the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation, the driving output of the rotating drum can be reduced and the power consumption of the drum driving motor can be reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in particular, the drive output reducing means of the first aspect of the invention is such that when the compressor is in the OFF state, the rotation of the rotary drum is stopped, so that the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation. In this case, the driving output of the rotating drum can be reduced, and the power consumption of the drum driving motor can be reduced.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the drive output reduction means of the first aspect of the invention makes the drive time per unit time of the rotating drum shorter when the compressor is OFF than when the compressor is ON. As a result, when the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation, it is possible to reduce the driving output of the rotating drum and reduce the power consumption of the drum driving motor.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, the control means of any one of the first to third aspects of the invention is such that when the compressor is in the OFF state, the rotational speed of the blower means is higher than when the compressor is in the ON state. By doing so, the temperature of the refrigerant of the heat pump device can be lowered quickly, and the compressor can be turned on quickly, so that the drying time can be shortened and the power consumption can be reduced.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a system conceptual diagram of a heat pump device of a clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows the configuration of the heat pump device and the flow of drying air. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the main part of the clothes dryer, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the clothes dryer, and FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the operation of the clothes dryer.

  1 to 5, a rotating drum 2 is rotatably provided in the main body 1. The power of the drum drive motor 3 installed at the bottom in the main body 1 is transmitted to the rotary drum 2 via the belt 4 to rotate the rotary drum 2. A circulation air passage 5 for introducing drying air into the rotating drum 2 is provided, and the drying air is blown into the rotating drum 2 by a blower (blower unit) 6 provided on the back side of the rotating drum 2. The drum drive motor 3 is constituted by a brushless DC motor, and the rotation speed can be freely changed by inverter control.

  The drying air in the rotary drum 2 flows out from the exhaust port 7 provided on the back side of the rotary drum 2 to the circulation air passage 5 and flows into the rotary drum 2 from the blower port 8 provided on the front side of the rotary drum 2. To do. The exhaust port 7 is detachably provided with a filter 9 that captures lint such as lint separated from a drying object such as clothing a.

  The heat pump device 10 is connected by a pipe line 15 so that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11, the radiator 12, the throttle means 13, and the heat absorber 14. The radiator 12 and the heat absorber 14 are constituted by fin tube heat exchangers, and are arranged in the circulation air passage 5 through which drying air flows to exchange heat with the drying air.

  The gas refrigerant compressed and vaporized at a high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 11 enters the radiator 12 and exchanges heat with the drying air flowing through the circulation air passage 5, the air is heated, and the refrigerant is cooled by the drying air and liquefied. The liquefied low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant enters the throttling means 13 and is depressurized, becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, enters the heat absorber 14, and exchanges heat with the dry air flowing through the circulation air passage 5, and the dry air is cooled and dehumidified. Then, the refrigerant is heated and vaporized by the drying air, becomes a gas refrigerant, and returns to the compressor 11 again.

  On the other hand, the air in the rotary drum 2 flows out from the exhaust port 7 to the circulation air path 5 by the blower 6, blown to the heat absorber 14, cooled and dehumidified, and then heated by the radiator 12 and rotated from the blower port 8. It flows into the drum 2. The drying air blown by the blower 6 circulates through the rotating drum 2 and the heat pump device 10 through the circulation air passage 5, and dries the clothes a. Arrow A indicates the flow direction of the drying air, and arrow B indicates the flow direction of the refrigerant.

  Refrigerant temperature detection means (state detection means) 16 composed of a thermistor is provided in the pipe line 15 of the radiator 12. The refrigerant temperature detection means 16 detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe line 15 discharged from the compressor 11 and detects the state of the heat pump device 10 from the refrigerant temperature.

  The compressor 11 has a compressor motor (not shown) constituted by an induction motor and a compression mechanism for compressing the refrigerant, and the refrigerant maintains a predetermined temperature range by the output of the refrigerant temperature detecting means 16. The compressor motor is turned ON / OFF, and is driven at a constant speed when ON.

  Drying detection means 17 is provided in the rotating drum 2. The dryness detection means 17 detects the dryness from the resistance value when the clothes agitated in the rotary drum 2 come into contact. On the front side of the rotary drum 2, there are provided a slot 18 for putting clothes in and out, and a door 19 for opening and closing the slot 18.

  The control means 20 is disposed in the lower front part in the main body 1 and controls the drum drive motor 3, the blower 6, the compressor 11 and the like, and controls the drying operation. The control means 20 has drive output reduction means 21 for reducing the drive output of the drum drive motor 3 that rotationally drives the rotary drum 2.

  About the clothes dryer comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. 5, (a) is the output of the refrigerant temperature detecting means 16 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the radiator 12, (b) is the ON / OFF state of the compressor 11, and (c) is the rotational speed of the rotary drum 2. Is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature of the refrigerant is low at the initial stage of the drying operation and is gradually heated by the input of the compressor 11. Then, as the drying operation proceeds, the temperature of the refrigerant increases, and in order to stabilize the heat pump device 10 in a safe state, for example, by replacing the low-temperature outside air and the circulating air, the excess of the compressor 11 The input is drained. Even in this exhausted state, when the outside air temperature is high, or when the air volume is reduced with lint attached to the filter 9, the temperature of the refrigerant gradually increases.

  Considering the refrigerant refrigeration cycle in the heat pump device 10, the amount of heat taken from the radiator 12 to the drying air is greater than the amount of heat taken from the drying air by the heat absorber 14 by the amount of power consumed by the compressor 11. Therefore, if the drying air is circulated as it is, the amount of heat of the entire drying air increases, the amount of heat of the refrigerant in the heat pump device 10 increases, and the temperature increases.

If the temperature rises as it is, the refrigerant temperature detection means 16 detects the refrigerant temperature during the drying operation in order to prevent overcurrent from exceeding the torque limit of the motor in the compressor 11 over time. When the temperature is detected, the compressor 11 is turned off to stop the refrigerant compression operation. When the refrigerant falls to a predetermined temperature, the compressor 11 is turned on again and driven at a constant speed, and the refrigerant reaches a predetermined temperature. Operate to maintain.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 2 is reduced by the drive output reducing means 21 that reduces the drive output of the rotary drum 2. R is reduced from R when the compressor 11 is in the ON state to R1.

  Thus, the control means 20 controls the compressor 11 to be turned on / off by the output of the refrigerant temperature detection means 16, and when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the compressor 11 turns on the rotational speed of the rotary drum 2. By making it lower than in the state, the power consumption of the drum drive motor 3 that drives the rotary drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state can be reduced.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat pump device 10 connected by the conduit 15 so that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11, the radiator 12, the throttle means 13, and the heat absorber 14 driven by the induction motor. A rotating drum 2 for storing and drying clothes, a drum driving motor 3 for rotating the rotating drum 2, a blowing means 6 for supplying warm air heated by the heat pump device 10 into the rotating drum 2, and a blowing means The circulation air path 5 that guides the drying air blown by 6 to the rotary drum 2 after flowing the drying air from the heat absorber 14 to the radiator 12, the state detection means 16 that detects the state of the heat pump device 10, and the drying operation Control means 20 for controlling, and the control means 20 has a drive output reduction means 21 for reducing the drive output of the rotary drum 2, and the compressor 11 is controlled by the output of the state detection means 16. In addition to N / OFF control, when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the drive output of the rotary drum 2 is reduced by the drive output reducing means 21 and the compressor 11 is in the OFF state during the drying operation. In some cases, the drive output of the rotary drum 2 can be reduced, and the power consumption of the drum drive motor 3 can be reduced.

  The state detection means 16 may detect the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe line 15 discharged from the compressor 11 and may detect the temperature of the drying air flowing through the circulation air path 5. It is only necessary to be able to detect the state.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the clothes dryer in the second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this embodiment is that the rotation of the rotary drum 2 is stopped when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and the detailed description of the first embodiment is used.

  As the drying of the clothing progresses, the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat pump device 10 increases, so the control means 20 performs ON / OFF control of the compressor 11 based on the output of the refrigerant temperature detection means 16. .

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, when the compressor 11 is OFF, the drive output of the rotary drum 2 is reduced by the drive output reducing means 21 and the rotation of the rotary drum 2 is stopped. Like to do.

  As described above, the control unit 20 controls the compressor 11 to be turned ON / OFF by the output of the refrigerant temperature detection unit 16 and, when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, stops the rotation of the rotary drum 2 to compress the compressor 11. The power consumption of the drum drive motor 3 that drives the rotary drum 2 when the machine 11 is in the OFF state can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the operation of the clothes dryer in the third embodiment of the present invention. The feature of the present embodiment is that when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the driving time per unit time of the rotary drum 2 is made shorter than when the compressor 11 is in the ON state. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and the detailed description of the first embodiment is used.

  As the drying of the clothing progresses, the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat pump device 10 increases, so the control means 20 performs ON / OFF control of the compressor 11 based on the output of the refrigerant temperature detection means 16. .

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the driving time Ds of the rotating drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state is the driving time of the rotating drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the ON state. It is set to be less than Do. That is,
Do is (T1 + T2 + T3) / To,
Ds is (T4 + T5 + T6) / To,
Do> Ds.

  As described above, the control unit 20 performs ON / OFF control of the compressor 11 based on the output of the refrigerant temperature detection unit 16, and the driving time Ds of the rotary drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state is determined by the compressor. The power consumption of the drum drive motor 3 that drives the rotary drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state is reduced by controlling the drive time Do of the rotary drum 2 when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state. Can do.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 8 is a time chart showing the operation of the clothes dryer in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this embodiment is that when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the rotational speed of the blower 6 is made higher than when the compressor 11 is in the ON state. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and the detailed description of the first embodiment is used.

  As the drying of the clothing progresses, the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat pump device 10 increases, so the control means 20 performs ON / OFF control of the compressor 11 based on the output of the refrigerant temperature detection means 16. .

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the rotational speed of the blower 6 is increased from r to r1 to increase the air volume. As a result, the amount of heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant increases, so that the refrigerant temperature can be quickly lowered from th1 to th2, as shown in FIG. When the temperature of the refrigerant decreases to th2, the compressor 11 is driven again to dry the clothes.

  As described above, the control unit 20 performs ON / OFF control of the compressor 11 based on the output of the refrigerant temperature detection unit 16, and when the compressor 11 is in the OFF state, the rotational speed r of the blower 6 is set to the compressor 11. By controlling so that the rotational speed r1 is higher than that in the ON state, the time of the compressor 11 in the OFF state can be shortened, the drying time can be shortened, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  As described above, the clothes dryer according to the present invention can reduce the driving output of the rotating drum and reduce the power consumption during the drying operation when the compressor is in the OFF state during the drying operation. Useful as a clothes dryer.

2 Rotating drum 3 Drum drive motor 5 Circulating air path 6 Blower (Blower unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Heat pump apparatus 11 Compressor 12 Radiator 13 Throttle means 14 Heat absorber 15 Pipe line 16 Refrigerant temperature detection means (state detection means)
20 control means 21 drive output reduction means

Claims (5)

A heat pump device in which a compressor driven by an induction motor, a radiator, a throttle means, and a heat absorber are connected by a pipe line so that the refrigerant circulates;
A rotating drum for storing and drying clothes,
A drum drive motor for rotating the rotary drum;
Blowing means for supplying hot air heated by the heat pump device into the rotating drum, and drying air blown by the blowing means is introduced from the heat absorber to the radiator and then guided to the rotating drum. A circulation airway,
State detection means for detecting the state of the heat pump device;
Control means for controlling the drying operation,
The control means has drive output reduction means for reducing the drive output of the rotating drum,
While controlling the ON / OFF of the compressor by the output of the state detection means,
A clothes dryer wherein the drive output of the rotating drum is reduced by the drive output reduction means when the compressor is in an OFF state. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the drive output reducing means makes the rotational speed of the rotary drum lower when the compressor is in the OFF state than when the compressor is in the ON state. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the drive output reducing means stops the rotation of the rotating drum when the compressor is in an OFF state. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the drive output reducing means makes the drive time per unit time of the rotating drum shorter when the compressor is in the OFF state than when the compressor is in the ON state. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means is configured such that when the compressor is in an OFF state, the rotational speed of the blower means is higher than when the compressor is in an ON state.