Washing and drying machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10590583-B2
Application number	US-201715674435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Oct 5, 2016
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

Improvement in heat exchange efficiency can be promoted, a heat exchange can be efficiently performed, a space can be saved, and drying time can be shortened. A washing and drying machine includes a drum configured to accommodate clothes, a motor configured to drive the drum, a tub configured to accommodate the drum and store washing water, and a circulation flow path configured to circulate drying air into and out of the drum. A circulation duct constituting a part of the circulation flow path is connected to a converging portion configured to converge drying air. A dehumidifier is installed in one or more duct systems of the circulation duct. The washing and drying machine further includes a controller configured to control the dehumidifier and two duct cleaning pipes installed in branch ducts and configured to supply water to the dehumidifier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing and drying machine comprising:
a drum configured to rotate about a rotary shaft;
a tub provided at an outside of the drum to accommodate the drum;
a circulation flow path configured to circulate air into and out of the drum;
a circulation duct provided on the circulation flow path, the circulation duct including:
a fan connection, and
a plurality of independent duct systems that converge at an upstream side of the fan connection, wherein the circulation duct is provided from the tub to the fan connection by branch ducts;

a dehumidifier installed in one or more of the plurality of independent duct systems;
a water supply pipe installed around the plurality of independent duct systems, the water supply pipe including a valve; and
at least one processor configured to independently adjust an amount of dehumidifying coolant being supplied to the branch ducts by controlling the valve.

2. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , wherein a communication hole is provided in the one or more of the plurality of independent duct systems in which the dehumidifier is installed to communicate with the tub.

3. The washing and drying machine of claim 2 , wherein the communication hole is partitioned from a second communication hole by partition ribs.

4. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising a vibration absorbing duct connecting the tub to the circulation duct.

5. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising a converging portion connected to the circulation duct at a location where the plurality of independent duct systems converge.

6. The washing and drying machine of claim 5 , wherein the converging portion is located at a downstream side in a direction in which air introduced into the circulation duct flows.

7. The washing and drying machine of claim 5 , further comprising:
a blower arranged on the circulation flow path to circulate air; and
a vibration absorbing duct that connects the converging portion to the blower.

8. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising a heater arranged on the circulation flow path to heat air.

9. The washing and drying machine of claim 8 , further comprising a vibration absorbing duct that connects the tub and the heater.

10. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
the dehumidifier arranged on the circulation flow path to dehumidify air; and
a nozzle provided to supply a dehumidifying coolant to the dehumidifier.

11. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising a blower arranged on the circulation flow path to circulate air, wherein the circulation duct includes:
a blower connection connected to the blower in a manner that air that passed through the circulation duct is introduced into the blower;
a body in which the blower connection is provided; and
a cover coupled to the body to define the plurality of independent duct systems together with the body.

12. The washing and drying machine of claim 2 , wherein the communication hole is located upstream from the rotary shaft in a direction in which air introduced into the circulation duct flows.

13. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , wherein the circulation duct is integrally formed with the tub.

14. The washing and drying machine of claim 3 , wherein the second communication hole is formed to have a different height than the communication hole.

15. The washing and drying machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a blower arranged on the circulation flow path to circulate air; and
the water supply pipe installed around the plurality of independent duct systems and configured to supply water to the dehumidifier, wherein:
the water supply pipe is a branch pipe having a branch portion that is branched into two or more portions,
the branch pipe is connected to one or more of the plurality of independent duct systems, and
the valve whose opening toward the branch portion is adjustable is installed in the branch portion of the water supply pipe.

16. The washing and drying machine of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the blower to adjust flow of air flowing in the circulation flow path.

17. The washing and drying machine of claim 16 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the valve installed in the branch portion to control a flow rate of a dehumidifying coolant being supplied to the branch ducts.

18. The washing and drying machine of claim 17 , wherein when supplying the dehumidifying coolant to each of the branch ducts, the at least one processor is further configured to control the valve installed in the branch portion to use any one of the branch ducts as a bypass air flow path by making a total amount of the dehumidifying coolant supplied to one of the branch ducts to be smaller than a total amount of the dehumidifying coolant supplied to another one of the branch ducts.

19. The washing and drying machine of claim 17 , wherein when supplying the dehumidifying coolant to each of the branch ducts, the at least one processor is further configured to control the valve installed in the branch portion to make a supplied amount of the dehumidifying coolant to be repeatedly increased and decreased alternately within a predetermined period.

20. The washing and drying machine of claim 17 , wherein when supplying the dehumidifying coolant to each of the branch ducts, the at least one processor is further configured to control:
the valve installed in the branch portion to prevent diffusion of the dehumidifying coolant from being stopped at a bleed-out port of the tub after falling-rate drying; and
the valve installed in the branch portion to prevent diffusion of the dehumidifying coolant from being stopped at the bleed-out port of the tub during cool-down.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitayama Naoki

Classifications

• D06F58/34

  characterised by the purpose or target of the control · CPC title

• D06F33/63

  of air flow, e.g. blowing air during the washing process to prevent entanglement of the laundry · CPC title

• D06F33/50

  Control of washer-dryers characterised by the purpose or target of the control · CPC title

• D06F58/24

  Condensing arrangements · CPC title

• D06F37/267

  Tubs specially adapted for mounting thereto components or devices not provided for in preceding subgroups (D06F37/206 takes precedence) · CPC title