Laundry Washing and Drying Machine

Abstract

A laundry washing and drying machine ( 1 ) includes a casing ( 2 ) and, inside the casing, a laundry container ( 3, 6 ) for housing the laundry to be washed and dried, and a heat-pump-type, hot-air generator ( 10 ) able to circulate a stream of hot air inside the laundry-container ( 3, 6 ), and to heat up the washing water supplied to said laundry container ( 3, 6 ). The hot-air generator ( 10 ) includes a heat-pump assembly ( 21 ) which is provided with a first air/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 23 ) which is located along the air recirculating conduit ( 19 ) for heating up the airflow (f) directed to the laundry container ( 3, 6 ). A second water/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 24 ) is located out of the air recirculating conduit ( 19 ), and heats up or cools down the water arriving from the laundry container ( 3, 6 ). A third air/water heat exchanger ( 25 ) is located along the air recirculating conduit ( 19 ), upstream of the first air/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 23 ), for cooling the airflow (f) arriving from the laundry container ( 3, 6 ). A water circulation circuit ( 26 ) is provided for circulating the water stored in the laundry container ( 3, 6 ) through the second water/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 24 ) and the third air/water heat exchanger ( 25 ). A hydraulic distributor ( 28 ) is provided for reversing, on command, the flow of the refrigerant along the first air/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 23 ), the refrigerant expansion device ( 27 ) and the second water/refrigerant heat exchanger ( 24 ).

1 . A laundry washing and drying machine comprising a casing and, inside the casing, a laundry container for housing the laundry to be washed and dried, and a hot-air generator able to circulate a stream of hot air inside said laundry container, and to heat up the washing water stored into the laundry container; said hot-air generator comprising
 an air recirculating conduit connected at both ends to said laundry container;   ventilating means able to produce, along the recirculating conduit, an airflow (f) which flows through the laundry container; and   a heat-pump assembly which is able to rapidly cool the airflow (f) coming out from the laundry container for condensing the surplus moisture in said airflow (f), and then to rapidly heat the airflow (f) returning back into said laundry container;   wherein said heat-pump assembly is a bi-directional device and it comprises:   a first and a second refrigerant heat exchanger designed so that the refrigerant flowing through them can alternatively release or absorb heat from other fluids simultaneously flowing through said first and second heat exchanger; and   bi-directional refrigerant circulating means able to circulate a refrigerant in succession through said first and second heat exchanger while subjecting said refrigerant in succession to a compression and an expansion in the passing from one of said refrigerant heat exchangers to the other, so that alternatively the first or the second refrigerant heat exchanger can receive a high-pressure and high-temperature refrigerant while the other refrigerant heat exchanger receives a low-pressure and low-temperature refrigerant;   said first refrigerant heat exchanger being located along the air recirculating conduit, and being designed so that the refrigerant arriving from the bidirectional refrigerant circulating means and the airflow directed to the laundry container flow through it simultaneously, allowing the refrigerant to release or absorb heat to/from said airflow (f, f′); said second refrigerant heat exchanger being instead located out of the air recirculating conduit, and being designed so that the washing water arriving from the laundry container and the refrigerant arriving from the bi-directional refrigerant circulating means flow through it simultaneously, allowing the refrigerant to release or absorb heat to/from said washing water; the hot-air generator being also provided with:   an air/water heat exchanger which is located along the air recirculating conduit, upstream of the first refrigerant heat exchanger, and is designed so that the airflow arriving from the laundry container and the water arriving from said second refrigerant heat exchanger flow through it simultaneously, allowing the water to absorb heat from the airflow; and   with a water circulation circuit for circulating the water stored into the laundry container through the second refrigerant heat exchanger and the air/water heat exchanger.   
     
     
         2 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hot-air generator is also provided with airflow control means which are located along the air recirculating conduit for putting, on command, said air recirculating conduit in communication with the outside, for allowing the external air to circulate through the first refrigerant heat exchanger. 
     
     
         3 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said airflow control means are also able to prevent air circulation through the air/water heat exchanger, when the air recirculating conduit is in communication with the outside. 
     
     
         4 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said ventilating means are located along the air recirculating conduit, between the air/water heat exchanger and the first refrigerant heat exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said airflow control means comprise two three-way valves which are located along the air recirculating conduit, on both sides of the first refrigerant heat exchanger, so as to divide the air recirculating conduit into two consecutive segments each of which crosses a respective heat exchanger; both three-way valves being designed to put the segment of the air recirculating conduit that crosses the first refrigerant heat exchanger, in direct communication, alternatively, with the outside or with the other segment of the air recirculating conduit. 
     
     
         6 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein a first of said two three-way valves is located between the air/water heat exchanger and the ventilating means, and a second of said two three-way valves is located between the first refrigerant heat exchanger and the laundry container. 
     
     
         7 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said water circulation circuit comprises a first pipe connecting the bottom of the laundry container to the inlet of the second refrigerant heat exchanger; a second pipe connecting the outlet of the second refrigerant heat exchanger to the inlet of the air/water heat exchanger ; a third pipe connecting the outlet of the air/water heat exchanger to the laundry container; and a water circulating pump which is located along said first, said second or said third pipe for sucking, on command, the washing water from the bottom of the laundry container and circulating said water through the second refrigerant heat exchanger and the air/water heat exchanger, before feeding said water back into the laundry container. 
     
     
         8 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said laundry container comprises a washing tub suspended in a floating manner inside the casing, and a revolving drum for housing the laundry to be washed and/or dried, and which is fixed in an axially rotating manner inside the washing tub. 
     
     
         9 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said laundry washing and drying machine also comprises a washing-water recirculating and draining circuit for sucking the washing water from the bottom of the washing tub and feeding said water back into the revolving drum, or alternatively feeding said water into an external waste-water exhaust duct; said water circulation circuit being integrated with said washing-water recirculating and draining circuit. 
     
     
         10 . A laundry washing and drying machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said bi-directional refrigerant circulating means comprise:
 refrigerant compressing means for compressing a gaseous refrigerant so that refrigerant pressure and temperature are much higher at the outlet than at the inlet of the refrigerant compressing means;   a refrigerant expansion device which subjects the refrigerant flowing from the first refrigerant heat exchanger to the second refrigerant heat exchanger or vice versa, to a rapid expansion for reducing pressure and temperature of said refrigerant; and   an hydraulic distributor which connects the refrigerant compressing means to both the first and the second refrigerant heat exchanger, and is structured for selectively putting the outlet of the refrigerant compressing means in communication with the first heat exchanger, alternatively, the second refrigerant heat exchanger, and the inlet of the refrigerant compressing means in communication with the other refrigerant heat exchanger, for selecting, on command, the flow of the refrigerant along the first refrigerant heat exchanger, the refrigerant expansion device and the second refrigerant heat exchanger.