Patent Publication Number: US-6981336-B2

Title: Washing/drying machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a washing/drying machine including an accommodating chamber in which things to be washed are accommodated and in which washing and drying of the things to be washed are executed. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, there has been provided a washing/drying machine for automatically performing washing to drying in an accommodating chamber in which things to be washed are accommodated. The washing/drying machine performs a washing operation having a plurality of different steps such as washing, rinsing, and spin-drying steps, and a drying operation for drying the things to be washed spin-dried in the steps. 
     Here, in the drying operation, an electric heater or a gas combustion heater has heretofore been used as a heat source. After heating outside air by the electric heater or the gas combustion heater to obtain high-temperature air, the air is blown into the accommodating chamber in which the things to be washed are accommodated, and the things to be washed in the accommodating chamber are dried. Moreover, the high-temperature air in the accommodating chamber, by which the things to be washed have been dried, is exhausted to the outside. 
     However, when the drying operation is performed using the electric heater, the gas combustion heater or the like, moisture-containing outside air at a low temperature outside the accommodating chamber is used in the high-temperature air blown into the accommodating chamber, and therefore a long time is required until the things to be washed dry. Therefore, there have been problems that energy consumption for drying things to be dried increases and energy costs such as electricity and gas cost rise remarkably. 
     To solve the problem, a washing/drying machine has also been developed in which a heating pump constituted of a compressor, a heating coil, an expansion valve, and a cooling coil and capable of circulating a heat exchange medium is used, the things to be washed are dried by the high-temperature air heated by the heating coil, and moisture evaporated from the washed things is coagulated and discarded by the cooling coil (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-99299). 
     By the use of the heating pump, it can be expected that a time required for drying the things to be washed is shortened and energy efficiency is raised, but there has been an earnest demand for improvement of a relative efficiency of an operation including the washing operation in the washing/drying machine which executes both the washing operation and the drying operation in the accommodating chamber. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a washing/drying machine comprising: an accommodating chamber in which things to be washed are accommodated and in which a washing operation of the things to be washed and a drying operation after end of the washing operation are performed; water supply means for supplying water into the accommodating chamber and draining means for discharging the water from the accommodating chamber in the washing operation; a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a gas cooler, a decompression device, an evaporator and the like are successively connected to one another in an annular form via a piping and in which carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant; and blower means for blowing air which has exchanged heat with the gas cooler into the accommodating chamber to allow the air passed through the accommodating chamber to exchange the heat with the evaporator in the drying operation, wherein the water supplied into the accommodating chamber by the water supply means in the washing operation is heated by the refrigerant on a high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit. 
     According to the present invention, electric energy and operation time required for drying the things to be washed in the drying operation are reduced, and the drying operation with good efficiency can be realized. 
     Especially, since the water supplied into the accommodating chamber by the water supply means in the washing operation is heated by the refrigerant on the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit, temperature of the water supplied into the accommodating chamber in the washing operation is raised, and water solubility of a washing agent can be enhanced. Accordingly, since washing performance is improved, a time required for the washing operation can also be reduced, and it is generally possible to remarkably improve an operation efficiency. 
     Moreover, the above-described invention comprises: a drainage reservoir section in which the water discharged from the accommodating chamber by the draining means is once stored, and the refrigerant on a low pressure side of the refrigerant circuit is evaporated to absorb the heat from the water stored in the drainage reservoir section in the washing operation. 
     According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the heat is drawn from the water discharged from the accommodating chamber and once stored in the drainage reservoir section, and it is possible to heat the water supplied into the accommodating chamber with good efficiency. Moreover, since a heat absorbing structure can be integrated in the drainage reservoir section, the washing/drying machine can be miniaturized. 
     Moreover, according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the refrigerant on the low pressure side of the refrigerant circuit is evaporated to absorb the heat from the outside air in the washing operation. 
     According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the heat is drawn from the outside air, and the water supplied into the accommodating chamber can be heated with good efficiency. 
     Furthermore, according to the present invention, the above-described invention further comprises: an auxiliary evaporator for absorbing the heat from the water or the outside air in the drainage reservoir section; channel control means for controlling whether to pass the refrigerant passed through the decompression device into the evaporator or the auxiliary evaporator; and control means for controlling the compressor, the blower means, and the channel control means, and the control means operates the compressor at the time of water supply by the water supply means, and the refrigerant is passed through the auxiliary evaporator by the channel control means. 
     According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described inventions, an operation time of the compressor at the time of the washing operation can be minimized, and energy efficiency can further be improved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an inner constitution diagram of a washing/drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     According to the present invention, to solve the technical problems, there is provided a washing/drying machine capable of shortening a time required for the washing operation and improving an operation efficiency. An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  shows an inner constitution diagram of a washing/drying machine  100  viewed from a side surface thereof, which is one embodiment of the present invention. The washing/drying machine  100  is used for washing and drying. The washing/drying machine  100  is used for washing and drying things to be washed such as clothes. An opening/closing door  3  for inserting/removing the things to be washed is attached to a middle portion of the upper surface of a main body  1  forming an outer structure, and an operation panel (not shown) in which various operation switches and a display portion are disposed is disposed on the upper surface of the main body  1  beside the opening/closing door  3 . 
     A cylindrical resin outer drum  2  capable of storing water is disposed in the main body  1 , and the outer drum  2  is disposed with respect to an axis of a cylinder which is a right/left direction. Moreover, a cylindrical stainless steel inner drum  5  which serves both as a washing tank and a spin-drying tank is disposed inside the outer drum  2 . The inside of the inner drum  5  is constituted as an accommodating chamber  10  in which the things to be washed are accommodated, and is also disposed with respect to the axis of the cylinder which is the right/left direction. The axis is connected to a shaft  8  of a driving motor M attached to a side wall (inner side of  FIG. 1 ) of the main body  1 , and the inner drum is held rotatably in the outer drum  2  centering on the shaft  8 . 
     A watertight opening/closing lid (not shown) for inserting/removing the things to be washed is disposed corresponding to the opening/closing door  3  in an upper part of the outer drum  2 . A large number of through-holes  7  . . . via which air and water can circulate are formed in a whole peripheral wall of the inner drum  5 . A stopping position of the inner drum  5  is defined, and an opening/closing lid (not shown) for inserting/removing the things to be washed is disposed in a position (upper surface) of the inner drum corresponding to the opening/closing lid of the outer drum  2  at the time of stopping. 
     The driving motor M is a motor for rotating the inner drum  5  centering on the shaft  8  in the right/left horizontal direction in a washing operation and a drying operation after end of the washing operation. The driving motor M is attached to one end of the shaft  8 , and is controlled by a control device  110  which is control means described later in such a manner as to rotate the inner drum  5  at a low speed at the time of the drying operation as compared with the washing operation. 
     A hollow portion  9  whose inner portion is formed to be hollow is formed in the other end of the shaft  8 , and an air circulation path  72  described later is connected into the inner drum  5  via the hollow portion  9 . 
     On the other hand, a water supply passage  15  which is water supply means for supplying water into the inner drum  5  is disposed in the upper part of the main body  1 , and one end of the water supply passage  15  is connected to a water source of tap water or the like via a water supply valve  35  also constituting the water supply means. The water supply valve  35  is controlled to open/close by the control device  110 . The other end of the water supply passage  15  is connected to the outer drum  2  to communicate with the inside of the drum, and is constituted in such a manner that water (tap water) is supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  disposed in the outer drum  2  from the water source, when the water supply valve  35  is opened by the control device  110 . 
     It is to be noted that a heat exchanger  50  described later for heating the water supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  as described above is disposed in the water supply passage  15  in a heat exchanging manner. 
     Moreover, a draining passage  12  which is draining means for discharging the water of the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  is disposed in a lower part of the main body  1 , and one end of the draining passage  12  communicates with a bottommost portion of the outer drum  2  via a draining valve  13  (also constituting the draining means) which is controlled to open/close by the control device  110 . The other end of the draining passage  12  is derived to the outside of the washing/drying machine  100 , and extends to a drain ditch or the like. 
     Here, a U trap  14  for sealing the inside of the draining passage  12  by the water discharged from the accommodating chamber  10  is constituted in the draining passage  12 , and a drainage reservoir section  16  whose passage is expanded/opened is formed before the U trap  14  (on a draining valve  13  side). When the draining valve  13  is opened by the control device  110 , the water (drainage) from the accommodating chamber  10  is one stored in the drainage reservoir section  16 , and thereafter overflows out of the U trap  14 . Moreover, when the draining valve  13  is closed, the draining passage  12  is sealed with the water by the U trap  14  in a state in which the water is stored in the drainage reservoir section  16 . Furthermore, an auxiliary evaporator  25  described later is disposed in the drainage reservoir section  16  in a heat exchanging manner. 
     On the other hand, in the washing/drying machine  100 , a machine chamber  70  is constituted laterally from a lower side and/or a rear side of the outer drum  2  in the main body  1 , and the above-described air circulation path  72  is constituted in the machine chamber  70 . 
     An inlet  73  is formed in one end of the air circulation path  72 , and an evaporator  24  of a refrigerant circuit  20  described later is disposed in the air circulation path  72  in the vicinity of the inlet  73  of the air circulation path  72 . Moreover, the inlet  73  of the air circulation path  72  communicates with a rear part in the outer drum  2 . An outlet  74  is formed in the other end of the air circulation path  72 , and a gas cooler  22  of the refrigerant circuit  20 , described later, is disposed in the air circulation path  72  in the vicinity of the outlet  74 . The outlet  74  of the air circulation path  72  opens in the hollow portion  9  formed in the other end of the shaft  8 . 
     Moreover, a blower  75  which is blower means is disposed in the air circulation path  72 . The blower supplies air into the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  from the outlet  74  of the air circulation path  72  via the hollow portion  9  of the shaft  8 . That is, in the washing/drying machine  100 , at the time of the drying operation, the air in the inner drum  5  is circulated in the air circulation path  72  by the blower  75  to thereby heat the air by heat exchange with the gas cooler  22  disposed on an outlet  74  side of the air circulation path  72 , and thereafter the air is discharged into the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5 . Moreover, the air which has circulated in the accommodating chamber  10  to dry the things to be washed is drawn in the air circulation path  72  from the inlet  73 , exchanges the heat with the evaporator  24  disposed on an inlet  73  side, and is cooled and dehumidified. Thereafter, the air is drawn in the blower  75  again, supplied to the gas cooler  22 , and discharged into the accommodating chamber  10 . 
     Next, in  FIG. 1 , reference numeral  20  denotes the refrigerant circuit, and the refrigerant circuit  20  is constituted by successively connecting a compressor  21 , the gas cooler  22 , an expansion valve  23  which is a decompression device, the evaporator  24  and the like to one another in an annular form via a piping. A predetermined amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is sealed as a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit  20 . Here, the compressor  21  for use in the present embodiment is a rotary compressor of an inner intermediate pressure type multistage compression system, and an electromotive element, and a first rotary compression element (first stage) and a second rotary compression element (second stage) driven by the electromotive element are disposed in an airtight container (not shown). 
     Moreover, a low-pressure refrigerant is introduced into the first rotary compression element of the compressor  21  from a refrigerant guide pipe  30 , and a high-temperature/pressure refrigerant compressed by the second rotary compression element is discharged to the outside of the compressor  21  from a refrigerant discharge pipe  32 . 
     The refrigerant discharge pipe  32  of the compressor  21  is connected to the inlet of the gas cooler  22  for heating the air, which is disposed on the outlet  74  side of the air circulation path  72 . A piping extending out of the gas cooler  22  extends to the expansion valve  23  through the heat exchanger  50 . The outlet of the expansion valve  23  is connected to the inlet of the evaporator  24  disposed on the inlet  73  side via a three-way valve  42  constituting channel control means, the outlet of the evaporator  24  is connected to the refrigerant guide pipe  30  via another three-way valve  44  also constituting the channel control means, and the evaporator reaches the compressor  21 . The operation of the compressor  21 , the expansion valve  23 , and the three-way valves  42 ,  44  are controlled by the control device  110 . 
     The heat exchanger  50  is disposed in such a manner as to exchange the heat with the refrigerant (high-temperature/pressure refrigerant) on the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit  20  and the water supplied into the outer drum  2  from a supply water source via the water supply passage  15 . The water passed through the water supply passage  15  exchanges the heat with the heat exchanger  50 , and is heated by the refrigerant on the high pressure side. 
     On the other hand, a bypass circuit  40  which bypasses the evaporator  24  is formed in the refrigerant circuit  20 , and the bypass circuit  40  is connected to the auxiliary evaporator  25  disposed in the drainage reservoir section  16  of the draining passage  12  as described above. Opposite ends of the bypass circuit  40  are connected to the three-way valves  42 ,  44 . Moreover, the control device  110  operates the compressor  21  at the time of the water supply by the water supply passage  15 , and passes the refrigerant through the auxiliary evaporator  25  by the three-way valves  42 ,  44 . 
     It is to be noted that the above-described control device  110  is control means for controlling the washing/drying machine  100 , and controls operating of the driving motor M, opening/closing of the water supply valve  35  of the water supply passage  15 , opening/closing of the draining valve  13  of the draining passage  12 , operating of the compressor  21 , throttle adjusting of the expansion valve  23 , an air amount of the blower  75 , and switching of the three-way valves  42 ,  44 . Furthermore, the control device  110  also controls the temperature of the air passed through the gas cooler  22  in order to prevent the things to be washed accommodated in the inner drum  5  from being discolored or damaged. 
     Next, an operation of the washing/drying machine  100  constituted as described above will be described. The things to be washed and a predetermined amount of washing agent corresponding to an amount of the things to be washed are thrown into the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5 . When a power switch and a start switch are operated among the above-described operation switches, the control device  110  starts a washing operation. In the washing operation, the control device  110  switches the three-way valves  42 ,  44  in such a manner that the refrigerant flows through the auxiliary evaporator  25  of the bypass circuit  40 . Furthermore, the control device  110  opens the water supply valve  35  of the water supply passage  15  to open the water supply passage  15 . Accordingly, water is supplied into the accommodating chamber  10  of the inner drum  5  in the outer drum  2  from the water source. It is to be noted that the draining valve  13  of the draining passage  12  is closed at this time. 
     Moreover, the control device  110  starts the electromotive element of the accommodating chamber  10  simultaneously with the opening of the water supply valve  35 . Accordingly, the refrigerant (CO 2 ) is drawn in and compressed by the first rotary compression element of the compressor  21 . The refrigerant which has been compressed by the first rotary compression element to obtain an intermediate pressure is discharged into the airtight container, the refrigerant discharged into the airtight container is drawn in the second rotary compression element, subjected to a second stage of compression to constitute a high-temperature/pressure refrigerant gas, and discharged to the outside from the refrigerant discharge pipe  32 . 
     The refrigerant gas discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe  32  flows into the heat exchanger  50  via the gas cooler  22 . During the washing operation, the blower  75  is not operated. Therefore, the refrigerant flows into the heat exchanger  50  substantially without releasing heat in the gas cooler. Here, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor  21  and flowing to the heat exchanger  50  from the gas cooler  22  on the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit  20  does not condense, and the operation is performed in a supercritical state. Moreover, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger  50  rises at about +130° C., and the high-temperature/pressure refrigerant gas exchanges the heat with the water passed through the water supply passage  15 , releases the heat, and flows out of the heat exchanger  50 . On the other hand, the water which has taken the heat from the refrigerant on the high pressure side in the heat exchanger  50  turns to warm water, and supplied into the accommodating chamber  10  in which the things to be washed are accommodated via the outer drum  2 . 
     When the water passed through the water supply passage  15  is heated in the heat exchanger  50  in this manner, the warm water can be supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  from the outer drum  2  through the through-holes  7 . That is, when the temperature of the water supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  is raised in the washing operation, water solubility of the washing agent can be enhanced. 
     Accordingly, the washing agent is prevented from being undissolved, dirt on the things to be washed can be effectively removed, and enhancement of the washing performance and reduction of the washing time can be achieved. 
     It is to be noted that the operation of the compressor  21  is controlled by the control device  110  in such a manner that the water supplied from the water supply passage  15  is heated, for example, at about +30° C. to +40° C. in the heat exchanger  50 . 
     On the other hand, the refrigerant which has flown out of the heat exchanger  50  reaches the expansion valve  23 . Here, the refrigerant is decompressed and liquefied, and flows into the auxiliary evaporator  25  disposed in the drainage reservoir section  16  of the draining passage  12  via the three-way valve  42 . The refrigerant which has entered the auxiliary evaporator  25  absorbs the heat from the water (drainage) stored in the drainage reservoir section  16  and evaporates. That is, the refrigerant circuit  20  functions as a heating pump which pumps up the heat from the water stored in the drainage reservoir section  16  of the draining passage  12  by the refrigerant in the auxiliary evaporator  25 , and conveys the heat to the heat exchanger  50  to heat the water supplied to the accommodating chamber  10 . 
     Accordingly, waste heat can be recovered from the water discharged into the drainage reservoir section  16  from the accommodating chamber  10 , and an energy efficiency can be improved. The water can be efficiency heated by the heat exchanger  50 . 
     It is to be noted that the control device  110  controls a valve open degree of the expansion valve  23  and the operation of the compressor  21  in such a manner as to prevent the water stored in the drainage reservoir section  16  before the U trap  14  from being frozen by the cooling by the auxiliary evaporator  25 . For example, the temperature of the water is set at +3° C. to +5° C. 
     Thereafter, the refrigerant is drawn in the first rotary compression element of the compressor  21  from the refrigerant guide pipe  30  via the three-way valve  44 , and this cycle is repeated. 
     When a predetermined amount of warm water is accumulated in the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5 , the control device  110  closes the water supply valve  35  to close the water supply passage  15 . Accordingly, water supply from the water source is stopped. The control device  110  stops the operation of the compressor  21  synchronously with the stopping of the water supply. 
     Next, the driving motor M formed in the side surface of the main body  1  is energized/started by the control device  110  to rotate the shaft  8 , accordingly the inner drum  5  attached to the shaft  8  starts rotating in the outer drum  2 , and a washing process of the washing operation is started. 
     When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the washing process, the driving motor M is stopped by the control device  110 , and the draining valve  13  of the draining passage  12  is opened to discharge the water (washing water) in the accommodating chamber  10  (i.e., in the outer drum  2 ) of the inner drum  5  via the U trap  14  as described above. 
     Moreover, when the water in the accommodating chamber  10  of the inner drum  5  is discharged, the control device  110  operates the driving motor M again to spin-dry the things to be washed. After performing the spin-drying for a predetermined time, the control device  110  closes the draining valve  13  of the draining passage  12 . Accordingly, the warm water supplied to the inner drum  5  is stored in the drainage reservoir section  16  of the draining passage  12 . 
     Next, the control device  110  shifts to a rinsing process, and opens the water supply valve  35  of the water supply passage  15  to open the water supply passage  15 . Accordingly, the water is supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  from the water source again. The control device  110  restarts the accommodating chamber  10  synchronously with the opening of the water supply valve  35 , and heats the supplied water by the heat exchanger  50  in the same manner as described above. 
     Accordingly, the warm water heated by the heat exchanger  50  is supplied into the accommodating chamber  10  also in the rinsing process in the same manner as in the washing process. The heat drawn from the drainage reservoir section  16  of the draining passage  12  is used in the heat exchanger  50 . 
     On the other hand, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5 , the control device  110  closes the water supply valve  35  to close the water supply passage  15 . Accordingly, the water supply from the water source is stopped. The control device  110  stops the operation of the compressor  21 . 
     Moreover, after a rotation operation of the driving motor M is repeated for a predetermined time to perform the rinsing, the control device  110  stops the driving motor M, and opens the draining valve  13  of the draining passage  12  to discharge the rinsing water in the accommodating chamber  10  to the draining passage  12 . When the rinsing water in the accommodating chamber  10  is discharged, the control device  110  operates the driving motor M again, rotates the inner drum  5  in the same manner as described above, and shifts to a spin-drying process to spin-dry the things to be washed. 
     Since the warm water heated in the heat exchanger  50  is supplied to the inner drum  5  also in the rinsing process in this manner, the washing agent attached to the things to be washed is dissolved and can be effectively dropped. Accordingly, a rinsing capability is enhanced, and a rinsing time can be shortened. 
     Moreover, since the compressor  21  is operated only during the water supply, the operation time of the compressor  21  can be minimized, the washing and rinsing time is also shortened, and the energy efficiency can further be improved as a whole. 
     Furthermore, since the heated warm water is supplied to the inner drum  5 , the temperature of the accommodating chamber  10  is raised before the drying operation. Therefore, the raising of the temperature at the startup can be assisted from when the compressor  21  is started at the time of the drying operation until the gas cooler  22  is warmed at a predetermined high temperature. Accordingly, the reduction of the drying time and the enhancement of the operation efficiency of the washing/drying machine  100  can be achieved. 
     Moreover, after performing the spin-drying process for a predetermined time, the control device  110  closes the draining valve  13 . The control device  110  switches the three-way valves  42 ,  44  in such a manner that the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit  20  flows into the evaporator  24 , starts the compressor  21 , and starts the operation of the blower  75 . Moreover, the driving motor M rotates the inner drum  5 , and the process shifts to a drying operation. In the drying operation, a high-temperature/pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor  21  radiates the heat in the gas cooler  22  and heat exchanger  50 , and thereafter the pressure of the gas is reduced by the expansion valve  23 . Next, the refrigerant flows into the evaporator  24  to absorb the heat from a periphery thereof, evaporates, and is drawn in a first rotation compression element of the compressor  21  from the refrigerant discharge pipe  32 . The refrigerant is circulated in this manner. 
     Moreover, by the operation of the blower  75 , the air heated by the heat radiation of the high-temperature/pressure refrigerant in the gas cooler  22  at a high temperature flows out into the hollow portion  9  from the outlet  74  of the air circulation path  72 , and is blown into the accommodating chamber  10  of the inner drum  5 . 
     The heated air (at +85° C. to +95° C. at this time) blown into the accommodating chamber  10  warms the washed things accommodated in the inner drum  5  (accommodating chamber  10 ) to evaporate moisture, and the washed things are dried. The moisture-containing air (air temperature at about +60° C.) which has dried the washed things flows through the accommodating chamber  10 , flows out of the inner drum  5  via through-holes  7 , is drawn into the air circulation path  72  from the inlet  73 , and flows through the evaporator  24  disposed therein. The temperature of the evaporator  24  drops at about +3° C. by the evaporation of the refrigerant. Therefore, the moisture in the air coagulates on the surface of the evaporator  24  in the process of the passage through the evaporator  24 , and drops as water droplets. The water droplets which have dropped are discharged to an external drain ditch and the like from the draining passage  12  via a drain pipe (not shown). 
     Moreover, the dried air (temperature drops at +20° C. to +30° C.) from which the moisture has been removed by the evaporator  24  is drawn in the blower  75 , and blown on the outlet  74  side of the air circulation path  72 . Since the gas cooler  22  is disposed on the outlet  74  side of the air circulation path  72  as described above, the dried air is heated again in the gas cooler  22 , and thereafter blown into the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  via the hollow portion  9  of the shaft  8 . The moisture is taken from the washed things in the inner drum  5 , and they are dried. This circulation is repeated. 
     When the drying operation is performed for a predetermined time in the control device  110 , the washed things in the accommodating chamber  10  in the inner drum  5  are completely dried. 
     It is to be noted that in the above-described embodiment, the auxiliary evaporator  25  is disposed in the drainage reservoir section  16  before the U trap  14  of the draining passage  12 , and the heat is absorbed from the discharged water (drainage) to evaporate the water. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The auxiliary evaporator may be disposed in a position (auxiliary evaporator  25 A shown by a broken line in  FIG. 1 ) capable of exchanging the heat with the outside air, and absorb the heat from the outside air for the evaporation. Furthermore, the auxiliary evaporator  25 A may be disposed together with the auxiliary evaporator  25  of the drainage reservoir section  16  before the U trap  14  of the draining passage  12  in such a manner that the auxiliary evaporator  25  absorbs the heat from the drainage and the auxiliary evaporator  25 A absorbs the heat from the outside air. In this case, the energy efficiency can further be enhanced. Moreover, even when the drainage is not stored in the drainage reservoir section  16  before the U trap  14  in an initial operation after installing the washing/drying machine  100 , the auxiliary evaporator  25 A can draw the heat from the outside air. 
     Moreover, in the present embodiment, the control device  110  turns on/off the compressor  21  synchronously with the opening/closing of the water supply valve  35 . However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The compressor  21  may be started before opening the water supply valve  35 . Accordingly, the temperature of the heat exchanger  50  can be raised beforehand at the time of the start of the water supply. Conversely, the compressor  21  may be stopped before closing the water supply valve  35 , and thereafter the water may be heated by remaining heat of the heat exchanger  50 . Accordingly, further reduction of power consumption can be achieved. 
     Furthermore, the rotary compressor of the inner intermediate pressure type multistage (two-stage) compression system including the first and second rotary compression elements is used in the compressor  21  of the present embodiment, but the compressor  21  usable in the present invention is not limited to this rotary compressor.