Clothes Drier, Washing Machine, and Washing Machine with Clothes Drying Function

A clothes drier comprising:

• a treatment tub in which clothes are dried;
• a drying air duct having opposite ends and configured to feed air supplied from one of the opposite ends into the treatment tub, the other end being connected to the treatment tub;
• an air blowing unit provided in the drying air duct and configured to generate an air stream for feeding the air supplied from the one end into the treatment tub through the other end;
• a heating unit provided in a portion of the drying air duct downstream of the air blowing unit with respect to an air flowing direction in the drying air duct for heating air flowing through the drying air duct;
• an ozone generator disposed outside the drying air duct for generating ozone from air sucked from an inlet thereof and releasing the ozone from an outlet thereof, the inlet being connected to a portion of the drying air duct located between the air blowing unit and the heating unit, the outlet being connected to a portion of the drying air duct downstream of the heating unit with respect to the air flowing direction.

A clothes drier comprising:

• a treatment tub in which a drying operation is performed to dry clothes;
• an ozone generator which generates ozone;
• a dryness detecting unit which detects dryness of the clothes in the treatment tub;
• and
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub after the dryness detected by the dryness detecting unit reaches a predetermined dryness level.

A clothes drier comprising:

• a treatment tub in which clothes are dried;
• a drying air duct having opposite ends and configured to feed air supplied from one of the opposite ends into the treatment tub, the other end being connected to the treatment tub;
• an air blowing unit provided in the drying air duct and configured to generate an air stream for feeding the air supplied from the one end into the treatment tub through the other end;
• a heating unit provided in the drying air duct for heating air flowing through the drying air duct;
• an ozone generator disposed outside the drying air duct for generating ozone;
• and
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub through the drying air duct;
• the clothes drier being configured to perform a drying step of introducing the heated air into the treatment tub to dry the clothes in the treatment tub by actuating the air blowing unit and the heating unit, and a cooling step of reducing a temperature of the clothes in the treatment tub after completion of the drying step;
• wherein the ozone supply controller supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub during the cooling step.

A washing machine comprising:

• a treatment tub in which clothes are contained and the contained clothes are washed and dehydrated;
• an ozone generator which generates ozone;
• and
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub;
• wherein the ozone supply controller supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub during a dehydrating step performed to dehydrate the clothes.

A washing machine comprising:

• a treatment tub in which clothes are contained, and the contained clothes are washed and dehydrated;
• an ozone generator which generates ozone;
• and
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub;
• the washing machine being configured to perform a laundering operation which is terminated after the dehydration of the clothes;
• wherein the ozone supply controller supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub after the dehydration of the clothes in the laundering operation.

A washing machine with a clothes drying function, comprising:

• a treatment tub in which water is contained, and a washing process, a dehydrating process and a drying process are performed with clothes being contained therein;
• a drying air duct having opposite ends and configured to feed air supplied from one of the opposite ends into the treatment tub, the other end being connected to the treatment tub;
• an air blowing unit provided in the drying air duct and configured to generate an air stream for feeding the air supplied from the one end into the treatment tub through the other end;
• a heating unit provided in the drying air duct for heating air flowing through the drying air duct;
• an ozone generator disposed outside the drying air duct for generating ozone;
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub through the drying air duct;
• and
• a selector which selects one of a washing course in which the washing process and the dehydrating process are performed, a washing/drying course in which the washing process, the dehydrating process and the drying process are performed, and a drying course in which the drying process is performed;
• wherein the ozone supply controller supplies the ozone into the treatment tub during the dehydrating step to dehydrate the clothes and/or after the dehydrating step if the washing course is selected, and supplies the ozone into the treatment tub during the drying operation if the washing/drying course or the drying course is selected.

A washing machine comprising:

• a treatment tub in which clothes are contained, and the contained clothes are washed;
• an ozone generator which generates ozone;
• and
• an ozone supply controller which supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub;
• wherein the ozone supply controller supplies the ozone generated by the ozone generator into the treatment tub before water is supplied in a washing step.