Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Koichi Hatsuda

Masaru Noro

Katsuhito Nakagawa

Kenji Mitsunari

Shigeru Yamao

A vaporized solvent emitted from the laundry in the drum during the drying process is condensed within an air passage. From this passage a liquid mixture (solvent and water) is guided to a first liquid storage tankthrough a liquid mixture line. An air relief pipeis connected to an intermediate point of this line so that air coming from the air passage is released through an activated carbon filterto the outside. The outlet endof the liquid mixture lineis immersed in the solvent in the upper layer within the first liquid storage tank. Due to the hydraulic pressure acting on the outlet end, the air tends to flow toward the air relief pipe. This reduces the current pressure of the air coming from the air passage and alleviates its influence within the first liquid storage tank, so that a vertical motion of the interface between the solvent and water due to the current pressure is suppressed. Thus, unwanted matter gathering around the interface is prevented from sticking to a filter, and the solvent is prevented from being discharged.

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Osaka, Japan

Koichi Hatsuda