CN116438346A

CN116438346A - Clothes dryer

Info

Publication number: CN116438346A
Application number: CN202180067568.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 廉昌倍; 崔汉圭; 李妍珠; 车惠旼; 李基洙; 蒋宗铉
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-20
Filing date: 2021-09-24
Publication date: 2023-07-14
Also published as: EP4198189A1; WO2022108086A1; US20230235498A1; EP4198189A4

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a clothes dryer including a dehumidifying function. The clothes dryer includes: a housing; a drum provided inside the cabinet to accommodate objects to be dried; an opening provided on a front surface of the cabinet to allow an object to be dried to be placed in the drum; a heat exchanger provided inside the cabinet to exchange heat with air; and a door provided on the cabinet to open and close the opening, wherein the door discharges air discharged from the drum to an outside of the cabinet and maintains an opened state of the opening to supply external air to the heat exchanger.

Description

Clothes dryer

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dryer having a dehumidifying function.

Background

In general, a clothes dryer is a home appliance for drying wet articles to be dried and is configured to dry the articles to be dried within a drum by allowing hot air to pass through the drum while rotating the drum accommodating the articles to be dried at a low speed.

In general, a clothes dryer is installed and used in a multifunctional room in a separate laundry room or home, which has no window or is poorly ventilated due to its narrowness. When humidity in the washing room or the multifunctional room is high, a dryer installed in the washing room or the multifunctional room may be corroded, and a user using the place may feel uncomfortable.

The dryer may dry the object to be dried using a refrigerant cycle.

In particular, the dryer may remove moisture from the humid air exiting the drum, raise the temperature, and then send the hot and dry air back to the drum for circulation. That is, since the dryer dries the object by air circulation, a closed flow path is formed inside the main body.

Meanwhile, a dehumidifier is a device for removing moisture. The dehumidifier sucks air from the outside to remove moisture, raises the temperature, and then discharges the dehumidified air to the outside. That is, an open flow path is formed inside the dehumidifier.

As described above, an additional dehumidifier may be installed to control humidity in a space in which the dryer is installed. Laundry rooms or multi-functional rooms may have a small space, and thus, a dehumidifier may not be sufficiently installed. In addition, purchasing additional dehumidifiers is very inefficient.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure is directed to a clothes dryer including a dehumidifying function.

Further, the present disclosure is directed to a clothes dryer including a function of dehumidifying a surrounding space.

Further, the present disclosure is directed to providing a dryer capable of drying an object to be dried and dehumidifying a surrounding space.

Technical proposal

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a clothes dryer including: a housing; a drum provided in the cabinet to accommodate objects to be dried; an opening provided on a front surface of the cabinet to put an object to be dried into the drum; a heat exchanger provided inside the cabinet to exchange heat with air; and a door provided in the cabinet to open and close the opening. The door opening member is provided to cover at least a portion of the opening in response to the opening being opened to discharge air passing through the heat exchanger and then discharged to the outside of the drum to the outside of the cabinet and supply the outside air to the heat exchanger.

The door may include a door opening member provided to cover at least a portion of the opening.

The door opening member may be disposed between the door and the opening, and may include at least one of a mesh or a grid.

The door may include a first door rotatably provided to seal an outer edge of the opening, and a second door provided to be coupled to the first door and rotatably provided in front of the first door to open and close the first door. The door opening member may be disposed in the first door.

The door may include a first door including a hole formed by penetrating a portion of the first door, and a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the hole. A door opening member may be disposed in the hole.

The door opening member may further include a separation preventing member provided to be connected between the door and the opening.

The separation preventing member may further include a plurality of ribs provided to connect the door and the opening.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a dryer including: a housing; a drum provided in the cabinet to accommodate objects to be dried; an opening provided on a front surface of the cabinet to put an object to be dried into the drum; a heat exchanger provided in the cabinet to exchange heat with air; and a door provided in the cabinet to open and close the opening. The door includes a door opening member provided to cover at least a portion of the opening in response to the opening being opened to discharge air discharged to the outside of the drum to the outside of the cabinet and supply the outside air to the heat exchanger.

The clothes dryer may further include an automatic switching device configured to control the door to open the opening, and a controller configured to control the automatic switching device. The controller may be configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the door to be opened in the dehumidification mode.

The dryer may further include a door sensor configured to detect an opened and closed state of the door. The controller may be configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the door to be opened in response to detecting that the door is closed in the dehumidification mode.

The controller may be configured to control the motor to allow the drum to rotate in the dehumidifying mode.

The door may include a first door rotatably provided to seal an outer edge of the opening, and a second door provided to be coupled to the first door and rotatably provided in front of the first door to open and close the first door. The controller may be configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the second door to be opened in response to detecting that the second door is closed in the dehumidification mode.

Advantageous effects

The dryer may perform a dehumidifying function and a drying function.

In addition, the dryer can dehumidify the surrounding space without installing a separate dehumidifier.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 and 4 are views of a door opening member mounted on a door according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a dehumidifying operation state of a through-door opening member of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 and 7 are views of a door opening member mounted on a door according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 and 9 are views of a door opening member mounted on a door according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a control block diagram of a dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The embodiments described in the present disclosure and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be modified in various ways at the time of filing the present application to replace the embodiments and the drawings of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, like reference numerals or symbols shown in the drawings of the present disclosure denote elements or components performing substantially the same function.

Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to limit and/or restrict the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and the like are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of description.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The term "and/or" includes various combinations of related items or any of a plurality of related items.

In the following detailed description, the terms "front end", "rear end", "upper", "lower", "upper end", "lower end", etc. may be defined by the drawings, but the shape and location of components are not limited by the terms.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dryer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the dryer 1 may include a cabinet 10 forming an exterior of the dryer 1 and a drum 20 rotatably installed in the cabinet 10.

The cabinet 10 may be formed in a substantially hexahedral shape. An opening 12a may be formed on the front surface of the cabinet 10, the opening 12a being provided to insert laundry (not shown), which is an object to be dried, into the drum 20 or to take out the laundry from the drum 20. The opening 12a may be opened and closed by the door 100. The door 100 may be hinged to one side of the opening 12a of the cabinet 10 so as to be rotatable.

A control panel 11 configured to control the operation of the dryer 1 may be provided at an upper front side of the cabinet 10. An input formed in the form of a jog dial rotatable to receive the operation of the dryer 1 and a display provided to display various information about the dryer 1 may be provided in the control panel 11. However, it is not limited thereto, and the control panel may include various types of inputs and displays.

A drum 20 having a cylindrical shape may be provided in the cabinet 10. The drum 20 may be configured to rotate by receiving power from a driving device.

The cabinet 10 may include a front panel 12 forming a front surface, a top cover 13 forming an upper surface, and a base 14 forming a bottom surface. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the front cover, the top cover, and the base forming the cabinet are separately formed and assembled with each other, but are not limited thereto. For example, at least a portion of the front cover, the top cover, and the base may be integrally formed with one another.

The dryer 1 may include a door 100, the door 100 being configured to open and close an opening 12a formed by opening the front panel 12. After the user opens the door 100, the user may put laundry into the drum 20 or take out the laundry from the drum 20 through the opening 12a.

The drum 20 may be disposed within the cabinet 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation provided substantially horizontally with the ground. The drum 20 may have a substantially cylindrical shape in which openings are formed on the front and rear surfaces, respectively. The front surface of the drum 20 may be provided with an opening through which an object to be dried is put in or taken out.

The drum 20 may include an inlet 20a through which air is introduced into the drum 20 and an outlet 20b through which air is discharged from the inside of the drum to the outside of the drum (refer to fig. 4). The inlet 20a may be formed at one side of the drum 20, and the outlet 20b may be formed at the other side of the drum 20. Specifically, the inlet 20a may be a rear side opening of the drum 20, and the outlet may be a front side opening of the drum 20.

The lifter 21 may be provided on an inner circumferential surface of the drum 20 to lift laundry in response to rotation of the drum 20. As the drum 20 rotates, laundry may be repeatedly lifted and dropped by the lifter 21. A roller 22 provided to support the drum 20 to allow the drum 20 to smoothly rotate may be provided on an outer circumferential surface of the drum.

The drum 20 may be installed to rotate by receiving power of the driving means. The driving means may be disposed at an inner lower portion of the cabinet 10. The drive means may be mounted to the base 14.

The driving means may include a motor 70, a pulley 72 configured to transmit power of the motor 70 to the drum 20, and a belt 73. The pulley 72 may be connected to a rotation shaft 71, and the rotation shaft 71 is connected to the motor 70. The pulley 72 may rotate together with the rotation shaft 71 in response to the rotation of the rotation shaft 71 by the motor 70. Belt 73 may be mounted to wrap around the outer surface of pulley 72 and the outer surface of drum 20. The drum 20 may rotate together with the belt 73 in response to the rotation of the belt 73 caused by the driving force of the motor 70.

The drum 20 is provided to accommodate therein an object to be dried to thereby dry the object. A heat exchanger 60, a compressor 63, an expansion device (not shown), etc. forming a refrigerant cycle may be mounted on the base 14 under the drum 20.

A fan 64 may be provided on the base 14. The fan 64 may generate a blowing force to form a flow path. For example, the fan 64 is configured to discharge air in a radial direction.

Inside the cabinet 10, a refrigerant cycle for heating and condensing air may be formed. The refrigerant may be circulated through a series of processes consisting of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. In particular, the refrigerant cycle may include a heat exchanger 60, a compressor 63, and an expansion device. The heat exchanger 60 may exchange heat with air, and may include an evaporator 61 and a condenser 62.

The compressor 63 compresses and discharges the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state, and the discharged refrigerant flows into the condenser 62. The condenser 62 may condense the compressed refrigerant and discharge heat to the surroundings through a condensation process. Further, an expansion device (not shown) expands the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 62 from a high-temperature high-pressure state to a low-pressure state. The evaporator 61 evaporates the expanded refrigerant and may take heat from the surroundings through the evaporation process.

When an object to be dried is put into the dryer 1 and the dryer 1 is operated in the drying mode, high-temperature and high-humidity air discharged from the drum 20 may pass through the evaporator 61. Accordingly, the high temperature and high humidity air discharged from the drum 20 is cooled while passing through the evaporator 61, and thus the high temperature and high humidity air may become low temperature and low humidity air. At this time, when the high temperature and high humidity air is cooled in the evaporator 61, condensed water may be generated. The condensed water may be moved to a return water container (not shown) or discharged to the outside of the cabinet 10.

In addition, air dried at a low temperature after passing through the evaporator may pass through the condenser 62. Therefore, since the low temperature and low humidity air discharged from the evaporator is heated while passing through the condenser 62, the low temperature and low humidity air may become high temperature and low humidity air. High temperature and low humidity air may be introduced into the drum 20 through the inlet 20a to dry the objects to be dried. As the object to be dried is dried, high-temperature and high-humidity air containing a large amount of moisture may be discharged through the outlet 20b. The discharged air may pass through the evaporator 61 again. The air may dry the objects contained in the drum 20 while circulating in the cabinet 10.

A circulation flow path 80 for circulating the drying air may be formed in the cabinet 10. In addition, a blower fan 64 may be provided in the rear of the base 14 of the casing 10 to move air along the circulation flow path 80.

The circulation flow path 80 may include a discharge flow path 81 provided to discharge air from the inside of the drum 20 to the outside of the drum 20, a connection flow path 82 provided to dry the air discharged from the drum 20, and a supply flow path 83 provided to supply the dry air to the inside of the drum 20.

A filter 85 may be disposed on the discharge flow path 81 to filter out foreign substances contained in the air inside the drum 20. The heat exchanger 60 may be disposed in the connecting flow path 82. The air may become hot and dry as it passes through the connecting flow path 82. As the air passes through the connection flow path 82, foreign matter in the air is filtered off, and the air becomes hot and dry. The hot and dry air may be supplied back into the drum 20 through the supply flow path 83. The laundry within the drum 20 may be dried by hot and dry air. The air after drying the laundry may become a high temperature and high humidity state, and the high temperature and high humidity air in the drum 20 may be discharged to the outside of the drum 20 through the discharge flow path 81.

The dryer 1 may dry the laundry in the drum 20 while repeating the above-described process.

In general, in the drying mode, a closed flow path may be formed in the cabinet 10 of the dryer 1. The closed flow path may be an air moving path (circulation flow path 80) configured to circulate air inside the cabinet 10 through the heat exchanger 60 and the drum 20. The closed flow path may not communicate with the outside of the casing 10, and thus air outside the casing 10 may not flow in or out. That is, the flow of air may form a closed loop.

Fig. 3 and 4 are views illustrating a door opening member mounted on a door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 5 is a view illustrating a dehumidifying operation state of a dryer through the door opening member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, the door 100 of the dryer 1 may be provided to allow the opening 12a of the cabinet 10 to be maintained in an opened state.

The door 100 may further include a door opening member 200, the door opening member 200 being provided to allow the opening 12a of the cabinet 10 to be maintained in an open state.

The door opening member 200 may be provided to prevent the object to be dried in the drum 20 from escaping to the outside when the door 100 of the dryer 1 is in an opened state.

The door 100 of the dryer 1 may include a first door 110 and a second door 120, the second door 120 being rotatably provided in front of the first door 110 to open and close the first door 110.

The first door 110 may be rotatably provided at the front of the cabinet 10 and rotatably supported by a hinge (not shown) provided at one side of the first door 110.

The first door 110 may include a door opening 111a smaller than the opening 12a of the cabinet 10. The second door 120 may be rotatably provided in front of the first door 110 and rotatable in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first door 110. The second door 120 may be configured to open and close the door opening 111a of the first door 110.

The door opening member 200 may be provided in the door opening 111a of the first door 110. The door opening member 200 may be provided to cover at least a portion of the door opening 111a. The door opening member 200 may include a mesh or grid shape.

When the second door 120 is in the opened state, the door opening member 200 may be disposed in the door opening 111a to prevent the objects to be dried within the drum 20 from escaping to the outside. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the door opening member 200 is shown integrally provided on the rear surface of the first door 110, but is not limited thereto. For example, the door opening member may be detachably mounted on the door.

The door opening member 200 may include at least one of a mesh or a grid.

The door opening member 200 may include a first member 210 and a second member 220, the first member 210 being provided to be fixed to the first door 110, the second member 220 being connected to the first member 210 and including at least one of a mesh or a grid.

The first member 210 may be formed in a size and shape corresponding to the first door 110. The first member 210 may be provided to be fixed to a rear surface of the first door 110 or an inner surface of a door opening 111a formed in the first door 110.

When the second door 120 is in the opened state, the second member 220 of the door opening member 200 may cover at least a portion of the door opening 111a to prevent the objects to be dried from escaping from the drum 20 through the opened opening 12a and allow the inside of the drum 20 to communicate with the outside of the drum 20.

When the door 100 is in an open state, the dryer 1 may include an open flow path. The dryer 1 may include an open flow path by mounting the door opening member 200 to the door 100. When the door opening member 200 is mounted on the door 100 and the opening 12a of the cabinet 10, the dryer 1 may include an open flow path. The open flow path may be an air movement path (arrows in fig. 5). Alternatively, the open flow path may be an air movement path provided to allow external air to be sucked into the dryer 1, pass through the heat exchanger 60, and then be discharged to the outside of the dryer 1. Both ends of the open flow path may communicate with the outside of the cabinet 10, respectively, and the flow of air may form an open circuit.

When the dryer 1 is in the dehumidifying mode in a state in which the second door 120 of the dryer 1 is opened, external humid air (i.e., air before dehumidification) may be introduced into the drum 20 through the opened opening 12a, which is the outlet 12 b.

The incoming air may pass through the heat exchanger 60 along a circulation flow path 80. In particular, the air may exchange heat with the evaporator 61 and the condenser 62 while passing through the evaporator 61 and the condenser 62. The air passing through the heat exchanger 60 may become hot and dry air.

The air from which the moisture is removed while passing through the heat exchanger 60 may be moved by the fan 64, and passed through the inlet 20a of the drum 20, the inside of the drum 20, and the inlet 20a, and then discharged again to the drum 20. The air discharged from the drum 20 may be dehumidified and heated while passing through the heat exchanger 60, and may be hot and dry air discharged by passing through the drum 20. The hot and dry air may be discharged to the outside of the cabinet 10 through the open second door 120.

Accordingly, the air before dehumidification may be introduced from the outside and then dehumidified by heat exchange with the heat exchanger 60 inside the dryer 1, and the air after dehumidification may be discharged to the outside of the dryer 1. The dehumidifying operation (dehumidifying mode) may be performed by a flow of air.

Fig. 6 and 7 are views illustrating a door opening member mounted on a door according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Reference numerals, not shown, refer to fig. 1 to 5.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, the dryer 1 may perform a dehumidifying operation when the door 100A is in an opened state.

The door 100A may include a door opening member 200A provided to allow the opening 12a of the cabinet 10 to be maintained in an opened state. The door opening member 200A may be provided to prevent the object to be dried inside the drum 20 from escaping to the outside when the door 100A of the dryer 1 is in an opened state.

The door 100A of the dryer 1 may be configured to open and close the opening 12a of the cabinet 10. The door 100A of the dryer 1 may include a first door 110A formed to correspond to the size of the opening 12A to open and close the opening.

The first door 110A may be rotatably provided at the front of the cabinet 10 and rotatably supported by a hinge (not shown) provided at one side of the first door 110A.

The first door 110A may further include a hole 111A formed by penetrating a portion of the first door 110A. The hole 111A of the first door 110A may be opened and closed by the second door 120A. The hole 111A of the first door 110A may be provided to be freely opened and closed independently of the first door 110A during the drying process.

The second door 120A may be rotatably coupled to the first door 110A. The second door 120A may be rotatably coupled to the first door 110A by a hinge 130A. The second door 120A may be configured to open and close the hole 111A of the first door 110A.

The door opening member 200A may be provided in the hole 111A of the first door 110A. The door opening member 200A may be provided to cover at least a portion of the hole 111A. The door opening member 200A may include a mesh or grid shape.

When the second door 120A is in an opened state, the door opening member 200A may be disposed in the hole 111A to prevent the objects to be dried within the drum 20 from escaping to the outside.

When the dryer 1 is in the dehumidifying mode in a state in which the second door 120A of the dryer 1 is opened, external humid air (i.e., air before dehumidification) may be introduced into the drum 20 through the hole 111A of the opened first door 110A.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the door opening member 200A is shown mounted in the hole 111A of the first door 110A to prevent the object to be dried within the drum from escaping in the dehumidifying mode, but is not limited thereto. For example, even when the door opening member 200A is not installed in the hole 111A, the dehumidifying operation may be performed.

Fig. 8 and 9 are views illustrating a door opening member mounted on a door according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. Reference numerals, not shown, refer to fig. 1 to 5.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the dryer 1 may perform a dehumidifying operation when the door 100B is in an opened state.

The door 100B may include a door opening member 200B provided to allow the opening 12a of the cabinet 10 to be maintained in an opened state. When the door 100B of the dryer 1 is in an opened state, the door opening member 200B may be provided to prevent the object to be dried within the drum 20 from escaping to the outside.

The door 100B of the dryer 1 may be configured to open and close the opening 12a of the cabinet 10. The door 100B of the dryer 1 may be formed to correspond to the size of the opening 12a.

The door 100B may be rotatably provided at the front of the cabinet 10 and rotatably supported by a hinge (not shown) provided at one side of the door 100B.

When the door 100B is in the opened state, a predetermined gap G may be formed between the door 100B and the opening 12a.

The door opening member 200B may be disposed at a predetermined distance G between the door 100B and the opening 12a. The door opening member 200B may be provided to cover at least a portion of the gap G. The door opening member 200B may include a mesh or grid shape.

When the door 100B is in the opened state, the door opening member 200B may prevent the objects to be dried within the drum 20 from escaping through the gap G between the opening 12a and the door 100B.

The door opening member 200B may include a frame 210B provided to be fixed to the door 100B and the front panel 12 of the cabinet 10, and a separation preventing member 220B provided on the frame 210B.

The frame 210B may be provided to be fixed between the rear surface of the door 100B and the front panel 12 of the cabinet 10. The separation preventing member 220B may include at least one of a plurality of ribs, grids, or gratings. The separation preventing member 220B may be formed in a size and shape corresponding to the gap G between the door 100B and the opening 12a.

The separation preventing member 220B connected to the frame 210B may be provided to cover between the door 100B and the opening 12a of the front panel 12. The separation preventing member 220B may include a plurality of ribs 221B provided between the door 100B and the opening 12a of the front panel 12.

The door opening member 200B may be provided to prevent the objects to be dried within the drum 20 from escaping through the gap G formed between the door 100B and the opening 12a of the front panel 12.

When the door 100B is in the opened state, the door opening member 200B may prevent the objects to be dried from escaping from the inside of the drum 20 through the opening 12a and allow the inside and the outside of the drum 20 to communicate with each other.

Accordingly, when the door opening member 200B is installed between the door 100B and the front panel 12 in the opened state of the door 100B of the dryer 1 and when the dryer 1 is in the dehumidifying mode, external humid air (i.e., air before dehumidification) may be introduced into the drum 20 through the opening 12a of the opened door 100B.

An input for inputting the operation of the dryer 1 and provided in the form of a rotatable jog dial and a display for displaying various types of information about the dryer 1 may be provided in the control panel 11. However, it is not limited thereto, and the control panel may include various types of inputs and displays.

The control panel 11 may receive a user command for selecting the dehumidification mode. When the user selects the dehumidifying mode through the control panel 11, the control panel 11 may transmit a control signal corresponding to the dehumidifying mode to the controller 400.

The controller 400 may include: a memory (not shown) configured to store a program and data for controlling the operation of the dryer 1; and a processor (not shown) configured to generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the dryer 1 according to the program and data stored in the memory.

In response to receiving a command for the dehumidification mode through the control panel 11, the controller 400 determines whether external air may be allowed to flow through a flow path formed by the fan 64 (fig. 5). For example, the controller 400 may recognize that the door 100 is in an open state through the door sensor 410 and generate a control signal to allow an open flow path to be formed and allow a dehumidification mode to be performed.

The door sensor 410 may be provided with a switch (not shown) including at least one contact point to pass or block an electrical signal. For example, the switch may be a reed switch or a micro switch, but a switch configured to pass or block an electric signal such as a pulse wave may be used as the switch. The contact point of the switch may be in an open state when the door 100 is in an open state, and in a short-circuited state, i.e., in an energized state, when the door 100 is in a closed state. As a result, the controller 400 may determine whether the door 100 is opened or closed based on the state of the contact point, and the controller 400 may determine that it is sufficient to perform the dehumidification mode based on the opened state of the door 100. The door sensor 410 may be disposed at various positions of the cabinet 10 as long as the door sensor 410 contacts a portion of the door 100.

In addition, the controller 400 controls the automatic switching device 30 based on a signal detected by the door sensor 410. The automatic switching device 30 may be a device configured to automatically open the door 100 according to a control signal from the controller 400, and may be an actuator disposed at one side of the opening 12a to transmit a physical force to the door 100. The automatic opening and closing device 30 may include a well-known mechanism for automatically opening or closing the door 100, such as a rotary motor (not shown) provided on a hinge connecting the door 100 and the opening 12a, as described above.

When the dryer 1 is provided with a single door 100, the controller 400 may control the automatic opening and closing device 30 to open the door 100.

Further, when the door 100 of the dryer 1 is provided with the first door 110 and the second door 120, the controller 400 may control the automatic switching device 30 to open only the second door 120.

When the controller 400 determines that the dehumidifying mode can be performed due to the formation of the open flow path in the dryer 1, the controller 400 may control the drum 20, the heat exchanger 60, and/or the fan 64 to be driven.

When the dehumidifying mode is performed, the controller 400 controls the drum 20 to rotate by supplying current to the motor 70 (refer to fig. 5). As the drum 20 rotates, the temperature inside the drum 20 rises, thereby increasing the dehumidifying effect.

The controller 400 supplies current to the motor 70 for a predetermined time to rotate the drum 20 until the dehumidifying mode is completed.

The fan 64 may share the driving force of the motor 70 provided by the drum 20 and rotate according to the rotation of the drum 20. However, the fan 64 may be configured to rotate independently of the drum 20, because devices such as a separate clutch (not shown) are added to the base 14 or a plurality of motors 70 are provided.

The heat exchanger 60 may exchange heat with air, and may include an evaporator 61 (refer to fig. 2) and a condenser 62 (refer to fig. 2).

The controller 400 receives a dehumidification mode (1101). The control panel 11 receives a user input for performing the dehumidification mode and transmits a control signal for the dehumidification mode to the controller 400. At this time, the controller 400 may not immediately perform the dehumidification mode upon receiving the control signal, but may perform the dehumidification mode through a series of determination processes.

The controller 400 determines whether the door 100 is opened (1102). Since the dryer 1 is required to form an open flow path instead of a closed flow path to perform the dehumidifying mode, the dryer 1 may perform the dehumidifying mode in an opened state of the door 100.

As described with reference to fig. 10, when a single door 100 is provided, the controller 400 may determine whether the corresponding door is opened or closed. However, in a state in which the door 100 is provided with the first door 110 and the second door 120, an open flow path may be formed even when one of the first door 110 and the second door 120 is opened. Accordingly, the controller 400 may determine that the dehumidification mode is executable in response to the first door 110 being closed and in response to the second door 120 being opened. Further, the controller 400 may determine that the dehumidification mode is executable in response to the first door 110 being opened and in response to the second door 120 being closed.

When the controller 400 determines that the door 100 is opened, the controller 400 performs a dehumidification mode (1103). When it is determined that all of the doors 100 are closed, the controller 400 may open the doors 100 to allow an open flow path to be formed. At this time, when the door 100 is provided with the first door 110 and the second door 120, the controller 400 may control the automatic switching device 30 to open only the second door 120. Further, when the door 100 is provided with the first door 110 and the second door 120, the controller 400 may control the automatic switching device 30 to open only the first door 110.

When the door 100 is opened, the controller 400 performs a dehumidification mode (1103). Specifically, the controller 400 generates control signals for driving the blower fan 64 and the compressor 63 to perform the dehumidification mode, and transmits the control signals to the blower fan 64 and the compressor 63 to perform the dehumidification mode.

The controller 400 performs the dehumidification mode for a predetermined time and completes the dehumidification mode in response to expiration of the predetermined time (1106).

While the present disclosure has been particularly described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer, comprising:

a housing;

a drum provided inside the cabinet to accommodate objects to be dried;

an opening provided on a front surface of the cabinet to put an object to be dried into the drum;

a heat exchanger provided inside the cabinet to exchange heat with air; and

a door provided in the cabinet to open and close the opening,

wherein the door comprises:

a door opening member provided to cover at least a portion of the opening in response to the opening being opened to discharge air passing through the heat exchanger and then discharged to the outside of the drum to the outside of the cabinet and supply external air to the heat exchanger.

2. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein

The door opening member is disposed between the door and the opening and includes at least one of a mesh or a grid.

3. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein

The door includes:

a first door rotatably provided to seal an outer edge of the opening; and

a second door provided to be coupled to the first door and rotatably provided in front of the first door to open and close the first door,

wherein the door opening member is arranged in the first door.

4. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein

The door includes:

a first door including a hole formed by penetrating a portion of the first door; and

a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the hole,

wherein the door opening member is disposed in the bore.

5. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein

The door opening member further includes a separation preventing member provided to be connected between the door and the opening.

6. The clothes dryer of claim 5, wherein

The separation preventing member further includes a plurality of ribs provided to connect the door and the opening.

7. The clothes dryer of claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic switching device configured to control the door to open the opening; and

a controller configured to control the automatic switching device,

wherein the controller is configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the door to open in a dehumidification mode.

8. The clothes dryer of claim 7, further comprising:

a door sensor configured to detect an open and closed state of the door,

wherein the controller is configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the door to be opened in response to detecting that the door is closed in the dehumidification mode.

9. The clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein

The controller is configured to control a motor to allow the drum to rotate in the dehumidifying mode.

10. The clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein

The door includes:

a first door rotatably provided to seal an outer edge of the opening; and

wherein the controller is configured to control the automatic switching device to allow the second door to be opened in response to detecting that the second door is closed in the dehumidification mode.