EP2126188A1 - A washer / dryer with output from humidity sensor selectively input to control unit - Google Patents

A washer / dryer with output from humidity sensor selectively input to control unit

Info

Publication number
EP2126188A1
EP2126188A1 EP07866318A EP07866318A EP2126188A1 EP 2126188 A1 EP2126188 A1 EP 2126188A1 EP 07866318 A EP07866318 A EP 07866318A EP 07866318 A EP07866318 A EP 07866318A EP 2126188 A1 EP2126188 A1 EP 2126188A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
laundry
humidity sensor
moisture
average
dryer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP07866318A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Hakan Ozkahraman
Hasan Tahsin Oguz
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Arcelik AS
Original Assignee
Arcelik AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Arcelik AS filed Critical Arcelik AS
Publication of EP2126188A1 publication Critical patent/EP2126188A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F34/14—Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters
    • D06F34/18—Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/08—Humidity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/08—Humidity
    • D06F2103/10—Humidity expressed as capacitance or resistance
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/28—Electric heating
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/46—Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
    • D06F2105/48—Drum speed
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F25/00—Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air 
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/32—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/34—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers  characterised by the purpose or target of the control
    • D06F58/36—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
    • D06F58/38—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a washer/dryer wherein the dryness value of laundry is detected during the washing/drying process.
  • the aim of the present invention is the realization of a washer/dryer wherein the moisture content s of the laundry is detected accurately during the washing/drying process.
  • the moisture content of the laundry that is dried by agitating in the drum and blowing hot air thereon is detected by a humidity sensor and the control unit determines whether or not the laundry is dry by evaluating the data received from the humidity sensor.
  • the control unit does not use in calculation the moisture content of zero or near to zero detected by the humidity sensor within a certain time duration, only takes into account those values that are different from zero or near to zero values. Then, the control unit calculates the average of the moisture data taken into consideration and regulates the drying process according to calculated average moisture content.
  • control unit does not take into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry does not contact with the humidity sensor, only takes into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry contacts with the humidity sensor.
  • control unit does not take into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry does not contact with the humidity sensor and data received at instances when the dry parts of the laundry contact the humidity sensor, only takes into consideration the humidity data received when the wet parts of the laundry contact the humidity sensor.
  • Figure 1 - is the schematic view of a washer/dryer.
  • the washer/dryer (1) comprises a drum (2) wherein laundry (L) is emplaced, a humidity sensor (3) disposed inside the drum (2) that detects the moisture content of the laundry (L), and a control unit (4) that regulates the drying process by evaluating the data received from the humidity sensor (3).
  • the humidity sensor (3) is constituted of two plate shaped electrodes placed inside the drum (2).
  • the moisture content of the laundry (L) is detected by the humidity sensor (3) through measuring the resistance of the laundry (L).
  • the current that passes through one of the electrodes used for detecting moisture passes over the laundry (L) rotating in the drum (2) and reaches the other electrode.
  • the current flowing through the electrodes is high when the laundry (L) is wet and less when the laundry (L) is dry.
  • the moisture content of the laundry (L) is determined by correlating with the parameters of the current between the electrodes. A very high resistance, thus a current of close to zero between the electrodes and respectively a moisture content of close to zero is detected at instances when the laundry (L) rotating inside the drum (2) does not contact the electrodes.
  • the momentary moisture contents of the laundry (L) in the drum (2) is measured by the humidity sensor (3) and an average moisture content (H average) is calculated by the control unit (4) according to data that are higher than the moisture data of zero or near to zero values received from the humidity sensor (3).
  • the drying process is regulated according to the calculated moisture content by controlling the operation of the motor that rotates the drum (2) and the heater that heats the drying air..
  • the moisture data of zero or near to zero values not included in the calculation of the average moisture (H average) by the control unit (4) are the moisture content data received at instances when the laundry (L) does not contact the humidity sensor (3).
  • the moisture content data detected that are higher than the zero or near to zero values is the data received at instances when the laundry (L) contacts the humidity sensors (3).
  • the moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) does not contact the humidity sensor (3) are not used by the control unit (4) in calculating the average moisture (H average) and only the moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) contacts the humidity sensor (3) are used in calculating the average moisture (H average).
  • the data received at instances when the dry parts of the laundry (L) contact with the humidity sensor (3) is not taken into consideration by the control unit (4) in calculating the average moisture (H average).
  • the control unit (4) only takes into consideration the moisture data received at instances when the wet parts of the laundry (L) contact the humidity sensor (3) and the data received at instances when the wet parts of the laundry (L) contact the humidity sensor (3) are used in calculating the average moisture (H average). .
  • the actual moisture content of the laundry (L) is calculated by the control unit (4) independently from the amount of laundry (L) loaded into the drum (2) and by only evaluating the contact status of the laundry (L) with the humidity sensor (3), thus achieving a satisfactory drying performance in the washer/dryer (1).

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a washer/dryer (1) comprising a drum (2) wherein laundry (L) is emplaced, a humidity sensor (3) disposed inside the drum (2) that detects the moisture content of the laundry (L), and a control unit (4) that calculates the average of the moisture data (H average) without using the moisture data of zero or near to zero values detected by the humidity sensor (3) from the laundry (L) in a certain time duration, only taking into consideration the moisture data that is different from this moisture data and regulates the drying process according to the calculated average moisture content (H average).

Description

Description
A WASHER / DRYER WITH OUTPUT FROM HUMIDITY SENSOR SELECTIVELY INPUT TO CONTROL UNIT
[0001] The present invention relates to a washer/dryer wherein the dryness value of laundry is detected during the washing/drying process.
[0002] In the drying process in washer/dryers, generally the laundry is rotated in a drum at a certain speed. The laundry contacts the sensor plates in the drum that sense moisture while rotating and as a result of this contact; moisture data is attained from the laundry. It is important how the laundry moves during this rotation because both the wet and dry parts of the laundry contact the sensor plates during rotation and sometimes when there is a small amount of laundry in the drum, it may not contact the sensor plates at all. So the moisture data received from the laundry in the drum can be misleading.
[0003] In state of the art Korean Patent Document No KR940006248, electrode sensors disposed in the drum of a dryer determines the amount of clothing by counting the number of clothing contact and the drying parameters are changed according to the amount of clothing.
[0004] In state of the art United States of America Patent Document No US4733479, in a clothes dryer, the moisture content of the clothes is detected by a humidity sensor that produces respective resistance values for different amounts of detected humidity and one of "damp" "semi", "normal" and "extra" drying degrees is applied under the detected load amount.
[0005] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a washer/dryer wherein the moisture content s of the laundry is detected accurately during the washing/drying process.
[0006] The washer/dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is explicated in the claims.
[0007] In the washer/dryer of the present invention, the moisture content of the laundry that is dried by agitating in the drum and blowing hot air thereon is detected by a humidity sensor and the control unit determines whether or not the laundry is dry by evaluating the data received from the humidity sensor. The control unit does not use in calculation the moisture content of zero or near to zero detected by the humidity sensor within a certain time duration, only takes into account those values that are different from zero or near to zero values. Then, the control unit calculates the average of the moisture data taken into consideration and regulates the drying process according to calculated average moisture content.
[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit does not take into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry does not contact with the humidity sensor, only takes into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry contacts with the humidity sensor.
[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit does not take into consideration the data received at instances when the laundry does not contact with the humidity sensor and data received at instances when the dry parts of the laundry contact the humidity sensor, only takes into consideration the humidity data received when the wet parts of the laundry contact the humidity sensor.
[0010] The washer/dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figure, where:
[0011] Figure 1 - is the schematic view of a washer/dryer.
[0012] The elements illustrated in the figure are numbered as follows:
1. Washer/dryer
2. Drum
3. Humidity sensor
4. Control unit
[0013] The washer/dryer (1) comprises a drum (2) wherein laundry (L) is emplaced, a humidity sensor (3) disposed inside the drum (2) that detects the moisture content of the laundry (L), and a control unit (4) that regulates the drying process by evaluating the data received from the humidity sensor (3).
[0014] The humidity sensor (3) is constituted of two plate shaped electrodes placed inside the drum (2). The moisture content of the laundry (L) is detected by the humidity sensor (3) through measuring the resistance of the laundry (L). The laundry (L), when wet is more conductive hence can pass more current, when dry, shows more resistance and decreases in conductivity. The current that passes through one of the electrodes used for detecting moisture passes over the laundry (L) rotating in the drum (2) and reaches the other electrode. The current flowing through the electrodes is high when the laundry (L) is wet and less when the laundry (L) is dry. The moisture content of the laundry (L) is determined by correlating with the parameters of the current between the electrodes. A very high resistance, thus a current of close to zero between the electrodes and respectively a moisture content of close to zero is detected at instances when the laundry (L) rotating inside the drum (2) does not contact the electrodes.
[0015] The control unit (4) in the washer/dryer (1) of the present invention,
- calculates the average of the moisture content data (H average),
- without using the moisture data of zero or near to zero values detected by the humidity sensor (3) from the laundry (L) in a certain time duration,
- only taking into consideration the data detected by the humidity sensor (3), excluding the moisture data of zero or near to zero values, and
- regulates the drying process according to the calculated average moisture
Content (H average).
[0016] After the drying process is started in the washer/dryer (1), the momentary moisture contents of the laundry (L) in the drum (2) is measured by the humidity sensor (3) and an average moisture content (H average) is calculated by the control unit (4) according to data that are higher than the moisture data of zero or near to zero values received from the humidity sensor (3). The drying process is regulated according to the calculated moisture content by controlling the operation of the motor that rotates the drum (2) and the heater that heats the drying air..
[0017] In the embodiment of the present invention, the moisture data of zero or near to zero values not included in the calculation of the average moisture (H average) by the control unit (4) are the moisture content data received at instances when the laundry (L) does not contact the humidity sensor (3). The moisture content data detected that are higher than the zero or near to zero values is the data received at instances when the laundry (L) contacts the humidity sensors (3). The moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) does not contact the humidity sensor (3) are not used by the control unit (4) in calculating the average moisture (H average) and only the moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) contacts the humidity sensor (3) are used in calculating the average moisture (H average).
[0018] In another embodiment of the present invention, the data received at instances when the dry parts of the laundry (L) contact with the humidity sensor (3) is not taken into consideration by the control unit (4) in calculating the average moisture (H average). In this embodiment, the control unit (4) only takes into consideration the moisture data received at instances when the wet parts of the laundry (L) contact the humidity sensor (3) and the data received at instances when the wet parts of the laundry (L) contact the humidity sensor (3) are used in calculating the average moisture (H average). .
[0019] By means of the embodiment of the present invention, the actual moisture content of the laundry (L) is calculated by the control unit (4) independently from the amount of laundry (L) loaded into the drum (2) and by only evaluating the contact status of the laundry (L) with the humidity sensor (3), thus achieving a satisfactory drying performance in the washer/dryer (1).

Claims

Claims
[0001] A washer/dryer (1) comprising a drum (2) wherein laundry (L) is emplaced, and a humidity sensor (3) disposed inside the drum (2) that detects the moisture content of the laundry (L), - and characterized by a control unit (4) that calculates the average of the moisture data (H average) without using the moisture data of zero or near to zero values detected by the humidity sensor (3) from the laundry (L) in a certain time duration, only taking into consideration the data detected by the humidity sensor (3) excluding the moisture data of zero or near to zero values and regulates the drying process according to the calculated average moisture content (H average)-
[0002] A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (4) that does not use the moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) does not contact with the humidity sensor (3) in calculating the average moisture (H average) and only uses the moisture data received at instances when the laundry (L) contacts with the humidity sensor (3) in calculating the average moisture (H average
).
[0003] A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (4) that does not use the moisture data received at instances when the dry parts of the laundry (L) contact with the humidity sensor (3) in calculating the average moisture (H average) and only uses the moisture data received at instances when the wet parts of the laundry (L) contact with the humidity sensor (3) in calculating the average moisture (H average)-
EP07866318A 2006-12-26 2007-12-25 A washer / dryer with output from humidity sensor selectively input to control unit Withdrawn EP2126188A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
TR200607455 2006-12-26
PCT/EP2007/064542 WO2008077969A1 (en) 2006-12-26 2007-12-25 A washer / dryer with output from humidity sensor selectively input to control unit

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2126188A1 true EP2126188A1 (en) 2009-12-02

Family

ID=39276000

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP07866318A Withdrawn EP2126188A1 (en) 2006-12-26 2007-12-25 A washer / dryer with output from humidity sensor selectively input to control unit

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2126188A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2008077969A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN102099035A (en) 2008-05-16 2011-06-15 诺瓦提斯公司 Immunomodulation by IAP inhibitors
EP2336419B1 (en) * 2009-11-18 2012-12-05 Panasonic Corporation Clothes dryer
KR20120065628A (en) * 2010-12-13 2012-06-21 삼성전자주식회사 Dryer
EP2738303A1 (en) * 2012-11-28 2014-06-04 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. A method for controlling a drying cycle of a laundry dryer

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5737852A (en) * 1996-08-05 1998-04-14 White Consolidated Industries, Inc. Dryness control for clothes dryer
KR100480930B1 (en) * 2003-08-12 2005-04-07 엘지전자 주식회사 Method for detecting remaining time for dring in tumble drier
CA2505571C (en) * 2005-04-28 2008-07-29 Camco Inc. Clothes dryer moisture sensing circuit
CA2507965C (en) * 2005-05-19 2009-03-24 Camco Inc. Clothes dryer sensor compensation system and method
ATE464426T1 (en) * 2005-11-23 2010-04-15 Electrolux Home Prod Corp CLOTHING DRUM DRYER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO2008077969A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2008077969A1 (en) 2008-07-03

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