EP3635168A1

EP3635168A1 - A bearer and a washer-dryer using the same

Info

Publication number: EP3635168A1
Application number: EP18725488.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mehmet Cahit OZDEMIR; Onur Hartoka
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2017-06-08
Filing date: 2018-05-16
Publication date: 2020-04-15
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-16
Also published as: WO2018224267A1; EP3635168B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bearer (3) having at least two electrodes (4) enabling detecting the dryness level of the laundry items by contacting the laundry items, and a communication unit (5) allowing transmitting the dryness level data, a washer-dryer (1) operating in communication with said bearer (3), comprising a drum (2) rotated about a rotational axis, in which the laundry items to be dried and the bearer (3) are placed, a water spraying device (8) enabling spraying water into the drum (2) and the controlling method used to operate said washer-dryer (1).

Description

A BEARER AND A WASHER-DRYER USING THE SAME

The present invention relates to a bearer, a washer-dryer operating in communication with the bearer, and the control method of said washer-dryer.
In washer-dryers, the wrinkles forming on laundry items particularly made of tightly woven cotton fabrics, constitutes a major problem for the users. As a solution to this problem, the step of spraying cold water is performed on the laundry items. However, since the amount of water to be sprayed varies according to the type and the amount of the laundry items in a drum, spraying a constant amount of water decreases the efficiency of this method. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to accurately measure the dryness and the humidity amount of said laundry items during the spraying process.
State of the art Japanese Patent Application no. JP2004057235 discloses using a humidifying device for avoiding wrinkles.
State of the art United States patent application no. US2015176193 discloses determining the water spraying duration and the amount of water to be sprayed according to the values measured by a weight sensor. In this application, the dryness of laundry items is determined by measuring the weight of the laundry items.
In washer-dryers, parameters such as dryness, temperature, etc. of the laundry items in a drum have to be measured precisely and accurately during drying process. The duration of drying process depends on the laundry items reaching the accurate levels of dryness and temperature, and upon reaching of said levels drying process is terminated. Various sensors are provided on washer-dryers, enabling measuring parameters such as conductivity, temperature, humidity, etc., and the washer-dryer is controlled by means of the data received from such sensors.
Generally in washer-dryers, conductivity is measured during drying process and drying process is terminated according to this measurement. Conductivity is measured by means of two electrodes stably placed at the front portion of a drum. During drying process, the conductivity value of the laundry items can be measured when the laundry items in the drum contact said electrodes.
Laundry items are more conductive in humid state. The conductivity of the laundry items decreases as they dry and lose their humidity. The conductivity of only the laundry items contacting the electrodes can be measured during drying. The possibility of the electrodes contacting the laundry items significantly decreases when there is a small amount of laundry items in the drum which are not distributed homogeneously, thereby making it more difficult to determine drying. In this case, drying process is terminated by a timer. This, however, leads to drying process not being fully performed or the laundry items being thermally damaged by being over-dried.
There are several applications for detecting dryness of the laundry items in the state of the art. One of these applications is, as mentioned above, detecting dryness by placing at least two electrodes to a position where they will contact the laundry items during drying process, and forming a current bridge between two electrodes when the damp laundry items contact the two electrodes, and evaluating the difference between the resistance values of the electrodes.
State of the art European Patent no. EP2387643 discloses a washer-dryer having a drum rotating in horizontal axis, the washer-dryer comprising electrodes, fixed on the inlet port of the drum by way of plastic injection, enabling detecting dryness.
State of the art Korean Patent Application no. KR20030041428 discloses a washer-dryer comprising a dryness detection unit provided in the drum, having electrodes fixed on the wall of the drum.
Another embodiment of the state of the art is disclosed in the international patent application no. WO2004022836. This patent application discloses a washer-dryer comprising a sensor provided on a drum, communicating with a control unit by contactless signal transmission.
Another embodiment of the state of the art is disclosed in the European Patent Application no. EP0940494. Said document also discloses a washer-dryer comprising a conductivity sensor used for detecting dryness of laundry items, and wirelessly communicating with a control unit.
However, in the applications of the state of the art, due to the conductivity sensors being positioned fixedly, the dryness and humidity of only the laundry items contacting the sensor is measured, and the dryness of all of the laundry items in the drum cannot be measured.
The aim of the present invention is to realize a washer-dryer suitable for operating in interaction with a bearer, in which the wrinkle amount of laundry items is effectively decreased, and its operation method.
Another aim of the present invention is to realize a bearer suitable for operating in interaction with said washer-dryer.
The washer-dryer realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the dependent claims, comprises a control unit controlling the drum to be rotated sufficiently so as to receive dryness level information from all of the laundry items by the bearer having electrodes enabling detecting dryness of the laundry items, contacting almost all of the laundry items in the drum, and in the meanwhile receiving the dryness level data collected by means of a communication unit of the bearer and controlling the operation of a water spraying device so as to enable water of an amount predetermined by the producer to be sprayed on the laundry items according to the dryness level data. The spraying device is thus operated by the control unit according to the dryness level information, enabling the laundry items to be soaked with a sufficient amount of water.
The dryness level data determined by measuring the electric current forming between the electrodes during contacting of the electrodes with the laundry items, is transmitted to the control unit by means of the communication unit, and the dryness value of the laundry items is determined. In order to enable the bearer to contact most of the laundry items thereby to be able to receive the accurate dryness values, the drum is rotated in a certain number of revolutions before water spraying process. In this stage, the conductivity and therefore the dryness information of the laundry items is received by means of the electrodes, and the average humidity value is determined. Water in an amount predetermined by the producer is sprayed on the laundry items according to said dryness information.
In an embodiment of the invention, after water spraying process, the control unit receives by means of the communication unit the dryness level data of the soaked laundry items and controls whether the laundry items have reached the desired dampness value, and enables water spraying process to be repeated until reaching the desired dampness value. Drying process begins upon the laundry items reaching the desired dampness value, and the wrinkles of the laundry items is thus effectively eliminated, by being soaked ideally for the drying process.
The communication of the bearer of the invention with the control unit controlling the operation of the washer-dryer, is provided by means of the communication unit provided in the bearer in contactless manner, and this is an optical or wireless communication. By this, the bearer is enabled to transmit information without establishing any wired or mechanical connections on the drum. The energy needs of the units provided in the bearer are supplied by at least one power source, for example a battery, positioned in the bearer.
By means of the invention, the parameters related to the dryness of the laundry items in the washer-dryer are collected through almost all of the laundry items, and are evaluated in the control unit. Thus, dry laundry items are obtained with a minimum level of wrinkles. The spraying amount required to flatten the wrinkles is performed in a correct dosage. This prevents increasing the energy consumption due to excessive spraying, and also inefficient wrinkle removal process due to insufficient spraying. Since the dryness of the laundry items is continuously measured, the duration of wrinkle removal process has a dynamic timing.
A washer-dryer realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a washer-dryer.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a bearer and electrodes.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the bearer.
The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.

Washer/dryer
Drum
Bearer
Electrode
Communication unit
Power source
Control unit
Spraying device
Holder

The washer-dryer (1) operating in communication with a bearer (3) having at least two electrodes (4) enabling detecting the dryness level of the laundry items by contacting the laundry items, and a communication unit (5) allowing transmitting the dryness level data, comprises a drum (2) rotated about a rotational axis, in which the laundry items to be dried and the bearer (3) are placed, a water spraying device (8) enabling spraying water into the drum (2) and a control unit (7) controlling the operating condition of the washer-dryer (1). The washer-dryer (1) may be a laundry drying machine or a laundry washing-drying machine.
The washer-dryer (1) of the invention comprises a control unit (7) receiving the dryness level data detected by the electrodes (4), by communicating with the communication unit (5) while the drum (2) is rotated, determining the dryness value of the laundry items by evaluating the dryness level data, and enabling the water spraying device (8) to be operated so as to spray a predetermined amount of water on the laundry items according to the determined dryness level. The control unit (7) is configured to receive the dryness level data determined by measuring the conductivity value of the laundry items by means of the electrodes (4) and sent by the communication unit (5), and the control unit (7) operates in interaction with the bearer (3) and calculates the dryness value of the laundry items according to the received dryness level data. The control unit (7) enables the drum (2) to be rotated in a certain number of revolutions before water spraying process. By means of rotating the drum (2) before water spraying process, the bearer (3) is enabled to contact most of the laundry items in the drum (2), and the electrodes (4) are thus enabled to collect the accurate dryness level data. In this stage, the conductivity and thus the dryness level information of the laundry items is received by means of the electrodes (4). The control unit (7) determines according to the dryness level information, the dryness value of the laundry items in the drum (2) based on their average humidity amount, and water in an amount predetermined by the producer according to the dryness value, is sprayed on the laundry items. In an embodiment of the invention, the control unit (7) determines the dryness value by calculating the average of the dryness level data. The minimum amount of water required to remove the wrinkles is thus sprayed by measuring the dryness level before water spraying process. By this, the dryness level data is instantaneously collected from all of the laundry items while the drum (2) is rotating, thereby determining the dryness level in high precision, enabling spraying on the laundry items an accurate amount of water determined according to the dryness value. (Figure 1 and Figure 2).
In an embodiment of the invention, the control unit (7) enables the water spraying process to be repeated unit the dryness value reaches a predetermined limit dryness value. After the spraying process, the drum (2) is rotated again and the dryness information of the laundry items is recollected. The spraying device (8) is controlled according to the above-described method based on the dryness information provided by the control unit (7). Water spraying process is intermittently repeated until the dryness value of the laundry items reaches a limit dryness value required to remove the wrinkles, and water spraying process is terminated upon reaching the desired dryness value.
In another embodiment of the invention, the control unit (7) enables starting of a drying process upon determining the dryness value reaching a predetermined limit dryness value. By this, the drying process for drying the laundry items soaked with the ideal dampness, is started automatically.
The bearer (3) of the invention is suitable for operating in communication with the above-described washer-dryer (1), moves freely within the drum (2) while the drum (2) is being rotated, and comprises at least one pair of electrodes (4) provided thereon so as to detect the dryness levels of the laundry items in the drum (2) by contacting them, and a communication unit (5) enabling transmitting the dryness level data provided by the electrodes (4) to the control unit (7). The bearer (3) on which the electrodes (4) are placed, bearing the electrodes (4), is placed by the user in the drum (2) together with the laundry items, and is able to move freely in the drum (2), independent of the drum (2). In this embodiment, the communication unit (5) enables the dryness level data detected by the electrodes (4) on the bearer (3), to be instantaneously transmitted to the control unit (7) by using a suitable communication method.
In another embodiment of the invention, the communication unit (5) enables contactless communication with the control unit (7). In an embodiment of the invention, the communication unit (5) enables contactless communication with the control unit (7), optically by light. In the preferred version of this embodiment, the communication between the communication unit (5) and the control unit (7) is a wireless communication.
The bearer (3) is placed in the drum (2) by the user, together with the laundry items, and the washer-dryer (1) is turned on. The electrodes (4) made of conductive material, provided on the bearer (3) and used for measuring the dryness level of the laundry items, collect real-time data from the laundry items thanks to the bearer (3) moving during drying process together with the laundry items independent of the drum (2), in other words by moving freely. Since the bearer (3) can move freely in the drum (2), it contacts almost all of the laundry items in the drum (2), and enables receiving real-time dryness information from all of the laundry items. The electrodes (4) are thus enabled to contact all laundry items independent of the amount and the distribution of the laundry items in the drum (2), thereby enabling collecting the information of the parameters related to the dryness of the laundry items in the most precise and accurate manner.
In another embodiment of the invention, the bearer (3) is an enclosed chamber and the electrodes (4) are disposed on its outer wall. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the bearer (3) is shaped as a sphere formed by combining two semi-spheres. In an embodiment of the invention, the bearer (3) comprises two electrodes (4) placed parallel to each other. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, two pairs of electrodes (4) are disposed on the bearer (3). Two of the electrodes (4) are disposed on the upper semi-sphere, and the other two are disposed on the lower semi-sphere. In this embodiment, the electrodes (4) are tape-shaped and have a curvature adapted to the curvature of the sphere. In this embodiment of the invention, the electrodes (4) are disposed on the same line on the outer wall of the bearer (3). The communication unit (5) and the power source (6) are positioned in the bearer (3). The two semi-spheres are sealingly interlocked by screw threads formed suitably for each other preferably along their edges (Figure 3). The energy required by the elements on the bearer (3), is provided by at least one power source (6) provided in the bearer (3). The bearer (3) comprises one or more holders (9) on which the communication unit (5) and the power source (6) is fixed. The holders (9) restrict the units provided in the bearer (3) from moving with respect to the bearer (3). In an embodiment of the invention, a battery is used as the power source (6).
The control method used in controlling the washer-dryer (1) of the invention operating in communication with the bearer (3), comprises the steps of:

rotating the drum (2) in a certain amount of revolutions before water spraying process,
determining the dryness level according to the dryness value data collected by means of the electrodes (4) during rotation of the drum (2), and
operating the water spraying device (8) in order to spray water on the laundry items in an amount predetermined according to the dryness value.

With the invention, energy consumption is prevented from increasing by avoiding spraying an excessive amount of water thanks to accurately determining the water amount to be sprayed, and incomplete wrinkle removal process due to spraying insufficient amount of water, is also avoided. Thanks to the drum (2) being rotated before water spraying process, almost all of the laundry items in the drum (2) contact the electrodes (4) and dryness information is enabled to be received from all of the laundry items, and by accordingly determining the amount of water to be sprayed and the spraying duration, wrinkle removal process is performed by a dynamic timing.

Claims

A washer-dryer (1) operating in communication with a bearer (3) having at least two electrodes (4) enabling detecting the dryness level of the laundry items by contacting the laundry items, and a communication unit (5) allowing transmitting the dryness level data, comprising a drum (2) rotated about a rotational axis, in which the laundry items to be dried and the bearer (3) are placed, a water spraying device (8) enabling spraying water into the drum (2) and a control unit (7) controlling the operating condition of the washer-dryer (1), characterized by the control unit (7)

- receiving the dryness level data detected by the electrodes (4), by communicating with the communication unit (5) while the drum (2) is rotated,

- determining the dryness value of the laundry items by evaluating the dryness level data, and

- enabling the water spraying device (8) to be operated so as to spray a predetermined amount of water on the laundry items according to the determined dryness value.
A washer-dryer (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the control unit (7) determining the dryness value by calculating the average of the dryness level data.
A washer-dryer (1) according to claim 2, characterized by the control unit (7) enabling the water spraying process to be repeated unit the dryness value reaches a predetermined limit dryness value.
A washer-dryer (1) according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized by the control unit (7) enabling a drying process to be started upon determining the dryness value reaching a predetermined limit dryness value.
A bearer (3) suitable for operating in communication with a washer-dryer (1) according to the preceding claims, moving freely within the drum (2) while the drum (2) is being rotated, characterized by at least one pair of electrodes (4) provided thereon so as to detect the dryness levels of the laundry items in the drum (2) by contacting them, and by a communication unit (5) enabling transmitting the dryness level data provided by the electrodes (4) to the control unit (7).
A bearer (3) according to claim 5, characterized by a communication unit (5) provided thereon, enabling contactless communication with the control unit (7).
A bearer (3) according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterized by the communication unit (5) enabling the contactless communication optically by light.
A bearer (3) according to claim 7, characterized by the communication unit (5) wirelessly providing the communication.
A washer-dryer (1) controlling method used in controlling a washer-dryer (1) according to claim 1, operating in communication with a bearer (3) according to claim 5, characterized by the steps of:

- rotating the drum (2) in a certain amount of revolutions before water spraying process,

- determining the dryness level according to the dryness value data collected by means of the electrodes (4) during rotation of the drum (2), and

- operating the water spraying device (8) in order to spray water on the laundry items in an amount predetermined according to the dryness value.