JP2000005493A - Drying operation controller in dryer for clothing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively apply dehumidification drying process and exhaust drying process by opening/closing a cover facing a circulating air path with a value calculated on the basis of the temperature difference between a first exhaust temperature detected after a predetermined time from the start of the operation and a second exhaust temperature detected after a predetermined time from the detection of the temperature. SOLUTION: During a preheating drying zone in the drying of clothing, the exhaust temperature of a drum outlet after lowing operation for a constant time from the start of the operation, is detected by a temperature sensor 23. The temperature difference, delta TH, between a temperature after 1.5 minutes and a temperature after 4.5 minutes, for example, is detected after the start of the operation of the temperature sensor 23 to estimate the drying capacity Y in a drum 8. Then, a time Z to the time when a cover 20 is opened (90% drying degree in constant-rate of drying zone) is estimated on the basis of the outputs of a heater 7-1 and a heater 7-2 on the basis of the result of the estimation of the drying capacity Y, the cover 20 is opened by a motor 20-1 after a lapse of the time Z, the current carrying to the heater is stopped in accordance with the output of a humidity detecting sensor 22, and the cover 20 is closed after the temperature is lowered to complete the drying.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, and more particularly to a drying operation system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the past, rotary drum-type clothes dryers in Japan used to be a tributary of an exhaust drying method that had a simple structure and good drying efficiency. There is a drawback that the room is moist and exhausted as humid air, giving the room a feeling of moist discomfort,
At present, the dehumidification and drying method, in which humid air is returned to water by a heat exchanger and drained, and does not emit moisture to the room, is a tributary.

[0003] However, although the humidity in the room is eliminated, the heat exchanger mounted on the rotating drum type clothes dryer has a limit in terms of price and space, and is more drier than the exhaust drying method of one generation ago. There were weaknesses such as poor efficiency, long drying time and high drying cost, and high temperature in the drying chamber, and clothing was easily shrunk or damaged.

Therefore, an opening is provided in the circulation air path of the dehumidifying rotary drum type clothes dryer to communicate with the outside of the dryer, an openable / closable lid is attached to the opening / closing part, and the lid is closed to dry by the dehumidifying / drying method. To open a part of the circulating air and mix it with outside air to enable drying by the combined method of dehumidification drying method and exhaust drying method (the same function as exhaust drying method), At the start of the operation, the lid is closed and drying is performed because it contains a lot of moisture. In the latter half of the operation when the humidity is reduced, the lid is opened at around 90% in terms of dryness and drying is performed. Drying systems incorporating the advantages of each of the systems have recently been considered. The problem with this new drying method is to detect when the lid is opened and when the degree of drying is about 90%.

It is generally considered that a change in the temperature of the exhaust gas located downstream of the drum, which is a drying chamber, is detected by a temperature sensor and used as a signal when the lid is opened. The relationship is about 90 degrees of dryness as shown in FIG.
In the vicinity of%, there is no temperature change in the constant rate drying section, and the temperature change is in the preheating drying section and the decreasing rate drying section. Therefore, the signal to open the opening / closing lid is not obtained at the right time. As a result, the effect of the new drying method Hardly ever.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer that makes the most of the advantages of the dehumidification drying method and the exhaust drying method.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to detect the best time to change from the dehumidifying drying method to the exhaust drying method by opening the lid of the circulation air path.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for detecting a first exhaust gas temperature during a preheating drying operation period which is detected after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of operation, and detecting the exhaust gas after a lapse of a predetermined time from the first exhaust gas temperature detection. During the preheating drying operation period
The lid is opened with a value calculated based on the temperature difference from the exhaust temperature.

That is, the first exhaust gas temperature and the second exhaust gas temperature in the above-mentioned preheating drying step in which the lid of the circulating air path is closed and the operation is started by the dehumidifying drying method, and the time when the lid is opened based on the temperature difference ( The drying time until the drying degree reaches about 90%) is calculated. When the time comes, the lid is opened and drying is performed by an exhaust drying method until the drying is completed.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show the structure of a clothes dryer according to the present invention, which enables drying by both dehumidification and exhaust.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer frame. Inside the outer frame 1, a drum 6 serving as a clothes drying chamber is provided on a drum support 13 having a front side attached to a front inner surface of the outer frame 1, and a drum fan on a rear side. The support 14 is rotatably supported and installed. Reference numeral 2 denotes a door which covers the clothes input port 3 and is configured to be openable and closable, and reference numeral 4 denotes a driving operation plate.

5, a drum exhaust temperature sensor 23, a drum exhaust humidity sensor 22 and the like are detected as shown in FIG. 5, and an AC motor 11, a heater 7-1, a heater 7-2, and an opening / closing lid motor 20-1 are detected. This is a control device including a microcomputer for controlling the drive. As shown in FIG. 6, the AC motor 11 is controlled via a triac, and the open / close lid motor 20-1 includes an open / close lid drive cam 20-2 and a heater 7-
1, the heater 7-2 is controlled via a relay.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a blower (heat exchange fan) for sending hot air generated by the heater 7 into the drum 6. The blower (heat exchange fan) 8 also has a heat exchanger, and is connected to an AC motor 11 via a fan belt 10 and a drum belt 9 for rotationally driving the blower (heat exchange fan) 8 and the drum 6. ing.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a fan casing, which is a circulation airway 1
7 to a drum support 13. An opening / closing lid 20 that can automatically open and close an opening 17-2 communicating with the outside of the machine via a lid driving cam 20-2 is provided at a front portion of the circulation air path 17.

Thus, when operating the clothes dryer configured as described above, first, the door is opened, clothes to be dried are put into the drum 6 through the clothes inlet 3, and the door 2 is closed.
The switch for selecting the drying course of the operation unit 4 is turned on.
When the switch is turned on, the open / close lid motor 20-1 is driven to close the open / close lid 20 as shown in FIG. 12, and the AC motor 11, the heater 7-1 and the heater 7-2 are energized, and the drum 6 Blower (heat exchange fan) 8 that also has a heat exchanger
Starts rotating and rotates until the drying is completed. Here, the moisture evaporated from the clothes is collected together with the circulating air and the lint collecting device 1.
5 through the drum exhaust port 6-1 on the rear wall of the drum,
It flows into the circulation side of the fan casing 12. Further, outside air flows into the cooling side of the fan casing 12 from the back plate intake port 16-1 of the back plate 16, and is exhausted from the back plate exhaust port 16-2.

At the outer periphery of the blower (heat exchange fan) 8,
The labyrinth seal part with the partition plate separates the circulating air and the cooling air without going in and out, and heat is generated between the circulation side and the cooling side of the fan casing 12 on the front and back of the blower (heat exchange fan) 8. The exchanged moisture contained in the circulating air is condensed to become water, flows into the circulation air passage 17 from the casing discharge port 12-1 of the fan casing 12, and is discharged to the outside from the drain port 17-1.

Next, from the dehumidifying and drying method, the lid 21 of the circulation airway is changed.
The operation of opening the air exhaust drying system will be described with reference to FIG. Clothes are dried into three sections: a preheat drying section, a constant rate drying section, and a reduced rate drying section. In the preheating drying section, the drum exhaust temperature sensor 23 captures the exhaust temperature of the drum outlet after the air blowing operation for a certain period of time (T ₀ = 1.5 minutes in this embodiment) from the start of operation, and based on that temperature, 7-1, the heater 7-2 is energized and heated warm air is circulated in the drum 6.

The clothes and the moisture contained in the clothes are heated by the warm air, and the temperature keeps rising during the preheating drying section. The drum outlet temperature at a certain point in the preheating drying section (in this embodiment, T ₁ = 4.5 minutes after the start of operation) is detected by the drum outlet temperature sensor 23. The temperature at a certain point in the preheating drying section (in this embodiment, T ₁ = 4.5 minutes after the start of operation) and the temperature after a blowing operation for a fixed time (T ₀ = 1.5 minutes in this embodiment) from the start of operation As shown in FIG. 7, the temperature difference ΔTH increases as the capacity increases (G ₁ : small amount, G ₂ : medium amount, G ₃ : large amount).
H ₁ , ΔTH ₂ , ΔTH ₃ , and the relationship is shown in FIG.

That is, the temperature difference ΔTH between the temperature of the drum exhaust temperature sensor 23 installed at the outlet of the drum 1.5 minutes after the start of the air supply operation and the temperature 4.5 minutes after the start of the operation after the heating and air supply operation. Is detected, the dry capacity (Y) in the drum 8 can be predicted. Therefore, if the dry capacity can be predicted, the outputs of the heaters 7-1 and 7-2 are known, and as shown in FIGS.
It is possible to predict the time (Z) up to the point where the value of 0 is opened (the degree of drying in the constant rate drying section is 90%). The control for predicting the time point when the opening / closing lid 20 is opened is calculated by the microcomputer shown in FIG.

The time when the opening / closing lid 20 calculated by the microcomputer is opened (the degree of drying in the constant rate drying section is 90%)
Then, the motor 20-1 is driven to open and close the cover 2
Open 0 and continue the drying operation. When it is detected that the drum exhaust humidity sensor 22 has dried, the heater 7-1 and the heater 7
When the power supply to -2 is stopped and the temperature drops to a certain temperature, the motor for opening and closing lid 20-1 is driven to close the opening and closing lid 20, and at the same time, the energization to the AC motor 11 is stopped and drying is completed.

[0022]

According to the present invention, in a clothes dryer capable of performing dehumidification drying and exhaust drying by providing an opening for communicating with outside air in the circulation airway, if the drying process can be predicted by the drum exhaust temperature in the preheating drying section. The switch between the dehumidifying drying method and the exhaust drying method can be performed at the highest accuracy when the degree of drying is 90% in the constant rate drying section, which is the best point for switching from the dehumidifying drying method to the exhaust drying method. And a clothes dryer that can be effectively used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a clothes dryer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an opening / closing lid of FIG. 1 is closed.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the opening / closing lid of FIG. 1 is opened.

FIG. 4 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram of a control unit.

FIG. 6 is a drive circuit diagram of an AC motor, a heater, and an opening / closing lid motor.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of a temperature change of a drum exhaust and a heater and an AC motor according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a drying time and a degree of drying when the lid is opened and closed.

FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a drying time and a drum outlet temperature when the opening / closing lid is opened / closed.

FIG. 10 shows the temperature difference (ΔTH) and the dry capacity (Y) of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 11 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a drying capacity (Y) and a drying time (Z) until an opening / closing lid is opened according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a drying time, a drum exhaust temperature, and a degree of drying.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer frame, 4 ... Operation part, 5 ... Control part, 6 ... Drum, 7-
1, 7-2: heater, 8: double-sided fan, 11: AC motor, 17: circulation airway, 17-2: opening, 20: opening / closing lid, 20-1: opening / closing lid motor, 20-2: opening / closing lid Drive cam, 21: exhaust port filter, 22: humidity sensor, 2
3 ... Drum exhaust temperature sensor, 24 ... Outside air temperature sensor.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heater for heating, a clothes drying chamber, and a heat exchanger for dehumidifying moisture from clothes, a circulation air path is provided so that air circulates through the components, and the circulation air path communicates with outside air. In a clothes dryer provided with an opening, an opening / closing lid for opening and closing the opening, and an exhaust temperature detecting means for the clothes drying chamber, a preheating drying operation which is detected after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the operation of the clothes dryer. Calculating an opening time of the opening / closing lid based on a temperature difference between a first exhaust gas temperature in a period and a second exhaust gas temperature in a preheating drying operation period detected after a lapse of a predetermined time from the first exhaust gas temperature detection. Drying operation control device of clothes dryer. 2. The drying operation control device for a clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the opening / closing lid is a constant rate drying period or a reduced rate drying period.