JP3258464B2 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

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 an improvement in a clothes dryer provided with operation control means for automatically stopping the operation at a constant degree of drying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since a clothes dryer automatically stops its operation at a certain degree of drying, it has been conventionally known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-34.
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8800, detection of a cloth amount and a cloth quality of an object to be dried is performed.

[0003] This is because the drying time depends on the amount and quality of the cloth,
This is because the larger the amount of cloth and the thicker the cloth, the longer the drying time becomes.However, conventionally, a plurality of detection devices are used to detect the cloth amount and the cloth quality. Yes,
For example, the amount of cloth is detected by the degree of change in the output value of a temperature sensor or the like, and the quality of cloth is detected by the degree of change in the output value of the dryness detecting device.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the detection of the amount of cloth and the detection of the quality of the cloth are performed by a plurality of detecting devices, the plurality of detecting devices and the plurality of detecting devices are included in the detecting section. The fixing member complicates the structure, deteriorates the assemblability and productivity, increases the cost, and separately sets the number of input units of the microcomputer that processes information from the detection device. Because of the necessity, this point is also expensive, and there is a problem that the microcomputer becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a single drying degree detecting device for detecting the degree of drying in a drum, and from the start of operation until the output of the drying degree detecting device reaches a predetermined value. The amount of cloth of the object to be dried is calculated from the required time, the cloth quality of the object to be dried is calculated from the change rate of the output of the drying degree detection device, and the amount of the cloth to be dried and the cloth are calculated based on the calculated result. This is achieved by selecting a drying operation time corresponding to the quality from a database stored in advance in the ROM of the microcomputer and performing the drying operation.

[0007]

The output value of one dryness detecting device is input to the RAM provided in the microcomputer.

[0008] The time measuring means for calculating the time required for the output value stored in the ROM of the microcomputer to reach a predetermined value, and the change rate calculating means for calculating the change rate of the output value are used. The amount and quality of the dried product are converted.

Further, in the ROM of the microcomputer, the optimum drying operation time corresponding to various cloth amounts and cloths which are experimentally calculated in advance is stored, and the cloth converted as described above is stored. The optimum drying operation time is obtained based on the amount and the cloth quality, and the operation of the clothes dryer is performed based on the result.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, a series of dryer configurations will be described with reference to FIGS.

A back cover 2 is fixed to a rear surface of the outer frame 1.

A clothing slot 3 and a door 4 for opening and closing the slot 3 are also installed on the front of the outer frame 1, and a metal annular drum support 5 fixed to the outer frame 1 and the inside of the outer frame 1. A drum 7 serving as a drying chamber is rotatably supported by a rear bearing 6 disposed at the rear of the drum.

On the rear surface of the drum 7, a hot air outlet 8 comprising a large number of holes is formed.

[0015] hot air inlet 9 formed in the lower portion of the drum support 5, the circulation path 10 communicating from the ventilation opening 12 of the fan casing 11 is formed.

[0016] opposite to the hot air inlet 9, elements 13a using a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, comprising a honeycomb-like semiconductor heater 13 consisting of 13b, and semiconductor heater 13 in the L-shaped duct 14 which is secured to the drum support 5 housed It is.

A heat exchange type double-sided fan 16 is rotatably supported on the rear bearing 6 via a metal member in the fan casing 11.

A motor 18 is disposed in the upper portion of the outer frame 1, and rotates the drum 7 by the idler pulley 23 and the belt 24, and rotates the double-sided fan 16 by the pulley belt 17.

A filter 19 is mounted from the inside of the drum 7 so as to cover the hot air outlet 8 of the drum 7.

At a position facing the hot air outlet 8 of the fan casing 11 in the circulation air passage, a dryness detecting device 20 for detecting a change in the state of the dry air is mounted.

A control device 21 for performing a series of drying operations is disposed on the side surface of the outer frame 1.

An operation section 22 is arranged on the front surface of the outer frame 1.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

When driving, the door 4 is first opened, the dehydrated clothes are stored in the drum 7, and the power switch 28 provided on the operation unit 22 is turned on.

Thereafter, when the start switch 29 provided on the operation section 22 is pressed, an automatic operation course for controlling the operation to stop at a predetermined degree of drying is executed.

First, the motor 18 and the heater 13 are energized to rotate the drum 7, and the double-sided fan 16 rotates at high speed.

The air in the circulation path 10 is heated by the heater 13 and is sucked into the drum 7 from the hot air inlet 9 as high-temperature dry air.

The high-temperature dry air sent into the drum 7 comes into contact with the clothes in the drum 7 and promotes the evaporation of the moisture contained in the clothes, resulting in high-temperature and high-humidity air. After that, it is sucked into the double-sided fan 16 in the fan casing 11.

The two-sided fan 1 is inserted through the cooling air inlet 2a of the back cover 2.
6 is cooled to below the dew point temperature by the outside air sucked into 6, and condensed water is generated on the circulation path side of the double-sided fan 16.
This condensed water is discharged out of the machine through a drain port 15 of the circulation path 10.

The circulating air that has lost a part of the moisture when passing through the double-sided fan 16 becomes dehumidified air, is heated by the heater 13 provided in the L-shaped duct 14, and then becomes hot dry air inside the drum 7 again. And used for drying clothes.

Next, a method of controlling the automatic driving course will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a drying degree detecting device 2 in a drying process.
An example of a change in electrical resistance of 0 is shown, where A is the rated cloth weight and the dry cloth is thin, B is the rated cloth weight and the dry cloth is thick, and C is half the rated cloth weight. Shows the case where the dry cloth is thin.

L indicates the line of the electric resistance value in the case of the just-dry state in each cloth amount and cloth quality.

As can be seen from the figure, the thicker the cloth, the longer the electric resistance value takes to reach from R ₁ to R ₂ (ΔT ₁ <ΔT ₂ ). after a certain time has elapsed from the start (T ₀₎ the time required until the electric resistance value is R ₁ from it can be seen that the longer (T _C <T _a).
Here, T ₀ is set to a time from the start of operation when the electric resistance value of the drying degree detection device 20 falls below R ₁ .

The time T _Z from T ₀ to the electrical resistance of the drying degree sensing unit 20 is R _1, as shown in FIG. 4, there is substantially proportional relationship to the laundry amount G, cloth than T _Z The quantity G is determined. This is the cloth amount calculation means.

In the present embodiment, the amount of cloth G is calculated based on the time T _Z from T _0, but the electric resistance value of the dryness detecting device 20 once becomes R ₁ after a certain period of time from the start of operation. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately determine the cloth amount.

Therefore, if the point M which once becomes R ₁ is neglected, the time from the start of operation until the electric resistance value becomes R ₁ may be used, and the effect of the present invention is not affected at all. .

When the electrical resistance value of the drying degree detecting device 20 is R
Divided time [Delta] T _Z to reach the R ₂ into a plurality of ranks from _1, as shown in FIG. 5, No. from [Delta] T _Z a, b, c,
Find d. Here, a is a thin cloth, b is a standard cloth close to a thin one, c is a standard cloth close to a thick one, and d is a cloth corresponding to a thick cloth. This is the cloth quality calculation means.

In the present embodiment, the cloth quality is calculated by ΔT _Z , which utilizes the fact that the change rate of the output of the dryness detecting device 20 differs depending on the cloth quality.
Regardless of T _Z , the rate of change of the output of the drying degree detection device 20 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the change in the electric resistance after a certain time _{Tt has} elapsed after the electric resistance reaches R _1. The discrimination may be made by ΔR _Z or ΔR _Z / _Tt , and if the difference in the cloth quality can be discriminated, the effect of the present invention is not hindered at all.

The time T _X required to obtain a just-dry state corresponding to the cloth amount and the cloth quality obtained as described above.
Is calculated by the database shown in FIG.

For example, the cloth amount G is calculated to be 2.5 kg,
If the cloth is calculated as d (thick), T _x = T _d3 . Here, these times T _X are set in advance to the times until the degree of dryness is determined to be just right, which is experimentally obtained for various amounts and cloths of cloth.

As shown in FIG. 7, the motor 18 and the heater 1
3 motor drive circuit 26 is incorporated in each control unit 21 is connected to a microcomputer 25 via the heater drive circuit 27 performs a warm air operation in accordance with T _X which is calculated as described above, further After performing a cool air operation for cooling the drying cloth for a certain period of time, the operation is stopped . In the present embodiment, a time measuring means for measuring a time T _Z from T ₀ to when the electric resistance value of the drying degree detecting device 20 becomes R ₁ , and a cloth amount is _calculated from T _Z obtained by the time measuring means according to the relationship of FIG. a laundry amount calculation means for calculating G, and change rate calculating means for electric resistance value of the dryness detecting unit 20 calculates the rate of change of the output by the time [Delta] T _Z from R ₁ to reach R _2, FIG from [Delta] T _Z And a cloth quantity calculating means for calculating the cloth quality according to the relationship of 5, wherein the cloth quantity G obtained by the cloth quantity calculating means and the cloth quality calculating means.
And de 6 for calculating the T _X corresponding to Nunoshitsu to d - eat - scan the microcomputer shown in FIG. 7 - is stored in the ROM of the motor 25 is controlled in accordance with the operation.

[0043]

According to the present invention, the object to be dried is determined by the time required for the output of one dryness detecting device to reach a predetermined value and the rate of change of the output of the dryness detecting device. Can be converted to a value corresponding to the cloth amount and the cloth quality, and the operation can be completed with a constant and exactly good dryness regardless of the cloth amount and the cloth quality of the material to be dried.

Therefore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to attach a plurality of dryness detecting devices, so that the assembling efficiency and productivity are very good, the cost is low, and the number of input units of the microcomputer is set separately. In this respect, a clothes dryer which is inexpensive in this respect and does not require a large microcomputer can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an internal structure of a clothes dryer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the clothes dryer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a change in an electric resistance value in a drying process of the drying degree detecting device.

FIG. 4 shows a change in electrical resistance value T _Z and a cloth amount G of the drying degree detecting device.
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between an electric resistance change ΔT _{Z of a} drying degree detecting device and cloths a to d.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a database for calculating a good drying time T _X corresponding to a cloth amount G and cloths a to d.

FIG. 7 is a control block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment for obtaining a change rate of an output of the dryness detecting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 20: drying degree detecting device, 21: control device, 25: microcomputer.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yukio Abe 1-1-1, Higashitagacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Living Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd. No. 1-1 Living Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-348800 (JP, A) JP-A-4-300594 (JP, A) JP-A-62-2799 (JP, A) JP-A-62-97600 (JP, A) JP-A-60-168497 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 58/28

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heater for rotatably supporting a drum in an outer frame, a heater and a blower for sending hot air into the drum, and
A clothes dryer having an air blower, a transmission for driving a drum, and an electric motor, comprising one drying degree detecting device for detecting the degree of drying in the drum by electric resistance , and drying after the start of operation. From the time when the output of the degree detection device falls below a certain predetermined value, returns to the predetermined value.
Time- measuring means for calculating the amount of cloth to be dried from the time required until the time until the drying time, and change rate calculating means for calculating the cloth quality of the matter to be dried from the change rate of the output of the dryness detection device. Based on the results calculated by the time counting means and the change rate calculating means, the drying operation time corresponding to the amount and the quality of the material to be dried is stored in advance in the ROM of the microcomputer.
A clothes dryer comprising a control device for performing a drying operation by selecting from a database stored in the clothes dryer.