JPH06134195A - Clothes drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To exactly alarm abnormality by detecting a power supply voltage, setting a reference current value in accordance with this power supply voltage, comparing this current value with the detected value of the current flowing in a PTC heater and judging the abnormality if the detected current value is below the reference current value. CONSTITUTION:This clothes drier controls a motor 24 for rotating a drum and the PTC heater 25 for forming hot air by a microcomputer 17 and is provided with a voltage detecting circuit 19 which detects the power supply voltage and a heater current detecting circuit 27 which detects the current flowing in the PTC heater 25. The detection signals thereof are inputted to the microcomputer 17. The reference value of the heater current is set in accordance with the power supply voltage value. This reference value and the current value detected by the heater current detecting circuit 27 are compared. Judgment is made that the filter is clogged and is the abnormality if the detected current value is below the reference value. The abnormality of the filter is then alarmed via a display alarm circuit 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes to be dried with warm air generated by a PTC heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in clothes dryers, warm air for drying clothes to be dried is generated by a PTC heater. This is because the PTC heater can operate efficiently because it has a characteristic that the amount of heat generated increases with an increase in the amount of air flow. However, the characteristic is that the amount of heat generation decreases with a decrease in the amount of air flow. Therefore, for example, if the filter becomes clogged and the air volume decreases, the PTC
The amount of heat generated by the heater decreases, and it becomes impossible to operate the heater efficiently.

However, when the amount of heat generated by the PTC heater decreases, the current flowing through the PTC heater decreases, so the current flowing through the PTC heater is detected, and when it falls below a reference value. There is provided a light emitting device, a buzzer, or the like for notifying the abnormality.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, PTC
Since the current flowing through the heater also changes depending on the power supply voltage, and the power supply voltage changes depending on the time zone, there is a problem that the above-mentioned abnormality notification cannot be accurately made.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore an object thereof is to make it possible to more accurately notify an abnormality due to the value of the current flowing through the PTC heater in consideration of the change in the power supply voltage. To provide a clothes dryer.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the clothes dryer of the present invention comprises a current detecting means for detecting a current flowing through a PTC heater and a voltage detecting means for detecting a power supply voltage. When a current reference value corresponding to the power supply voltage is set from the detection result of the voltage detection means and it is determined from the detection result of the current detection means that the current flowing through the PTC heater is less than or equal to the reference value. It is characterized in that the control for notifying the abnormality is performed.

[0007]

As shown in FIG. 5, the current flowing through the PTC heater is smaller when the filter is clogged (B) than when it is normal (A). Therefore, the power supply voltage is 100 [V]
When trying to determine an abnormality using the current value b when the filter is clogged when the reference value is
At [V], the value of the current flowing through the PTC heater is a ', which is less than or equal to b, so that it is erroneously determined to be abnormal.
Therefore, if the current value a lower than that is used as a reference value to determine an abnormality, the power supply voltage is 90 to 100 [V].
At this time, the values of the currents flowing through the PTC heaters are b and c higher than that even when the filter is clogged, so that it becomes impossible to judge the abnormality.

Therefore, the reference value for the abnormality determination is, for example, the value of the power supply voltage (90 to 11) among the three types of a, b, and c described above.
0 [V]) is set to determine an abnormality, so that the abnormality notification by the current value flowing through the PTC heater can be made more accurate in consideration of the change in the power supply voltage. become able to.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 2 shows an outer box 1 of the entire clothes dryer, in which a drum 2 functioning as a drying chamber is arranged. On the front surface of the outer box 1, a clothes entrance / exit 3 communicating with the inside of the drum 2 is formed, a door 4 for opening / closing the entrance / exit 3 is pivotally installed, and an operation panel 5 is installed below the door 4.

As shown in FIG. 3 in detail, the operation panel 5 has various operation keys 6 to 11 and various display devices 12 to 15 associated therewith, and as one of the abnormalities, a filter is provided. It has an informing device 16 for informing the cleaning of the device by, for example, light emission.

A microcomputer 17 shown in FIG. 4 is arranged on the back side of the operation panel 5. This microcomputer 17 functions as a control means, and a necessary power source is input from a power source circuit 18, and a voltage detection signal is input from a power source voltage detection circuit 19 which functions as a voltage detection means for detecting a power source voltage. Further, the operation circuit 2 which the initialization signal from the initialization circuit 20 is composed of the various operation switches 6 to 11 of the operation panel 5.
Various switch signals are inputted from 1 and clock pulses are inputted from the clock circuit 22.

Then, based on those inputs and the control program stored in advance, the microcomputer 17 causes the various indicators 12 to 1 of the operation panel 5 to operate.
5 and a notification device 23, which supplies a control signal to a display / notification circuit 23, and a motor 24 for rotating the drum 2 and a fan (not shown) and a hot air supplied into the drum 2 in cooperation with the fan. A drive control signal is applied to the drive circuit 26 that drives the PTC heater 25 that is generated. In addition, from the drive circuit 26 to the PTC heater 25
A heater current detection circuit 27 that functions as a current detection unit that detects a current flowing through the PTC heater 25 is provided in the power transmission path to the microcomputer 17, and the current detection signal is input to the microcomputer 17. .

Therefore, the abnormality determining operation based on the function of the microcomputer 17 will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a subroutine for determining the abnormality. This subroutine is designed so that a main routine (not shown) is interrupted at predetermined time intervals. (Step S
1). If it is determined in step S1 that the PTC heater 25 is operating, then it is determined whether the PTC heater 25 is energized (step S2). If it is determined that the PTC heater 25 is energized,
The power supply voltage V is detected by the voltage detection signal from the power supply voltage detection circuit 19 (step S3).

Based on the detection result, it is judged whether the power supply voltage V is "high (H)", "medium (M)" or "low (L)" (step S4). In this case, “High (H)” is 104 [V] or more and 110 [V] or less, and “Middle (M)” is 97 [V] or more and 104 [V].
Less than, "Low (L)" is 90 [V] or more, 97 [V]
It is less than.

In step S4, the power supply voltage V
Is determined to be “high (H)”, the reference value for abnormality determination is set to “a” (step S5), and if it is determined to be “medium (M)”, criteria for abnormality determination is set. The value is set to "b" (step S6), and if it is determined to be "low (L)", the reference value for abnormality determination is set to "c" (step S6).
7). These reference values “a”, “b”, “c” are as shown in FIG. 5, and are successively higher.

After that, the current IPT flowing through the PTC heater 25 in response to the current detection signal from the heater current detection circuit 27.
C is detected (step S8), and then it is determined whether or not the current IPTC flowing through the PTC heater 25 is less than or equal to the reference value set in any of steps S5 to S7 (step S9), and the reference value is set. If it is determined that
The alarm 16 is operated to notify of the abnormality, in this case, to notify the cleaning of the filter (clogging of the filter) (step S10), and the process returns. If it is determined that it is not less than the reference value, the process directly returns. Furthermore, if it is determined in the previous step S1 that the vehicle is not in operation, and if it is determined in step S2 that the vehicle is not energized, the process directly returns.

As described above, in this configuration, the reference value for abnormality determination is set to one corresponding to the value of the power supply voltage (90 to 110 [V]) from among "a", "b", and "c". By doing so, the abnormality is determined, so that the abnormality can be notified more accurately depending on the value of the current flowing through the PTC heater 25 in consideration of the change in the power supply voltage.

The current flowing through the PTC heater 25 is
Even when the belt for transmitting the power of the motor 24 to the fan is loosened, the air volume is reduced, and therefore is reduced. Therefore, when the current flowing through the PTC heater 25 becomes equal to or lower than the reference value, the abnormality is notified. May be not only a filter for cleaning the filter but also a filter for replacing the belt.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and in particular, the specific numerical values, the number of steps, etc. may be appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the gist. Can be implemented.

[0020]

As is clear from the above description, in the clothes dryer of the present invention, the clothes to be dried are dried by supplying warm air generated by the PTC heater to the drying chamber. The current detection means includes a current detection means for detecting a current flowing through the heater, and a voltage detection means for detecting a power supply voltage. The current detection means sets the reference value of the current according to the power supply voltage from the detection result of the voltage detection means. When the current flowing through the PTC heater is determined to be less than or equal to the reference value based on the detection result of the above, the control for notifying the abnormality is performed,
As a result, it is possible to provide an excellent effect that it is possible to more accurately notify the abnormality due to the value of the current flowing through the PTC heater in consideration of the change in the power supply voltage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining an operation showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of an operation panel portion.

FIG. 4 is a schematic electrical configuration diagram.

FIG. 5: Voltage-current characteristic diagram of PTC heater

[Explanation of symbols]

2 is a drum (drying room), 16 is an alarm, 17 is a microcomputer (control means), 19 is a power supply voltage detection circuit (voltage detection means), 25 is a PTC heater, 27 is a heater current detection circuit (current detection means). Indicates.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for drying clothes to be dried by supplying warm air generated by a PTC heater to a drying chamber, comprising current detection means for detecting a current flowing through the PTC heater, and a power supply voltage. That the current flowing through the PTC heater is less than or equal to the reference value based on the detection result of the current detection unit. A clothes dryer, characterized by comprising control means for performing control to notify an abnormality when judged.