JPH09155099A - Clothings dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To call the selection of course by presenting possible courses corresponding to the current progress conditions of main body of clothings dryer concerning the course change of clothings drying machine by exchanging control information for controlling the main body of dryer, temperature information of main body of dryer and various kinds of information such as motor rotation cycle and progress conditions related to the operation of clothings drying between the inside and outside of main body of dryer concerning the clothings dryer for drying objects to be dried such as clothings. SOLUTION: This machine is composed of a main body 1 of dryer for drying clothings and hand control means 13 to be bidirectionally communicated with this main body 1 of dryer, the control information and various kinds of information such as the rotation cycle of motor 6 or the progress conditions to be successively generated during the drying operation in relation to the clothings drying operation are exchanged between a 1st bidirectional communication means 12 provided at the main body 1 of dryer and a 2nd bidirectional communication means 14 provided at the hand control means 13, and the information received at the 2nd bidirectional communication means 14 is operated and displayed on a display means 17.

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 an article to be dried such as clothes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of home electric appliances such as clothes dryers, there has been increasing momentum to add various functions to improve convenience for users.

For example, in a washing machine in a related field, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-124368, the information about the operation of the washing machine body is transmitted from the washing machine body, and the washing machine-related equipment is identified by this information. A controlling, unidirectional control function is disclosed.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional configuration, the course is changed at the operation control portion of the clothes dryer body, for example, the control such as turning up the drying operation early is performed from a remote place. However, there is a problem that it is not possible to perform bidirectional control such as changing the progress after grasping the current progress.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and includes control information for controlling the dryer main body, temperature information of the dryer main body,
Various information related to clothes drying operation such as motor rotation cycle and progress is sent and received between inside and outside of the dryer main body, and the course change of the clothes dryer is presented based on the current progress of the clothes dryer main body. The aim is to encourage course selection.

[0006]

The clothes dryer of the present invention comprises a dryer main body for drying clothes and a hand control means capable of two-way communication with the dryer main body. The clothes dryer is provided in the dryer main body. Between the first two-way communication means and the second two-way communication means provided in the hand control means, the control information and the clothes drying operation that sequentially occurs during the drying operation such as the motor rotation cycle and the progress status. Sending and receiving various related information,
The information transmitted and received by the second bidirectional communication means is calculated and displayed on the display means.

Thus, the course of the dryer main body is changed by the hand control means, for example, the control such as rounding up of the drying operation is performed at an early stage after grasping the current progress situation from a distant place and then changing the progress. It becomes possible to perform bidirectional control.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a dryer main body for drying clothes and a hand control means capable of two-way communication with the dryer main body. A rotating drum for storing clothes, a blowing unit for blowing warm air into the rotating drum, a heating unit provided in a blowing path into the rotating drum, and a motor for rotationally driving the rotating drum and the blowing unit. , The control means for controlling the motor, the heating means, etc., the control information for controlling the control means, and various information related to the clothes drying operation, such as the motor rotation cycle and the progress, which are successively generated during the drying operation. A first bidirectional communication means for transmitting and receiving to and from a control means, wherein the hand control means has a second bidirectional communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the first bidirectional communication means, and the second bidirectional communication means. Two-way communication means Storing means for storing information transmitted and received, input means for performing various key input operations relating to clothes drying operation, calculating means for calculating information transmitted and received by the input means or the second two-way communication means, and the calculation And a display means for displaying a calculation result by the means, and having a hand control means connected by the first two-way communication means and the second two-way communication means, thereby changing the course of the clothes dryer. For example, for the control such as early rounding up of the dry operation, it is possible to perform bidirectional control such that the progress is changed after grasping the current progress status from a distant place.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

(Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, a dryer main body 1 is provided with a rotary drum 2, a heat exchange type fan 3 and a heater 4 inside, and is substantially integrated via circulation ducts 5a, 5b and 5c. It has a structure and constitutes a circulating ventilation path for drying the circulating dehumidifying clothes. As the heat exchange fan 3 rotates, the air in the circulation ducts 5a, 5b, 5c and the rotating drum 2 starts to circulate, and the air in the circulation duct 5a which has become low temperature after heat exchange is re-heated by the heater 4. It is heated and supplied into the rotary drum 2 through the circulation duct 5b.

The rotating drum 2 rotates and the clothes to be dried are exposed to the above-mentioned heated air to evaporate the moisture and dry the clothes. The air containing a large amount of water vapor is discharged from the rotary drum 2, and the heat exchange type fan 3 exchanges the water vapor with the low temperature outside air through the circulation duct 5c to convert the water vapor into water droplets. Be blown to.

The motor 6 is connected to the heat exchange fan 3 and the rotary drum 2 by a belt (not shown) and is driven to rotate. The control means 7 is composed of a microcomputer, and a storage means 7c, an output port 7d having a plurality of terminals, and an input port 7a having a plurality of terminals are connected to the computing means 7b to perform various controls related to clothes drying. ing.

The input means 8 is a heater changeover switch 8a,
It comprises a course selection switch 8b, a start / pause switch 8c, and a power switch 8d for inputting a necessary initial setting operation. This input signal passes through the input port 7a of the control means 7 and the storage means 7c in the calculation means 7b.
The calculation processing is performed according to the program stored in, and the calculation result is displayed on the display means 9 via the output port 7d.

The display means 9 includes a clogging indicator 9a, a strong indicator 9b corresponding to the heater changeover switch 8a, a weak indicator 9c, a soft keep indicator 9d, and a standard 9e corresponding to the course selecting switch 8b. Finish 9f, Thick 9
g, diaper disinfectant 9h, and each course indicator of a shirt 9i. The clogging indicator 9a is used for the rotary drum 2
When the control means 7 detects that the filter (not shown) for removing cotton dust and the like attached to the portion discharged from the inside of the circulation duct 5c is clogged by the temperature rise of the temperature sensor 10a. indicate.

The rotation detection means 11 detects the rotation cycle of the rotary drum 2. The detected rotation signal is input to the control means 7, and the necessary calculation processing is performed by the calculation means 7b via the input port 7a. The motor 6 is controlled so as to maintain the specified rotation speed, and the rotation speed of the motor 6 is controlled as a rotation speed control signal from the output port 7d.

The control means 7 outputs a control signal for the heater 4 from the output port 7d based on the signals from the rotation detection means 14 and the temperature sensors 15a and 15b.

The first bidirectional communication means 12 transmits / receives signals to / from the second bidirectional communication means 14 provided in the hand control means 13, and includes a modulator 12a, a light emitter 12b, and a light emitter 12b.
It is composed of a demodulator 12c and a light receiver 12d, and temperature information detected by the temperature sensors 10a and 10b generated in a constant cycle, rotation cycle information of the rotary drum 2, control information and current information of the heater 4, and generated only at key input The key input information generated by the input means 8 is transmitted.

The first two-way communication means 12 is a control means 7.
The signal from the output port 7d is transmitted through the modulator 16a as a light intensity modulated signal in the light emitter 12b to the space, and the light intensity signal transmitted in the space is transmitted from the light receiver 12d to the demodulator 12c to the original state. Return to signal, input port 7a
It has a function to input to

From the second bidirectional communication means 14 provided in the hand control means 13, the heater changeover switch 15a,
Input means 15 including a course selection switch 15b, a start / pause switch 15c, and a power switch 15d
Send key input information from.

The control means 16 is the second bidirectional communication means 1
The signal fetched from the input port 16a from 4 is inputted to the arithmetic means 16b composed of a microcomputer, the necessary arithmetic operation is performed according to the program stored in the storage means 16c, and the arithmetic result is outputted from the output port 16d,
It also has a function of storing in the storage means 16c.

The second bidirectional communication means 14 is the control means 1
The signal from the output port 16d of No. 6 is transmitted through the modulator 14a as a light intensity modulated signal in the light emitter 14b, and the light intensity signal transmitted through the space is received by the light receiver 14b.
It has a function of returning from d to the original signal through the demodulator 14c and inputting it to the input port 20a.

The display means 17 displays a signal keyed in from the input means 8 or 15 or a dryness display which is a calculation result of the calculation means 16b. The dryness display is 10 steps from non-dry to 100% dry. Indicators 17j-1
Display at 7t. In addition, the filter clogging indicator 17
a, a strong indicator 17b corresponding to the heater changeover switch 8a or 15a, a weak indicator 17c, a soft keep indicator 17d, a standard course 17e, a finish 17f, and a thick material 1 which are the selection results by the course selection switch 8b or 15b.
Each course indicator of 7 g, diaper sterilization 17 h, and shirt 17 i is provided.

To explain the operation in the above configuration, when the user inputs a necessary initial setting operation using the switch of the input means 8 of the dryer main body 1, the input signal passes through the input port 7a of the control means 7 and the calculation means. Storage means 7c at 7b
The calculation processing is performed according to the program stored in, and the calculation result is displayed on the display means 9 via the output port 7d.

At the same time, the calculation result is transmitted through the output port 7d from the first bidirectional communication means 12 to the space as a light intensity modulation signal, and the light intensity signal transmitted through the space is transmitted to the second bidirectional communication means 14. The signal is received from the light receiver 14d, returned to the original signal through the demodulator 14c, and passed through the control means 16.
The result of the initial setting is displayed on the display means 17.

The user uses the input means 15 of the hand control means 13
Enter the required initial setting operation using the switch
The input signal passes through the input port 16a of the control means 16 and is arithmetically processed by the arithmetic means 16b in accordance with the program stored in the storage means 16c. The arithmetic result is the output port 16
The initialized result is displayed on the display means 17 via d.

At the same time, the calculation result is transmitted through the output port 16d to the space as the light intensity modulation signal from the second two-way communication means 14, and the light intensity signal transmitted through the space is first transmitted.
Is received by the two-way communication means 12 of FIG.
The result of the initial setting is displayed on the display means 9.

When the contents initialized by the input means 8 are confirmed by the display contents of the display means 19 or 17, the start / temporary stop 8c of the input means 8 is pushed, and the drying operation start signal is input to the input port. It is transmitted to the calculating means 7b via 7a, and after the necessary calculation, a control signal is transmitted from the output port 7d to the motor 6, and as a result, the rotary drum 2 and the heat exchange type fan 3 are started.

The rotation signal detected by the rotation detecting means 11 passes through the input port 7a and is subjected to necessary arithmetic processing by the arithmetic means 7b to control the motor 6 so as to keep it at the specified rotational speed, and the output port 7d. As a rotation speed control signal, the rotation speed of the motor 6 is controlled. The control means 7 outputs a control signal for the heater 4 from the output port 7d based on the signals from the rotation detection means 11 and the temperature sensors 10a and 10b.

The temperature detected by the temperature sensor 15a is set to T1.
The temperature detected by the temperature sensor 15b is T2, and the temperature difference between the temperatures T1 and T2 changes as shown in FIG. At the beginning of the drying operation, the amount of water vapor generated from the clothes to be dried gradually increases as the air temperature rises, and at the same time, heat is absorbed by the increase in condensed water, and the increase rate of the temperature T2 is smaller than that of the temperature T1. Eventually, when the clothes to be dried are heated almost uniformly, the amount of water vapor generated becomes substantially constant and condensed water is generated at a constant rate, so that both temperatures T1 and T2 are kept constant.

When the water content inside the clothes to be dried begins to decrease, the surface temperature of the clothes to be dried rises and the amount of temporary steam generated increases, so the temperature T1 starts to rise, but the temperature T2 rises to the condensed water. It decreases on the contrary due to the increase of. When the clothes to be dried run out of water, the temperature T2 also rises. The controller 7 controls the heater 4 so that the maximum temperature finally reached is limited to a temperature in consideration of preventing shrinkage of clothes.

Normally, after the differential temperature continues to be a constant value, the electric power supplied to the heater 4 is cut off around the time when the temperature starts to increase again, and the blowing operation is performed to prevent the cloth shrinkage.

In FIG. 2, three curves T1, T2, T
1-T2 is drawn, but the third curve is T1-T
2 is usually called a differential temperature curve, and a certain relational expression is made to correspond between various courses at the time of initial setting and the differential temperature curve, so that efficient drying can be performed for various quality and quantity of clothes. I am driving.

From the first two-way communication means 12 to the second two-way communication means 14, in addition to the key input information generated by the input means 8 at the time of the above-mentioned key input, the temperature sensor 10a generated at a constant cycle, The temperature information detected by 10b, the rotation period information of the rotary drum 2, the control information of the heater 4 and the current information are transmitted, and the sequential transition information of the clothes dryer main body 1 is the control means 1.
It is stored and stored in the storage means 16c of No. 6 and, for example, when an abnormality occurs, the process leading to the abnormality can be traced. In addition, based on these information, the indicators 17j-1
The degree of dryness from non-dried to 100% dried is displayed by 7t.

Therefore, after changing the course of the clothes dryer main body 1, for example, controlling the drying operation to be rounded up early, after grasping the current progress from a remote location,
Bidirectional control such as changing the progress can be performed.

In the above description, signals are transmitted between the first two-way communication means 16 and the second two-way communication means 14 using light as a carrier medium, but radio waves or ultrasonic waves are carried. It goes without saying that the medium can be replaced.

[0036]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the dryer main body for drying clothes and the hand control means capable of bidirectional communication with the dryer main body are provided.
Between the first two-way communication means provided in the dryer main body and the second two-way communication means provided in the hand control means, the control information and the motor rotation cycle, the progress status, etc. are successively read during the drying operation. Since various information relating to the clothes drying operation that is generated is transmitted and received, and the information transmitted and received by the second two-way communication means is calculated and displayed on the display means, the first means provided in the dryer main body By having the hand control means connected by the two-way communication means and the second two-way communication means, it is possible to change the course of the clothes dryer main body, for example, to control the drying operation up early. Therefore, it is possible to perform bi-directional control such that the progress is changed after grasping the current progress, so that the drying operation can be performed with peace of mind even when drying a material that is likely to cause cloth shrinkage. Further, since the progress status during the dry operation is stored in the storage means of the hand control means, it is possible to promptly deal with the occurrence of a failure or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a temperature change of each part during a drying operation of the clothes dryer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Dryer Main Body 2 Rotating Drum 3 Heat Exchange Type Fan (Blower) 4 Heater (Heating Means) 6 Motor 7 Control Means 12 First Bidirectional Communication Means 13 Hand Control Means 14 Second Bidirectional Communication Means 15 Input Means 16b Calculation means 16c Storage means 17 Display means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A dryer main body for drying clothes and a hand control means capable of two-way communication with the dryer main body,
The dryer body includes a rotating drum for storing clothes, a blowing unit for blowing warm air into the rotating drum, a heating unit provided in a blowing path into the rotating drum, the rotating drum and the blowing unit. A motor that rotates, a control unit that controls the motor and the heating unit, control information that controls the control unit, and various items related to the clothes drying operation that sequentially occurs during the drying operation, such as the motor rotation cycle and the progress status. A first bidirectional communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the hand control means, the hand control means being a second bidirectional communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the first bidirectional communication means. A storage means for storing information transmitted and received by the second two-way communication means, an input means for performing various key input operations relating to a clothes drying operation, and the transmission means by the input means or the second two-way communication means. A calculating means for calculating a signal information,
A clothes dryer, comprising: a display unit that displays a calculation result of the calculation unit.