JPS61164595A - Clothing dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial applications The present invention relates to an electric clothes dryer.

Conventional technology Conventionally, there are two types of clothes dryers: one uses a timer to control the heater and motor, and the other uses a sensor to detect the degree of dryness.
Most failures in heaters and motors have been detected using current fuses connected in series with the power source or temperature fuses attached to the motor.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In recent years, clothes dryers using semiconductor heaters (P, T, C heaters) have become mainstream for safety reasons. For example, if the drum stops during operation due to a motor failure or a break in the belt that transmits the rotation of the motor to the drum, the ventilation to the semiconductor heater will be poor, the current flowing through the semiconductor heater will decrease, and the temperature of the heat generated will decrease. will decrease. Therefore, in this case, failure cannot be detected in both the current fuse and the temperature fuse of the conventional clothes dryer.Furthermore, in this case, even if the heat generation temperature of the heater decreases, the drum does not rotate, so there is a local high temperature. This created a risk of burning clothing and causing a fire.

The present invention solves these problems by detecting motor failures more quickly and reliably, improving the safety of dryers, and investigating the cause when diagnosing failures. It is intended to be useful.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention connects a current detector that detects the sum of the current of the heater and the motor, and uses the output of this and the output of the timer means to determine the current value. The device is configured to include a notification device which inputs the output to the control device and notifies the user using an output signal of the control device when an abnormality occurs.

Effect: With the above configuration, the combined current value of the heater and motor is input to the current value determining means at regular intervals. Therefore,
If the lower limit of the combined current of the heater and motor is set in advance, the current value determination means can detect whether there is an abnormality in the heater, motor, or current detector, and if the current value is below the lower limit of the current value, control is performed. Output to means. This output control means stops output signals to the heater and motor,
Control is performed to give an output signal to the notification means for notifying this abnormality.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control section of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a current detection means that detects the sum of the currents of the heater 6 and motor 7. 2 is a timer means that provides a sampling time for current detection. Reference numeral 4 denotes a current value determining means which inputs the outputs of the current detecting means 1 and the timer means 2, and determines at regular intervals whether or not the current value is below a certain value. 3
is a control means which receives the output of the current value discrimination means 4 as an input and controls the motor 7, the heater 6, and the notification means 5.

FIG. 2 shows a specific circuit diagram of the control section.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a current detector, which is connected in series to an AC power source 11 and detects a current that is the sum of the currents of the heater 6 and the motor 7. Reference numerals 8 and 9 indicate bidirectional silicon switches, which are semiconductor switching elements for driving the heater 6 and the motor T, respectively.

1o is a capacitor for initial driving of the motor γ.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a microcomputer, which uses a built-in computer to measure current data at regular intervals, determines abnormalities in the heater 6 and motor 7, and abnormalities in the current detector 1, and detects abnormalities in the bidirectional thyristor 8.9. A signal is generated in the drive circuit 12 that drives the , or in the buzzer circuit 6 that is a notification means. Specifically, the input section 3b for inputting current value data, and the buzzer 5. The output section 3d outputs control signals to the drive circuit 12 for driving the heater 6 and the motor 7, the storage section 31L, the input section 3b, the output section sei, and the storage section 3& are controlled, respectively, and data comparison calculations, etc. It has an arithmetic control section 3G that performs. Note that 13 is an analog-to-digital converter for converting analog data from the current detector 1 into digital data that can be input to the microcomputer 3.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 3 shows the main part of a flowchart under the control of the microcomputer 3.

In step 14, the microcomputer controls the heater 6,
An output signal is sent to the motor 7 to start drying. Thereafter, in step 15, current data obtained by adding the heater 6 and motor 7 are input at regular intervals.

Next, in step 16, the microcomputer 3 determines whether the current data is below a certain value. If it is larger than a certain value, the operations from step 14 are repeated, and if it is less than a certain value, the output signal to the heater 6 and motor p7 is stopped in step 17. Furthermore, in step 18, the microcomputer 3 sends an output signal to the buzzer,
Notify abnormality.

According to the above embodiment, if the current data is below a certain value, the microcomputer 3 determines whether the heater 6 or the motor 7 is disconnected, or the drive bidirectional thyristors 8, 9, . It is possible to detect that the drive circuit 4 is out of order.

Furthermore, even if the current detector 1 itself is disconnected, the above-mentioned condition will occur, so this failure can also be detected.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, failures in motors, heaters, and their drive circuits that could not be detected with conventional current fuses and temperature fuses can be detected, and failures in the current detector itself can be detected. can also be detected, which has the effect of improving safety.

Furthermore, it can be useful in case of failure diagnosis.
This also has the effect of making it easier to investigate the cause.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control section of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram thereof, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of microcomputer control. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Current detection means, 2... Timer means, 3... Control means, 4... Current value discrimination means, 5... Notification means, 6... Heater, 7... Motor. Name of substitute Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person 1st
Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heater for drying clothes, a motor for rotating a drum, an alarm means for notifying an abnormality, a current detecting means for detecting the sum of the current of the heater and the motor, and a timer means for measuring time. , the current detecting means, the current value determining means for determining the magnitude of the current value at regular intervals based on the output of the timer means, and the output of the current value determining means as input; A clothes dryer comprising a control means that determines that a failure has occurred in either the heater or the motor current detection stage, stops energization of the heater or motor, and controls the notifying means to issue a notification.