KR100813056B1 - Laundry dryer and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A dryer and a method for controlling the same are provided to supply a functional liquid such as a softener by connecting at least one functional liquid supplier with a functional liquid supply source and a drum. A dryer comprises a drum, a hot blast heater, a steam generator(200), at least one functional liquid supplier(300a), and pumps(400,400a). One end of the steam generator is connected with a water supply source(300), and the other end of the steam generator is connected with the drum. One end of the functional liquid supplier is connected with a functional liquid supply source and the other end of the functional liquid supplier is connected with the drum. The functional liquid supplier supplies the functional liquid to the drum. The water supply source is detachably installed in the dryer. The pumps are installed between the water supply source and the steam generator.

Description

Dryer and method for controlling it {laundry dryer and method for controlling the same}

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a dryer according to the present invention

2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generator of FIG.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the dryer in the present invention, a configuration diagram showing a steam generator mainly

5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the water supply source of FIG.

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the softening member of FIG. 5;

7A to 7C are perspective views partially cut away from FIG. 5.

8 is a side view showing a connection structure of the water supply source and the pump of FIG.

9a and 9b are cross-sectional views showing the desorption relationship of the water supply source

10 is a perspective view showing a modification of the pin of FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection structure of the water supply source and the pump of FIG.

12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the pump of FIG.

13 is a view showing another embodiment of the dryer in the present invention, the configuration diagram schematically showing the center of the steam generator

Configuration diagram schematically showing a modification of FIG. 14 and FIG.

15 is a view schematically showing an embodiment of a control method of a dryer according to the present invention.

16 is a view schematically showing another embodiment of a control method of a dryer according to the present invention;

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: cabinet 20: drum

30: front supporter 40: rear supporter

50: lint duct 60: blower unit

70: motor 80: exhaust duct

90: hot air heater 200: steam generator

300: water supply (cartridge) 300a: functional liquid supply

400, 400a: Pump 450, 452: 1st valve, 2nd valve

500: safety valve 250: nozzle

The present invention relates to a dryer and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a dryer and a control method thereof capable of removing or preventing wrinkles, wrinkles, etc. generated in clothes and the like.

A dryer is a household appliance in which laundry is normally washed, that is, clothes are mainly dried using high temperature air. In general, the dryer includes a drum accommodating the object to be dried, a driving source for driving the drum, heating means for heating air introduced into the drum, and a blower unit for sucking or discharging air in the drum.

 The dryer may be classified into an electric dryer and a gas dryer according to a method of heating air, that is, a heating means. The electric dryer heats air using electric resistance heat, and the gas dryer heats air using heat generated by combustion of gas. If the dryers are classified differently, they can be classified as condensation dryers and exhaust dryers. In the condenser dryer, the air that has been heat-exchanged with the dry matter in the drum is circulated without being discharged to the outside of the dryer, and in a separate condenser, heat is exchanged with the outside air to make condensate and discharged to the outside. In the exhaust dryer, the air, which has been heat exchanged with the dry matter in the drum and becomes humid, is discharged directly to the outside of the dryer. If the dryer is classified into another method, it may be divided into a top loading method and a front loading method according to a method of inputting a dry matter to the dryer. In the top loading method, the dry material is introduced from the upper side of the dryer. In the front loading method, the dry material is injected from the front of the dryer.

The above-mentioned conventional dryer has the following problems.

In general, the laundry is dried and dehydrated laundry is put into the dryer to dry. However, due to the principle of water washing, wrinkles are generated in the laundry in which water washing is completed, and the generated wrinkles are not completely removed in the drying process in the dryer. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that a separate ironing is required to remove wrinkles existing in the dry matter such as laundry which has been dried in the conventional dryer.

In addition, wrinkles, wrinkles, folds, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "wrinkles") are generated even when clothes and the like are normally stored and used in addition to laundry after washing. The development of a device that can easily remove wrinkles in accordance with the normal use, storage, such as clothing was required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dryer and a method of controlling the same, which can prevent and / or remove wrinkles on clothes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dryer and a control method thereof which can provide a functional liquid such as a fragrance or a fabric softener to the clothes to be dried.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an optional rotatable drum; A hot air heater for heating air to supply hot air to the drum; One side is connected to the water supply source and the other side is connected to the drum, the steam generator for generating steam; One side is connected to the functional liquid supply source and the other side is connected to the drum, to provide a dryer comprising at least one functional liquid supply for supplying the functional liquid to the drum.

At least one of the water source and the functional liquid source is preferably detachable. Preferably, a pump is further provided between at least one of the water supply source and the steam generator, and between the functional liquid supply source and the drum.

On the other hand, the outlet side of the water supply source is provided with a first valve, the inlet side of the steam generator is provided with a second valve, the outlet of the functional liquid supply source is connected to the first valve, the second valve is the functional A flow path for supplying a liquid to the drum may be connected. In this case, it is preferable that a pump is further provided between the first valve and the second valve.

On the other hand, the water supply source and the functional liquid supply source is more preferably formed integrally.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a control method of a dryer including at least a drying step of drying clothes by supplying hot air to a drum, the method further comprises a functional liquid supply step of supplying a functional liquid to the drum. It provides a control method of the dryer, characterized in that. Preferably, the control method of the dryer further includes a steam supplying step of supplying steam to the drum.

In the functional liquid supply step, it is preferable to supply the functional liquid to the drum for a predetermined time during the operation of the dryer. And, if the functional liquid contains a fiber softener, the functional liquid is preferably supplied to the drum in the initial stage of operation of the dryer, and if the functional liquid contains fragrance in the final stage of operation of the dryer It is preferable that the functional liquid is supplied to the drum.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to effectively prevent and / or remove wrinkles on clothes. In addition, by spraying a functional liquid such as fragrance or fabric softener to the clothes to be dried, it is possible to dry the clothes more effectively.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Hereinafter, in order to explain the dryer according to the present invention and a control method thereof, a top loading method, an electric type, and a condensation type dryer will be described as examples. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and of course, the present invention may be applied to a front loading method, a gas type, a condensation type dryer, or the like.

1 and 2, an embodiment of a dryer and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described.

A rotatable drum 20, a motor 70 for driving the drum 20, and a belt 68 are installed in the cabinet 10 constituting the exterior of the dryer. In addition, a heater 90 (hereinafter referred to as a "hot air heater" for convenience) generated by the hot air heater 90 to heat the air to create a high temperature air (hereinafter referred to as "hot air") at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. Hot air supply duct 44 for supplying the hot air to the drum 20 is provided. In addition, an exhaust duct 80 for discharging humid air heat-exchanged with the object to be dried in the drum 20, a blower unit 60 for sucking the humid air, and the like are also provided. On the other hand, a steam generator 200 for generating high temperature steam is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. In this embodiment, an indirect drive method for rotating the drum 20 using the motor 70 and the belt 68 for convenience is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a direct drive method (Direct Drive Type) in which a motor is directly connected to the rear surface of the drum 20 to directly rotate the drum 20.

Each component will be described in detail as follows.

The cabinet 10 forms an outer shape of the dryer, and includes a base 12 forming a bottom surface, a pair of side covers 14 installed vertically from the base 12, and the side cover 14. The front cover 16 and the rear cover 18, which are respectively installed on the front and rear of the, is configured to include a top cover 17 located on the upper side of the side cover (14). The control panel 19 having various operation switches or the like is normally located on the top cover 17 or the front cover 16, and the door 164 is provided on the front cover 16. The rear cover 18 is provided with an inlet 182 for allowing outside air to flow therein and an exhaust hole 184, which is a final passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside.

The inner space of the drum 20 functions as a drying chamber in which drying proceeds, and the lift 22 is installed inside the drum 20 by dragging and dropping the dry object to invert the dry object to increase the drying efficiency. desirable.

Meanwhile, the front supporter 30 is installed between the drum 20 and the cabinet 10, that is, between the drum 20 and the front cover 16, and between the drum 20 and the rear cover 18. The rear supporter 40 is installed in this. The drum 20 is rotatably installed between the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40, and the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 and the drum 20 respectively prevent leakage. Sealing member (not shown) is installed. That is, the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 form a drying chamber by blocking the front and rear surfaces of the drum 20 and serve to support the front and rear ends of the drum 20.

The front supporter 30 is formed with an opening for communicating the drum 20 with the outside of the dryer, the opening is selectively opened and closed by the door 164. In addition, the front supporter 30 is connected to the lint duct 50 which is a passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside, and the lint duct 50 is provided with a lint filter 52. One side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the lint duct 50, the other side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust duct 80 is provided at the rear cover 18. It communicates with the exhaust hole 184. Therefore, when the blower unit 60 is operated, the air in the drum 20 is discharged to the outside through the lint duct 50, the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust hole 184. At this time, foreign matter such as lint is filtered in the lint filter 52. In general, the blower unit 60 includes a blower 62 and a blower housing 64, and the blower 64 is generally connected to and driven by a motor 70 for driving the drum 20.

The rear supporter 40 is formed with an opening 42 which is usually composed of a plurality of through holes, and the hot air supply duct 44 is connected to the opening 42. The hot air supply duct 44 communicates with the drum 20 to serve as a passage for supplying hot air to the drum 20. Therefore, the hot air heater 90 is installed at a predetermined position of the hot air supply duct 44.

On the other hand, the steam generator 200 for supplying the steam to the inside of the drum 20 is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet (10). Referring to Figure 3, the steam generator 200 will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 includes a water tank 210 for receiving water therein, a heater 240 mounted inside the water tank 210, and a water level sensor 260 for measuring the water level of the steam generator 200. And a temperature sensor 270 for measuring the temperature of the steam generator 200. The water level sensor 260 is generally composed of a common electrode 262, a low level electrode 264, and a high level electrode 266, so that the common electrode 262 and the high level electrode 264 are energized or the common electrode 262 and the low level electrode A high water level and a low water level are detected by the energization of 266.

One side of the steam generator 200 is connected to a water supply hose 220 for supplying water, and the other side is connected to a steam hose 230 for discharging steam, and a nozzle having a predetermined shape at the tip of the steam hose 230. 250) is preferably provided. In general, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet, and the tip of the steam hose 230 or the nozzle 25, that is, the steam discharge port, is positioned at a predetermined position of the drum 20, so that the drum 20 Steam is injected into the inside of the tank.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the steam generator 200 (hereinafter, referred to as a "heating heating method") of a method of generating steam by heating a predetermined amount of water contained in the water tank 210 of a predetermined size with the heater 240 is referred to. Although shown and described, this invention is not limited to this. That is, in the present invention, any device capable of generating steam can be used as a steam generator. For example, it is also possible to install a heater directly around the water supply hose through which the water passes, that is, to heat the water without accommodating the water in a predetermined space (hereinafter referred to as "pipe heating method" for convenience).

Referring to Figure 4, another embodiment of the dryer according to the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, the water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 200 is removable. As in the embodiment described above, the water supply may be a faucet, but in this case the installation is complex. This is because, in general, water is not used in a dryer, and therefore, when a faucet is used as a water supply source, it is necessary to additionally install various devices and the like. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, using a detachable water supply source (Detachable Water Supply Source) 300, the water supply source 300 is supplied to supply water, steam the water supply source 300 filled with water It is very convenient to connect to the water supply passage of the generator 200, that is, the water supply hose 220.

In addition, the pump 400 is preferably provided between the water supply source 300 and the steam generator 200. It is more preferable that the pump 400 can be rotated forward and backward, thereby supplying water to the steam generator 200 and recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200 as necessary. It is also possible to supply water to the steam generator 200 by using a water order between the water supply source 300 and the steam generator 200 without using the pump 400. However, in general, various parts and the like of the dryer are standard products and are designed to be compact, so that the structural space is absolutely insufficient. Therefore, water supply using water parking is virtually impossible without changing the size of various components of the conventional dryer. Therefore, when the small pump 400 is used, since the steam generator 200 can be installed without changing the size of various parts of the conventional dryer, it is very useful to use the pump 400. And, the reason for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200 is that if the steam generator 200 is not used for a long time, the heater may be damaged by the residual water, or there may be a possibility that the decayed water is used later.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, water is supplied and steam is discharged from the upper portion of the steam generator 200, but in the present embodiment, water is supplied to the lower portion of the steam generator 200, and the steam generator 200 Steam is preferably discharged from the top. This configuration is advantageous for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200.

In addition, it is preferable that the safety valve 500 is provided in the steam flow path for discharging steam from the steam generator 200, that is, the steam hose 230.

Each component is described in detail.

First, the detachable water supply source 300 (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge" for convenience) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The cartridge 300 includes a lower housing 310 that substantially receives water, and an upper housing 320 that is detachable from the lower housing 310. When the cartridge 300 is configured as the lower housing 310 and the upper housing 320, it is easy to clean the scales accumulated in the cartridge 300, and the filters 330 and 340 and the softening member 350 may be cleaned. This is because it is easy to separate and clean or regenerate.

It is preferable that the first filter 330 is installed in the upper housing 320. That is, it is preferable that the first filter 330 is installed at the water inlet of the upper housing 320 so that water is primarily filtered when water is supplied to the cartridge 300.

The lower housing 310 is provided with an opening and closing member 360 for selectively supplying the water of the cartridge 300 to the outside, when the cartridge 300 is separated, the water of the cartridge 300 is discharged to the outside If the cartridge 300 is installed, the water of the cartridge 300 is preferably discharged to the outside. In addition, the opening and closing member 360 is preferably connected to the second filter 340 for filtering water, and the second filter 340 is more preferably detachable. By using the first filter 330 and the second filter 340, impurities mixed in water such as fine dust may be filtered twice. The first filter 330 is preferably about 50 mesh nets, and the second filter 340 is preferably about 60 mesh nets. Here, the 50 mesh network means that the number of meshes per predetermined area is 50. Therefore, the size of the pores constituting the mesh of the first filter 330 is larger than the size of the pores of the second filter 340, and thus a large foreign matter is formed. The first filter 330 is primarily filtered, and small foreign matter is filtered by the second filter 340.

In addition, the inside of the cartridge 300 is preferably provided with a softening member 350 for softening the water. And, the softening member 350 is more preferably detachable. As shown in FIG. 6, the softening member 350 includes a lower housing 352 in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and an upper housing 353 detachable from the lower housing 352 and in which a plurality of through holes are formed. It is preferably configured to include an ion exchange resin (not shown) filled in the space defined by the upper housing 353 and the lower housing 352.

The reason for using the softening member 350 is as follows. When the water supplied to the steam generator 200 has a high hardness, lime (calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ), etc.) is precipitated when calcium hydrogen carbonate (Ca (HCO ₃ ) ₂ ) dissolved in water is heated. This may cause corrosion of the heater. In particular, in Europe and the Americas, this phenomenon may be severe because water is a soft soft water. Therefore, it is preferable to remove calcium, magnesium ions, etc. in advance using an ion exchange resin to prevent the precipitation of lime. In addition, since the performance decreases as the soft water progresses, the ion exchange resin can be regenerated and reused with salt (NaCl). For reference, the softening process by ion exchange resin is 2 (R-SONa) + Ca2 <-> (R-SO) Ca + 2Na, and the regeneration process is (R-SO) Ca + 2NaCl <-> 2 (R -SONa) + CaCl.

7A to 7C, the detachable structure of the second filter 340 and the opening and closing member 360 will be described in detail as follows.

The lower housing 310 of the cartridge 300 is provided with an opening and closing member 360 in communication with the cartridge 300. The opening and closing member 360 includes a flow path 362 communicating with the cartridge 300 and a pin 365 for selectively opening and closing the flow path 362. The flow path 362 includes an inner flow path 362a and an outer flow path 362b, and a locking protrusion 361 is formed on an outer surface of the inner flow path 362a. The second filter 340 includes a case 341 having a shape corresponding to the inner flow path 362a and a filtering unit 344 provided on one side of the case 341. In addition, a groove part 342 corresponding to the locking protrusion 361 of the inner flow path 362a is formed at one side of the case 341. The groove portion 342 has an approximately "L" shape, that is, a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, after the groove 342 of the second filter 340 is exactly inserted in the direction of the locking projection 361 of the inner flow path 362a, as shown in FIG. When the second filter 340 is turned, the coupling between the second filter 340 and the opening / closing member 360 is completed. Since the opposite of separating the second filter 340, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 8, the connection relationship between the cartridge 300 and the pump 400 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cartridge 300 and the pump 400 are connected via an intermediate hose 490. However, one side of the intermediate hose 490 is directly connected to the inlet 430 of the pump 400, the other side of the intermediate hose 490 is connected to the cartridge 300 via the connection port 480. The inlet 430 / connector 480 and the intermediate hose 490 of the pump 400 are preferably prevented from leaking by the clamp 492.

9 and 10, the connection relationship between the cartridge 300 and the connector 480 will be described in detail.

As described above, the cartridge 300 is provided with an opening and closing member 360 in communication with the cartridge 300. The opening and closing member 360 includes a flow path 362 and a pin 365 for selectively opening and closing the flow path 362. The flow path 362 includes an inner flow path 362a and an outer flow path 362b, and an O-ring 369 is provided on an outer surface of the outer flow path 362b for airtightness.

On the other hand, one side of the body portion (365b) of the pin (365) is provided with a concave portion 366, the other side is provided with a flow portion (365a) (see Fig. 10). 367 is installed, the flow portion (365a) is formed of a cross approximately so that water flows between the cross blades. The opening and closing part 367 is preferably made of rubber.

Referring to the flow path 362, a support part 363 supporting the trunk portion 365b of the pin 365 and having a plurality of through holes 363a formed therein is provided in the flow path, and the support part 363 and the pin ( A spring 364 is provided between the flow portions 365a of the 365. In addition, the connector 480 includes an outer portion 482 having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the outer passage 362b of the opening and closing member 360, and an inner portion 484 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer passage 362b. do.

As shown in FIG. 9A, in the state where the cartridge 300 is separated from the connector 480, the opening and closing portion 367 provided at one side of the pin 365 by the spring 364 is used to define the front end of the inner flow path 362a. The film is in a state. Therefore, the water of the cartridge 300 does not flow out through the flow path. However, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the cartridge 300 is inserted into the connector 480, the pin 365 overcomes the elastic force of the spring 364 by the inner portion 484 of the connector 480 and the inner passage 362a. Will advance in the direction. Accordingly, the opening and closing portion 367 provided on one side of the pin 365 is separated from the tip of the inner flow path 362a so that water flows through the gap, so that the water of the cartridge 300 flows outward through the flow path, that is, the pump 400. Will flow in the direction. In the present invention, since the double sealing structure using the spring 364 and the O-ring 369, the leakage of water can be effectively prevented.

As shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable that one end of the pin 365, that is, the interior 365 of the flow part 365a, is tapered. In this configuration, as compared with a simple cylindrical shape, the area of the flow passage of the water becomes larger, so that the water can flow more effectively.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, it is also possible to connect the cartridge 300 directly to the pump 400 without using the intermediate hose 490. At this time, the shape of the inlet 430a of the pump 400 should be appropriately changed, that is, the outer portion 432 and the inner portion 434. That is, the shape of the inlet 430a of the pump 400 is configured similarly to the connector 480 of FIG. 9. Compared with the connection structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this configuration can eliminate the intermediate hose 490, the clamp 492 for sealing, and the like, thereby reducing the material cost and man-hour.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, although the first filter 330, the second filter 340, and the softening member 350 are installed in the detachable cartridge 300, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is applicable to the case where an external tap is used as the water supply source 300. In this case, at least one of the first filter 330, the second filter 340, and the softening member 350 may be installed on the water supply passage connected to the steam generator 200. More preferably, the filter 330, the second filter 340, and the soft water member 350 may be detachably attached thereto. In addition, the first filter 330, the second filter 340, and the softening member 350 may be provided in one container, and the container itself may be detachably installed in the water supply passage.

Referring to Figure 12, the pump 400 will be described as follows.

The pump 400 serves to selectively supply water to the steam generator 200. In addition, the pump 400 may be rotated forward and backward, and may selectively supply water to the steam generator 200 or recover the water of the steam generator 200.

The pump 400 may use a gear type, a pulsating type, a diaphragm type, or the like. Even in pulsating and diaphragm pumps, it is possible to control the flow of fluid in the forward and reverse directions by changing the polarity of the circuit momentarily. 12 illustrates a gear pump 400 as an example of a pump 400 that can be used. The gear pump 400 includes a pair of gears 420 inside the case 410, and the case 410 is provided with inlets 430 and 430 a and an outlet 414. That is, according to the rotation direction of the gear 420, water may be discharged from the inlets 430 and 430a toward the discharge port 414 or from the discharge port 414 toward the inlets 430 and 430a.

With reference to Figure 13, another embodiment of a dryer according to the present invention will be described in detail.

This embodiment has the basic structure of the above-described embodiment and comprises additional elements. That is, the present embodiment has functional liquid feeders 300a, 490a, 400a, 220a, 250 for supplying functional liquids (to be described later) to the clothes of the drum. It will be described in detail as follows.

In recent years, various incense is used in various ways. For example, aroma therapy, aroma therapy, and sleep aids using aroma. Therefore, it is good to absorb the fragrance which is useful to a human to some degree. Useful materials, such as fragrances, are not limited to specific materials, including all of which are hereinafter referred to as "functional materials" for convenience. For example, it may be regarded as a kind of functional material. In view of this, the present invention includes a functional material supply for supplying useful functional materials including fragrances to the clothes to be dried. Since the functional substance is usually present in a liquid state dissolved in a solvent and then sprayed in a particulate form, a gaseous state, or the like, the functional material supply is hereinafter referred to as.

On the other hand, substances such as fragrances are generally rich in fat-soluble substances, and therefore, surfactants are used to dissolve in water. That is, the functional liquid in which the functional substance is dissolved generally consists of water, the functional substance, and a surfactant. However, when the functional liquid is mixed with the water supply source and supplied to the clothes accommodated in the drum through the steam generator 200, bubbles and bubbles are generated under the influence of the surfactant component before the steam is generated in the steam generator 200. Therefore, the functional liquid supplier is preferably installed separately from the steam supplier (200).

For example, the functional liquid supply device connects the functional liquid supply source 300a for receiving the functional liquid, the nozzle 250 for supplying the functional liquid to the drum, and the functional liquid supply source 300a and the nozzle 250. It can be configured to include the flow path (490a, 220a). In FIG. 13, the functional liquid is used together with the nozzle 250 of the steam generator 200, but each nozzle may be used.

On the other hand, rather than simply sending the functional liquid of the functional liquid supply source 300a, which uses a water order, to the nozzle 250 side, a pump 400a is provided between the functional liquid supply source 300a and the nozzle 250, thereby providing the functional liquid. It is preferable to extrude it. In addition, similar to the water supply source 300, the functional liquid supply source (300a) is also preferably of the cartridge type detachable to the dryer.

On the other hand, in order to simplify the structure, it is preferable to configure using only one pump 400 for the existing steam generator. Referring to Figure 14, this is described as follows.

In this case, the first valve 450 may be provided at the front end of the pump 400 to selectively supply water or a functional liquid to the pump 400. In addition, the second valve 452 may be installed at the discharge side (or the inlet side of the steam generator) of the pump 400 so that only water discharged from the outlet of the pump 400 flows into the steam generator 200. That is, the first flow path 490a connected to the functional liquid supply source 300a is connected to the first valve 450, and the second flow path 220a connected to the nozzle 250 is connected to the second valve 452. do.

In this configuration, the functional liquid is supplied directly to the nozzle 250 without being introduced into the steam generator 200 by the second valve 452. As the first valve 450 and the second valve 452, it is preferable to use a three-way valve of a solenoid type.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 13, the water supply source 300 and the functional liquid supply source 300a may be formed, respectively, but are preferably integrally formed as shown in FIG. 14.

15 and 16, the control method of the dryer according to the present invention will be described.

Dryer according to the present invention is the operation of the conventional dryer, that is, the operation to dry the clothes after washing (hereinafter referred to as "drying course"), the operation of using steam for wrinkle removal, antistatic, deodorization of clothes, etc. "Refresh course").

First, the control method of the drying course includes a drying step of supplying hot air to the drum to dry the clothes accommodated in the drum, and a cooling step of cooling the drum, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. . The control method of the refresh course includes a steam supply step as well as a drying step and a cooling step. And, it is preferable to further include a drum heating step (not shown) for preheating the drum before the steam supply step. Preheating the drum may be performed by installing a separate heater inside the drum, but it is simple to use a hot air heater.

Each control step is described in detail.

The drum heating step is a step for heating the drum to a predetermined temperature to more effectively remove the wrinkle effect mainly performed in the next step of steam supply. The drum heating step is carried out for a predetermined time, in which case it is preferable to tumble the drum. Steam supply step is to supply steam to the drum mainly performs the wrinkle removal function. It is also preferable to tumbling the drum at this time. The duration of the steam supplying step is preferably determined in advance by experiment or the like based on factors such as the amount of dry matter. The hot air supply step is a step of supplying the hot air generated by the hot air heater to the drum to dry the cloth which can be slightly wetted by steam. The hot air supply step is carried out for a predetermined time, and preferably does not tumbling the drum. It is preferable that the time of the hot-air supply step is also determined in advance by experiment or the like based on factors such as the amount of dry matter and set in advance. The cooling step is a step of cooling again the dry item of which the temperature is increased in the steam supply step and the hot air supply step. The cooling step is carried out for a predetermined time, preferably not tumbling the drum. The time of the cooling step is also preferably determined in advance by experiment or the like based on factors such as the amount of the dry matter. Cooling air may be supplied to the drum in the cooling step, but since the temperature of the object to be dried is not relatively high, it is preferable to leave it alone for a predetermined time.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 15 and 16, in the present invention, it is preferable to further include a functional liquid supply step of supplying a functional liquid to the drum. The functional liquid stored in the aqueous solution in which the functional substance is dissolved is preferably supplied to the drum in the form of gaseous or liquid particulates through the functional liquid supply source, the flow path and the nozzle. And, the functional liquid supply step is preferably supplied for a predetermined time (T1) at a predetermined time rather than continuing during the operation of the dryer. When the functional liquid contains the fabric softener, it is preferable that the fabric softener solution is supplied to the drum for a predetermined time T in the initial stage of operation of the dryer (see FIG. 15). This is because the fiber softening effect is good to be supplied at the beginning of the course or refresh course. On the other hand, when the functional liquid contains fragrance, it is preferable that the functional liquid is supplied to the drum for a predetermined time T2 at the end of the operation of the dryer (see FIG. 16). This is because it is desirable to remain as long as possible in the finished clothing.

According to the experimental results of the present inventors, although there are differences depending on the type of clothes, for example, the type of cloth and the degree of moisture absorption, the present invention has the effect of removing wrinkles and preventing them. The laundry dehydrated in the washing machine may be used as an example of the object to be dried, but is not limited thereto. For example, clothing that is worn for about a day, that is, clothes that are already dried and less wrinkled, can be particularly useful in this case if it is possible to remove wrinkles in the dryer according to the present invention. That is, it is also possible to use the dryer according to the present invention as a kind of wrinkle removal device. In addition, the use of steam, such as a refreshing course, had antistatic and deodorizing effects.

The effects of the dryer and its control method according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that can effectively prevent or eliminate the occurrence of wrinkles or wrinkles in the dried product to be dried. Moreover, according to this invention, there also exists an advantage that sterilization and smell removal of a to-be-dried thing can be performed.

Second, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that wrinkles or wrinkles in the clothes in a dry state can be effectively removed without additional ironing.

Third, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the functional material good for health and the like can be effectively supplied to the garment to be dried.

Claims (13)

An optionally rotatable drum; A hot air heater for heating air to supply hot air to the drum; One side is connected to the water supply source and the other side is connected to the drum, the steam generator for generating steam; One side is connected to the functional liquid supply source and the other side is connected to the drum, the dryer comprising at least one functional liquid supply for supplying the functional liquid to the drum. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the water supply is detachable. 3. The dryer of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pump between the water supply source and the steam generator. According to claim 1, wherein the outlet side of the water supply source is provided with a first valve, the inlet side of the steam generator is provided with a second valve, the outlet of the functional liquid supply source is connected to the first valve, the second And a flow path for supplying the functional liquid to the drum is connected to the valve. 5. The dryer of claim 4, wherein a pump is further provided between the first valve and the second valve. 6. Dryer according to any one of claims 1, 4 or 5, wherein the water supply source and the functional liquid supply source are integrally formed. In the control method of the dryer comprising at least a drying step of drying the clothes by supplying hot air to the drum, And a functional liquid supplying step of supplying a functional liquid to the drum. The method of claim 7, wherein the control method of the dryer further comprises a steam supplying step of supplying steam to the drum. The control method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the time for supplying the functional liquid is less than the time for operating the dryer. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the supplying of the functional liquid containing the fabric softener is performed at an initial stage of the operation of the dryer. The control method of a dryer according to claim 9, wherein the functional liquid supplying step of supplying a functional liquid including a fragrance function is performed at the end of the operation of the dryer. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the functional liquid source is detachable. The dryer according to claim 1 or 12, wherein a pump is further provided between the functional liquid supply source and the drum.

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