KR101108044B1 - Apparatus and Method for Controlling Dry Function of The Washing Machine - Google Patents

Abstract

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying control apparatus and method for a drying and washing machine for providing a drying and drying course taking into consideration an external environment, A drying and washing machine having a heater for heating air, comprising the steps of: detecting a temperature (T) and a humidity (H) of outside air upon completion of washing and dewatering; Performing a drying stroke by driving only the blowing fan when the sensed temperature T of the outside air is equal to or higher than a preset level T0 and the humidity H of the outside air is lower than a predetermined level H0; If the sensed temperature T of the outside air is lower than the predetermined level T0 or the humidity H of the outside air is higher than the predetermined level H0, .

Accordingly, the present invention can provide an optimal drying course according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air, thereby reducing the energy consumed by the drying process and improving the energy efficiency of the product.

Washing machine / drying / temperature / humidity / air drying

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a drying control apparatus and a drying control method,

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a general drying-

2 is a block diagram showing a drying control apparatus for a drying and washing machine according to the present invention.

3 is a flow chart showing a drying control method of a drying and washing machine according to the present invention

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

10: tub 11: drum

30: blowing duct

50: heater 60: blowing fan

70: temperature sensing unit 80: humidity sensing unit

90:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine having a drying function, and more particularly, to a drying control device and a method of a drying and washing machine for providing a drying course considering an external environment.

Generally, a washing machine is mainly used for washing contaminated clothes through processes such as washing, rinsing and dehydration by a mechanical operation through an electric motor. Depending on its structure and washing method, an agitator type and a drum type Type and Pulsator Type.

In recent years, awareness of a drum type washing machine with low water consumption and little damage to laundry has been increased and its usage amount has been greatly increased. Such a drum type washing machine has a washing section directly contributing to washing, A case for forming an external shape, and a drying device including a heater in the case of a washing machine having a drying function.

1, a tub 10 installed transversely in the cabinet 2 and supported by a spring 4 and a damper 5 is installed as shown in FIG. 1 .

A drum 11 is rotatably installed inside the tub 10 to allow laundry to be poured to perform a washing operation of the laundry. A door 13 is opened in front of the cabinet 2 to open and close the drum 11, Respectively.

A gasket 12 is provided between the front surface of the tub 10 and the cabinet 2 so as to prevent washing water from flowing out when the door 13 is closed. .                         

The driving unit of the drying and washing machine includes a driving motor 24 and a belt mechanism 22 for connecting the driving motor 24 and the drum 11 to transmit the power of the driving motor 24 to the drum 11. [ .

The drying device for the drying function includes a heater 31 for heating the ambient air, a blowing fan 25 for discharging the air heated through the heater 31 into the drum 11, And a blowing duct (30) forming a flow path from the fan (25) to the front side of the drum (11) via the heater (31).

That is, a blowing fan 25 for circulating outside air for drying the laundry in the drum 11 and a heater 31 for heating the air circulated by the blowing fan 25 are provided in the blowing duct 30 Installed and configured.

According to the drying and washing machine constructed as above, the washing operation is performed in such a manner that the laundry in the drum 11 is rotated up and down by the rotation of the drum 11, and after the washing cycle is completed, The dehydration process is performed.

First, in the heating state of the heater 31, the air blowing operation of the blowing fan 25 causes the air outside the tub 10 to flow into the blowing duct 30 And the air introduced into the air blast duct 30 is heated through the heater 31 and then discharged into the drum 11 which slowly rotates.

By the drying process, the moisture remaining in the laundry is evaporated by the hot and dry hot air (indicated by an arrow in the figure) sprayed into the drum 11, and the laundry is dried.                         

The high temperature and dry air drawn into the drum 11 is circulated through the drum 11 and then flows out through a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the side wall of the drum 11 Flows through a gap between the tub 10 and the drum 11, and then is discharged to the outside through a discharge port (not shown).

Such a series of processes is maintained for a predetermined drying time to dry the laundry inside the drum 11.

However, since the conventional drying and washing machine operates the heater by operating the heater for a certain period of time, a predetermined amount of energy is always used under any external condition.

That is, since a certain amount of energy is used regardless of the temperature or humidity of the air introduced from the outside during drying, the energy consumption of the product is increased, thereby causing a problem of lowering the energy efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a drying system considering the temperature and humidity of outside air.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce a consumed energy by performing a drying process considering the temperature and humidity of outside air.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drying control apparatus for a drying and washing machine, including a blowing fan for circulating air introduced from the outside for drying laundry, a heater for heating air circulated by the blowing fan, A washing machine comprising: a temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of outside air; The system controller is configured to selectively drive the heater according to the temperature of the outside air detected through the temperature sensing unit to control the drying stroke.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling the drying of a washing machine, comprising: a blowing fan for circulating air from outside to dry laundry; A drying and washing machine having a heater, comprising: a temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of outside air; A humidity sensor for sensing the humidity of the outside air; And a system controller for selectively driving the heater according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air detected through the temperature sensing unit and the humidity sensing unit to control the drying stroke.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drying control method for a washing and drying machine, including: a blowing fan for circulating air from outside to dry laundry; A method of controlling a washing machine comprising the steps of: detecting a temperature (T) and a humidity (H) of outside air when a washing and dewatering process is completed; Performing a drying stroke by driving only the blowing fan when the sensed temperature T of the outside air is equal to or higher than a preset level T0 and the humidity H of the outside air is lower than a predetermined level H0; If the sensed temperature T of the outside air is lower than the predetermined level T0 or the humidity H of the outside air is higher than the predetermined level H0, . This is a characteristic feature.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A preferred embodiment of a drying control apparatus and a control method thereof for a drying and washing machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, referring to FIG. 2, a drying control apparatus for a drying and washing machine according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in the drawings, the drying control apparatus for a drying and washing machine according to the present invention includes a blowing fan 60 for circulating air introduced from the outside for drying laundry, a blowing fan 60 for heating air circulated by the blowing fan 60 And a heater (50) for detecting the temperature of the outside air, wherein the temperature sensing unit (70) senses the temperature of the outside air; A humidity sensing unit (80) for sensing the humidity of the outside air; And a system controller 90 for controlling the drying stroke by selectively driving the heater 50 according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air sensed through the temperature sensing unit 70 and the humidity sensing unit 80 do.

1, the heater 50 and the blowing fan 60 are installed at predetermined positions in the blowing duct 30 and are connected to the blowing operation of the blowing fan 60 during the drying stroke The external air introduced into the air blast duct 30 is heated through the heater 50 and then flows into the drum 11.

The present invention is characterized in that the driving of the heater 50 is selectively controlled in consideration of the temperature and humidity of the air introduced from the outside in performing the drying process of the laundry.

The temperature sensing unit 70 and the humidity sensing unit 80 are exposed to a predetermined position outside the inlet 10 of the blast duct 30 or the outside of the tub 10, It is desirable to install the sensor in a position where it can be directly detected.

The system control unit 90 reads the temperature and humidity of the outside air detected through the temperature sensing unit 70 and the humidity sensing unit 80 at the time of performing the drying process and then, Controls the heater (50) or only the blowing fan (60) together with the blowing fan (60).

 The drying control method of the drying and washing machine according to the present invention having the above-described structure will now be described in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, if a drying cycle is required after the washing and dewatering is completed according to the stroke conditions selected by the user (S10), the controller 100 first determines the current temperature level T of the outside air sensed through the temperature sensing unit 70, (S20).

At the same time, the current humidity level H of the outside air detected through the humidity sensing unit 80 is read (S20).

If it is determined in step S30 that the current temperature T of the outside air is not less than the predetermined temperature level T0 and if the current humidity H detected by the humidity sensor 80 is less than a preset temperature T0, It is determined whether or not the level is equal to or less than the level H0 (S40).

At this time, the set temperature T0 is the temperature of the hot air required at the drying stroke, which corresponds to about 28 deg.                     

If the current temperature T of the outside air is equal to or higher than the set temperature T0 and the current humidity H is equal to or lower than the set level H0 as a result of the determination S30 and S40, A drying step is performed through a 'blow drying course' in which only the blowing fan 60 is driven (S50).

If the current temperature T of the outside air is lower than the set temperature T0 or the current humidity H is equal to or higher than the set level H0, 60) is driven (S60).

If the outside air does not heat through the heater 50 but satisfies the temperature and humidity required for the drying cycle, the 'air drying and drying course' operates only the air blowing fan 60, It is dried.

The 'heater drying course' is a method in which the outside air is heated through the heater 50 when the outside air is in a low temperature or a high humidity state, and then the laundry is dried by hot and dry hot air generated at this time.

Therefore, in the present invention, an optimum drying course is selected according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air during the drying process, and the drying process is performed.

As described above, the drying control apparatus and method of the washing and drying machine according to the present invention have the following effects.

First, the energy efficiency of the product can be improved by providing the optimal drying course according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air.                     

Second, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption by using the air drying course which does not drive the heater according to the temperature and humidity of the outside air.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the embodiments but should be determined according to the claims.

Claims (3)

delete A drying and washing machine comprising a blowing fan for circulating air introduced from the outside for drying laundry and a heater for heating air circulated by the blowing fan, A temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of outside air; A humidity sensor for sensing the humidity of the outside air; And, And a system control unit for selectively driving the heater according to whether the temperature and humidity of the outside air detected through the temperature sensing unit and the humidity sensing unit satisfy the temperature and humidity required for the drying process, And a drying control unit for controlling the drying of the washing machine. A drying and washing machine comprising a blowing fan for circulating air introduced from the outside for drying laundry and a heater for heating air circulated by the blowing fan, Detecting a temperature (T) and a humidity (H) of outside air when the washing and dewatering steps are completed; If the sensed temperature T of the outside air is equal to or higher than a predetermined level T0 which is a required temperature for the drying stroke and the humidity H of the outside air is equal to or lower than a predetermined level H0 required for the drying stroke Driving only the blowing fan to perform a drying stroke; And, If the sensed temperature of the outside air T is equal to or lower than the set level T0 or the humidity H of the outside air is equal to or higher than the set level H0, And drying the washing machine.

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