KR101199365B1 - Method for controlling dryness of automatically dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drying control method of an automatic drying apparatus that improves drying performance by allowing a stable drying degree to be determined using a maximum output value (VMAX) of a humidity sensor and an output value at a reference time point. Performing primary classification based on the maximum output value (VMAX) of the humidity sensor and performing secondary classification based on the humidity sensor output value (VrefMIN) at the time elapsed after the start of drying; the maximum output value (VMAX) and the reference time And determining a dryness determination reference value differently according to the level of the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at an elapsed time point; determining a drying end point based on the determined dryness determination reference value.

Drying unit, humidity sensor, minimum output voltage value (VSMIN), maximum output value (VMAX)

Description

Method for controlling dryness of automatically dryer

1A and 1B are graphs showing an example of output characteristics of a humidity sensor for determining dryness in a drying apparatus;

Figure 2 is a flow chart showing a drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus of the prior art

3a and 3b is a flow chart showing a drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention

The present invention relates to a drying apparatus, and more particularly, to a drying control method of an automatic drying apparatus which improves drying performance by allowing a stable drying degree to be determined using a maximum output value (VMAX) of a humidity sensor and an output value at a reference time point. .

In general, a drum washing machine is a method of washing by using a friction force of a rotating drum and the laundry by receiving the driving force of the motor unit in a state in which detergent, washing water, and laundry are put into the drum. It doesn't get tangled, and the pounding and rubbing pad is designed to have a laundry effect.

In addition, according to the trend of improving and upgrading the functions of the drum washing machine, there is a trend of increasing the demand for a combined drum washing machine capable of performing not only washing and dehydrating functions of laundry but also a drying function.

Such a combined-use drum washing machine forcibly draws outside air into a fan and a heater installed outside the tub and heats it, and blows the heated hot air into the tub to dry the laundry.

In addition, a drum type dryer that can dry only a large amount of clothes at a time in a short time by carrying out only drying is not attracting attention as a device that combines washing and drying.

The dryer is a device for automatically drying the wet object to be washed in a dry state. The dryer introduces outside air, heats it with a heater, and then introduces the heated outdoor air into the rotating drum in a rotating state, thereby drying the inside of the drying drum. Drying objects, such as housed clothing, are dried.

In the prior art, drying is performed by a manual drying method in which a user selects a desired drying course and sets an appropriate drying time according to the amount of laundry to perform a drying administration.

However, such a manual drying method is not accurate drying stroke laundry is not completely dry or conversely over-dried could not satisfy the desired drying condition.

In order to solve this problem, a method of determining the end point of drying based on the detection value changed during the drying process has been studied a lot with a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and electrode sensors.

For example, there is an automatic drying apparatus including a humidity sensor positioned on a circulation passage of air supplied into a drum containing a drying object and outputting a sensing voltage value for determining a drying degree of the drying object.

Thus, the drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus provided with a humidity sensor to control a drying stroke is as follows.

1A and 1B are graphs illustrating an example of output characteristics of a humidity sensor for determining a dryness level in a drying apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a drying control method of an automatic drying apparatus according to the related art.

In the following description and drawings, the minimum output voltage value VSMIN among the output values of the humidity sensor means the output voltage value of the humidity sensor at the time when the moisture absorbed by the air increases as the drying proceeds, and the current voltage value and the minimum value. The voltage change value representing the difference between the output voltage values VSMIN is denoted by (VΔ).

In addition, the output voltage value of the humidity sensor when a specific time has elapsed after the start of drying, for example, the output voltage value when 5 minutes have elapsed after the start of drying is expressed as 'Del_V5', and the humidity sensor at a specific time period. The maximum output voltage of is expressed as 'VMAX'.

In Figure 1a, it can be seen that the output characteristics of the humidity sensor are different depending on the quantity during the drying process.

In the humidity sensor, as the moisture contained in the object to be dried increases, the sensor output approaches the minimum value (0 V), and as the drying proceeds, the sensor output approaches the maximum value (5 V).

At the start of drying, the humidity of the circulating air is low, so the output value of the humidity sensor is close to the maximum value.

As the drying proceeds in earnest, the moisture introduced into the drying drum is absorbed by the air introduced into the drying drum, so that the moisture of the dried object is reduced, and the circulated air contains a lot of moisture, and the circulated air contains the most moisture. At that point, the sensor output is at its lowest value.

As the moisture of the object to be dried gradually decreases as it enters the end of drying, the moisture absorbed by the circulating air decreases, so that the output value of the humidity sensor gradually increases.

It can be seen that the time at which the sensor output reaches the minimum value and the level of the minimum value of the sensor differ depending on the amount of output in the drying characteristic as described above.

When the minimum output voltage value VSMIN is detected after the start of drying, the voltage change amount VΔ from the minimum output voltage value VSMIN is detected and when the magnitude becomes the dryness determination reference value, the dryness in the corresponding drying mode is achieved. To judge.

In FIG. 1A, the humidity sensor output value is represented by ADC decimal data, and in FIG. 1B, the humidity sensor output value is represented by an analog voltage value (V).

The graph in FIG. 1B shows an example at a specific dose and the characteristic graph at different doses is shown differently. However, when the voltage change amount VΔ from the minimum output voltage value VSMIN reaches the dryness determination reference value, it is the same to judge that the dryness is achieved.

Part (a) of FIG. 1B is a point in time when the minimum output voltage value VSMIN is detected after the start of drying.

Referring to the drying control method of the conventional automatic drying apparatus using such an algorithm is as follows.

First, when drying is started, it is determined whether the humidity sensor output value reaches the minimum output voltage value VSMIN (S201).

When the minimum output voltage value VSMIN is detected (S202), the current output value of the humidity sensor is obtained (S203), and the difference between the current output value and the minimum output voltage value VSMIN, that is, the voltage change amount VΔ is obtained. (S204)

Then, the voltage change amount VΔ is compared with the dryness determination reference value according to the drying mode, and when the voltage change amount VΔ is larger than the dryness determination reference value, the time for which the level of the voltage change amount VΔ is maintained is counted (S206).

Otherwise, the process of detecting the humidity sensor output value again, obtaining a voltage change amount VΔ, and comparing it to a dryness determination reference value is repeated.

Even if the calculated voltage change amount (VΔ) is greater than the dryness determination reference value, instead of immediately determining the end of drying, counting the time to maintain the level and comparing it with the reference time increases the accuracy of the dryness determination. It is for.

If the time for which the voltage change amount VΔ maintains the level exceeds the reference time (S207), it is determined that drying is completed, and the drying is terminated, and the cooling process is entered (S208).

Alternatively, the process of detecting the humidity sensor output value again, obtaining the voltage change amount VΔ, comparing the result with the dryness determination reference value, and counting the level maintenance time are repeated.

The cooling step is then carried out for the set time and the whole drying stroke is completed.

The drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus of the prior art can increase the convenience of the user by determining the dryness level based on the change of the output value of the humidity sensor after the start of drying.

However, the drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus of the prior art has the following problems.

First, if the voltage change amount (VΔ) of the humidity sensor for determining the end point of drying is maintained for a predetermined time or more, the drying stroke is immediately terminated without any other judgment control conditions. It is difficult to judge.

In addition, such abnormal variation of the sensing data mainly occurs in the early stage of drying, which does not include a control step corresponding thereto, which causes problems such as overdrying or undrying of the drying target.

As described above, the drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus of the prior art simply determines the dryness with only the voltage change amount VΔ after the detection of the minimum output voltage value VSMIN without a corresponding step for the abnormal data of the initial stage of drying. The judgment of the viewpoint is unstable.

In particular, since the level of the minimum value output from the humidity sensor is not constant according to the progress of the drying operation and uses the data obtained in a relatively short time, there is a large problem in the distribution of data for determining the dryness.

The present invention is to solve the problem in the drying control method of the drying apparatus of the prior art as described above, by using the maximum output value (VMAX) of the humidity sensor and the output value at the reference time point to enable a stable drying judgment can be dried It is an object of the present invention to provide a drying control method of an automatic drying apparatus having improved performance.

In the drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the control of the automatic drying apparatus using a humidity sensor, the primary is based on the maximum output value (VMAX) of the humidity sensor detected when the drying is started Classifying and performing secondary classification on the basis of the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the time point of elapsed time after the start of drying; according to the level of the maximum output value VMAX and the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the time point of elapse of reference time. Determining a different dryness determination reference value; and determining a drying end time based on the determined dryness determination reference value.

Here, the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the reference time elapsed time after the start of drying is preferably used as the output value of the humidity sensor 8 minutes after the start of drying.

And it is preferable to calculate | require the voltage change value (V (DELTA)) by calculating the difference between the output value of a current humidity sensor, and the minimum output voltage value calculated | required previously.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments.

Preferred embodiments of the drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3a and 3b is a flow chart showing a drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention.

The present invention is to provide a drying algorithm that can be used to determine the dryness stably by eliminating the influence of the influence of the external or internal drying device and the quantity of the laundry and the condition of the laundry using the detection result of the humidity sensor.

Since the humidity environment inside the automatic drying apparatus is very fluid, in order to accurately determine the dryness level using the humidity sensor, the present invention classifies and determines the drying level as follows.

That is, after the start of drying, the maximum output voltage value VMAX is obtained from the output value VrefMIN and the humidity sensor output values at the reference time point, and the drying level is classified and determined using the maximum output voltage value VMAX.

Here, the maximum output voltage value VMAX is for determining the moisture content in the drum at the start of drying. When the maximum output voltage value VMAX is larger than the reference value, the maximum output voltage value VMAX is determined to be low in the drum. In addition, when the maximum output voltage value (VMAX) is small, it is determined that there is a lot of moisture in the drum, and the primary dryness determination object is classified based on this.

After the start of drying, the output value (VrefMIN) of the reference time point is compared with the reference values to classify the dryness judgment object secondly, and thus, the dryness determination criteria are subdivided by the first and second classification criteria to determine the maximum or minimum drying time. Take it differently to ensure accurate drying.

In the following description, the voltage change amount VΔ is the current output value-the minimum output voltage value VSMIN.

The present invention determines the excess moisture content in the drum using the VMAX value for accurate dryness determination, and compares the reference value set to a different level with the output value (VrefMIN value) at the reference time according to the determination result. Also break down the object for judgment.

In addition, according to the subdivided classification, different dryness determination reference values are applied to determine the dryness, and the maximum or minimum drying time is applied differently to determine more precise dryness.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the drying target is put in the automatic drying apparatus and the drying stroke is started, the microcomputer of the drying apparatus checks the output value of the humidity sensor while the drying process is performed (S301).

In this way, the drying unit detects and stores the maximum output voltage value VMAX of the humidity sensor (S302).

Here, the detection of the maximum output voltage value VMAX is preferably set to a time point before the output of the humidity sensor is changed and the minimum output voltage value VSMIN is detected.

The detected first output voltage value VMAX is compared with the first reference value to perform a first classification for determining the dryness.

Here, the first reference value is set to a level at which the moisture content in the drum can be determined, and is preferably set to '209' which is one of the ADC decimal data values displayed on the y-axis of FIG. 1A. This is because the humidity sensor provided in the air passage through which the air is supplied to the drum has almost the same value regardless of the amount of hay in the early stage of hay.

If the VMAX value is larger than the first reference value, it is determined that there is less moisture content in the drum, and the output value (VrefMIN value) of the humidity sensor at the reference time is detected and stored.

Here, the reference time is to increase the accuracy of the classification for determining the dryness, and it is preferable to set the reference time at a time point 8 minutes after the start of drying.

The humidity sensor has a characteristic of detecting a small amount of moisture, but it is difficult to set a reference voltage value because it changes too sensitive to moisture. Therefore, in the present invention, 8 minutes after sufficient time has elapsed after the start of drying is set as a reference time in order to obtain an output value for determining the drying degree in a state in which the influence of humidity of the humidity sensor itself is excluded after the start of drying.

When the output value (VrefMIN value) of the humidity sensor at the reference time is detected and stored, the level of the stored VrefMIN value is determined to subdivide the reference for determining the dryness.

First, when the VrefMIN value and the second reference value are compared (S305), if the VrefMIN value is greater than the second reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored as the corresponding level (S309), or if the third reference value and the VrefMIN value smaller than the second reference value are stored (S306)

If the VrefMIN value is greater than the third reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored as the corresponding level (S309), or the fourth reference value smaller than the third reference value and the VrefMIN value are compared (S307).

If the VrefMIN value is greater than the fourth reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored as the corresponding level (S309). Otherwise, it is determined that the VrefMIN value is smaller than the fourth reference value (S308), and the level of the VrefMIN value is stored.

If the VMAX value is not greater than the first reference value, it is determined that there is a large amount of moisture in the drum, and the output value (VrefMIN value) of the humidity sensor at the reference time is detected and stored (S310).

Then, after detecting the output value (VrefMIN value) of the humidity sensor at the reference time and determining the level of the stored VrefMIN value in order to subdivide the reference for determining the dryness.

First, when the VrefMIN value and the fifth reference value are compared (S311), if the VrefMIN value is greater than the fifth reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored at the corresponding level (S315), or if the sixth reference value and the VrefMIN value smaller than the fifth reference value are stored. Compare (S312).

If the VrefMIN value is greater than the sixth reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored as the corresponding level (S315), or the seventh reference value smaller than the sixth reference value and the VrefMIN value are compared (S313).

If the VrefMIN value is greater than the seventh reference value, the level of the VrefMIN value is stored as the corresponding level (S315). Otherwise, it is determined that the VrefMIN value is smaller than the seventh reference value (S315).

The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh reference values for determining the level of the VrefMIN value may be further subdivided, and each reference value is set to different values.

Preferably, each of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh reference values is ADC decimal data values '195', '180', '160', '150', and '120' which are ADC decimal data values indicated on the y-axis of FIG. 1A. , Set to smaller values such as '100'.

Of course, it is also possible to alternatively set the reference value for comparison in the two groups classified by the VMAX value to some level at the same level.

This is because even if the group is classified by the VMAX value, more accurate dryness determination may be possible when the reference value for the dryness determination is at the same level.

When the classification according to the group of the VMAX value and the level of the VrefMIN value is completed as described above, the dryness determination reference value for determining the drying end point is determined differently based on the stored VMAX value and the level of the VrefMIN value (S316).

The current output value of the humidity sensor is obtained (S317), and the difference between the current output value and the minimum voltage value (VSMIN) is calculated to obtain a voltage change value (VΔ) of the humidity sensor (S318).

When the voltage change value VΔ is obtained, the voltage change value VΔ is compared with a dryness determination reference value differently determined by the VMAX value and the output value VrefMIN of the humidity sensor at the reference time (S319).

Thus, by comparing with the VMAX value and the dryness judgment reference value determined differently by the output value (VrefMIN) of the humidity sensor at the reference time, factors such as the moisture state of the drying object, the drum state at the beginning of drying, and the humidity of the humidity sensor itself. It is possible to determine the exact dryness in consideration of.

In addition, the drying performance can be further improved by setting the maximum or minimum drying time differently depending on the selected drying level (Extra> Very> Cupboard> Light> Iron> Machine).

As a result of the comparison, when the voltage change value VΔ is greater than the dryness determination reference value and the value is maintained for the reference time (for example, for 1 minute) (S320), it is determined that drying is completed, and the drying is terminated, and the cooling step is entered. (S321)

If the voltage change value VΔ is less than or greater than the dryness determination reference value, if the value is not maintained for the reference time, it is determined that drying is not completed, the current humidity sensor output value is obtained, and the voltage change value VΔ is determined. Obtaining and comparing with the dryness judgment reference value is repeated.

The drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention obtains the maximum output voltage value VMAX among the humidity sensor output values after the start of drying, and performs primary classification, and at the reference time point (8 minutes after the start of drying). Secondary classification is performed according to the level of the output value (VrefMIN) of the humidity sensor to determine the dryness determination reference value for determining the drying end time differently so as to enable accurate drying.

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 defined by the claims.

Such a drying control method of the automatic drying apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, since the drying degree is determined based on the change of the output value of the humidity sensor after the start of drying, the user's convenience can be increased.

Second, if the voltage change amount (VΔ) of the humidity sensor for determining the end of drying time is maintained for a predetermined time or more, the drying process is immediately terminated without any other control conditions. Therefore, even if there is an abnormal variation in the initial data detected, Judgment is also possible.

Third, the first classification is performed by obtaining the maximum output voltage value VMAX after the start of drying, and the second degree is classified according to the level of the output value VrefMIN of the humidity sensor at the reference time to determine the drying degree for determining the drying end time. By determining the reference value differently to proceed with the drying to ensure accurate drying.

Claims (7)

In the control of the automatic drying device using the humidity sensor, Performing primary classification based on the maximum output value VMAX of the humidity sensor detected by starting drying, and performing secondary classification based on the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the reference time elapsed after the start of drying; Determining a dryness determination reference value differently according to a level of the maximum output value VMAX and a humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at a reference time elapsed time; And determining a drying end time on the basis of the determined dryness determination reference value. The method of claim 1, wherein the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the reference time elapsed time after the start of drying is an output value of the humidity sensor when 8 minutes have elapsed since the start of drying. The drying control method according to claim 1, wherein the voltage change value (VΔ) is obtained by calculating a difference between an output value of a current humidity sensor and a minimum output voltage value already obtained. The drying control method according to claim 1, wherein the drying is terminated when the voltage change value VΔ is maintained for a predetermined time in a state where the voltage change value VΔ is larger than the dryness determination reference value. The method according to claim 4, wherein when the voltage change value VΔ is not maintained for a predetermined time in a state larger than the dryness determination reference value, Calculating the difference between the current humidity sensor output value and the already obtained minimum output voltage value to obtain the voltage change value (VΔ) and to compare it with the dryness determination reference value, drying control of the automatic drying apparatus Way. The method of claim 1, wherein the second classification is performed based on the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN. The reference values set for the level determination of the VrefMIN value is set to different values in each group classified primarily based on the maximum output value (VMAX) of the humidity sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimum drying time and the maximum drying time are set differently according to the drying level required by the user and the level of the maximum output value VMAX and the humidity sensor output value VrefMIN at the reference time elapsed. Control method of drying of automatic drying device.

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