KR101385098B1 - Dryer having sensor for sensing laundry and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dryer having a laundry detection device whose drying time is variable according to the amount of laundry to be dried, and a control method thereof.

The present invention, the wind speed sensor for detecting the wind speed of the warm air supplied into the drum in which the laundry is stored; And a controller configured to determine an operation time of the drying operation based on the data received from the wind speed sensor.

Dryer, Drum, Wind Speed Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Control Unit

Description

Dryer with laundry detection device and control method {DRYER HAVING SENSOR FOR SENSING LAUNDRY AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a dryer, and more particularly, to a dryer having a laundry detection device whose drying time is variable according to the amount of laundry to be dried, and a control method thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a flow path structure of a conventional dryer, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a conventional dryer.

1 and 2, a dryer according to the related art includes a case 2 forming an outer appearance of a dryer and having an inlet and an outlet for the laundry, and a case 2 rotatably disposed inside the case 2, A heater 12 which heats the air sucked and disposed inside the case 2 and a heater 12 which heats the heated air which has passed through the heater 18, An exhaust duct 22 for guiding the air behind the drum 12 to the outside of the case 2 and an exhaust duct 22 for exhausting air that has become turbid while drying the laundry to the outside of the case 2, (Not shown), a motor (not shown) and a belt 40 for rotating the drum 12 and the blowing fan.

On the inner circumferential surface of the drum 12, there is disposed a lifter 11 for lifting and dropping the object to be dried.

The exhaust means 22 includes a lint duct 25 for sucking air inside the drum 12 and for filtering the foreign substances with the filter 24 mounted thereon and a fan housing 25 communicating with the lint duct 25 and surrounding the blowing fan 30, And an exhaust duct 27 whose one end is connected to the fan housing 26 and whose other end is disposed outside the case 2. [

Hereinafter, the operation of the conventional art will be described.

First, when the laundry is put into the drum 12 and then the door is closed and the dryer is operated, the drum 12 and the blower fan are rotated as the motor is driven, and the heater 18 is also operated.

At this time, as the drum 12 is rotated, the laundry in the drum 12 is lifted by the lifter 11 and then dropped.

The outside air is sucked into the inside of the heater 18 by the wind power generated when the blowing fan rotates, and is then heated by the high temperature and low humidity air, and then discharged into the drum 12 through the intake duct 20.

Temperature and low-humidity air supplied to the inside of the drum 12 is directly contacted with the object to be dried and dried, and is moved to the tip side of the drum 12 while changing into air with low temperature and high humidity, 27 to the outside of the dryer.

Since the dryer according to the prior art does not have a separate device for detecting the amount of laundry, the drying operation is performed for a time determined by the user's operation irrespective of the amount of laundry stored in the drum. There is a problem that the drying of the laundry is not completed even after the operation is completed.

Therefore, there is a need for improvement.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a dryer and a method of controlling the laundry having a laundry detection device to adjust the driving time according to the amount of laundry.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, a wind speed sensor for detecting the wind speed of the warm air supplied into the drum in which the laundry is stored; And a controller configured to determine an operation time of the drying operation based on the data received from the wind speed sensor.

In addition, the wind speed sensor of the present invention provides a dryer having a laundry detection device, characterized in that it comprises a fan provided in the flow path in which the warm air flows into the drum.

In addition, the present invention provides a dryer having a laundry detection device further comprising a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the air discharged from the drum.

In addition, the present invention is the drum is rotated after the laundry is stored in the drum, the driving step of driving the heater; A sensing step of determining an operating time corresponding to the sensed wind speed by sensing the wind speed of the warm wind passing through the drum for a predetermined time when the driving step is started; And it provides a control method of a dryer having a laundry detection device comprising a step of determining whether the operation time has elapsed.

In addition, the present invention is the drum is rotated after the laundry is stored in the drum, the driving step of driving the heater; Detecting the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum for a predetermined time when the driving step is started, and detecting a temperature of air discharged through the drum to determine an operating time corresponding to the detected wind speed and temperature; And it provides a control method of a dryer having a laundry detection device comprising a step of determining whether the operation time has elapsed.

In addition, in the determining step of the present invention provides a control method of a dryer having a laundry detection device, characterized in that the driving step is maintained if the operation time has not elapsed.

Dryer having a laundry detection device according to the present invention is provided with a wind speed sensor for measuring the wind speed of the warm air supplied into the drum, it is possible to detect the amount of laundry in accordance with the change in the wind speed of the warm wind passing through the drum According to the drying operation can be adjusted to operate the operating time is necessary to prevent the malfunction that the drying is not completed after the drying operation or the drying operation is completed more than necessary.

In addition, the dryer provided with a laundry detection apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the air discharged through the drum, by measuring the temperature change of the warm air passing through the drum for a predetermined time and stored in the drum Since the operating time of the drying operation required for the laundry can be determined, there is an advantage of calculating a more accurate operating time.

Hereinafter, a dryer having a laundry detection apparatus and a control method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For convenience of description, a dryer having a gas heater will be described as an example.

In this process, the thicknesses of the lines and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation.

In addition, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user, the operator.

Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

3 is a block diagram showing a dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a gas heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is according to an embodiment of the present invention A block diagram showing a dryer having a laundry detection device is shown.

In addition, Figure 6 is a plan view showing a suction flow path of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a circulation flow path of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a present invention Top view of the exhaust passage of the dryer according to an embodiment of the.

3 to 8, a dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a predetermined space, an opening is formed at one side, and a cabinet 50 having a discharge port 54 formed therein and rotatably installed inside the opening. And a drum 60 for storing laundry, a plurality of lifters 60a installed on the inner wall of the drum 60 to rotate the laundry, and an intake pipe for guiding air inside the cabinet 50 to the drum 60. 70, a heater 100 provided in the intake pipe 70, an exhaust fan 82 (see FIG. 8) provided between the drum 60 and the discharge port 54, an exhaust fan 82 and the discharge port The exhaust pipe 80 provided between the 54, the drive motor 90 (see Fig. 8) is connected to the rotary shaft of the exhaust fan 82, and a laundry detection device for sensing the amount of laundry accommodated in the drum (60) do.

When the power is applied to the driving motor 90 by the user's operation, the air is circulated while the exhaust fan 82 is rotated. The air introduced into the cabinet 50 passes through the heater 100, Air is supplied into the drum 60 along the intake tube 70 and is contacted with the laundry in the drum 60 to perform a drying operation or sterilization operation of the laundry.

The air discharged by the exhaust fan 82 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 54 of the cabinet 50 along the exhaust pipe 80 to circulate the air.

The drum 60 is formed into a cylindrical shape with front and rear openings so that the front surface corresponds to the opening of the cabinet 50 and the back surface is rotatably installed on the supporting panel 62 having the through hole 62a.

The support panel 62 is installed on the back surface of the cabinet 50 so that the drum 60 is rotatably supported and the intake pipe 70 is installed in the through hole 62a.

A front panel 64 is provided between the front end of the drum 60 and the opening of the cabinet 50 and a discharge port 64a is formed at the lower end of the front panel 64.

The outlet 64a is provided with an extension pipe 84 directed toward the exhaust fan 82 and a housing (not shown) in which an exhaust fan 82 is rotatably installed between the extension pipe 84 and the exhaust pipe 80 do.

The intake tube 70 is formed of a passage extending from the heater 100 to the through hole portion 62a so that the air introduced from the inside of the cabinet 50 is converted into air having a predetermined temperature or higher through the heater 100 Is moved to the upper side of the cabinet 50 along the intake tube 70 and flows into the drum 60 through the through hole portion 62a.

At this time, the drum 60 connected to the driving motor 90 and the belt (not shown) is rotated to increase the contact area between the hot air and the laundry, so that the laundry is dried or sterilized.

The heater 100 includes a gas pipe 130 installed at one side of the cabinet 50 to supply gas into the cabinet 50 and a valve 150 connected to the gas pipe 130 to control the supply / A nozzle 140 installed at one side of the valve 150, a mixing pipe 120 installed corresponding to the nozzle 140 so as to mix gas and air, A guide pipe 110 installed outside the mixing pipe 120 to guide the heated air to a certain space and a guide pipe 110 installed in the cabinet 50 with the mixing pipe 120 mounted thereon A bracket 160 and a flame holder 180 installed in the mixing tube 120 to prevent a flame generated by the spark plug 170 from being formed to a predetermined size or larger.

When the valve 150 is opened and gas is supplied to the mixing tube 120 along the gas tube 130, the mixed gas is mixed with the air inside the cabinet 50 and is injected outside the mixing tube 120. At this time, The flame is generated by the flame generated from the flame.

The generated flame is controlled by the flame holder 180 so that the size and position of the flame are controlled and the flame is positioned inside the guide tube 110 so that the air flowing along the guide tube 110 passes through the flame, So that the drying operation is performed.

The bracket 160 is formed with a groove portion 160a on the upper surface of which the mixing tube 120 is seated and a fixing surface 160b on the rear side of which the ignition plug 170 is installed to be mounted on the bottom surface of the cabinet 50 do.

A valve 150 is mounted on the bracket 160. A fixing piece 152 connected to the valve 150 and coupled to the bracket 160 is provided to connect the valve 150 and the bracket 160 And a fastening part 162 is provided on the front surface of the bracket 160 to engage with the fastening piece 152.

By thus assembling the valve 150 to the fixing member 152 when the valve 150 is installed or replaced, the fixing member 152 is coupled to the coupling portion 162 formed on the front surface of the bracket 160, Assembly of the valve 150 is completed.

The fixing piece 152 is formed of a panel bent in a shape of 'A', and a valve 150 is mounted on an upper surface of the panel, and a through hole 154 is formed on a side close to the coupling part 162.

After the valve 150 is fastened to the upper surface of the fastening piece 152, the side surface of the fastening piece 152 is brought into close contact with the fastening portion 162 and the fastening member is inserted through the through hole 154, 162, the assembly of the valve 150 is completed.

The front face of the bracket 160 is exposed to the front face of the dryer through the gap between the front panel 64 and the cabinet 50. Therefore, when the valve 150 is replaced, It is possible to perform the replacement operation of the valve 150. [

The mixing tube 124 is formed at one side of the mixing tube 120 to allow air in the cabinet 50 to flow into the mixing tube 124. The mixing tube 124 has a larger opening compared to the diameter of the nozzle 140, 140 and the air in the cabinet 50 are mixed with each other.

The mixing portion 124 is formed by extending the end portion of the mixing tube 120. The mixing portion 124 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape and has an opening at an end portion corresponding to the nozzle 140. [

The laundry detection device is provided in the dryer configured as described above, and the drying operation time is controlled according to the amount of the laundry. The laundry detection device measures the wind speed of the warm air supplied into the drum 60 in which the laundry is stored. The wind sensor 210 to detect the temperature, the temperature sensor 220 for sensing the temperature of the air discharged from the drum 60, and the drum by the data received from the wind speed sensor 210 and the temperature sensor 220 30 is a control unit 200 for adjusting the supply time of the warm air supplied to the drum 60 and the driving time.

Thus, when the drying operation is started by detecting the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum 60 for the time set by the wind speed sensor 210, drying the laundry and measuring the temperature of the air discharged to the outside of the drum 60 Will detect the amount of.

This is because the speed of the warm air passing through the drum 60 is reduced when the amount of laundry stored in the drum 60 is large, and when the amount of laundry stored in the drum 60 is small, the drum 60 passes through the drum 60. The amount of laundry is detected by the action of increasing the speed of the warm air.

In addition, the reason for measuring the temperature of the air passing through the drum 60 is that the drying time required according to the material of the laundry or the amount of moisture contained in the laundry even when the bulky laundry is stored in the drum 60 Since it is different, it is to determine the required drying time by measuring the temperature change of the air passing through the drum 60 for a predetermined time.

As described above, when the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum 60 and the temperature of the air passing through the drum 60 are detected, the information is transmitted to the controller 200, and the controller 200 stores the information in the memory unit. By comparing the data with the measured values, one of the set operating times is determined to determine the operating time of the drying operation.

Of course, it is also possible to determine the amount of laundry by detecting only the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum 60, as described above, although the volume of the laundry contained in the drum 60 is large, the amount of material or moisture of the laundry According to the operation time required for the drying operation may be added or subtracted, it is desirable to determine the operating time by measuring both the wind speed and temperature.

The wind speed sensor 210 includes a fan 212 provided in the through-hole part 62a through which warm air flows into the drum 60, and determines the wind speed of the warm air by measuring an rpm of the fan 212.

Looking at the operation of the dryer according to the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

When the user operates the operation button (not shown), power is applied to the drive motor 90 to rotate the exhaust fan 82 and the drum 60. By driving the exhaust fan 82, The air introduced into the cabinet 50 is moved to the upper side of the cabinet 50 along the intake tube 70 formed in a vertically long direction on the rear surface of the cabinet 50.

At this time, since the valve 150 of the heater 100 is opened and gas supply is started along the gas pipe 130, the gas passing through the valve 150 is injected into the mixing pipe 120 through the nozzle 140 And the air introduced through the nozzle 140 are mixed to form a mixed gas.

Further, when the mixed gas is injected into the mixing tube 120, secondary mixing is performed by the air introduced into the space between the mixing tube 120 and the nozzle 140.

When the gas mixture of gas and air is injected through the mixing tube 120, a flame is generated by the spark plug 170. The mixed gas injected from the mixing tube 120 collides with the flame holder 180, So that a flame is arranged laterally in the vicinity of the flame holder 180.

The air flowing into the intake tube 70 along the guide pipe 110 is heated by the hot dry air at a predetermined temperature or higher while being in contact with the flame.

The heated air flows into the drum 60 through the through hole 62a through the intake tube 70. The air flows into the drum 60 in a whirling manner and contacts the laundry to perform a drying operation.

A discharge port 64a is formed in the front panel 64 provided between the opening of the drum 60 and the inner wall of the cabinet 50. The air having undergone the drying operation is discharged to the outside of the drum 60 along the discharge port 64a Flows through the connecting pipe 84 communicating with the discharge port 64a to the housing 86 of the exhaust fan 82 and is moved along the exhaust pipe 80 from the housing 86 and is discharged through the discharge port 54 into the cabinet 50).

9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a dryer having a laundry detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 9, as described above, the operation time during which the drying operation is performed is determined by the laundry detection device. The method of controlling the laundry detection device includes the drum 60 after the laundry is stored in the drum 60. Is rotated, the driving step (S10) and the heater 100 is driven, and when the driving step (S10) is started to sense the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum 60 for a set time, and passes through the drum 60 Detecting step (S20) for determining the operating time corresponding to the detected wind speed and temperature by sensing the temperature of the discharged air, and a determination step (S30) for detecting whether the operating time has elapsed.

Detection step (S20) is to detect the wind speed by measuring the rpm of the fan 212 rotated by the warm air injected into the drum 60, the drum by the temperature sensor 220 is installed in the outlet (64a) The temperature of the air passing through 60 is measured.

The measured wind speed and temperature are received by the control unit 200 by an electrical signal, and the control unit 200 compares the data stored in the memory unit with the received data to determine an operation time.

The drying operation is performed during the operation time determined as described above, and when it is determined in operation S30 that the operation time has elapsed, the driving motor 90 for driving the drum 60 and the exhaust fan 82 is stopped and the heater 100 is stopped. ) Is stopped and the drying operation is terminated, and if the operation time has not elapsed, the driving step S10 is maintained to dry the laundry stored in the drum 60.

As a result, it is possible to determine the required operating time according to the amount of laundry stored in the drum 60, so that the drying operation proceeds more than necessary or malfunctions such as the drying of the laundry are not completed after the drying operation is completed. It can be prevented.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. .

In addition, although a dryer having a gas heater has been described as an example, this is merely exemplary, and a laundry detection device and a control method of the present invention may be used in a dryer of a product other than a dryer having a gas heater.

Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a flow path structure of a conventional dryer.

2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a dryer according to the prior art.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a gas heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a dryer having a laundry detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view showing a suction flow path of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a circulation passage of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a plan view showing the exhaust passage of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a dryer having a laundry detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

50: cabinet 54: outlet

60: Drum 62: Support panel

62a: Through hole portion 64a:

70: intake pipe 80: exhaust pipe

82: exhaust fan 84: connection pipe

86: housing 90: drive motor

100: heater 110: guide tube

120: mixing tube 124: mixing section

130: gas pipe 140: nozzle

150: valve 152:

154: Through hole 160: Bracket

162: fastening part 164: fastening hole part

170: spark plug 180: flame holder

200: control unit 210: wind speed sensor

212 fan 220 temperature sensor

Claims (6)

Wind speed sensor for detecting the wind speed of the warm air supplied into the drum in which the laundry is stored; And And a control unit configured to determine an operation time of the drying operation based on the data received from the wind speed sensor. The method according to claim 1, The wind speed sensor is provided with a laundry detection device, characterized in that it comprises a fan provided in the flow path for introducing the warm air into the drum. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Dryer having a laundry detection device further comprises a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the air discharged from the drum. A drive step of rotating the drum after the laundry is stored in the drum and driving of the heater; A sensing step of determining an operating time corresponding to the sensed wind speed by sensing the wind speed of the warm wind passing through the drum for a predetermined time when the driving step is started; And And a determining step of detecting whether the operation time has elapsed. A drive step of rotating the drum after the laundry is stored in the drum and driving of the heater; Detecting the wind speed of the warm air passing through the drum for a predetermined time when the driving step is started, and detecting a temperature of air discharged through the drum to determine an operating time corresponding to the detected wind speed and temperature; And And a determining step of detecting whether the operation time has elapsed. The method according to claim 4 or 5, And the driving step is maintained if the operation time has not elapsed in the determining step.

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