KR20050063968A - Dry device using the outer air circling in the washing machine and the method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an external air circulation drying apparatus of a washing machine and a method thereof. The apparatus according to the present invention comprises a temperature sensor for measuring the drying air temperature inside the drum to improve the drying effect of the laundry by circulating the air by checking the humidity and temperature of the air circulated during the drying stroke; A humidity sensor for measuring humidity of air circulating through the circulation duct; The air flow path is installed between the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor and selectively controls the air flow circulating in the drum and the air flow flowing in the outside of the drum based on signals measured by the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor. It provides an external air circulation drying apparatus of a washing machine including a flow control means. As a result, the drying effect of the washing machine is improved by optimizing the humidity and temperature of the dry air circulated by interlocking the temperature and the humidity, thereby controlling the power consumed for heating the air, thereby improving the energy efficiency.

Description

Dry air circulation drying apparatus of washing machine and its method {DRY DEVICE USING THE OUTER AIR CIRCLING IN THE WASHING MACHINE AND THE METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an external air circulation drying apparatus and a method of a washing machine, and more particularly, to selectively circulate outside air and bet by sensing the saturated steam amount of the circulating hot air in a washing machine that performs a drying function using an internal circulation hot air. It relates to an outdoor air circulation drying apparatus of the washing machine for improving the drying efficiency and a method thereof.

In general, a washing machine is mainly for washing clothes by a mechanical operation through an electric motor. The washing machine is classified into an agitator type, a drum type, and a pulsator type according to its structure and washing method. do.

The common configuration of the washing machine of the various methods as described above consists of a washing unit for direct washing, a drive unit for supplying power for the washing unit and a case forming an outer shape, and the case of the washing machine having a drying function. It further comprises a drying device.

This drying device is mainly employed in a large drum type washing machine. A drum washing machine is a washing machine that washes laundry while the drum installed lying on the inside of the tub is rotated. Increasingly, the demand is increasing with the advantages of reducing the phenomenon, and at the same time, related technologies for improving user convenience are also rapidly developing.

1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a conventional drum type washing machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tub 2 is supported inside the main body 10 having the inlet 1 at the front side, and the driving motor 3 is installed at the outer bottom of the tub 2. The tub (2) is provided with a drum (5) so as to rotate in a lying down state by receiving the driving force of the drive motor (3), the front of the main body 10 to open and close the inlet (1) door ( 6) is installed, the upper part in the main body 10 is provided with a drying device for drying the laundry as the air to remove the moisture in the circulating air while circulating the air in the drum (5).

As shown in FIG. 2, the drying apparatus includes a blower fan 25 connected to a blower motor for flowing air, a drying heater 24 on which a heating wire is applied to which external power is applied to generate high heat, and the drying It consists of a circulation duct 20 for guiding and circulating the air preheated through the heater 24 into the drum (5), the circulation duct 20 is communicated under the tub (2) to blow the blowing fan 25 Exposed to guide the air circulated back to the tub 2 via the drying heater 24.

In the drum type washing machine configured as described above, after completion of washing, a drying stroke is usually performed after the dehydration stroke, in which the air preheated by the drying heater 24 is flowed by driving the blower fan 25, The flowed air is sent to the inside of the drum 5 through the circulation duct 20 to dry the wet laundry after dehydration.

In the drying process, the laundry is subjected to the drying process by the hot air while the temperature is lowered to include the moisture of the laundry and is discharged to the circulation duct 20.

Thus, the humid air that has undergone the drying process is reheated by the drying heater 24 while circulating the circulation duct 20 to increase the temperature, and then supplied to the drum 5 again to dry the laundry by hot air. Will circulate.

In this drying process, the temperature lowered air according to the drying of the laundry during the continuous circulation of the air preheated to a high temperature, the moisture of the laundry contained in the circulating air by the drying heater 24 is evaporated as the temperature rises. However, the air inside the drum has a problem that the drying effect of the laundry is significantly lowered since the high temperature and high humidity air circulates in a state where the saturated steam pressure is generally reached.

The present invention was invented to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to improve the drying effect of the laundry by circulating the air by checking the humidity and temperature of the air circulated during the drying stroke.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, a blow drying fan and a drying heater is operated to circulate drying step of drying air circulated to the drum; Humidity sensing step of measuring the humidity of the circulation air in the drum during the circulation drying step; An outdoor air drying step of turning off the drying heater and blocking the flow of the circulating air when the checked air has a humidity greater than or equal to a predetermined humidity, and introducing fresh air into the drum; A temperature setting step of checking a temperature of the circulating air inside the drum when entering the outdoor air drying step; After the predetermined time has elapsed, the temperature of the air flowing into the drum is measured and compared with the temperature set in the temperature setting step. When the compared temperature difference is more than the predetermined temperature difference, the air drying step is terminated and the drying heater is turned on at the same time to circulate drying step It characterized in that the external air circulation drying method of the washing machine comprising a return step to resume.

According to the above method, the present invention provides a drum type washing machine, which is configured such that a circulation duct for flowing air for drying laundry is connected to a drum in a communicating portion, comprising: a temperature sensor for measuring a drying air temperature inside the drum; A humidity sensor for measuring humidity of air circulating through the circulation duct; Installed between the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor on the air flow path, based on the signals measured at the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor, to selectively control the air flow circulating in the drum and the air flow flowing in the outside air into the drum. Discharge duct part branched from the communication unit in a parallel pipe system; Outside air inlet is formed in the communication unit in series piping method; A vertical port which simultaneously blocks the discharge duct part and the outside air inlet hole and selectively blocks the communication part; A wire stem for tensioning the vertical port to one side to simultaneously block the discharge duct part and the outside air inlet hole; An elastic member for tensioning the vertical port to the other side to block the discharge duct portion; And it provides an external air circulation drying apparatus of a washing machine comprising a flow control means consisting of a drive means for applying a tensile force to the wire stem.

The present invention, in the drying stroke of the drum type washing machine, when the humidity to the amount of water vapor of the air drying the laundry inside the drum is detected, when the humidity is above a predetermined level, while releasing the drying heater while releasing the circulating air inside the drum If dry air is sucked out to perform drying, and the air temperature in the drum drops below a certain level after inhaling the outdoor air, the drying air flows by circulating the air inside the drum by turning on the drying heater again, thereby circulating the air inside the drum. To control.

In particular, the present invention, as described above, the criterion for discharging the air circulating inside the drum and at the same time introducing the outside air is due to the humidity of the circulating air, and the criterion for resuming the circulation in the drum with blocking the inflow of outside air. Has a characteristic based on the air temperature inside the drum into which the outside air is introduced.

Hereinafter, a method according to the present invention having the above characteristics is shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3.

In the drum type washing machine according to the present invention, after the normal washing stroke is finished, the laundry is dewatered by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the drum, and the blower fan and the drying heater are operated when entering the drying stroke after the dewatering stroke. The air inside the washing machine is heated and then supplied into the drum.

The laundry is dried by the high temperature air supplied into the drum, and the dried air is circulated and dried in a drum through a circulation duct (S100).

During the circular drying step (S100) of the drying air through the drum and the circulation duct, a humidity sensing step (S200) of measuring the circulating air humidity passing through the circulation duct via the drum is performed to measure the saturated water vapor pressure of the drying air. Measure it.

In the humidity measurement of the dry air circulated as described above, when the measured and confirmed humidity of the dry air is more than a predetermined humidity, for example, when the saturation is humid at 75% or more, the drying efficiency is set to be lowered. In the above case, the external air drying step S300 is performed to turn off the drying heater and introduce external air into the drum while discharging the air circulated in the drum and the circulation duct.

On the other hand, when the humidity is measured above the set humidity and enters the step of introducing outside air (S300) to check the temperature (T) of the dry air circulating inside the drum to set the reference temperature (Th) (S400). .

Thus, while the hot and humid air is discharged and at the same time the outside air is introduced and supplied to the drum, the air drying step S300 is continuously performed, and the temperature T inside the drum is continuously measured, and the measured temperature T is measured. A step S500 of comparing the difference T-Th with the reference temperature Th set at the initial stage of the outdoor air drying step S300 is performed.

The temperature difference T-Th compared in the temperature comparison step S500 is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature difference, for example, the temperature T measured at the end of the circulation of the hot and humid dry air and the temperature Th measured in the air drying step S300. If the difference (T-Th) with respect to the difference () about 15 degrees or more occurs, the return step (S600) is executed to block the inflow of the outside air.

That is, when the air supplied to the drum is below a predetermined temperature, the drying efficiency is set to be lowered due to the temperature drop, and the drying heater is turned on again while blocking the inflow of external air into the drum, and then circulating with the drum. The drying air is recycled through the duct, which is to resume the circulation drying step S100 when the drying stroke time is not reached through the drying stroke time checking step S700.

Therefore, drying is complete | finished when drying stroke time is complete | finished.

The external air circulation drying apparatus of the present invention according to the method of performing the above steps is shown in FIG. 4.

In the drum washing machine according to the present invention, the upper and lower parts of the drum 5 in which laundry is accommodated are communicated by the circulation duct 20, and a drying heater 24 and a blowing fan 25 are installed at a predetermined position of the circulation duct 20. It is configured to heat the air while circulating the air to supply the hot air into the drum (5) to dry the laundry.

Thus, the circulation duct 20 is provided with a flow control means 50 of the drying apparatus according to the present invention, which checks the temperature and humidity on the air flow path circulating the drum 5 and the circulation duct 20. Based on the measured signal, it is to selectively control the flow of air circulated in the drum (5) and the flow of outside air introduced into the drum (5).

The flow control means 50 which acts as mentioned above is comprised as follows.

Inside the circulation duct 20, in order to measure the humidity of the air circulated, in proximity to the communication section 22, which is preferably a connection portion between the circulation duct 20 and the drum 5, in place of the circulation duct 20. Humidity sensor 30 is built.

In addition, a temperature sensor 40 for measuring a drying air temperature inside the drum 5 at a location within the drum 5 is embedded.

On the other hand, a discharge duct portion 26 is formed below the communication portion 22 to which the circulation duct 20 is connected to the drum 5 so as to be piped in parallel with the circulation duct 20 to form a drum 5. The air inside is configured to be discharged to the outside of the washing machine.

In addition, the communication part 22 is formed with an outside air inlet hole 28 formed in such a manner that one side of the circulation duct 20 is opened toward the temperature sensor 30 to be connected in series with the circulation duct 20 so that the outside of the washing machine is formed. The air is configured to flow into the circulation duct 20.

In addition, in order to selectively block and control the flow of air passing through the communication section 22 and the discharge duct section 26, the vertical disposed across the communication section 22 and the discharge duct section 26 vertically Port 52 is configured.

Bar plate 53 is formed in the upper end surface of the vertical port 52 extending from the inner side of the circulation duct 20 so as to block the outside air inlet 28, for this purpose, the outside air inlet 28 is formed in contact with the vertical port 52 in the communication portion 22 so that the vertical port 52 can block the outside air inlet 28 at the same position to block the discharge duct portion 26 at the same time. Is formed.

In order to tension the vertical port 52 downward, a wire stem 54 is connected to the lower surface thereof. When the wire stem 54 is tensioned, the vertical port 52 is located below, so that the discharge duct part 26 is blocked while the blocking plate 53 blocks the outside air inlet 28 at the same time. .

In addition, the wire stem 54 is provided with a driving means 58 for tensioning it to a downward position to operate the vertical port 52, which may be a motor driven by an external power source.

In addition, the upper portion of the vertical port 52 is provided with an elastic member 56 having an elasticity opposite to the tensile force of the wire stem 54, the vertical port (when the tensile force of the wire stem 54 is released) 52, the communication portion 22 is blocked by elastically tensioning the upper portion 52 so that the air inside the drum 5 is discharged to the discharge duct portion 26, and the outside air inlet 28 is opened to circulate the outside air. It is configured to be introduced into the duct 20.

Effects of the present invention according to the configuration as described above are as follows.

By the drying method of the present invention described above, when entering the drying stroke after the dehydration stroke, the blowing fan 25 and the drying heater 24 installed in the circulation duct 20 is operated to heat the air inside the washing machine. It is then supplied into the drum 5.

In the process of drying the laundry by the high temperature air supplied into the drum 5, the air circulating in the drum 5 and the circulation duct 20 is measured by the humidity sensor 30 to measure saturated water vapor pressure. The humidity according to the measured water vapor pressure is input to the predetermined control means installed in the washing machine, that is, the microcomputer.

When the circulated air is circulated to a humidity suitable for drying, the driving means 58 of the flow control means 50 is on and maintains operation, so that the wire stem 54 is tensioned to vertical port 52. Is blocking the discharge duct 26 and at the same time the blocking plate 53 on the top of the vertical port 52 is a state of blocking the outside air inlet hole (28).

Thus, the air inside the drum 5 is circulated so that it is continuously heated by the drying heater 24 while flowing through the circulation duct 20 and supplied again into the drum 5.

The control means turns off the drying heater 24 and the driving means 58 when the water vapor saturation of the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 30 is at a humidity of 75% or more during such circulation drying.

Thus, the communication port 22 is blocked by the elastically stretched vertical portion 52 of the vertical port 52 that has been tensioned by the drive means 58.

Simultaneously with the blocking of the communication section 22, the vertical port 52 opens the discharge duct section 26, while the blocking plate 53 opens the outside air inlet 28, so that the air inside the drum 5 At the same time as it is discharged to the outside through the discharge duct portion 26, the outside air flows into the circulation duct (20).

Therefore, the outside air introduced into the circulation duct 20 is supplied into the drum 5 at room temperature through the drying heater 24 in which heat generation is turned off, and the supplied outside air remains in the drum 5 at high temperature and high humidity. The laundry is dried while being mixed with one circulating air, and is discharged to the discharge duct part 26 together with the hot and humid air after drying. That is, the outside air introduced into the drum 5 is immediately discharged while forcibly evacuating the air in the drum after drying.

When drying is performed inside the drum 5 through the inflow and discharge of outside air as described above, since the drying heater 24 is turned off, the air supplied to the drum 5 is considerably higher than the temperature of the hot and humid air. Low condition.

From this, the air temperature inside the drum is continuously lowered in the process of being discharged while mixing with the high temperature and humid air initially in the drum 5, and the temperature of the lowered air is measured by the temperature sensor 40. When the temperature difference drops by more than 15 degrees compared with the temperature measured from the high temperature and humid air in the initial process of introducing the outside air, the measured temperature is heated again by heating the drying heater 24 to heat the drum (5). Supply inside.

In addition, in order to circulate the heated air supplied into the drum 5, the driving means 58 is turned on, and by actuation of the driving means 58, the wire stem 54 is stretched so that it is vertical. The port 52 returns to the downward position.

Thus, the vertical port 52 blocks the discharge duct part 26 so that the air in the drum 5 is circulated through the communication part 22 to the circulation duct 20, and the blocking plate of the vertical port 52. 53 is blocked at the same time by blocking the outdoor air inlet 28 is blocked.

As described above, the air is heated and the air supplied to the drum 5 is blocked as the outside air is dry air. The air is continuously circulated while making the laundry dry very well, and the humidity is reduced by the humidity sensor 30. It is confirmed. According to the humidity of the confirmed air, when the humidity is more than the above-described predetermined humidity is operated in the above-described order is to repeat the process of introducing a dry outside air by discharging the high humidity air inside the drum (5).

As described above, the present invention measures the air humidity inside the circulation duct 20 to perform drying in conjunction with the air temperature inside the drum 5 to stop the circulation of high humidity air to introduce outside air, By measuring the temperature inside the drum (5) descending in accordance with the temperature to stop the inflow of the outside air to repeat the operation of recirculating the air in the drum (5) to perform the drying.

By the external air circulation drying apparatus and method of the washing machine of the present invention, the drying effect of the washing machine is improved by optimizing the humidity and temperature of dry air circulated by interlocking measurement of temperature and humidity, and controlling the power consumed for air heating. The effect is to improve the energy efficiency.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional drum washing machine.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the drying of the conventional drum washing machine.

3 is a flow chart of the method according to the invention.

4 is a block diagram of a device according to the present invention.

5 is an operating state diagram of FIG. 4.

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

5: drum 20: circulation duct

22: communication part 26: discharge duct part

28: outside air inlet hole 30: humidity sensor

40: temperature sensor 50: flow control means

52: vertical port 54: wire stem

56: elastic member 58: drive means

Claims (4)

A circulation drying step (S100) in which drying air is circulated to the drum 5 by operating the blower fan 25 and the drying heater 24; Humidity measurement step (S200) of measuring the circulating air humidity in the drum (5) during the circulation drying step (S100); When the measured humidity of the air is equal to or higher than a predetermined humidity, turning off the drying heater 24, blocking the flow of circulating air and simultaneously introducing the outside air into the drum 5 (S300); A temperature setting step (S400) of measuring a circulating air temperature (T) inside the drum (5) when entering the outside air drying step (S300); Measuring a temperature (Th) of air introduced into the drum (5) after a predetermined time and comparing it with the set temperature (T) in the temperature setting step (S400) (S500); When the temperature difference (T-Th) compared in the temperature comparison step (S500) is more than a predetermined temperature difference, the outside air drying step (S300) is terminated and at the same time turn on the drying heater (24) the cyclic drying step (S100) External air circulation drying method of the washing machine comprising a return step (S600) to resume. In the drum type washing machine, the circulation duct 20 for flowing air for drying the laundry is configured to be connected to the drum 5 in the communication section 22, A humidity sensor 30 for measuring humidity of air circulating through the circulation duct 20; A temperature sensor 40 for measuring a temperature of air for drying laundry in the drum 5; Installed between the temperature sensor 40 and the humidity sensor 30 on an air flow path, based on the signals measured by the humidity sensor 30 and the temperature sensor 40, circulating inside the drum 5. And a flow control means (50) for selectively controlling the flow of air and the flow of air into which the outside air is introduced into the drum (5). The method of claim 2, wherein the flow control means 50, A discharge duct part (26) branched from the communication part (22) in a parallel pipe manner; An outside air inlet hole 28 formed in the communication unit 22 in a series piping manner; A vertical port 52 which simultaneously blocks the discharge duct part 26 and the outside air inlet hole 28 and selectively blocks the communication part 22; A wire stem 54 which tensions the vertical port 52 to one side to simultaneously block the discharge duct part 26 and the outside air inlet hole 28; An elastic member 56 for tensioning the vertical port 52 to the other side to block the discharge duct part 26; And And an external drive means (58) for imparting tensile force to said wire stem (54). The method of claim 3, wherein The outside air inlet 28 is formed in contact with the vertical port 52 in the communication portion 22, The vertical port 52 is disposed across the communication portion 22 and the discharge duct portion 26, At the upper end of the vertical port (52), the outdoor air circulation drying apparatus of the washing machine, characterized in that the blocking plate (53) is formed to block the outside air inlet hole (28) when the discharge duct part 26 is blocked.