KR20100094137A - Cloth treating apparatus and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A clothing managing device and a control method thereof are provided to effectively process a variety of kinds of clothing by accurately measuring the temperature in a space and supplying dry air without a separate dehumidifying device. CONSTITUTION: A control method of a clothing managing device comprises next steps. Steam is supplied toward the space in which targets are accepted(S310). The air in the space is circulated(S330). The temperature of the space is sensed(S350). The duration of the steam supplying step and the temperature of the steam are controlled depending on the sensed space temperature(S370). Hot air is supplied to the space. The steam supplying step and the air circulating step are fulfilled at the same time.

Description

Cloth treating apparatus and control method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a laundry treatment apparatus capable of refreshing clothes more effectively and a control method thereof.

Recently, various types of clothes treating apparatuses have been used together with washing machines for washing clothes. For example, drum-type dryers for drying clothes after washing, cabinet-type dryers for hanging clothes and drying, and refreshers for supplying hot air to clothes and refreshing clothes have been developed.

Among the clothes treating apparatuses, a refresher, a dryer, or the like mainly supplies air by heating the air using a heater. Such heaters include a gas heater that burns gas to heat air, and an electric heater that heats air by electric resistance. In recent years, electric heaters that are easy to install and simple in structure have been used.

By the way, such a clothes treatment apparatus has many problems when drying or refreshing clothes.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treatment apparatus capable of refreshing clothes more effectively.

An object of the present invention as described above, the step of supplying steam toward the accommodation space accommodated object; Flowing air in the accommodation space; Sensing a temperature inside the accommodation space; And controlling the duration of the step of injecting the steam and the temperature of the steam according to the temperature sensing result.

In addition, the object of the present invention as described above is a cabinet formed with a receiving space for receiving clothing; A steam generator for selectively injecting steam into the accommodation space of the cabinet; A sensing unit for measuring a temperature of an accommodation space inside the cabinet; Circulation means for circulating air in the accommodation space; And a control unit for controlling the steam generating device according to the sensing result of the circulation means and the sensing unit.

As described above, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention can more accurately measure the temperature inside the receiving space.

In addition, according to the present invention, by accurately measuring the temperature inside the receiving space, it is possible to refresh various types of clothes more effectively.

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

1 is a front view showing a laundry treatment apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present specification, a refresher for refreshing clothes as a clothes treating apparatus is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the idea of the present invention may be applied to other clothes treating apparatuses that may include a heat pump described below. Hereinafter, the configuration of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention will be described first, and then the control method will be described.

Referring to Figure 1, the clothing processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention selectively includes a cabinet 10, the receiving space 12 is formed with a receiving space 12 for receiving the clothing 1 therein Steam generating device (see Fig. 2, 30) for injecting steam, the sensing unit (see Fig. 2, 50) for detecting the temperature inside the cabinet 10, the circulation means for circulating the air in the receiving space 12, And a controller (not shown) for controlling the steam generator 30 according to the sensed temperature of the circulation means and the detector 50. In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the receiving space. Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The cabinet 10 is provided with various components to be described later, and an accommodation space 12 in which clothing is accommodated is formed therein. The receiving space 12 is selectively communicated with the outside by the door (14). In addition, the accommodating space 12 is provided with a variety of support 16 to hang the clothes (1), etc., the structure for supporting such clothes (1) is widely known in the field of the present invention, so a detailed description thereof is omitted. do.

On the other hand, inside the cabinet 10 is formed a machine room 20 is accommodated in the hot air supply and steam generator 30 for selectively supplying hot air and steam to the receiving space (12). Machine room 20 is preferably located below the receiving space 12, the above-described hot air supply device and the steam generator 30 is located therein. As such, the reason why the machine room 20 is located at the bottom is that the hot air and steam supplied to the accommodation space 12 have a property to be raised, and thus, the machine room 20 is located at the bottom to direct hot air and steam toward the top. It is because supplying is preferable.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the inside of the machine room 20. In FIG. 2, only components of the hot air supply device 22 and the steam generator 30 are illustrated for convenience of description, and not shown for a pipe line connecting the components.

Referring to FIG. 2, a heat pump 22 and a steam generator 30 for supplying steam are located in the machine room 20 as a hot air supply device for supplying hot air to an accommodation space (see FIG. 1 and 12). do. That is, in this embodiment, a heat pump is employed as a hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the accommodation space 12.

Here, the heat pump 22 is similar to a heat pump used in an air conditioner or the like. That is, the heat pump 22 is provided with an evaporator 24, a compressor 26, a condenser 28 and an expansion valve (not shown) through which the refrigerant circulates, thereby dehumidifying and heating the air. That is, the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 24 to absorb latent heat of ambient air, thereby cooling the air to condense and remove moisture in the air. In addition, when the refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 28 via the compressor 26, the latent heat is released toward the surrounding air to heat the surrounding air. Therefore, the evaporator 24 and the condenser 28 function as a heat exchanger, and the air introduced into the machine room 20 is dehumidified and heated through the evaporator 24 and the condenser 28 to the receiving space 12. Supplied.

As such, the air heated by the heat pump 22 may be slightly lower than the air heated by using a conventional heater, but the air can be dehumidified without using a separate dehumidifier. Therefore, the air supplied back to the receiving space 12 by the heat pump 22 corresponds to a relatively 'low temperature dry air' (here, 'low temperature' does not mean that the temperature is absolutely low, but heating But it is used in the sense that the temperature is relatively low compared to conventional heating air). Therefore, the air supplied by the heat pump 22 of the present invention has a lower temperature than the hot air of the conventional clothes treatment apparatus, but supplies dehumidified air without a separate dehumidifier, so that the clothes are easily dried and refreshed. It becomes possible.

Specifically, an air inlet 21 through which air in the accommodation space 12 flows into the inside of the machine room 20 is formed at the front end of the machine room 20, and the air inlet 21, the evaporator 24, and the condenser ( It is preferable to form a flow path through which air flows by the circulation duct 29 connecting 28 and the fan 32. The air introduced into the machine room 20 through the air inlet 21 by the circulation duct 29 is dehumidified and heated while passing through the heat pump 22, and is supplied back to the accommodation space 12 by the circulation fan 32. do.

Here, although not shown in the drawings, the air inlet 21 may be preferably provided with a filter. By providing a filter at the air inlet 21, it is possible to filter various foreign matters and the like that may be included in the air flowing into the machine room 20 from the accommodation space 12 to supply only fresh air to the accommodation space 12.

On the other hand, the machine room 20 is provided with a steam generator 30 for selectively supplying steam to the accommodation space (12). By supplying steam to the accommodation space 12 by the steam generating device 30, it is possible to remove wrinkles and the like that may occur in clothing, and furthermore, by the high temperature steam with the effect of sterilization and refreshing due to the swelling of the clothing cloth, etc. You can expect the effect. In this way, the timing of spraying steam by the steam generator 30 can be appropriately modified, it is preferable to spray the steam before the hot air is supplied by the heat pump 22 described above. This is because it is preferable to supply hot air and then to dry the clothes after injecting high temperature steam.

The steam generator 30 is provided with a heater (not shown) for heating the water therein, and generates water by heating the water to supply to the receiving space (12). An external faucet or the like may be used as the water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 30, or a container type water supply source provided on one side of the machine room 20 may be used. This container type water supply is preferably detachably installed, allowing the user to separate the water supply from the machine room 20 to fill the water and reinstall it. In addition, the steam generated by the steam generator 30 is supplied to the accommodation space 12 through the steam hose 36 and the steam nozzle 40. In this case, the shorter the length of the steam hose 36 is, in order to prevent the temperature of the steam from being lowered or the condensation of steam while the steam moves along the steam hose 36. Therefore, when the machine room 20 is located below the accommodation space 12, the steam nozzle 40 preferably supplies steam through the top of the machine room 20, that is, the bottom of the accommodation space 12. .

In addition, a cooling fan 34 may be provided in the rear portion of the machine room 20. The cooling fan 34 supplies the air outside the machine room 20 into the machine room 20 so that the above-described heat pump 22 and the steam generator 30 are driven so that the temperature inside the machine room 20 is excessive. To prevent it from rising.

By the way, in the laundry treatment apparatus having the above configuration, it is important to accurately sense the temperature inside the accommodation space 12, in particular, to accurately sense the temperature inside the accommodation space 12 in the case of steam injection It is important.

This is because, for example, when steam is sprayed, clothing made of a specific material, such as fur, may be damaged if the clothing is exposed to a predetermined temperature or higher, so it is necessary to precisely control the temperature of the space in which the clothing is accommodated. . In addition, when steam is supplied for sterilization or the like, it is necessary to supply the temperature of steam to a predetermined temperature or more for a predetermined time or more. Supplying more than the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature wastes energy, so it is important to accurately maintain the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature.

According to the necessity as described above, the clothes treating apparatus 100 according to the present invention has a sensing unit 50 for sensing the temperature of the accommodation space inside the cabinet 10, more specifically, the temperature of the air discharged from the accommodation space 12. ), And controls the driving of the heat pump 22, the steam generator 30, and the circulation fan 32 according to the result detected by the detector 50.

The sensing unit 50 may be provided in a circulation duct 29 through which air is discharged from the accommodation space 12. More specifically, the sensing unit 50 is provided adjacent to the air inlet 21 through which air is introduced into the circulation duct 29. Can be.

On the other hand, the sensing unit 50 detects the temperature of the air discharged from the receiving space 12, and transmits the detection result to the controller (not shown). The control unit controls the driving of the heat pump 22, the steam generator 30, and the circulation fan 32 according to the detection result. For example, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the steam supplied from the steam generator 30, the supply time of the steam, etc. according to the temperature inside the accommodation space 12.

However, in the case of supplying steam, the steam only rises upward when supplied from the steam nozzle 40 to the accommodation space, and does not have special directionality unless it is injected by applying pressure in a predetermined direction. Therefore, in the case of supplying steam, the temperature in the region within the accommodating space to which steam is directly supplied, also known as the steam region, is markedly increased, but the temperature in the region where steam is not directly supplied, also known as the dead zone, is The temperature drops compared to the steam zone. As a result, even when steam is supplied to the accommodation space 12, a large temperature difference occurs in the accommodation space 12 depending on whether steam is directly supplied, thereby accurately measuring the temperature in the accommodation space 12 by the sensing unit 50. It becomes difficult.

 In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has been devised a clothes treatment apparatus and a control method capable of accurately sensing the temperature in the accommodation space 12, will be described below.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the control method includes supplying steam toward an accommodation space in which an object is accommodated (S310), flowing air in the accommodation space 12 (S330), and inside the accommodation space 12. The step (S350) of sensing the temperature and the duration of the step of injecting steam and the temperature of the steam are adjusted according to the temperature detection result (S370).

As described above, the reason why the temperature variation in the accommodation space 12 is severely generated when steam is supplied is because a steam region where steam is directly supplied and a dead zone where steam is not supplied coexist together. Therefore, when steam is supplied and steam is supplied to almost the entire area of the accommodation space by suppressing the occurrence of the dead zone as much as possible, it becomes possible to more accurately measure the temperature in the accommodation space 12.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when steam is supplied to the accommodation space 12, the air in the accommodation space 12 is circulated (S330). As such, when the air is circulated in the accommodating space 12 when steam is supplied, the flow of air in the accommodating space 12 is caused. The flow of air generated in this way reaches almost the entire area inside the receiving space 12, and if steam is supplied together with the flow of air, the steam reaches almost the whole area within the receiving space 12 along with the flow of air. Done.

As described above, in order to induce the flow of air in the accommodation space 12 in the present embodiment, the air in the accommodation space 12 is circulated. In this case, although a separate fan may be provided to circulate the air, In the present embodiment, since the circulation fan 32 is provided along the circulation duct 29, it is preferable to circulate the air using the circulation fan 32.

That is, when steam is supplied into the accommodation space 12 according to the user's selection or the order of the selected course, the controller drives the circulation fan 32 to circulate the air in the accommodation space 12. As such, the step of circulating the air may be performed before the steam supply step a predetermined time, or may be performed after the steam supply step a predetermined time. In addition, the step of circulating the air may be performed at the same time as the steam supply step.

When the air is circulated in the accommodating space 12 when steam is supplied into the accommodating space 12 as described above, the steam is flowed along the flow of air by the flow of air in the accommodating space 12. ) Almost all the area inside. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress generation | occurrence | production of the dead zone which steam does not reach when supplying steam.

Therefore, when the steam is supplied to almost the entire area in the accommodation space 12 and then senses the temperature through the sensing unit 50 (S350), the temperature in the accommodation space 12 can be measured more accurately. . Accordingly, the control unit can control the steam generator 30 according to the more accurate detection temperature (S370).

That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to accurately measure the temperature inside the accommodation space 12, and it is possible to accurately adjust the temperature inside the accommodation space 12 according to the fabric characteristics of the clothes accommodated in the accommodation space 12. . In this case, the controller may adjust the time of supplying steam from the steam generator 30 or the temperature of steam according to the sensed temperature of the accommodation space 12. In addition, according to the characteristics of each fabric, it is possible to more accurately maintain a predetermined appropriate refresh temperature, and it is possible to refresh clothes more effectively.

1 is a front view of a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the machine room in FIG. 1, and

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (8)

Supplying steam toward an accommodation space accommodating an object; Flowing air in the accommodation space; Sensing a temperature inside the accommodation space; And And controlling the duration of the step of injecting the steam and the temperature of the steam according to the temperature sensing result. The method of claim 1, The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus further comprises the step of supplying hot air to the accommodation space. The method of claim 1, And spraying the steam and flowing the air are performed at the same time. A cabinet in which an accommodation space for accommodating clothes is formed; A steam generator for selectively injecting steam into the accommodation space of the cabinet; A sensing unit for measuring a temperature of an accommodation space inside the cabinet; Circulation means for circulating air in the accommodation space; And And a control unit for controlling the steam generating device according to a detection result of the circulation means and the detection unit. The method of claim 4, wherein Clothes processing apparatus further comprises a hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the receiving space of the cabinet. The method of claim 5, And a circulation duct for circulating air in the accommodation space, wherein the sensing unit is provided adjacent to an air inlet of the circulation duct through which air flows out of the accommodation space. The method of claim 6, The hot air supply device is a clothes processing apparatus, characterized in that consisting of a heat module provided along the circulation duct. The method of claim 6, The circulation means is a clothes processing apparatus, characterized in that consisting of a circulation fan for circulating air along the circulation duct.

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