KR20180057313A - Method for controlling clothes drying apparatus and clothes drying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method of a clothes drying apparatus. The control method of the clothes drying apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum using a heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, comprises the steps of: measuring an initial temperature of air near an outlet of the drum; determining whether the initial temperature of the air is higher than a reference air temperature; operating an air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature; and operating the compressor.

Description

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

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a clothes drying apparatus for drying laundry by circulating air, and more particularly, to a clothes drying apparatus for drying laundry using a heat pump system and a control method for controlling the same.

Generally, the clothes drying apparatus is a device for drying laundry by storing laundry in a state where washing and dehydration are completed in a laundry receiving portion such as a drum, and then supplying hot air to the laundry receiving portion to evaporate moisture of the laundry.

At this time, an electric heater or a heat pump system may be used to heat the air supplied to the drum.

The heat pump system includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator to produce hot air. The clothes drying apparatus also includes an air circulation system for exchanging heat with the condenser and supplying hot air to the drum containing laundry to be dried.

Therefore, the performance and reliability of the clothes drying apparatus using the heat pump system are affected by the state of the air exchanging heat with the heat pump system.

For example, if the temperature of the air supplied to the heat pump system is too low, freezing may occur in the evaporator, or the liquid refrigerant may enter the compressor and damage the compressor.

Accordingly, it is possible to improve the reliability and drying performance of the clothes drying apparatus by controlling the heat pump system and the air circulation system of the clothes drying apparatus according to the temperature of the air inside the clothes drying apparatus to heat the inside air before circulating the air Development of a control method of a clothes drying apparatus having a wearer is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a control method of a clothes drying apparatus which can improve the reliability and drying ability by controlling the heat pump system and the air circulation system according to the temperature of the inside air, To a clothes drying apparatus.

A control method of a clothes drying apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method of a clothes drying apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum using a heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, Measuring an initial temperature of the air near the outlet; Determining whether an initial temperature of the air is higher than a reference air temperature; Operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature; And operating the compressor.

In addition, the control method of the clothes drying apparatus may include: operating the compressor when the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature; Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a reference refrigerant temperature; And operating the air circulation fan when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature.

At this time, the reference air temperature may be determined to be a temperature at which the discharge air does not damage the heat pump system.

The reference refrigerant temperature may be determined to be a temperature at which the air passing through the condenser of the heat pump system can be heated to the reference air temperature or higher.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a clothes drying apparatus, including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, the apparatus including a heat pump system for heating air supplied to a drum, and an external air regulator for sucking and discharging outside air Measuring an initial temperature of the air near the outlet of the drum; Determining whether the initial temperature of the air is lower than a reference air temperature; Operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature; And operating the compressor.

The method further includes operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature. Operating the external air conditioner to suck outside air into the inside of the clothes drying apparatus; Operating the compressor; Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a reference refrigerant temperature; And turning off the outdoor air conditioner when the temperature of the discharged refrigerant is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature.

At this time, the reference refrigerant temperature may be determined to be a temperature at which the air passing through the condenser of the heat pump system can be heated to the reference air temperature or more.

Also, the reference air temperature may be determined to be a temperature at which the temperature of the outside air can heat the air inside the drum.

In the method of controlling the clothes drying apparatus, the step of determining whether the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature may further include determining whether the initial temperature of the air is higher than the lower limit air temperature.

Further, the control method of the clothes drying apparatus may include: operating the compressor when the initial temperature of the air is lower than the lower limit air temperature; Determining whether a temperature of the discharge refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a lower limit refrigerant temperature; And operating the air circulation fan when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature.

A clothes drying apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a main body; A drum rotatably installed in the main body and containing an object to be dried; An air circulation system including an air circulation fan circulating the air of the drum; A heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, for heating air circulated by the air circulation system; An air temperature sensor installed adjacent to an outlet of the drum for measuring the temperature of the air; A refrigerant temperature sensor installed adjacent to the discharge port of the compressor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; And a controller for controlling the air circulation fan of the air circulation system and the compressor of the heat pump system using the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor and the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor, The controller determines whether the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor is higher than the reference air temperature. If the temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature, the controller operates the air circulation fan, The compressor can be operated.

Further, in the clothes drying apparatus, the air circulation system may further include an external air conditioner for sucking and discharging external air.

1 is a perspective view of a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a heat pump system used in the clothes dryer of FIG. 1; FIG.
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a heat pump system and an air circulation system of a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the clothes drying apparatus of Fig. 3; Fig.
5 is a view showing another arrangement of an air circulating fan in a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual view for explaining a heat pump system and an air circulation system of a clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram of the clothes drying apparatus of Fig. 7; Fig.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
10 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of a clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus and a clothes drying apparatus including the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are provided for illustrative purposes only, and that the present invention may be embodied with various modifications and alterations of the embodiments described herein. In the following description, well-known functions or components are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. In addition, the attached drawings are not drawn to scale in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, but the dimensions of some of the components may be exaggerated.

1 is a perspective view showing a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a heat pump system used in the clothes dryer of Fig. 1; Fig. FIG. 3 is a conceptual view for explaining a heat pump system and an air circulation system of a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the clothes drying apparatus of FIG.

The clothes drying apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 4 includes a dryer as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be applied to a washing machine having a drying function as well as a washing function.

1 to 4, a clothes drying apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10, a drum 20, a heat pump system 30, an air circulation system 40, (50).

The main body 10 forms the appearance of the clothes drying apparatus 1 and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A display unit 15 and an input unit 16 for controlling the clothes drying apparatus 1 may be provided on the front surface 11 of the main body 10. [

The input unit 15 may be implemented as a rotary switch, for example, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the user rotates the rotary switch 16, it is possible to input a control command related to the operation of the clothes dryer 1. However, the input unit 16 is not limited to the above-described rotary switch, and may be implemented by various input means such as a button for inputting a control command, a touch screen, or the like.

The display unit 15 is provided so as to be able to display the operation state of the clothes drying apparatus 1 and the operation of the user. For example, the display unit 15 may include various displays such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a cathode ray tube Can be implemented. However, the display unit 15 is not limited to this, and may include any device capable of visually displaying information on the clothes dryer 1.

An opening (not shown) formed in a substantially circular shape is provided on the front surface 11 of the main body 10 and the opening is opened and closed by a door 13 which is rotatably installed on the front surface 11 of the main body 10. [ do.

The drum 20 accommodates an object to be dried and is rotatably installed inside the body 10. [ The drum 20 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and one end of the drum 20 is in communication with the opening of the main body 10 described above. Therefore, when the door 13 provided in the main body 10 is opened, the object to be dried can be inserted into or removed from the drum 20. Here, the object to be dried refers to various kinds of fibers and fabrics such as laundry, especially clothes, towels, and the like, and is not particularly limited. The drum 20 is provided so as to be rotatable by a drum driving source such as a motor.

The heat pump system 30 is for heating the air circulating inside the main body 10 by an air circulation system 40 described later, and is implemented as a refrigerant circuit. The heat pump system 30 may be installed inside the main body 10. For example, the heat pump system 30 may be installed below the drum 10. [

Specifically, the heat pump system 30 may include a compressor 31, a condenser 32, an expansion device 33, and an evaporator 34. The compressor 31 compresses the refrigerant and the compressed refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is supplied to the condenser 32 through the first pipe 35 connecting the compressor 31 and the condenser 32. The condenser 32 performs heat exchange with air circulated by the air circulation system 40 to heat the air. The refrigerant that has released heat in the condenser 32 is supplied to the expansion device 33 through the second pipe 36 connecting the condenser 32 and the expansion device 33. [ The refrigerant expanded in the expansion device 33 is supplied to the evaporator 34 through the third pipe 37 connecting the expansion device 33 and the evaporator 34. In the evaporator (34), the refrigerant is discharged from the drum (20) and absorbs heat from the air passing through the evaporator (34). The refrigerant absorbed heat in the evaporator 34 is then supplied to the compressor 31 through the fourth pipe 38 connecting the evaporator 34 and the compressor 31. The refrigerant compressed by the high-temperature and high-pressure gas by the compressor (31) is again supplied to the condenser (32) through the first pipe (35). Thus, the refrigerant circulates in the heat pump system 30. 3, the first piping 35, the second piping 36, the third piping 37, and the fourth piping 38 through which the refrigerant flows in the heat pump system 30 are indicated by dotted lines .

A refrigerant temperature sensor 51 capable of measuring the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 may be installed on the discharge side of the compressor 31. For example, the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 may be installed in the first pipe 35 connecting the compressor 31 and the condenser 32. At this time, the coolant temperature sensor 51 is installed inside the first pipe 35 and directly measures the temperature of the coolant flowing through the first pipe 35, or indirectly measures the temperature of the coolant flowing through the first pipe 35, The temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the single pipe 35 can be measured. The refrigerant temperature sensor 51 measures the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 and outputs information on the measured temperature of the refrigerant to the controller 50. Then, the controller 50 can recognize the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31.

The heat pump system 30 may be provided as one heat pump unit as shown in FIG. That is, the compressor 31, the condenser 32, the expansion device 33, and the evaporator 34 are installed in one base 39, and the compressor 31, the condenser 32, the expansion device 33, And the evaporator 34 can be configured as one unit. Therefore, it is convenient to install or separate the heat pump system 30 formed of one unit in the main body 10. [

The air circulation system 40 is provided to circulate air between the inside of the drum 20 and the heat pump system 30 and includes an air circulation fan 41 for generating a wind power for circulating air, 30 and a drum (20).

The air circulating fan 41 includes a fan motor 42 for generating a rotational force. Therefore, when the fan motor 42 is rotated by the controller 50, the air circulating fan 41 rotates to forcibly circulate the air inside the drum 20. [ The air circulation fan 41 and the fan motor 42 may be integrally provided with the heat pump system 30 configured as one unit as shown in FIG. At this time, the evaporator (34) and the condenser (32) are provided with a heat exchange duct (47) so that heat can be exchanged with the refrigerant while air passes through. The discharge port of the heat exchange duct 47 is connected to the air circulation fan 41 and the inlet port 47a is connected to the discharge duct 43 connecting the drum 20 and the heat exchange duct 47.

The ducts 43, 45 and 47 connect the drum 20 and the heat pump system 30 to form a passage through which the air circulates and guide the air discharged from the drum 20 to the heat pump system 30 An inlet duct 45 that discharges air from the heat pump system 30 and flows into the drum 20 and an outlet duct 43 that are connected to the heat pump system 30, And a heat exchange duct 47 for generating heat. 3, the ducts 43, 45, and 47 are indicated by solid arrows.

The discharge duct 43 is provided inside the main body 10 and guides the air discharged from the discharge port 21a of the drum 20 to the heat pump system 30. [ One end of the discharge duct 43 is connected to the discharge port 20a of the drum 20 and the other end is connected to the inlet port 47a of the heat exchange duct 47. [

The inlet duct 45 is provided inside the main body 10 and guides the heated air from the heat pump system 30 to the drum 20. One end of the inlet duct 45 is connected to the inlet 20b of the drum 20 and the other end is connected to the outlet end 41b of the air circulating fan 41. [

The heat exchange duct 47 is integrally provided with the heat pump system 30 so that air passing through the heat exchange duct 47 can be heat exchanged while passing through the evaporator 34 and the condenser 32 in sequence. An inlet port (47a) of the heat exchange duct (47) is connected to the discharge duct (43). Therefore, the air discharged from the drum 20 and flowing through the heat exchanging duct 47 passes through the evaporator 34, exchanges heat with the refrigerant of the evaporator 34, and the moisture contained in the air is condensed and removed. The moisture-removed air passing through the evaporator 34 absorbs heat from the refrigerant of the condenser 32 while passing through the condenser 32, and is heated by the hot air. The suction end of the air circulation fan (41) is connected to the discharge port of the heat exchange duct (47).

The air circulating fan 41 is provided to blow the heated air passing through the heat exchanging duct 47 toward the drum 20. The air heated by the condenser 32 of the heat pump system 30 is drawn into the drum 20 through the intake duct 45 by the air circulation fan 41. [

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the air circulation fan 41 is installed downstream of the heat pump system 30 with reference to the air circulation direction (the direction indicated by the solid line arrow). However, the air circulation fan 41 may be installed upstream of the heat pump system 30 as shown in Fig.

5 is a view showing another arrangement of an air circulation fan in a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, when the air circulation fan 41 is installed upstream of the heat pump system 30 with reference to the air circulation direction (the direction indicated by the solid line arrow), the air discharged from the drum 20 flows through the air circulation fan (41) and then heated in the condenser (32) of the heat pump system (30). The air heated in the condenser 32 is supplied to the inlet 22 of the drum 20 through the inlet duct 45.

An air temperature sensor 52 for measuring the temperature of air discharged from the drum 20 may be installed near the discharge port 21 of the drum 20. [ For example, the air temperature sensor 52 may be installed adjacent to the discharge port 21 inside the drum 20. [ Or the air temperature sensor 52 may be installed in a portion of the discharge duct 43 connected to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20. [ The air temperature sensor 52 measures the temperature of the air passing through the discharge port 21 or the discharge duct 43 of the drum 20 and outputs information on the measured temperature of the air to the controller 50. Then, the controller 50 can recognize the temperature of the air discharged from the drum 20 from the information of the air temperature sensor 52. [

The controller 50 controls the clothes drying apparatus 1 to perform drying of the drying object. Specifically, the controller 50 controls the drum 20, the compressor 31, and the air circulation fan 41 in accordance with a user command inputted through the input unit 16 to dry the object to be dried contained in the drum 20 . At this time, the controller 50 controls the air circulation system 40 based on the temperature of the air in the drum 20, and controls the heat pump system 30 based on the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 .

For example, the controller 50 controls the air circulation fan 41 of the air circulation system 40 using the air temperature measured by the air temperature sensor 52 and the refrigerant temperature measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 The compressor 31 of the heat pump system 30 can be controlled to perform a drying operation. Specifically, when the initial temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 52 is higher than the reference air temperature, the controller 50 can operate the air circulation fan 41 and then operate the compressor 31. [ That is, the controller 50 measures the air temperature inside the drum 20 before operating the heat pump system 30 and the air circulation system 40 after the operation of the clothes drying apparatus 1 is started, It is possible to control the clothes drying apparatus 1 to perform air circulation only when the temperature is higher than the reference air temperature.

6 is a control method of the clothes drying apparatus in which the controller 50 performs the drying operation using the temperature of the air and the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the air temperature sensor 52 and the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 Will be described in detail.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include measuring an initial temperature Ti of air (S610). The initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 51 provided adjacent to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 when the drying operation is started. That is, the initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air inside the drum 20 before the air is heated by the heat pump system 30.

Next, the controller 50 compares the initial temperature Ti of the air with the reference air temperature Ta. Specifically, it is determined whether the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the reference air temperature Ta (S620). At this time, the reference air temperature Ta may be determined to a temperature at which the air discharged from the drum 20 may not damage the heat pump system 30. [ When the temperature of the air exchanging heat with the condenser 31 of the heat pump system 30 is low, the drying performance is deteriorated because it takes a long time to raise the temperature of the air. Also, when the temperature of the air passing through the heat pump system 30 is too low, the refrigerant in the evaporator 34 may be frozen or the refrigerant introduced into the compressor 31 may be maintained in a liquid state. If the refrigerant in the liquid state is drawn into the compressor 31, the failure of the heat pump system 30 such as damaging the compressor 31 may occur. Therefore, the reference air temperature Ta can be determined to a temperature such that the liquid refrigerant is not drawn into the compressor 31 of the heat pump system 30. [

If the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the reference air temperature Ta, the controller 50 operates the air circulation fan 41 (S630). Subsequently, the controller 50 operates the compressor 31 (S640).

Then, the clothes drying apparatus 1 performs the drying operation of the drying object in the general drying mode (S680).

In the normal drying mode, the controller 50 controls the drum driving source for rotating the drum 20 to rotate the drum 20. Further, the drying state of the object to be dried is determined through the drying sensor 53 provided inside the drum 20. The controller 50 stops the rotation of the drum 20 and stops the operation of the heat pump system 30 and the air circulation system 40 when it is determined that drying of the drying object is completed through the drying sensor 53 .

If the initial temperature Ti of the air is lower than the reference air temperature Ta, the controller 50 operates the compressor 31 without operating the air circulation fan 41 and maintaining the off state (S650).

The controller 50 determines whether the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature Td1 after operating the compressor 31 in operation S660. At this time, the controller 50 determines the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant through the information transmitted from the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 provided adjacent to the discharge port 31a of the compressor 31.

When the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is lower than the reference refrigerant temperature Td1, the controller 50 operates only the compressor 31 while keeping the air circulation fan 41 in the off- So that the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant is increased. At this time, since the air circulation fan 41 is not operated, the air inside the drum 20 is not circulated, but only the refrigerant of the heat pump system 30 circulates, and the temperature Tmd of the discharge refrigerant rises.

If the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature Td1 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 50 operates the air circulation fan 41 (S670). At this time, the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 measures the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 at a predetermined time interval and transmits the measured temperature Tmd to the controller 50. Thus, the controller 50 determines whether the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant And becomes higher than the refrigerant temperature Td1. As an example, the reference refrigerant temperature Td1 may be determined to be the temperature at which the air passing through the condenser 32 of the heat pump system 30 can be heated above the reference air temperature Ta described above.

When the air circulating fan 41 is operated, the clothes drying apparatus 1 dries the object to be dried in the above-mentioned general drying mode (S680).

Although the clothes drying apparatus 1 that circulates air only inside the main body 10 has been described above, the clothes drying apparatus 1 may be configured to use external air. In particular, when the outside temperature of the outside air, i.e., the place where the clothes drying apparatus 1 is installed is high, the outside air is high, so that the drying of the object to be dried can be performed using the outside air.

Hereinafter, a clothes drying apparatus using external air will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual view for explaining a heat pump system and an air circulation system of a clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the clothes drying apparatus of FIG.

7 and 8, a clothes drying apparatus 1 'according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10, a drum 20, a heat pump system 30, an air circulation system 40' And a controller 50 '.

The main body 10 forms the appearance of the clothes drying apparatus 1 'and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A display unit 15 and an input unit 16 for controlling the clothes dryer 1 'may be provided on the front surface 11 of the main body 10 (see FIG. 1).

The front surface 11 of the main body 10 is provided with an opening formed in a substantially circular shape and the opening is opened and closed by a door 13 which is rotatably installed on the main body 10 (see Fig. 1).

The main body 10 is provided with an outside air inlet through which outside air is introduced and an outside air outlet through which air is discharged to the outside. Each of the outside air inlet and the outside air outlet is provided with an outside air suction device 61 and an outside air discharge device 62 of an outside air conditioner 60 to be described later.

Other portions of the main body 10 are the same as those of the main body 10 of the clothes drying apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment, and therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The drum 20 accommodates an object to be dried and is rotatably installed inside the body 10. [ The drum 20 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and one end of the drum 20 is in communication with the opening of the main body 10 described above. Therefore, when the door 13 provided in the opening is opened, the object to be dried can be inserted into or withdrawn from the drum 20. The drum 20 is provided so as to be rotatable by a driving source such as a motor.

The heat pump system 30 is for heating the air supplied to the drum 20 by the air circulation system 40 'and is implemented as a refrigerant circuit. The heat pump system 30 is the same as the heat pump system 30 of the clothes drying apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The air circulation system 40 'is provided to circulate air between the inside of the drum 20 and the heat pump system 30 and includes an air circulation fan 41 for circulating air, a heat pump system 30, Ducts 43, 45, and 47 for connecting the air conditioner 20, and an outside air conditioner 60 for controlling intake and exhaust of the outside air.

The air circulating fan 41 includes a fan motor 42 for generating a rotational force. Accordingly, when the fan motor 42 rotates, the air circulating fan 41 rotates to forcibly circulate the air inside the drum 20. [ That is, when the air circulation fan 41 rotates, the air circulates between the drum 20 and the heat pump system 30. [ The air circulating fan 41 and the fan motor 42 may be integrally provided with the heat pump system 30 formed as one unit as shown in FIG. At this time, the evaporator (34) and the condenser (32) are provided with a heat exchange duct (47) so that heat can be exchanged with the refrigerant while air passes through. The discharge port of the heat exchange duct 47 is connected to the suction port of the air circulation fan 41 and the inlet port 47a is connected to the discharge duct 43 connecting the drum 20 and the heat exchange duct 47.

The ducts 43, 45 and 47 connect the drum 20 and the heat pump system 30 to form a passage through which the air circulates. The ducts 43, 45, and 47 are connected to the exhaust duct 43 through which the air discharged from the drum 20 flows, An inlet duct 45 through which the air drawn out from the pump system 30 flows into the drum 20 and a heat exchange duct 47 connected to the discharge duct 43 and in which heat exchange with the refrigerant of the heat pump system 30 is generated, .

The discharge duct 43 is provided inside the main body 10 and guides the air discharged from the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 to the heat pump system 30. [ One end of the discharge duct 43 is connected to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 and the other end is connected to the inlet port 47a of the heat exchange duct 47. The discharge duct 43 may further include an external discharge duct 63 capable of discharging a part of the air discharged from the drum 20 to the outside of the clothes drying apparatus 1. [ The external discharge duct (63) is formed in such a shape as to be branched from the discharge duct (43).

The inlet duct 45 is provided inside the main body 10 and guides the heated air from the heat pump system 30 to the drum 20. One end of the inlet duct 45 is connected to the inlet 22 of the drum 20 and the other end is connected to the outlet 41b of the air circulation fan 41. In addition, the inlet duct 45 may further include an external inlet duct 65 capable of sucking outside air into the inside thereof. The outer inlet duct (65) is formed in a shape that branches from the inlet duct (45).

The heat exchange duct 47 is formed integrally with the heat pump system 30 so that air passing through the heat exchange duct 47 can sequentially exchange heat with the evaporator 34 and the condenser 31. An inlet port (47a) of the heat exchange duct (47) is connected to the discharge duct (43). Therefore, the air discharged from the drum 20 and flowing through the heat exchanging duct 47 passes through the evaporator 34, exchanges heat with the refrigerant of the evaporator 34, and the moisture contained in the air is condensed and removed. The moisture-removed air passing through the evaporator 34 absorbs heat from the refrigerant of the condenser 32 while passing through the condenser 32, and is heated by the hot air. An air circulating fan (41) is provided at an outlet of the heat exchanging duct (47).

The outside air regulator 60 sucks the outside air of the main body 10 of the clothes drying apparatus 1 'into the inside of the main body 10 under the control of the controller 50, As shown in FIG. The external air conditioner 60 is installed on one side of the main body 10 and includes an external air sucking device 61 for sucking the outside air, And an external air discharging device 62 for discharging air to the outside. The external air suction device 61 and the external air discharge device 62 may be implemented as a damper.

The outside air suction device 61 and the outside air discharge device 62 may be installed at any place of the main body 10. [ That is, the external air suction device 61 and the external air discharge device 62 can be installed on any of the top, bottom, front, rear, and left and right sides of the main body 10.

7, the external air suction device 61 may be installed on one side of the main body 10, and may be connected to the inlet duct 45 through the external inlet duct 65. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the outside air can be introduced into the inlet duct 45 through the outside air suction device 61 installed at one end of the outside inlet duct 65. The external air discharge device 61 may be installed on the opposite side of the main body 10 and may be connected to the discharge duct 43 through the external discharge duct 63. A part of the air discharged through the discharge duct 43 from the drum 20 can be discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the external discharge duct 64 and the external air discharge device 62. [

In the above-described clothes drying apparatus 1, the air introduced through the external air suction device 61 is configured to be drawn into the drum 20 through the inlet duct 45, but as another example, The air suction device 61 may be provided to supply external air directly to the drum 20. [

The air circulating fan 41 is provided to blow the air discharged through the discharge duct 43 to the drum 20 via the heat pump system 30. [ Therefore, when the air circulation fan 41 is rotated in the state that the external air conditioner 60 is off, the air discharged from the drum 20 is entirely transferred to the heat exchange duct 47 through the discharge duct 43, The air heated by the condenser 32 while passing through the duct 47 flows into the drum 20 through the inlet duct 45 after passing through the air circulation fan 41. [

On the other hand, when the external air regulator 60 is turned on to operate the external air suction device 61 and the external air discharge device 62, when the air circulation fan 41 operates, 61 and the external inlet duct 65 and is supplied to the drum 20 together with the air that has passed through the heat pump system 30. [ The air discharged from the drum 20 moves through the discharge duct 43 and a part of the air is discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the external discharge duct 63 and the external air discharge device 61 . That is, when the air circulation fan 41 is operated with the external air conditioner 60 turned on, the external air is supplied to the drum 20 together with the internal air, and the air discharged from the drum 20 And the remaining air is supplied to the heat pump system 30 to be heated.

An air temperature sensor 52 for measuring the temperature of air discharged from the drum 20 may be installed near the discharge port 21 of the drum 20. [ For example, the air temperature sensor 52 may be installed adjacent to the discharge port 21 inside the drum 20. [ Or the air temperature sensor 52 may be installed in a portion of the discharge duct 43 connected to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20. [ The air temperature sensor 51 measures the temperature of the air passing through the discharge port 21 or the discharge duct 43 of the drum 20 and outputs information on the measured temperature of the air to the controller 50. Then, the controller 50 can recognize the temperature of the air discharged from the drum 20.

The controller 50 'controls the clothes dryer 1' to perform drying of the drying object. Specifically, the controller 50 'controls the drum 20, the compressor 31, the air circulation fan 41, and the external air conditioner 60 according to the user's command inputted through the input unit 16, 20 is dried. At this time, the controller 50 'controls the air circulation system 40' and the external air conditioner 60 based on the initial temperature Ti of the air inside the drum 20, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 ' The temperature of the heat pump system 30 can be controlled based on the temperature Tmd of the heat pump system 30.

For example, the controller 50 'may calculate the air temperature Tmd of the air circulation system 40 using the air temperature Ti measured by the air temperature sensor 52 and the refrigerant temperature Tmd measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 The air circulation fan 41 and the outside air conditioner 60, and the compressor 31 of the heat pump system 30 can be controlled to perform the drying operation. Specifically, when the initial temperature Tmd of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 52 is higher than the lower limit air temperature Ta, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 41, and then the compressor 31 Can be operated. That is, the controller 50 'controls the air temperature Ti inside the drum 20 before the operation of the clothes dryer 1' is started and before the operation of the heat pump system 30 and the air circulation system 40 ' , And the clothes drying apparatus 1 'can be controlled so as to cause air circulation only when the air temperature Ti is higher than the lower limit air temperature Ta.

When the initial temperature Ti of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 52 is higher than the upper limit air temperature Tb, the controller 50 'controls the air circulation fan 41, the outside air conditioner 60, The compressor 31 can be operated sequentially. That is, the controller 50 'starts the operation of the clothes drying apparatus 1' and before the operation of the heat pump system 30 and the air circulation system 40 ', the air temperature of the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 When the air temperature Ti is higher than the upper limit air temperature Tb, the outdoor air conditioner 60 is operated to suck the outside air into the main body 10 and circulate the clothes. 1 ').

When the temperature of the outside of the clothes dryer 1 'is high, that is, when the temperature of the outside is sufficiently high enough to dry the object to be dried contained in the drum 20 and raise the temperature of the air inside the drum 20 The controller 50 'operates the external air conditioner 60 to supply external air to the drum 20. [ If the high-temperature outside air is supplied into the drum 20 as described above, the temperature of circulating air can be raised quickly, thereby improving the drying performance of the clothes drying apparatus 1 '.

Hereinafter, a control method of the clothes drying apparatus in which the controller 50 'performs the drying operation using the temperature of the air and the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the air temperature sensor 52 and the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 Will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

9 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of the clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include measuring an initial temperature Ti of air (S910). The initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 52 provided adjacent to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 when the drying operation is started. That is, the initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air inside the drum 20 before the air is heated by the heat pump system 30.

Next, the controller 50 'compares the initial temperature Ti of the air with the reference air temperature Tb. Specifically, the controller 50 'determines whether the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the reference air temperature Tb (S920). At this time, the reference air temperature Tb can be determined to a temperature at which the sucked outside air can heat the air inside the drum 20 and help dry the dried object. The reference air temperature Tb at this time is a reference for judging whether or not the outside air can be used for drying, and thus can be referred to as a reference upper limit air temperature.

If the initial temperature Ti of the air is lower than the reference air temperature Tb, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 41 (S930). Subsequently, the controller 50 'operates the compressor 31 (S940).

Then, the clothes drying apparatus 1 'performs the drying operation of the drying object in the general drying mode (S995).

On the other hand, when the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the reference air temperature Tb, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 41 (S950) and then operates the external air conditioner 60 (S960). Then, the external air suction device 61 and the external air discharge device 62 are operated. Then, the controller 50 'operates the compressor 31 (S970).

The controller 50 'operates the compressor 31 and determines whether the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature Td2 at step S980. At this time, the controller 50 'determines the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant through the information transmitted from the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 provided adjacent to the discharge port 31a of the compressor 31. At this time, the reference refrigerant temperature Td2 may be determined as the temperature of the discharged refrigerant, which allows the temperature of the air heated in the condenser 31 of the heat pump system 30 to be higher than the temperature of the outside air. This is because it is not necessary to use the outside air if the temperature of the air heated in the condenser 31 becomes higher than the temperature of the outside air. The reference refrigerant temperature Tmd at this time is a reference for judging whether or not the outside air needs to be used for drying, and therefore can be referred to as a reference upper limit refrigerant temperature.

When the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is lower than the reference refrigerant temperature Td2, the controller 50 'maintains the external air conditioner 60 in an on state, (31) is continuously operated so that the temperature (Tmd) of the discharged refrigerant rises. At this time, since the outside air conditioner 60 is in an on state, the air outside the clothes drying apparatus 1 'is sucked into the main body 10 and circulated, so that the temperature of the air circulated together with the heat pump system 30 .

If the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature Td2 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 50 'turns off the external air conditioner 60 (S990). Then, the suction of the outside air through the outside air suction device 61 is blocked, and the air discharged from the drum 20 through the outside air discharge device 62 is blocked from being discharged to the outside.

Thereafter, the clothes drying apparatus 1 'dries the object to be dried in the general drying mode (S995).

Although the control method of the clothes drying apparatus 1 ', which can be used at a place where the installation place is high, has been described, the above-described clothes drying apparatus 1' can be used in both places where the installation place is low temperature and high temperature. The clothes dryer 1 'may be controlled.

Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 10, a control method for increasing the drying performance in both the low-temperature and high-temperature clothes drying apparatuses shown in Figs. 7 and 8 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of a clothes drying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, a method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a step (S1010) of measuring an initial temperature of air. The initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor 52 provided adjacent to the discharge port 21 of the drum 20 when the drying operation is started. That is, the initial temperature Ti of the air refers to the temperature of the air inside the drum 20 before the air is heated by the heat pump system 30.

Next, the controller 50 'compares the initial temperature Ti of the air with the reference air temperature Ta. Specifically, the controller 50 'determines whether the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the lower limit air temperature Ta and lower than the upper limit air temperature Tb (S1020). That is, the controller 50 'determines whether the initial temperature Ti of the air is a temperature between the lower limit air temperature Ta and the upper limit air temperature Tb. At this time, the lower limit air temperature Ta may be determined to a temperature at which the air discharged from the drum 20 may not damage the heat pump system 30. [ The lower limit air temperature Ta at this time is a criterion for judging whether to circulate the air inside the main body 10. [ Also, the upper limit air temperature Tb can be determined to a temperature at which the sucked outside air can heat the air inside the drum 20 and help dry the dried object. The upper limit air temperature Tb at this time is a criterion for judging whether the outside air can be used for drying. Therefore, the upper limit air temperature Tb is set to be higher than the lower limit air temperature Ta.

If the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the lower limit air temperature Ta and lower than the upper limit air temperature Tb, i.e., Ta <Ti <Tb, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 41 (S1030), and then the compressor 31 is operated (S1040).

Then, the clothes drying apparatus 1 'performs a drying operation of the drying object in the general drying mode (S1050).

On the other hand, when the initial temperature Ti of the air is lower than the lower limit air temperature Ta, that is, when Ti < Ta, the controller 50 'keeps the air circulating fan 41 in an off- The compressor 31 is operated (S1110).

The controller 50 'determines whether the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature Td1 after operating the compressor 31 in operation S1120. At this time, the controller 50 'determines the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant through the information transmitted from the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 provided adjacent to the discharge port 31a of the compressor 31.

When the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is lower than the lower limit refrigerant temperature Td1, the controller 50 'activates only the compressor 31 to raise the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged. At this time, since the air circulation fan 31 is not operated, the air inside the drum 20 is not circulated, and only the refrigerant of the heat pump system 30 is circulated to raise the temperature Tmd of the discharge refrigerant.

If the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature Td1 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 31 (S1130). At this time, since the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 measures the temperature of the refrigerant at a predetermined time interval and transmits the measured temperature to the controller 50 ', the controller 50' determines that the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant becomes higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature Td1 Able to know. As an example, the lower limit coolant temperature Td1 may be determined as a temperature at which the air passing through the condenser 31 of the heat pump system 30 can be heated above the lower limit air temperature Ta described above. At this time, the lower limit coolant temperature Ta is a criterion for judging whether the air circulation fan 41 is operated or not.

When the air circulation fan 41 is operated, the clothes drying apparatus 1 'dries the object to be dried in the general drying mode described above (S1050).

If the initial temperature Ti of the air is higher than the upper limit air temperature Tb, that is, Ti> Tb, the controller 50 'operates the air circulation fan 41 (S1210) The controller 60 is operated (S1220). Then, the external air sucking device 61 and the external air discharging device 62 operate to suck outside air into the main body 10. Subsequently, the controller 50 'activates the compressor 31 (S1230).

The controller 50 'operates the compressor 31 to determine whether the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the upper limit refrigerant temperature Td2 (S1240). At this time, the controller 50 'determines the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant through the information transmitted from the refrigerant temperature sensor 51 provided adjacent to the discharge port 31a of the compressor 31. At this time, the upper limit coolant temperature Td2 may be set to the temperature of the discharge refrigerant so that the temperature of the air heated by the condenser 32 of the heat pump system 30 becomes higher than the temperature of the outside air. The upper limit refrigerant temperature Td2 at this time is used as a criterion for judging whether or not the outside air needs to be used for drying. Therefore, the upper limit refrigerant temperature Td2 is set to be higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature Tdl described above.

When the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is lower than the upper limit refrigerant temperature Td2, the controller 50 'maintains the external air conditioner 60 in the ON state and controls the air circulation fan 41 and the compressor 31, So that the temperature Tmd of the discharged refrigerant is increased. At this time, since the outside air conditioner 60 is in an on state, the air outside the clothes drying apparatus 1 'is sucked into the main body 10 and circulated, so that the temperature of the air circulated together with the heat pump system 30 .

If the temperature Tmd of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is higher than the upper limit refrigerant temperature Td2 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 50 'turns off the external air conditioner 60 (S1250). Then, the suction of the outside air through the outside air suction device 61 is blocked, and the air discharged from the drum 20 through the outside air discharge device 62 is blocked from being discharged to the outside of the main body 10 .

Thereafter, the clothes drying apparatus 1 'dries the object to be dried in the general drying mode described above (S1050).

As described above, according to the clothes drying apparatus and the control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the air inside the clothes drying apparatus is too low, the air circulation fan is not operated, It is possible to prevent damage to the heat pump system which may occur when the low-temperature air circulates by the air circulation fan.

According to the clothes drying apparatus and the control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the temperature of the outside air of the clothes drying apparatus is sufficiently high, heating of the circulating inside air and drying of the drying target So that the drying performance can be enhanced and the required power can be reduced.

The invention has been described above in an illustrative manner. The terms used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the present invention may be practiced freely within the scope of the claims.

1,1 '; Clothes dryer 10; main body
13; Door 15; Display portion
20; Drum 21; Drum outlet
30; Heat pump system 31; compressor
32; Condenser 33; Expansion device
34; Evaporators 40, 40 '; Air circulation system
41; An air circulation fan 42; Fan motor
43; Outlet duct 45; Inlet duct
47; Heat exchange ducts 50, 50 '; Controller
51; A refrigerant temperature sensor 52; Air temperature sensor
60; An outside air conditioner 61; External air intake device
62; External air discharge device 63; External inlet duct
65; Outside exhaust duct

Claims (20)

A method of controlling a clothes drying apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum using a heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator,
Measuring an initial temperature of the air near the outlet of the drum;
Determining whether an initial temperature of the air is higher than a reference air temperature;
Operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature; And
And operating the compressor. &Lt; Desc / Clms Page number 19 &gt; The method according to claim 1,
Operating the compressor when the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature;
Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a reference refrigerant temperature; And
And operating the air circulation fan when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein an air temperature sensor for measuring an initial temperature of the air is installed at an outlet of the drum. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the refrigerant temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is installed in a pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reference air temperature is determined to be a temperature at which the discharge air does not damage the heat pump system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reference refrigerant temperature is determined as a temperature at which the air passing through the condenser of the heat pump system can be heated to the reference air temperature or higher. A control method of a clothes drying apparatus including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, the method comprising: a heat pump system for heating air supplied to a drum; and an external air conditioner for sucking and discharging outside air,
Measuring an initial temperature of the air near the outlet of the drum;
Determining whether the initial temperature of the air is lower than a reference air temperature;
Operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature; And
And operating the compressor. &Lt; Desc / Clms Page number 19 &gt; 8. The method of claim 7,
Operating the air circulation fan when the initial temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature;
Operating the external air conditioner to suck outside air into the inside of the clothes drying apparatus;
Operating the compressor;
Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a reference refrigerant temperature; And
And turning off the external air conditioner when the temperature of the discharged refrigerant is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the reference refrigerant temperature is determined as a temperature at which the air passing through the condenser of the heat pump system can be heated to the reference air temperature or higher. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the reference air temperature is determined to be a temperature at which the temperature of the outside air can heat the air inside the drum. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the step of determining whether the initial temperature of the air is lower than the reference air temperature further comprises determining whether an initial temperature of the air is higher than a lower limit air temperature. 12. The method of claim 11,
Operating the compressor if the initial temperature of the air is lower than the lower limit air temperature;
Determining whether a temperature of the discharge refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a lower limit refrigerant temperature; And
And operating the air circulation fan when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the lower limit refrigerant temperature. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the lower limit refrigerant temperature is lower than the reference refrigerant temperature. main body;
A drum rotatably installed in the main body and containing an object to be dried;
An air circulation system including an air circulation fan circulating the air of the drum;
A heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, for heating air circulated by the air circulation system;
An air temperature sensor installed adjacent to an outlet of the drum for measuring the temperature of the air;
A refrigerant temperature sensor installed adjacent to the discharge port of the compressor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; And
And a controller for controlling the air circulation fan of the air circulation system and the compressor of the heat pump system using the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor and the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor,
The controller comprising:
Determining whether the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor is higher than a reference air temperature,
And when the temperature of the air is higher than the reference air temperature, the controller operates the air circulation fan and then operates the compressor. 15. The method of claim 14,
When the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor is lower than the reference air temperature,
Operating the compressor without operating the air circulation fan;
Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than a reference refrigerant temperature; And
And operating the air circulation fan when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the air circulation system further comprises an external air conditioner for sucking and discharging outside air. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the controller further determines whether the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor is lower than the upper limit air temperature when the temperature of the air measured by the air temperature sensor is higher than the reference air temperature,
And when the temperature of the air is lower than the upper limit air temperature, the controller operates the air circulation fan and then operates the compressor. 18. The method of claim 17,
The controller comprising:
Operating the air circulation fan if the temperature of the air is higher than the upper limit air temperature;
Operating the external air conditioner to suck outside air into the inside of the clothes drying apparatus;
Operating the compressor;
Determining whether the temperature of the discharged refrigerant discharged from the compressor is higher than the upper limit refrigerant temperature; And
And when the temperature of the discharge refrigerant is higher than the upper limit refrigerant temperature, turning off the outdoor air conditioner. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the upper limit refrigerant temperature is higher than the reference refrigerant temperature. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the external air conditioner includes an external air sucking device for sucking outside air into the main body and an external air discharging device for discharging air discharged from the drum to the outside of the main body.

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