US20160208428A1 - Energy saver cycle - Google Patents

Energy saver cycle Download PDF

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Publication number
US20160208428A1
US20160208428A1 US14/976,550 US201514976550A US2016208428A1 US 20160208428 A1 US20160208428 A1 US 20160208428A1 US 201514976550 A US201514976550 A US 201514976550A US 2016208428 A1 US2016208428 A1 US 2016208428A1
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Prior art keywords
drying
time
temperature
level
target
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English (en)
Inventor
Victor Hugo Miranda Razo
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Mabe SA de CV
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Mabe SA de CV
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Assigned to MABE, S.A. DE C.V. reassignment MABE, S.A. DE C.V. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MIRANDA RAZO, VICTOR HUGO
Publication of US20160208428A1 publication Critical patent/US20160208428A1/en
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    • D06F58/28—
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/32—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/34—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers  characterised by the purpose or target of the control
    • D06F58/48—Control of the energy consumption
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/02—Domestic laundry dryers having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
    • D06F2058/2825—
    • D06F2058/289—
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/04—Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/08—Humidity
    • D06F2103/10—Humidity expressed as capacitance or resistance
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/28—Air properties
    • D06F2103/32—Temperature
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/38—Time, e.g. duration
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/44—Current or voltage
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/28—Electric heating
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/32—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/34—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers  characterised by the purpose or target of the control
    • D06F58/36—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
    • D06F58/38—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B40/00—Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Definitions

  • Embodiments are related to a household appliance for drying textile items, and more particularly to a dryer using controls based on a processor in order to control the drying operation making an efficient use of the Heat Source (electrical or gas), evaluating various parameters such as temperature, time and humidity level in predetermined ranges.
  • Heat Source electrical or gas
  • a dryer for drying a wet object (e.g., wet textiles).
  • a wet object e.g., wet textiles
  • wet objects will be known as “textiles” or “clothes” without exclusive limitation to these.
  • a common practice is to detect the humidity level of the textiles in a rotating drum using humidity sensors provided in a lint duct and/or an exhaust duct.
  • a voltage signal from the humidity detector is used for estimating the humidity content of the items being dried, based on the composition characteristics of the textiles load. That is, an electric resistance measurement generated when the clothes contact the sensor bars is used; if the clothes have water within their fibers, a signal will be emitted, whereas if the clothes are dry and/or do not have water, said bars saturate the operating range and, therefore, the signal will no longer be reliable.
  • the detectors signal is periodically monitored by means of voltage values that are filtered, cleaned and entered into a processor having a module in order to determine when the clothes are wet, dry or very dry based on a humidity contents target level.
  • the humidity sensor voltage signal can vary greatly throughout the drying time and maybe does not accurately reflect the humidity contents of the textiles or items being dried.
  • the textiles or items can, occasionally, contact the humidity sensor's electrodes and sometimes not be in contact with the electrodes, given generally random rotation patterns of the textiles and small loads.
  • the dryer in order not to have wet clothes at the end of the cycle, the dryer must extrapolate the drying time after the humidity level where the sensor's sensibility is lost, adding the drying time.
  • the risk in energy saving drying cycles is that it does not sufficiently dry the textiles due to the added time is not adequate, or it takes more time and consequently increases the drying cycle energy consumption.
  • a processor must be provided for calculating and compensating times in a precise manner and predicting the drying time needed by the drying cycle. Therefore, the problem is to provide the dryer with the flexibility to adjust the cycle time as a function of certain factors, as the type and size of the load, the restriction of the System directly observed in the voltage signal and the multiplier and additional times in order to reach the final humidity target.
  • the benefit of the problem to be solved is to have dry clothes at the end of the drying cycle, according to the predetermined heat level or the heat level selected by the user, according to the predetermined cycle or the cycle selected by the user, the load quantity, the restrictions and the energy level, allowing a lower level of energy consumption and the user satisfaction due to a proper drying of the textiles in the dryer.
  • the Spanish Patent No. 2 212 436 reveals a procedure for monitoring the flow speed of a process air current generated by a fan in an air channel and heated by a heating system in a domestic clothes dryer where the process air temperature is measured at least in one point located in the current's direction, after the heating system, characterized in that the heating system's heating power varies, the temperature variation thus produced is measured in the process air current at least in one point, and the difference between these moments where the process air current temperature variation is measured at a first place or a second place, respectively, or between the moments where the heating power variation or the process air current's temperature variation is measured at a second place, and it is used as a measurement of the process air current flow speed.
  • a semiconductor heater's energy source is a constant voltage energy source; the energizing is controlled for setting the heater's energy consumption.
  • the heater is turned off in order to stop the dryer's motor.
  • the current energy consumption is maintained at a desired energy consumption by the control phase through the room temperature, etc. varies, the energy consumption is constant.
  • the heater is always operated at the maximum energy consumption with no relation to the room temperature variation. As a result, the heater's capacity is always extracted at a maximum for reducing the clothes drying time.
  • the Japanese publication JP 2005245489 reveals that the dryer is provided with a rotating drum, an air intake section with a heater, an exhaust section with a fan, an exhaust temperature sensor located in the exhaust section and a controller which controls heat. Clothes are dried adjusting the exhaust air temperature at a preset temperature, having as input the exhaust air temperature detected by the temperature sensor in the controller and controlling the heater.
  • the clothes drying process controlling the dryer is comprised by a multiple drying duration number with a prescribed temperature which is sequentially low and the drying time for each drying duration is predetermined. It is desirable that the temperature set for the last drying period is approximately similar to the cooling temperature required during the cooling process.
  • the U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,171 reveals a dryer including a drum containing the clothes to be dried, a heater and a fan for providing hot air in the drum during the drying operation, and a temperature sensor detecting the temperature in the drum.
  • the drying operation includes a drying step where the hot air is provided to the drum and a cooling step where the heater is disconnected.
  • the intermittent operation is started when the drying operation is completed.
  • the intermittent operation is completed when the temperature detected by the temperature detector has reached a preset value in order to prevent the clothes from wrinkling.
  • the U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,300 reveals a method and apparatus for controlling the heat intake of a dryer where the initial heat for a load of clothes is set on maximum power until a predetermined temperature or time condition occurs.
  • the dryer's heat intake is reduced in order to lower the energy consumption while the clothes load humidity is effectively removed.
  • the maximum heat intake is applied again for remove the remaining humidity in the clothes load.
  • the U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,102 reveals a control circuit operating with a 120 volts power supply which compensates for changes in room temperature for compensating a premature advance of the dryer's motor chronometer during an automatic drying cycle.
  • the U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,201 reveals a dryer having a heater control circuit for controlling the impulse of a dryer using one of a plurality of high voltages, which uses a circuit made by a kind of “C” contact relay provided between a microcomputer output and a plurality of heater drivers, in order to ensure the heater's impulse capacity is ensured, even when the current output fails, and to avoid short circuit conditions even when the microcomputer has logical malfunctions.
  • a drying drum is included to contain an object to be dried, a fan provided for enabling air passing through the drying drum, a heater for heating air supplied to the drying drum, an impulse motor which generates an impulse force for rotating the drum and fan and a control unit which controls the impulse motor's RPMs in order to varying according to the result detected by the temperature sensor.
  • the U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,126 reveals a clothes dryer having a dryness level control system which is responsive to the clothes items humidity rotating within a drum and a target humidity objective for controlling the drying cycle of the dryer.
  • the dryer has a load size parameter producing module and an air flow detection parameter module. These two modules generate one of two parameters conditions used by the processor in order to modify or select an adequate humidity target value.
  • the target size parameter producing module generates a small load parameter and a big load parameter.
  • the air flow detection module produces a first or a second air flow parameter to be used in the dryness level processor. As a result, the processor selects one of the four humidity values for these conditions.
  • MABE's Patent Application MX/a/2010/008115 reveals a method for compensating the drying time by which several factors are measured, such as drying level, minimum drying time, size and weight of the clothes load, and ranges for the humidity and temperature level reached during the drying process, in order to achieve a compensation in the drying time and energy consumption, operating at high or medium temperatures in order to reduce the drying cycle. Nevertheless, energy savings are at a low level and the energy savings cannot be regulated.
  • embodiments provide an equipment and method for drying textiles which allows saving energy without the inconvenience of the previous art.
  • dryers comprise a humidity detector, which is used for measuring and predicting the humidity content percentage or dryness level of the items within the container.
  • the humidity detector usually comprises a pair of spaced bars or electrodes and also comprises circuits for providing a voltage signal representation of the humidity content of the items to a controller based on the electrical or ohmic resistance of the items, the humidity evaluation is based on the resistance produced during contact of the textiles with the electrodes.
  • Contact duration between textiles and detector electrodes depend on various factors, as the rotational drum speed, the type of textile, the quantity or volume of clothes in the drum and the flow of air through the drum.
  • the electrical resistance measured through the sensor is low.
  • the electrical resistance detected through the sensor is high and indicative of a dry load. Nevertheless, situations can occur which result in erroneous indications of the current level of dryness of the items. For instance, in a situation when the wet textiles are not in contact with the humidity detectors, as in a small charge, the resistance through the sensor is very high (open circuit), which would be a false indication of a dry load.
  • a conductive part of dry textiles e.g., a metallic button or zipper
  • the sensor's resistance would be low, which would be a false indication of a wet load.
  • the sensor when the textiles are wet, it is sometimes possible for the sensor to erroneously detect a dry condition (high resistance) and, when textiles are dry, it is sometimes possible that the sensor erroneously detects a wet condition (low resistance).
  • the noise reduction and insulation are provided by a controller leading to a more precise and reliable detection of the current dryness condition of the items and results in a more precise and reliable control of the dryness operation. Nevertheless, the noise reduction per se does not completely compensate the variations in load size or different dryers having air flow restrictions due to different ventilation.
  • the electronic controller responds to a voltage signal from the humidity detector and predicts a humidity contents percentage or dryness level of the items within the container as a function of the resistance of the items.
  • the voltage signal value supplied by the humidity sensor is related to the textiles humidity contents.
  • the electronic controller is also connected to an input temperature sensor, such as, for instance, a thermistor.
  • the input temperature sensor is mounted on the drier in the air flow, preferably entering the drum.
  • the input temperature sensor detects the temperature entering the drum and sends a temperature signal corresponding to the electronic controller.
  • the electronic controller is connected to the output temperature sensor, which detects the temperature of the air exhausted from the drum and sends a temperature signal corresponding to the controller.
  • the electronic controller interprets these signals in order to generate an air flow parameter based on the input temperature increase and/or a load size parameter based on the increase of the output temperature.
  • These parameters are used for selecting a target humidity signal, which in turn is used by a controller jointly with the filtered and/or reduced voltage signal of the humidity sensor noise in order to control the dryer's operation, for obtaining a target voltage or target humidity signal.
  • the controller comprises an analog to digital (A/D) converter in order to receive the signal representations sent from the humidity sensor.
  • A/D analog to digital
  • the signal representation of the A/D converter and a counter/timer is sent to a central processing unit (CPU) for a greater signal processing than described below in more detail.
  • the CPU also receives the input and output temperature, respectively, from the temperature sensors, via two different analog to digital converters (A/D).
  • the CPU receiving energy from a power source comprises one or more processing modules stored in an adequate memory device, as a read-only memory or ROM, in order to predict a humidity percentage content or dryness level of the textile items in the container as a function of the electrical resistance of the items, as well as for processing the elapsed time and adding an additional time.
  • the CPU sends respective signals to an input/output module, which in turn sends respective signals to de-energize the motor and/or the heating medium.
  • An electronic interface and display panel allows an user to program the dryer's operation and also allows monitoring the progress of the respective operating cycles of a dryer.
  • CPU and ROM can be configured for comprising a dryer's processor.
  • the processor estimates the stopping time and controls the dryer's stopping based on a humidity signal received from the humidity sensor, in the elapsed time and the additional time.
  • the processor filters the humidity signal, this can be a voltage signal and compares this with the target humidity in order to control the dryer's operation.
  • the processor selects a target voltage or target humidity signal, from a target humidity signal table.
  • the processor and/or controller use this information for extrapolating the predicted humidity signals for each minimum and/or maximum.
  • this information is extrapolated for adding a determined extra time.
  • the processor calculates and compensates times and sets the additional drying time needed by the drying cycle.
  • an embodiment proposes a drying method for the cases where the user determines an energy saving cycle, which not only determines an additional drying time, but additionally a temperature estimation and humidity level exist, in order to more precisely determining an effective drying cycle that allows having energy savings during drying. This is independent of selecting a drying method where a high or medium heat level must exist, or in case of low or too low heat levels.
  • an embodiment proposes a drying method for the cases in which the user determines that a low or very low heat level needed for the drying must exist, for instance drying delicate textiles, by which not only an additional drying time is determined, but additionally a temperature and humidity level estimation exists in order to more precisely determining an effective drying cycle.
  • An embodiment has as an objective to control the heater or a plurality of heaters in the dryer, which in total add up to 100% of its power, these heaters can be controlled individually or jointly during the drying cycle in order to be able to freely select the power level used for the heaters, according to need based on the humidity level required, in order to decrease power consumption and the drying cycle time.
  • FIG. 1 shows a conventional perspective view of a dryer.
  • FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a controller system which can be adopted by an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the processor and the parameter generating modules of an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • FIG. 4 shows a diagram representative of the voltages obtained by the humidity sensor.
  • FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a drying time compensation method according to an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the drying power modulation method according to an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • FIG. 7 shows a diagram of the drying power modulation method according to an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • Embodiments are related to a drying method, and particularly to a drying method, preferably, but not limited to, a textiles domestic dryer which allows the flexibility of adjusting cycle times for the dryer, preferably drying times as a function of the selected heat levels, as well as allowing substantial energy savings as a function of time.
  • the use of the term “approximately” provides an additional determined range.
  • the term is defined as follows.
  • the additional range provided by the term is approximately ⁇ 10%.
  • the exact range is between 27 and 44 second, or between 33 to 44 seconds, or between 33 to 36 seconds. Any of the previously described possibilities is covered by the term “approximately”.
  • Aggregated refers to a time value predetermined in a table, where the aggregate is a function of the type of dryer (gas or electrical), the cycle type, the drying level, the load and the restrictions.
  • Load State refers to a value determining the load state of the textiles within the drum.
  • Heat Factor refers to a factor as a function of the heat level selected by user and cycle type.
  • FMC refers to the water percentage remaining in the textiles, that is, the final humidity content (Final Moisture Content).
  • Samples refers to the total sum of the raw voltage squares specimens available.
  • Multiplier refers to a value predetermined in a table, related to the final drying time expression, where the multiplier is a function of the type of dryer (gas or electrical), the cycle type, the drying level, the load and the restrictions.
  • heat level is a parameter selected by the user.
  • the term “Restriction” refers to the possible restrictions found in the humid air exhaust coming from the drum's interior to the exterior. Among the possible restrictions are the exhaust duct diameter, the exhaust duct length, the exhaust duct height, obstructions, etc.
  • additional time or “extra time” is the time the minimum time for the drying cycle is extended in order to dry the load within the dryer's drum.
  • minimum drying time or “minimum time” is the minimum time calculated based on tests and preset that the dryer must remain turned on in order to achieve a target drying level, which is a function of the cycle type, drying level, load weight and restrictions.
  • Trtv Time to Reach Target Value
  • cycle time is a parameter selected by the user.
  • raw voltage refers to the voltage without any signal conditioning or signal digital processing, but the simple acquisition of the voltage being measured.
  • filtered voltage refers to the voltage with signal conditioning and/or signal digital processing.
  • target voltage is a voltage measured by humidity sensors, which will be explained in more detail in the following detailed description of the invention.
  • Drying temperature is the temperature level within the dryer's drum, it must preferably be within the temperature range.
  • Tempoture range is a temperature interval that establishes an acceptable temperature level during the drying cycle, it is defined between the restart temperature and the cutoff temperature.
  • restart temperature is the temperature level that delimits the lowest acceptable temperature within the temperature range for the drying cycle, therefore, being in a lower heat level indicates that the temperature has decreased excessively and must be increased.
  • cutoff temperature is the heat level the limiting the highest acceptable temperature within the temperature range for the drying cycle, therefore, being at this heat level or at a higher heat level indicates that overheating occurs and the temperature must be decreased.
  • cooler refers to the element used in order to increase the temperature within the dryer's drum, that for gas dryers is known as burners, or for electrical dryers is known as resistance.
  • FIG. 1 shows a conventional perspective view of a textiles dryer 10 which can benefit from an embodiment disclosed herein.
  • the dryer can include a case or main housing 12 , a front panel 14 , a back panel 16 , a pair of side panels 18 , 20 spaced between them by the frontal and back panels and a top cover 24 .
  • a drum or container 26 mounted for rotating around a substantially horizontal axis.
  • a motor 44 rotates the drum in the horizontal axis by means of a transmission, for instance, a pulley 43 and a belt 45 .
  • the drum has a generally cylindrical form, it has an outer perforated cylindrical wall 28 and its front is closed by a wall 30 defining an opening 32 in the drum 26 . Clothing and other textiles can be introduced within the drum 26 through the opening 32 .
  • a plurality of tumbling ribs (not shown) are provided within the drum for rising the items deposited within the drum and then allowing them to tumble back to the bottom part of the drum while the drum rotates.
  • the drum 26 includes a back wall 34 supported in a rotating manner within the main housing 12 by means of an appropriate fixed bearing.
  • the back wall 34 includes a plurality of holes 36 which receive hot air that has been treated by a heating medium, such as a combustion chamber 38 and back duct 40 .
  • the combustion chamber 38 receives ambient air via an intake 42 .
  • the example dryer 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a gas dryer, the option for an electrical dryer having resistance heating elements located in the heating camber positioned besides the perforated outer cylindrical wall 28 which would replace that combustion chamber 38 and the back duct 40 in a gas dryer must be also considered.
  • the heated air is sucked in from the drum 26 by a fan 48 , which in turn is driven by the motor 44 .
  • the air passes through a filter screen 46 that catches any type of particulate matter. While the air passes through the filter screen 46 , it enters a trap duct seal 48 and is exhausted out of the clothes dryer through an exhaust duct 50 . After the items have been dried, they are removed from the drum 26 via the opening 32 .
  • a humidity sensor 52 is used in order to predict the humidity content percentage or dryness level of the items within the container.
  • the humidity detector usually comprises a pair of spaced bars or electrodes and also comprises circuits for providing a voltage signal representation of the humidity content of the items to an electronic controller 58 , based on the electrical or ohmic resistance of the items.
  • the humidity detector 52 is located on the inner front wall of the drum, and alternatively it is mounted on the back of the drum's wall when this wall is static. In some instances, the humidity detector has been used in a contained in the dryer's drum.
  • the detector signal can be chosen for providing a continuous representation of the humidity contents of the items in a range, suitable for processing the electronic controller 58 .
  • the signal indicating the humidity contents does not need to be a voltage signal ad, for instance, through the use of an oscillator-controlled voltage, the humidity indication signal could have been selected as a frequency signal that varies proportionally to the humidity content of the items due to a signal whose voltage level varies proportionally to the humidity content of the items.
  • Contact duration between textiles and detector electrodes depend on various factors, such as the rotational drum speed, the type of textile, the quantity or volume of clothes in the drum and the flow of air through the drum.
  • the resistance through the sensor is low.
  • the resistance through the sensor is high and indicative of a dry load. Nevertheless, situations can occur which result in erroneous indications of the current level of dryness of the items.
  • the resistance through the sensor is very high (open circuit), which would be a false indication of a dry load.
  • a conductive part of dry textiles e.g. a metallic button or zipper
  • the sensor's resistance would be low, which would be a false indication of a wet load.
  • the noise reduction and insulation are provided by an electronic controller 58 leading to a more precise and reliable detection of the current dryness condition of the items and results in a more precise and reliable control of the drying operation. Nevertheless, the noise reduction per se does not completely compensate the variations in load size or different dryers having air flow restrictions due to different ventilation.
  • the electronic controller 58 responds to a voltage signal of the humidity sensor 52 and predict a humidity content percentage or dryness level of the items in the container as a function of the items resistance.
  • the voltage signal value supplied by the humidity sensor 52 is related to the textiles humidity contents. For instance, at the beginning of the cycle when the textiles are wet, the humidity sensor voltage can be within the range of one or two volts. For instance, while textiles dry, the humidity sensor 52 voltage can increase a maximum of approximately five volts.
  • the electronic controller 58 is also connected to an input temperature sensor 56 , such as, for instance, a thermistor.
  • the input temperature sensor 56 is mounted on the dryer 10 in the air flow entering the drum 26 .
  • the input temperature sensor 56 detects the temperature entering the drum 26 and sends a temperature signal corresponding to the electronic controller 58 .
  • the electronic controller is also connected to the output temperature sensor 54 , which detects the temperature of the air exhausted from the drum 26 , and sends a temperature signal corresponding to the electronic controller 58 .
  • the electronic controller 58 interprets these signals in order to generate an air flow parameter based on the input temperature increase and/or a load size parameter based on the increase of the output temperature.
  • These parameters are used for selecting a target humidity signal, which in turn is used by a controller 58 jointly with the filtered and/or reduced voltage signal of the humidity sensor 52 noise in order to control the dryer 10 operation, for obtaining a target voltage signal.
  • the electronic controller 58 comprises an analog to digital (A/D) converter 60 in order to receive the signal representations sent from the humidity sensor 52 .
  • the signal representation of the A/D converter 60 and a counter/timer 78 is sent to a central processing unit (CPU) 66 for a greater signal processing that is described below in more detail.
  • the CPU 66 also receives the input and output temperature, respectively, from the temperature sensors 56 and 54 respectively, via two different analog to digital converters (A/D) 62 and 64 .
  • the CPU 66 receiving energy from a power source 68 comprises one or more processing modules stored in an adequate memory device, as a read-only memory (ROM) 70 , in order to predict a humidity percentage content or dryness level of the textile items in the container as a function of the electrical resistance of the items, as well as for processing the elapsed time and additional time.
  • ROM read-only memory
  • the memory device not necessarily is limited to the ROM memory, and it is possible that any other memory device, e.g. an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) storing instructions and data also works effectively.
  • EPROM erasable programmable read only memory
  • the CPU sends respective signals to an input/output module 72 , which in turn sends respective signals to de-energize the motor and/or the heating medium.
  • the controller can activate a buzzer via a buzzer enabling/disabling circuit to indicate the end of the cycle to the user.
  • An electronic interface and display panel 82 allows an user to program the dryer's operation and also allows monitoring the progress of the respective operating cycles of a dryer.
  • the CPU 66 and the ROM 70 can be configured as shown in FIG. 3 in order to comprise a dryer's processor 90 .
  • the processor 90 estimates the stopping time and controls the dryer 10 stopping based on a humidity signal 52 A received from the humidity sensor 52 , in the elapsed time and the additional time.
  • the processor 90 filters the humidity signal or voltage signal, and compares this against the target humidity or target voltage in order to control the dryer 10 operation. Many common systems and methods exist for filtering the humidity signal.
  • the processor 90 selects a target voltage or target humidity signal, from a target humidity or target voltage signal table 92 .
  • curves 82 and 84 are shown, which indicate the raw voltage signal detected by the humidity detectors 52 during the drying cycle, according to an embodiment where the raw voltage signal provided by sensor 52 and its associated circuitry has a lesser value for wet textiles and a greater value for dry textiles.
  • Curve 82 represents a curve indicating a big load.
  • Curve 84 is in nearer to the actual humidity content of the textiles in the dryer than curve 82 due to a greater number of textiles in contact with the bars or electrodes of the sensor during the drying process.
  • FIG. 4 shows that the curves 82 , 84 have a series of maximum 88 and minimums 90 .
  • the minimums 90 are farther from the load's actual humidity level as compared to the greater loads in curve 84 . Nevertheless, the slope of the curve immediately before the minimum 90 for small loads is usually more than the heavier loads.
  • An embodiment provides the electronic controller 58 and/or the processor 90 in order to detect the voltage signal minimums 90 from the electrodes sensor and the immediate gradient before the minimum. The processor and/or electronic controller 58 use this information for extrapolating the predicted humidity signals for each minimum and/or maximum. When the result is that the voltage signal is equal to, or during a determined time an average equal to the target voltage, this information is extrapolated for adding a determined extra time.
  • the effectiveness of the humidity sensor 52 for determining the humidity content of the load being dried is an important factor in the drying detection.
  • the dryer 10 extrapolates the drying time after the voltage signal obtained from the humidity sensor 52 has been equaled to the target voltage, which represents the level where the humidity sensor 52 loses sensibility.
  • the risk in energy saving drying cycles is that the load is not sufficiently dried because the minimum time or the Trtv is not adequate, and similarly the additional time is longer and, consequently, consumes more power than that needed for drying.
  • the risk in high energy saving drying cycles is that the load is dried excessively due to the additional time not being adequate, thus shrinking the load.
  • the processor 90 must calculate and compensate times in a precise manner and predict the minimum drying time and the additional time. Therefore, the problem is to provide the dryer 10 with the flexibility to adjust the cycle time by means of the calculation of the target voltage and the minimum time as a function of the aforementioned factors, such as the type of dryer, the drying level, the restrictions, the cycle type and the load weight, among other factors; as well as by adjusting the cycle time by means of calculations of the additional time as a function of the aforementioned factors, such as the heat factor, the type of dryer, the minimum time, the Trtv, the multiplier and the aggregate.
  • the aforementioned factors such as the type of dryer, the drying level, the restrictions, the cycle type and the load weight, among other factors
  • the cycle time by means of calculations of the additional time as a function of the aforementioned factors, such as the heat factor, the type of dryer, the minimum time, the Trtv, the multiplier and the aggregate.
  • the benefit of the problem to be solved is to have dry clothes at the end of the drying cycle, independently of the predetermined heat or the heat selected by the user, allowing the use of the lowest level of power consumption possible and the user satisfaction due to a correct drying of the load of the dryer 10 .
  • drying cycle of an embodiment allows to determine with a greater precision that additional time for the cycle as a function of the heat factor in order to provide an adequate and even drying for the load.
  • the drying time compensation method 110 for a textiles dryer starts in 130 , the drying cycle, once the user has selected in 120 , from the control panel 82 of the dryer, a desired cycle type and drying level of the clothes.
  • the load size and the type of restrictions on the dryer are determined by means of the electronic controller 58 and/or CPU 66 .
  • the “target voltage” and the “minimum cycle time” are established as a function of the same and according to the type of dryer, according to the following predetermined values table:
  • Table (1) The values on Table (1) are approximate and not restricted to be the predetermined values; similarly, value ranges are used because these vary according to the characteristics of each type of drying machine. Only certain types of cycle are exemplified, nevertheless, it must be noted that this table is applied for any type of cycles and for electrical and gas dryers. Ranges are provided for target voltages and minimum times, nevertheless, target voltage and a minimum time are established for each expression found on the table.
  • the targets voltage value is established, in 160 it is compared against the filtered voltage, and in case that said filtered voltage is greater than (Vfiltered>Vtarget), in 170 a time for achieving the target voltage is set.
  • the “M”, “A”, “multiplier” and “aggregate” values are obtained from the same row in the table and as a function of the same data, respectively, which are values previously calculated by the inventors and by the holder of the present invention, which are used for the subsequent “additional time” calculation, as explained below.
  • T additional max ⁇ (Heat Factor) ⁇ [Trtv(Multiplier ⁇ 1)+Aggregate];T minimum ⁇ Trtv ⁇
  • the heat factor can be obtained from the following Table (2):
  • Table (2) are approximate and not restricted to be the predetermined values; similarly, value ranges are used because these vary according to the characteristics of each type of drying machine. Only certain types of cycle are exemplified, nevertheless, it must be noted that this table is applied for any type of cycles and for electrical and gas dryers.
  • Table 2 are values previously calculated by the inventors and by the holder of the present invention.
  • T additional max ⁇ (1.25) ⁇ [ ⁇ 34(1.05 ⁇ 1)+2];T minimum ⁇ Trtv ⁇
  • T additional max ⁇ (2.125);T minimum ⁇ Trtv ⁇
  • the minimum time is compared against Trtv. If T additional ⁇ 0 or T minimum ⁇ T additional , then the greater one is used in the calculation.
  • Calculations are performed by the processor 90 .
  • the calculations results can be stored in ROM 70 .
  • a power consumption of approximately 1910 kwH power consumption without using the invention
  • power consumption is reduced to 1842 kwH (power consumption using the invention). Therefore, the time and power consumption can be reduced, approximately, from 50 minutes to less than 35 minutes, 33.3 minutes (percentage at which the time or power consumption are reduced).
  • a temperature range must be determined, which is limited in its lower part by the restart or re-ignition temperature of the heaters Tr and in its higher part by the cutoff or shutdown temperature of the heaters Mut, in order to maintain the temperature within the drum at a level that does not damage the load.
  • the heaters will remain turned off onto the additional time determined for the load has elapsed.
  • the heaters must be turned on, it being possible to activate only one, or in its case as many as needed for using the required percentage in order to reach an optimal temperature or the cutoff temperature Tcut which will be evaluated by the processor taking into account parameters as heat level, current temperature, load size, etc.
  • the current temperature must be evaluated against the restart temperature, estimating in first place if the current temperature is less than the restart temperature. In case that it is lower, the heaters must be turned on, it being possible to activate one or more, depending on the total dryer power percentage needed in order to reach the optimal temperature level, in case that the current temperature is not less than the restart temperature, it must be evaluated if the current temperature is greater than the restart temperature, in which case the heaters will remain turned off.
  • the current temperature must be evaluated against the cutoff temperature. In case that the current temperature is greater than the cutoff temperature, all of the heaters must be turned off. In case that the current temperature is not greater than the cutoff temperature, the heaters must remain turned on in the percentage previously determined by the processor.
  • a cycle time will be determined for evaluation, in which it will be evaluated if the desired humidity level has been reached, which will be approximately 2%. In the case that said humidity percentage is reached, the heaters must remain turned off and the previously determined cooling phase will start, thus finishing the drying cycle.
  • the current temperature evaluation compared to the restart temperature and the cutoff temperature can be carried out repeatedly and in the same cycle, and it is detailed graphically in FIG. 6 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
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RU2766869C1 (ru) * 2018-11-16 2022-03-16 ЭлДжи ЭЛЕКТРОНИКС ИНК. Устройство для обработки одежды

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EP3450130A1 (fr) * 2017-09-01 2019-03-06 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Appareil ménager ayant un composant contenant un corps polymère de base et une composition métallique et son procédé de fabrication
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CN114164629A (zh) * 2021-12-27 2022-03-11 海信（山东）冰箱有限公司 一种干衣机及其控制方法

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