WO2013088830A1

WO2013088830A1 - Clothes dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2013088830A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/076574
Authority: WO
Inventors: 秀樹江藤; 濱本　将樹; 田鶴子北澤; 晃央小谷; 峻之中; 健太郎岸良; 村上　善照
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2011-12-14
Filing date: 2012-10-15
Publication date: 2013-06-20
Also published as: JP5285139B2; JP2013123512A

Abstract

This clothes dryer (1), which dries clothing (C) by rotating a drum (3) that houses the clothing (C), is provided with: an electromagnetic wave generation unit (10) that radiates electromagnetic waves (E) at a frequency that is 100 GHz to 120 THz inclusive towards the interior of the drum (3); an electromagnetic wave detection unit (11) that detects electromagnetic waves (E) that the electromagnetic wave generation unit (10) has radiated and have passed through the interior of the drum (3); and a CPU (8) that is a computation unit that, on the basis of a signal output by the electromagnetic wave detection unit (11) that has detected the electromagnetic waves (E), computes the amount of water of the clothing (C) to identify the state of drying.

Description

Clothes dryer

The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for drying clothes by rotating a drum containing the clothes.

A conventional clothes dryer is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This conventional clothes dryer includes a rotating drum, a fan, and a heater. In this clothes dryer, an air flow generated by a fan is heated through a heater and sprayed from the front side of the clothes dryer toward the clothes in the drum. When the heated air flow is blown onto the garment, the garment absorbs moisture from the garment and becomes hot and humid, and reaches the location of the fan behind the drum. The hot and humid air is cooled and dehumidified (condensed) by another air flow sucked from the rear of the clothes dryer by the fan, and sent again to the heater. The dehumidified water removed from the clothes is drained below the clothes dryer.

In such clothes dryers, detection of the degree of drying of clothes has been carried out in order to prevent unnecessary operation from the viewpoint of energy saving. As a method for detecting the degree of dryness of clothing, for example, a method of measuring a temperature change of exhaust using a temperature sensor or a method of measuring a humidity change of exhaust using a humidity sensor is known.

The conventional clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 employs a method using a humidity sensor. The humidity sensor of the clothes dryer is provided at the rear of the drum and at the front of the fan so as to be exposed to the air flow before being condensed at a high humidity and relatively high temperature. The clothes dryer detects the degree of drying of the clothes by measuring the amount of water vapor corresponding to the moisture content of the clothes.

Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a conventional clothes dryer that employs another method for detecting the degree of drying of clothes. This conventional clothes dryer attaches two types of wireless IC tags to each piece of clothing, and performs communication with these wireless IC tags. This clothes dryer communicates with one wireless IC tag affixed to clothing in a frequency band with a low water absorption rate to identify clothing, and the other wireless IC tag with a frequency band with a high water absorption rate. Communicating to detect the dryness of clothing.

JP-A-8-252395 JP 2006-333900 A

However, since the conventional clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 detects the water vapor amount of the entire clothes housed in the drum, for example, when moisture is unevenly distributed, this cannot be detected. was there.

In addition, the conventional clothes dryer described in Patent Document 2 can detect the degree of drying of each piece of clothing, but a wireless IC tag must be attached to each piece of clothing. As a result, there is a problem that this conventional technique is very time-consuming. And it is thought that it is very difficult to apply this prior art to, for example, a domestic clothes dryer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can identify the degree of drying and uneven distribution of moisture as a whole garment with a simple configuration that does not require labor, and preferably grasps the dry state of the garment. An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer capable of performing the above.

In order to solve the above problems, a clothes dryer of the present invention is a clothes dryer that dries the clothes by rotating a drum containing clothes, and has a frequency of 100 GHz to 120 THz toward the inside of the drum. An electromagnetic wave generating unit that emits the electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave detecting unit that detects the electromagnetic wave that has been irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generating unit and passed through the inside of the drum, and a signal that is output from the electromagnetic wave detecting unit that has detected the electromagnetic wave. And a calculation unit for calculating a moisture content of the clothing and identifying a dry state.

Since electromagnetic waves in the above frequency band have a property that they are very easily absorbed by water molecules, the intensity of the electromagnetic waves changes greatly even if the amount of moisture in the clothes is small. Therefore, according to this configuration, the amount of moisture contained in the garment can be determined by detecting the electromagnetic wave whose intensity has changed after passing through the garment.

Here, “an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 100 GHz to 120 THz” is an electromagnetic wave that is safe for the human body and has a water absorption coefficient of 10 ² cm ⁻¹ or more. An absorption coefficient of 10 ² cm ⁻¹ means that the electromagnetic wave has an intensity of 1/10 while traveling in water by 0.1 mm (= 1/10 ² cm). Since the intensity of electromagnetic waves decreases to one-tenth while traveling through the moisture of clothing by 0.1 mm, it can be sufficiently detected even if noise occurs during detection. On the other hand, the electromagnetic wave having a frequency of less than 100 GHz has a possibility that the water absorption coefficient gradually decreases from 10 ² cm ⁻¹ and the detection accuracy decreases. Further, an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 120 THz to 1.6 PHz (wavelength 2.5 μm to 0.125 μm) has an absorption coefficient smaller than 10 ² cm ⁻¹ . When the electromagnetic wave exceeds 1.6 PHz, the absorption coefficient becomes larger than 10 ² cm ⁻¹ , but the influence on the human body may be increased.

Further, in the clothes dryer having the above configuration, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is 2.5 THz or less.

Generally, heat radiation generated when the inside of a clothes dryer becomes high temperature increases as the wavelength becomes longer, peaks at a specific wavelength, and decreases monotonously as the wavelength becomes longer than the peak time. The distribution of thermal radiation varies depending on the temperature. For example, the peak wavelength at about room temperature is about 10 μm, and the peak wavelength at 80 degrees is about 8 μm. If an attempt is made to detect the moisture content of clothing using an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength (frequency) with a large amount of thermal radiation, the thermal radiation may appear as noise when the electromagnetic wave is detected. However, in the case of about room temperature, the heat radiation amount becomes about 1 / 1,000 or less of the peak at 2.5 THz or less (wavelength of 120 μm or more). As the temperature rises, the frequency at which the amount of heat radiation becomes about 1 / 1,000 or less of the peak becomes lower (the wavelength is longer). Therefore, according to this configuration, since electromagnetic waves having a frequency of 2.5 THz or less (wavelength of 120 μm or more) are used, the amount of heat radiation at the time of drying becomes smaller than about a thousandth of the peak, and the heat radiation The impact will be sufficiently reduced.

Further, in the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration, the electromagnetic wave generation unit and / or the electromagnetic wave detection unit is disposed outside the drum, and the drum includes an electromagnetic wave transmission unit through which the electromagnetic wave is transmitted.

According to this configuration, either or both of the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit are arranged outside the drum, so that the clothing is prevented from colliding with them. Therefore, the electromagnetic waves passing through the clothes that are stirred in a natural state are detected without interfering with the movement of the clothes inside the drum.

Further, in the clothes dryer configured as described above, the drum includes a reflection part for reflecting the electromagnetic wave and guiding it to the electromagnetic wave detection part.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to arrange the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit to face each other. Therefore, various arrangement configurations of the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit can be applied to the clothes dryer.

Further, in the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration, the drum has the reflecting portion as an integral unit.

この According to this configuration, the durability of the drum is improved.

Further, in the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration, the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit are integrally configured.

According to this configuration, the arrangement area of the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit is saved. Therefore, an increase in the size of the clothes dryer is hindered.

Further, in the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration, the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit are provided at a plurality of locations, and the inside of the drum is irradiated with the plurality of electromagnetic waves.

According to this configuration, the clothes dryer knows the moisture content of the clothes at a plurality of locations. This increases the accuracy of the moisture content of the garment.

Further, the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration is characterized by including a scanning unit for scanning the electromagnetic wave with respect to the inside of the drum.

According to this configuration, the moisture distribution in the clothing in the scanning range is identified. Thereby, the clothes dryer performs a suitable drying operation using information relating to the distribution of moisture content in the clothes.

In the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration, a rotation cycle detection unit that detects a rotation cycle of the drum is provided, and the calculation unit uses the rotation cycle of the drum detected by the rotation cycle detection unit for the calculation. It is said.

According to this configuration, information relating to the rotation of the drum is added to the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the clothing. Thereby, the moisture content of clothing can be known more accurately.

The clothes dryer having the above-described configuration further includes a clothes position detection unit that detects the position of the clothes in the drum, and the calculation unit uses the position of the clothes detected by the clothes position detection unit for the calculation. It is characterized by that.

According to this configuration, for example, clothing having a relatively high water content is identified and tracked. That is, it is prevented that clothing that takes a long time to dry is missed, and a more effective drying operation is executed.

Further, the clothes dryer having the above-described configuration includes a water vapor measurement unit that measures the amount of water vapor discharged from the drum, and the calculation unit uses the water vapor amount measured by the water vapor measurement unit for the calculation. Yes.

According to this configuration, correction using the amount of water vapor inside the drum is added to the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the clothing. Thereby, the moisture content of clothing can be known more accurately.

According to the configuration of the present invention, the amount of moisture contained in clothing can be determined by detecting the intensity of electromagnetic waves that have passed through clothing. Therefore, the clothes dryer of the present invention can identify the degree of drying and uneven distribution of moisture as a whole of the clothes with a simple configuration that does not require time and effort. In this way, it is possible to provide a clothes dryer capable of suitably grasping the dry state of clothes.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a clothes dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the clothes dryer of FIG. It is a graph which shows the signal detected by the electromagnetic wave detection part of the clothes dryer of FIG. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the drum inside of the clothes dryer of FIG. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the drum inside of the clothes dryer of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the clothes dryer of FIG. It is a general | schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer which concerns on the 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a schematic structure and a clothes drying operation of the clothes dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a clothes dryer, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the clothes dryer. The left side in FIG. 1 is the front side (front) of the clothes dryer, and the right side is the back side (rear).

As shown in FIG. 1, the clothes dryer 1 includes a drum 3, a door 4, a fan 5, an air passage 20, and a heater 21 in a main body housing 2 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In addition, the clothes dryer 1 includes a motor 6 (see FIG. 2) for rotating the drum 3 and the fan 5.

The drum 3 is made of, for example, a metal material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, and is supported so as to be rotatable around a substantially horizontal axis within the body housing 2. The drum 3 includes a plurality of baffles 3a for stirring the clothes C on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Note that the drum 3 is rotated by the motor 6 as described above.

A circular opening 3 b is provided on the front surface of the drum 3 and communicates with a circular window portion 2 a opened on the front surface of the main body housing 2. A door 4 that can be opened and closed from the front of the clothes dryer 1 is provided at the window 2 a of the main body housing 2. The door 4 includes a transparent portion so that the inside of the drum 3 can be seen from the outside of the clothes dryer 1. The user can put clothes in and out of the drum 3 by opening the door 4.

The fan 5 is disposed inside the air passage 20 on the back side of the drum 3 and is rotated by the motor 6 as described above. The fan 5 is a double-wing fan that circulates air to dry the clothes C inside the drum 3 and operates as a heat exchanger for dehumidification.

The air passage 20 includes a high-temperature channel 22 provided on the front side of the fan 5 and a low-temperature channel 23 provided on the back side of the fan 5.

The high-temperature flow path 22 is provided with a circulation duct 24 that extends from the back surface to the front surface of the drum 3 through the outside of the drum 3. The circulation duct 24 communicates with the inside of the drum 3 through a blowout port 3 c provided at the lower front portion of the drum 3 and a filter portion 3 d provided at the center of the rear surface of the drum 3. A heater 21 is disposed inside the circulation duct 24 on the downstream side in the air flow direction with respect to the outlet 3c. A drain port 25 for discharging water generated by dehumidification (condensation) of air is provided below the circulation duct 24.

The low-temperature flow path 23 is provided with a cooling inlet 26 communicating with the outside of the main body housing 2 on the back surface of the main body housing 2. The low-temperature flow path 23 includes an exhaust duct 27 that extends downward from the location of the fan 5. A cooling exhaust port 28 is provided at the front end of the exhaust duct 27 and on the bottom surface of the main body housing 2.

Here, the clothes dryer 1 includes a control unit 7 shown in FIG. 2 for overall operation control. The control unit 7 includes a CPU 8 and other electronic components (not shown). The CPU 8 is a central processing unit, and implements a series of drying operations by controlling components such as the motor 6 and the heater 21 based on programs and data stored and input in the storage unit 9 and the like.

In the clothes dryer 1 configured as described above, when a drying operation is instructed, the motor 6 and the heater 21 are driven. As a result, the drum 3 and the fan 5 rotate, the clothes C are agitated inside the drum 3, and an air flow is generated inside the drum 3 and the air passage 20. In addition, the white arrow drawn in FIG. 1 has shown the distribution route and distribution direction of air.

At this time, in the low-temperature flow path 23 of the air passage 20, an air flow that flows in the order of the outside of the main body housing 2, the cooling inlet 26, the fan 5, the exhaust duct 27, the cooling exhaust 28, and the outside of the main body housing 2 is generated. . Thereby, outside air is taken in the inside of the main body housing 2, and the fan 5 is always cooled from the back side.

On the other hand, in the high-temperature flow path 22 of the air passage 20, an air flow is generated which flows in the order inside the drum 3, the filter portion 3 d, the fan 5, the circulation duct 24, the outlet 3 c, and the drum 3. The air flow inside the high-temperature channel 22 is heated at the location of the heater 21, becomes high temperature, and is blown from the outlet 3 c toward the clothing C inside the drum 3. The air blown to the clothing C from the outlet 3c absorbs moisture from the clothing C, passes through the filter portion 3d, and reaches the location of the fan 5.

The hot and humid air flow that has absorbed moisture from the clothing C inside the drum 3 and reached the location of the fan 5 is cooled by touching the fan 5. At this time, moisture contained in the air flow is condensed (condensed) and drained from the drain port 25 to the lower side of the clothes dryer 1. The air flow inside the high temperature channel 22 is repeatedly circulated between the high temperature channel 22 and the drum 3 to absorb moisture from the clothing C and dry the clothing C.

And the clothes dryer 1 of the said structure detects the moisture content of the clothes C using electromagnetic waves, in order to perform more effective drying operation. For this reason, the clothes dryer 1 includes the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Subsequently, the configuration and operation related to the detection of the moisture content of the clothing C will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 3 is a graph showing signals detected by the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 of the clothes dryer 1.

The electromagnetic wave generator 10 is provided at a position inside the drum 3 of the window 2a of the main body housing 2 so as not to rotate with the drum 3. The electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 irradiates the electromagnetic wave E inside the drum 3 toward the rear and substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3. Since the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 is provided at the lower part of the window 2a, the electromagnetic wave E hits the clothing C concentrated downward due to the action of gravity, so that it easily passes through the clothing C. In addition, the broken-line arrow drawn in FIG. 1 has shown the passage route and passage direction of the electromagnetic wave E.

The electromagnetic wave generator 10 includes, for example, a quantum cascade laser, a resonant tunneling diode, and the like, and irradiates an electromagnetic wave E having a frequency of 100 GHz to 120 THz.

An electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 100 GHz to 120 THz is an electromagnetic wave that is safe for the human body and has a water absorption coefficient of 10 ² cm ⁻¹ or more. An absorption coefficient of 10 ² cm ⁻¹ means that the electromagnetic wave has an intensity of 1/10 while traveling in water by 0.1 mm (= 1/10 ² cm). Since the intensity of the electromagnetic wave decreases to 1/10 while traveling through the moisture of the clothing C by 0.1 mm, it can be sufficiently detected even if noise occurs during detection. On the other hand, the electromagnetic wave having a frequency of less than 100 GHz has a possibility that the water absorption coefficient gradually decreases from 10 ² cm ⁻¹ and the detection accuracy decreases. Further, an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 120 THz to 1.6 PHz (wavelength 2.5 μm to 0.125 μm) has an absorption coefficient smaller than 10 ² cm ⁻¹ . When the electromagnetic wave exceeds 1.6 PHz, the absorption coefficient becomes larger than 10 ² cm ⁻¹ , but the influence on the human body may be increased.

Thus, the electromagnetic wave E having a frequency of 100 GHz or more and 120 THz or less has the property that it is very easily absorbed by water. Accordingly, if even a small amount of moisture is present in the garment C, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave E greatly changes before and after passing through the garment C.

The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 is provided on a wall portion on the inner back side of the drum 3 and is attached to, for example, a shaft portion of the drum 3 so as not to rotate together with the drum 3. The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 is disposed at a position where the electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and passed through the drum 3 can be detected. The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 includes, for example, an element using a pyroelectric effect, a Golay cell, a Schottky barrier diode, and the like, and detects the electromagnetic wave E emitted from the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10.

In the clothes dryer 1 including the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11, when a drying operation is instructed, the electromagnetic wave E is irradiated from the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 along the axial direction of the drum 3 as shown in FIG. The When the electromagnetic wave E hits the clothing C inside the drum 3, the electromagnetic wave E is absorbed according to the amount of water contained in the clothing C and its strength is reduced.

In this embodiment, the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 are provided inside the drum 3 and the electromagnetic wave E is irradiated substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3. However, the arrangement location of and the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E are not limited to this. For example, the electromagnetic wave E may be irradiated in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum 3.

However, it is more desirable that the irradiation path of the electromagnetic wave E irradiated from the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 is substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3 and at the lower part of the drum 3. Since the garment C always falls downward due to the action of gravity when moving inside the drum 3, this configuration makes it possible to more reliably apply the electromagnetic wave E to all the garments C.

The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 detects the electromagnetic wave E having a reduced intensity after passing through the clothing C. And the moisture content of the clothing C is calculated based on the signal which the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 which CPU8 detected the electromagnetic wave E outputs, and a dry state is identified. At this time, the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E may be calculated from, for example, the difference or ratio between the intensity of the electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generator 10 and the intensity of the electromagnetic wave E detected by the electromagnetic wave detector 11. The intensity of the electromagnetic wave E emitted by the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 may be, for example, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave E detected by the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 in the absence of clothing C, or may be converted from the input power to the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10. good.

Here, electromagnetic waves can generally converge only to a wavelength due to diffraction limitations. The wavelength of the electromagnetic wave of “100 GHz” is 3000 μm, and the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave of “120 THz” is 2.5 μm. Thereby, in the clothes dryer 1 of the present invention, a mass of water having a diameter of about 2.5 μm to 3000 μm can be distinguished. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 can detect the moisture content in a smaller area with respect to the surface perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E, and the moisture distribution of the clothes C can be more accurately known.

Thus, the clothes dryer 1 can detect the amount of moisture contained in the clothes C by detecting the electromagnetic wave E whose intensity has changed after passing through the clothes C. The clothes C are agitated inside the drum 3 so that the electromagnetic wave E passes through almost all the clothes C. Thereby, the dryness degree as the whole clothing C and the uneven distribution of moisture can be identified.

Here, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave E is desirably 2.5 THz or less. Generally, the heat radiation generated when the inside of the clothes dryer 1 becomes high increases as the wavelength becomes longer, peaks at a specific wavelength, and decreases monotonously when the wavelength becomes longer than the peak. The distribution of thermal radiation varies depending on the temperature. For example, the peak wavelength at about room temperature is about 10 μm, and the peak wavelength at 80 degrees is about 8 μm. If the moisture content of the clothing C is detected using the electromagnetic wave E having a wavelength (frequency) with much thermal radiation, the thermal radiation may appear as noise when the electromagnetic wave E is detected. However, in the case of about room temperature, the heat radiation amount becomes about 1 / 1,000 or less of the peak at 2.5 THz or less (wavelength of 120 μm or more). As the temperature rises, the frequency at which the amount of heat radiation becomes about 1 / 1,000 or less of the peak becomes lower (the wavelength is longer). Therefore, if the electromagnetic wave E having a frequency of 2.5 THz or less (wavelength of 120 μm or more) is used, the amount of heat radiation at the time of drying becomes smaller than about one thousandth at the peak, and the influence of heat radiation is sufficiently reduced.

Further, the electromagnetic wave generator 10 may irradiate a plurality of electromagnetic waves E having different wavelengths. At this time, it is desirable to include an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength having a relatively high absorption rate for moisture and an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength having a relatively low absorption rate for moisture. Thus, for example, when there is something that scatters the electromagnetic wave E on the irradiation path of the electromagnetic wave E, whether the change in the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave having a relatively high absorption rate with respect to moisture is due to absorption with respect to moisture, It can be distinguished. As a result, the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave E can be corrected.

Further, the CPU 8 can also calculate the moisture content of the clothing C based on the temporal change of the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave E and the rotation cycle of the drum 3. For this reason, the clothes dryer 1 includes a rotation period detection unit 12 that detects the rotation period of the drum 3. The rotation period detection unit 12 includes, for example, an optical sensor and a light receiving unit that do not rotate with the drum 3 and a shielding plate that rotates with the drum 3. The rotation cycle detection unit 12 detects the rotation cycle of the drum 3 by measuring the timing at which the shielding plate blocks the optical path between the optical sensor and the light receiving unit.

3, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E. According to FIG. 3, the clothes C are agitated with the rotation of the drum 3 and sequentially pass through the irradiation path of the electromagnetic wave E. Therefore, it can be seen that the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E repeatedly increases and decreases. Furthermore, since drying of the clothing C proceeds with time, it can be seen that the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E as the entire clothing C gradually decreases.

At the start of the drying operation, the movement of the clothing C is slow due to the high moisture content of the clothing C. For example, as shown on the left side of FIG. 3, the peak of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E with respect to one rotation (one cycle) of the drum 3 There are three. One peak of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E may indicate the absorption rate of a single garment C, or may indicate the absorption rate of a plurality of garments C in a lump. As the drying progresses, the moisture of the clothing C decreases and the clothing C becomes easy to move individually. For example, as shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the absorption peak of the electromagnetic wave E with respect to one rotation (one cycle) of the drum 3 Will be five.

Judgment of the end of the drying operation is performed when the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E is equal to or less than a preset threshold value. The threshold value of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E may be set using the absorption rate data of the electromagnetic wave E with respect to the material of the clothing C. For example, the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E when the materials of all the clothes C are dried may be used, or a value corresponding to the material of the clothes C instructed to be selected by the user may be set. The threshold value of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E is stored in, for example, the storage unit 9 and used as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 3, even when all the clothes C are not completely dried, the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E may temporarily become a value equal to or less than a threshold value. In order to prevent erroneous determination that drying has been completed even though the clothing C is not sufficiently dried, for example, when the time during which the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E is equal to or less than the threshold value continues for a predetermined time that is sufficiently long. It is determined that the drying of the clothing C is completed. For example, the rotation period of the drum 3 may be used as the fixed time used for determining the end of the drying operation. Since there is a high possibility that the clothing C existing during the rotation cycle of the drum 3 will pass through the irradiation path of the electromagnetic wave E at least once, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination.

As another determination of the end of the drying operation, for example, a method of counting the peak of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E generated every rotation cycle of the drum 3 may be used. As described above, at the start of the drying operation, the peak of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic wave E with respect to one rotation of the drum 3 is relatively small, for example, three in FIG. 3, and gradually increases to four and five as the drying proceeds. To do. Then, when the absorption peak of the electromagnetic wave E for one rotation of the drum 3 reaches a predetermined number set in advance, it is determined that the drying of the clothing C is completed.

For example, the control unit 7 may stop the drying operation in accordance with the drying condition of the clothing C, may notify the user of the drying condition, or may change the rotation frequency of the drum 3 or the heater 21 in accordance with the drying condition. The drying conditions such as the temperature may be changed.

Further, in order to perform a more effective drying operation, the clothes dryer 1 includes a clothes position detection unit 13 that detects the position of the clothes C inside the drum 3 (see FIG. 2). The clothing position detection unit 13 is configured by, for example, a camera capable of imaging the inside of the drum 3, and can detect the position of the clothing C from the acquired image inside the drum 3. The CPU 8 uses the position of the garment C detected by the garment position detection unit 13 for calculating the moisture content of the garment C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 that has detected the electromagnetic wave E.

Moreover, in order to perform a more effective drying operation, the clothes dryer 1 includes a water vapor measuring unit 14 that measures the amount of water vapor discharged from the drum 3 (see FIG. 2). The water vapor measuring unit 14 is composed of, for example, a capacitance type or electric resistance type humidity sensor using a polymer moisture-sensitive material. For example, the filter unit 3d of the drum 3 is used to measure the amount of water vapor discharged from the drum 3. It is arrange | positioned in the back.

Since the electromagnetic wave E is absorbed by the water vapor inside the drum 3, the fluctuation of the water vapor amount inside the drum 3 affects the detection of the electromagnetic wave E by the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11, thereby preventing accurate detection of the water content of the clothing C. It becomes. For this reason, the clothes dryer 1 measures the amount of water vapor in the air inside the drum 3 by the water vapor measuring unit 14.

The CPU 8 uses the water vapor amount measured by the water vapor measurement unit 14 for the calculation of the water content of the clothing C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 that has detected the electromagnetic wave E. Specifically, the CPU 8 uses the distance between the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 and the amount of water vapor inside the drum 3 obtained from the water vapor measurement unit 14 to cause electromagnetic waves due to water vapor inside the drum 3. The amount of attenuation of E is calculated. The CPU 8 takes the difference between the absorption amount of the electromagnetic wave E due to the moisture of the clothing C detected by the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 and the attenuation amount of the electromagnetic wave E due to the water vapor inside the drum 3, thereby affecting the influence of the water vapor inside the drum 3. In response, the electromagnetic wave E detected by the electromagnetic wave detector 11 that fluctuates is corrected.

As described above, the clothes dryer 1 radiates the electromagnetic wave E having a frequency of 100 GHz to 120 THz toward the inside of the drum 3, and the electromagnetic wave generating unit 10 irradiates and passes through the inside of the drum 3. An electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 that detects the electromagnetic wave E, and a CPU 8 that calculates the moisture content of the clothing C based on a signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 that detects the electromagnetic wave and identifies the dry state. Since the electromagnetic wave E in the frequency band has a property that it is very easily absorbed by water molecules, the clothes dryer 1 detects the electromagnetic wave E whose intensity has changed after passing through the clothes C. You can know the amount of water contained. Moreover, the clothes dryer 1 can detect the moisture content in a smaller area with respect to the surface perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E, and can accurately identify the moisture distribution of the clothes C. Therefore, it is possible to identify the degree of dryness and the uneven distribution of moisture as the entire clothing C with a simple configuration that does not require labor.

And it is desirable that the frequency of the electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generator 10 of the clothes dryer 1 is 2.5 THz or less. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the influence of the heat radiation generated when the inside of the clothes dryer 1 becomes high temperature.

In addition, the clothes dryer 1 includes a rotation period detection unit 12 that detects the rotation period of the drum 3, and the CPU 8 detects the moisture amount of the clothes C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. The rotation cycle of the drum 3 is used. Thereby, information relating to the rotation of the drum 3 is added to the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave E that has passed through the clothing C. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 can know the moisture content of the clothes C more accurately.

In addition, the clothes dryer 1 includes a clothes position detection unit 13 that detects the position of the clothes C inside the drum 3, and the CPU 8 detects the clothes position in calculating the moisture amount of the clothes C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. The position of the clothing C detected by the unit 13 is used. Thereby, for example, clothing C having a relatively large amount of water is identified and tracked. That is, in the clothes dryer 1, it is prevented to miss the clothes C that require a long time for drying, and a more effective drying operation can be executed.

In addition, the clothes dryer 1 includes a water vapor measurement unit 14 that measures the amount of water vapor discharged from the drum 3, and the CPU 8 uses the water vapor measurement unit 14 to calculate the water content of the clothing C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. The measured amount of water vapor inside the drum 3 is used. Thereby, correction using the amount of water vapor in the drum 3 is added to the detection signal of the electromagnetic wave E that has passed through the clothing C. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 can know the moisture content of the clothes C more accurately.

And according to the structure of the said embodiment of this invention, the moisture content contained in the clothing C is known by detecting the intensity | strength of the electromagnetic wave E which passed the clothing C. FIG. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 of the present invention can identify the degree of drying and the uneven distribution of moisture in the clothes C as a whole with a simple configuration that does not require labor. Thus, the clothes dryer 1 which can grasp | ascertain the dry state of the clothing C suitably can be provided.

Next, a clothes dryer according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. Moreover, drawing of the clothing C is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

The clothes dryer 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is provided with the electromagnetic wave transmission part 15 in the wall surface of the back side of the drum 3 facing the door 4, as shown in FIG. The electromagnetic wave transmitting portion 15 is made of a material that transmits the electromagnetic wave E, and is formed in an annular shape that is substantially concentric with the rotation axis of the drum 3.

The electromagnetic wave generator 10 is provided at the lower part of the window 2a and irradiates the electromagnetic wave toward the rear of the drum 3 substantially in parallel with the rotation axis. The electromagnetic wave transmission part 15 is disposed on the irradiation path of the electromagnetic wave E. The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 is provided outside the drum 3 on the back side, for example, on the outer wall of the air passage 20. The electromagnetic wave generator 10 and the electromagnetic wave detector 11 do not rotate with the drum 3. The electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 passes through the electromagnetic wave transmission unit 15 and reaches the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11.

Thus, according to the configuration of the second embodiment, since both the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 are arranged outside the drum 3, the clothing C is prevented from colliding with them. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 can detect the electromagnetic wave E that passes through the clothes C that are stirred in a natural state without interfering with the movement of the clothes C inside the drum 3. As a result, the clothes dryer 1 can know the moisture content of the clothes C more accurately.

In addition, the structure by which any one of the electromagnetic wave generation part 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 was arrange | positioned outside the drum 3 may be sufficient. At this time, for example, the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 is disposed outside the drum 3 on the front side and between the main body housing 2 and the electromagnetic wave transmission unit 15 is provided on the wall surface on the front side of the drum 3. good.

Further, the electromagnetic wave transmission part 15 may be provided outside the door 4, and the electromagnetic wave transmission part 15 may be provided on the door 4, or the door 4 itself may be an electromagnetic wave transmission part 15 formed of a material that transmits the electromagnetic wave E. There may be.

Further, the electromagnetic wave transmitting portion 15 may be configured with a material that transmits electromagnetic waves as described above, or may be configured with a simple through hole. Furthermore, the shape of the electromagnetic wave transmitting portion 15 is not limited to an annular shape that is substantially concentric with the rotation axis of the drum 3, and may be another shape.

Next, a clothes dryer according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 5, the drawing of the clothing C is omitted.

The clothes dryer 1 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is provided with two

reflection parts

16A and 16B in the inner surface of the drum 3, as shown in FIG. The reflecting

portions

16A and 16B are both made of a metal having a high reflectivity for the electromagnetic wave E. The reflecting portion 16 </ b> A is disposed on the wall portion on the inner back side of the drum 3, and the reflecting portion 16 </ b> B is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 3.

The electromagnetic wave generator 10 is provided at the lower part of the window 2a, and irradiates the electromagnetic wave E substantially in parallel with the rotation axis toward the rear of the drum 3. The electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 is provided at a substantially central portion of the window portion 2 a and detects an electromagnetic wave E reaching from the inside of the drum 3. The electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 is first reflected by the reflection unit 16A disposed on the wall portion on the inner back side of the drum 3, and subsequently reflected by the reflection unit 16B disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 3. It reaches the detection unit 11.

Thus, according to the configuration of the third embodiment, there is no need to arrange the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 to face each other. Therefore, various arrangement configurations of the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 can be applied to the clothes dryer 1. That is, the electromagnetic wave E can be applied to the clothing C from various directions by using the pair of electromagnetic wave generation units 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. As a result, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of identifying the degree of drying and the uneven distribution of moisture as the clothing C as a whole.

In addition, the reflection part 16 is not necessarily limited to two places, and may be one place or three places or more. Further, the arrangement location of the reflecting portion 16 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be arranged in another location.

The drum 3 may be made of a material that reflects the electromagnetic wave E, such as stainless steel, and may have the reflecting portion 16 as an integral unit. The electromagnetic wave E is reflected by the inner surface of the drum 3. According to this configuration, the durability of the drum 3 is improved.

Next, a clothes dryer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. Moreover, drawing of the clothing C is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

The clothes dryer 1 which concerns on 4th Embodiment is provided with the electromagnetic wave generation | occurrence | production detection part 17 as shown in FIG. The electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17 is configured by integrating an electromagnetic wave generation unit and an electromagnetic wave detection unit. The electromagnetic wave generation detection part 17 is provided in the lower part of the window part 2a.

The electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17 irradiates the electromagnetic wave E toward the rear of the drum 3 substantially in parallel with the rotation axis. Further, the electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17 detects an electromagnetic wave E that reaches from the inside of the drum 3. A reflection portion 16 made of a metal or the like having a high reflectivity of the electromagnetic wave E is a wall portion on the inner back side of the drum 3 and is disposed at a location facing the electromagnetic wave generation detection portion 17. That is, the electromagnetic wave E irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17 is reflected by the reflection unit 16 disposed on the wall portion on the inner back side of the drum 3 and reaches the electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17.

As described above, according to the configuration of the fourth embodiment, the electromagnetic wave generation detection unit 17 is configured by integrating the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit, so that the arrangement area of the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit is saved. Space is made. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clothes dryer 1 from being enlarged.

Next, a clothes dryer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer, and FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing the inside of the drum of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. 7 and 8, the drawing of the clothing C is omitted.

The clothes dryer 1 which concerns on 5th Embodiment is provided with the electromagnetic wave generation part 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 which make a pair as shown in FIG.7 and FIG.8. A pair of electromagnetic wave generation part 10A and electromagnetic wave detection part 11A, and a pair of electromagnetic wave generation part 10B and electromagnetic wave detection part 11B are arranged side by side in the up-down direction. Thereby, a plurality of electromagnetic waves E are irradiated to the inside of the drum 3.

Thus, according to the configuration of the fifth embodiment, the clothes dryer 1 can know the moisture content of the clothes C at a plurality of locations. Therefore, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the moisture content of the clothing C.

In addition, the electromagnetic wave generation part 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 which make a pair are not necessarily limited to two places, You may arrange | position to three or more places. Furthermore, the arrangement location of the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be arranged in another location.

Moreover, the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E by each of the electromagnetic wave generation part 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 which make a pair is not necessarily limited to being the same direction like the said embodiment, You may irradiate from a different direction. . For example, you may set the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic waves E by a pair of electromagnetic wave generation part 10B and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11B to the horizontal direction in FIG. Thereby, the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E by the pair of electromagnetic wave generation unit 10A and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11A intersects the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E by the pair of electromagnetic wave generation unit 10B and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11B as viewed from above. . By changing the height of the irradiation path of these electromagnetic waves E, the moisture distribution of the clothing C can be identified three-dimensionally.

Further, the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 do not necessarily have to be configured to make a pair. A plurality of electromagnetic wave detection units 11 may be provided for a single electromagnetic wave generation unit 10, or a single electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 may be provided for a plurality of electromagnetic wave generation units 10. In these cases, for example, the water content of the clothing C at a plurality of locations can be obtained by sorting or collecting the electromagnetic waves E using the above-described reflecting portion 16 or the like.

Next, a clothes dryer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer, FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the inside of the drum of the clothes dryer, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. Moreover, drawing of the clothing C is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.9 and FIG.10.

In the clothes dryer 1 according to the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 both include

scanning units

10 s and 11 s. The controller 7 can scan the electromagnetic wave E as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 by simultaneously driving the scanning unit 10s of the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the scanning unit 11s of the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. The solid arrows drawn in FIGS. 9 and 10 indicate the scanning direction of the electromagnetic wave E. For example, the electromagnetic wave E is scanned in a rectangular shape on a surface perpendicular to the irradiation direction, that is, a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum 3 (see FIG. 10).

Thus, according to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, the moisture content distribution of the clothing C in the scanning range is identified. For example, when the scanning time is sufficiently shorter than the rotation period of the drum 3, the two-dimensional moisture distribution of the clothing C can be identified at a certain time. And the clothes dryer 1 can perform the suitable drying operation using the information which concerns on the distribution of the moisture content of the clothes C.

In order to perform a more effective drying operation, the electromagnetic wave E may be scanned based on the position of the clothing C detected by the clothing position detection unit 13 shown in FIG. The CPU 8 uses the position of the garment C detected by the garment position detection unit 13 for calculating the moisture content of the garment C based on the signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11. And the control part 7 controls the drive of the

scanning parts

10s and 11s to scan the electromagnetic waves E according to the position of the clothing C.

According to this configuration, for example, a clothing C having a relatively large amount of water can be identified, and the clothing C can be traced while the clothing C is continuously irradiated with the electromagnetic wave E. Therefore, the clothes dryer 1 can prevent the clothes C that require a long time for drying from being overlooked, and can perform a more effective drying operation.

Further, it is not necessary for both the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 to have a scanning unit, and either one may have a configuration having a scanning unit. In this case, the irradiation direction can be changed by reflecting the electromagnetic wave E, for example, and guided from the electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 to the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11.

Further, the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave E is not limited to being substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3, and the electromagnetic wave E is irradiated in the horizontal direction in FIG. 10, that is, the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum 3. May be. The electromagnetic wave E may be scanned in both a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3 and a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. According to this configuration, the moisture content distribution of the clothing C can be identified in a wide three-dimensional space.

Next, a clothes dryer according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 12, the drawing of the clothing C is omitted.

In the clothes dryer 1 according to the seventh embodiment, the direction of the drum 3 is up and down as shown in FIG. That is, the rotation axis of the drum 3 is substantially perpendicular to the floor surface, and a circular opening 3b is provided on the upper surface thereof. The opening 3 b of the drum 3 communicates with a circular window portion 2 a opened on the upper surface of the main body housing 2. A door 4 that allows the clothes C to be taken in and out of the interior of the drum 3 from above is provided on the upper surface of the clothes dryer 1 at the window 2 a of the main body housing 2.

The electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 are provided on the lower inner peripheral surface of the drum 3 and are arranged so as to face each other with the rotation axis of the drum 3 interposed therebetween. The electromagnetic wave generation unit 10 irradiates the electromagnetic wave E toward the electromagnetic wave detection unit 11 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum 3, that is, substantially horizontally. Since the clothing C inside the drum 3 gathers downward by the action of gravity, the electromagnetic wave E can be reliably applied to the clothing C.

Thus, according to the structure of 7th Embodiment, even if it is the clothes dryer 1 provided with the drum 3 in which a rotating shaft line makes a substantially perpendicular | vertical with respect to a floor surface, it is clothing by simple structure which does not take effort. It is possible to identify the degree of dryness and uneven distribution of moisture as a whole.

In addition, the arrangement | positioning location of the electromagnetic wave generation part 10 and the electromagnetic wave detection part 11 is not necessarily limited to the internal peripheral surface of the drum 3, You may decide to arrange | position to the location of the door 4, and the bottom part of the drum 3. FIG. At this time, the electromagnetic wave E is irradiated vertically, for example, substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 3. In this case, since the chance that the clothing C exists near the inner peripheral surface of the drum 3 is increased, it is desirable that the electromagnetic wave generating unit 10 and the electromagnetic wave detecting unit 11 are disposed in the vicinity of the inner peripheral surface of the drum 3. Thereby, it is possible to identify the drying degree and the uneven distribution of moisture as the clothing C as a whole.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the direction of the drum 3 is the horizontal direction (first to sixth embodiments) or the vertical direction (seventh embodiment), but the direction of the drum 3 is not limited to these. For example, it may be an oblique direction.

The configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a washing machine having a function of a clothes dryer.

The present invention can be used in a clothes dryer that dries clothes by rotating a drum containing the clothes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clothes dryer 2 Main body housing | casing 2a Window part 3 Drum 3b Opening 3c Outlet 3d Filter part 4 Door 5 Fan 6 Motor 7 Control part 8 CPU (calculation part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Memory | storage part 10 Electromagnetic wave generation part 10s Scanning part 11 Electromagnetic wave detection part 11s Scanning part 12 Rotation period detection part 13 Clothing position detection part 14 Water vapor measurement part 15 Electromagnetic wave transmission part 16 Reflection part 17 Electromagnetic wave generation detection part (electromagnetic wave generation part, electromagnetic wave detection) Part)
20 Air passage 21 Heater 22 High-temperature flow path 23 Low-temperature flow path 24 Circulating duct 25 Drain outlet E Electromagnetic wave C Clothing

Claims

A clothes dryer for drying the clothes by rotating a drum containing the clothes,
An electromagnetic wave generator for irradiating an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 100 GHz or more and 120 THz or less toward the inside of the drum;
An electromagnetic wave detection unit that detects the electromagnetic wave that has been irradiated by the electromagnetic wave generation unit and passed through the drum;
A calculation unit that calculates the moisture content of the clothing based on a signal output from the electromagnetic wave detection unit that has detected the electromagnetic wave, and identifies a dry state;
A clothes dryer comprising:
The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is 2.5 THz or less.
The electromagnetic wave generation unit and / or the electromagnetic wave detection unit is disposed outside the drum,
The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the drum includes an electromagnetic wave transmitting portion through which the electromagnetic waves are transmitted.
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drum includes a reflection part for reflecting the electromagnetic wave and guiding the electromagnetic wave to the electromagnetic wave detection part.
5. The clothes dryer according to claim 4, wherein the drum has the reflection part integrally.
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit are integrally configured.
The electromagnetic wave generation unit and the electromagnetic wave detection unit are provided at a plurality of locations, and the inside of the drum is irradiated with the plurality of electromagnetic waves. Clothes dryer.
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a scanning unit for scanning the electromagnetic wave with respect to the inside of the drum.
A rotation period detector for detecting the rotation period of the drum;
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the calculation unit uses the rotation cycle of the drum detected by the rotation cycle detection unit for the calculation.
A garment position detection unit for detecting the position of the garment inside the drum;
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the calculation unit uses the position of the clothing detected by the clothing position detection unit for the calculation.
A water vapor measuring unit for measuring the amount of water vapor discharged from the drum;
The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the calculation unit uses the water vapor amount measured by the water vapor measurement unit for the calculation.