WO2018202546A1

WO2018202546A1 - Carrier for detecting dryness and washer/dryer wherein the carrier is used

Info

Publication number: WO2018202546A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/060763
Authority: WO
Inventors: Murat Kantas; Ismet Arsan; Bekir Ozyurt; Nihat Kandemir; Sinan KAYA
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2017-05-05
Filing date: 2018-04-26
Publication date: 2018-11-08
Also published as: TR201706621A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a carrier (3) for use in a washer/dryer (1) having a drum (2) wherein the laundry is placed, comprising at least two electrodes (4) that enable the dryness of the laundry to be detected by contacting the laundry in the drum (2), and further relates to a washer/dryer (1) suitable for operating in interaction with the carrier (3).

Description

[Title established by the ISA under Rule 37.2] CARRIER FOR DETECTING DRYNESS AND WASHER/DRYER WHEREIN THE CARRIER IS USED

The present invention relates to a carrier for detecting the dryness and a washer/dryer that operates in interaction with the carrier.

In washer/dryers, during the drying process, parameters such as the dryness, the temperature, etc. of the laundry in the drum must be measured accurately. The duration of the drying process depends on the correct dryness and temperature value of the laundry, and when said level is reached, the drying process is terminated. The dryer comprises various sensors that enable parameters such as conductivity, dryness, moisture, etc. to be measured and the dryer is controlled based on the data received from said sensors.

In general, in washer/dryers, conductivity measurement is performed during the drying process and the drying process is terminated according to this measurement. The conductivity measurement is performed by means of two electrodes that are arranged on the front section of the drum. During the drying process, when the laundry in the drum contacts said electrodes, the conductivity of the laundry can be measured.

The conductivity is higher when the laundry is wet. As the laundry dries and the moisture therein is reduced, the conductivity thereof decreases. During the drying process, the conductivity of only the laundry that contacts the electrodes can be measured. When there is a small amount of laundry in the drum with a non-homogeneous distribution, the probability of the contact between the electrodes and the laundry decreases considerably and determining the dryness level becomes difficult. In this case, the drying process is terminated by means of the timer. As a result, the laundry cannot be dried sufficiently or the laundry gets overdried and damaged due to overheating.

In the state of the art, various embodiments have been developed for the detection of the dryness of the laundry. In one of these embodiments, at least two electrodes are placed at a position so as to contact the laundry during the drying process and when the wet laundry contacts the two electrodes, a current bridge forms between the two electrodes and the dryness level is detected by measuring the difference between the resistance values of the electrodes. Furthermore, in the dryers, the temperature of the drum volume is measured instead of directly measuring the temperature of the laundry. The inaccurate measurement of the temperature of the laundry causes the laundry to wear out as a result of overheating.

In the state of the art European Patent Document No. EP2387643, a dryer is disclosed, comprising a drum that rotates around the horizontal axis and further comprising electrodes that are fixed to the inlet opening of the drum by means of plastic injection and that enable the dryness to be detected.

In the state of the art Korean Patent Application No. KR20030041428, a dryer is disclosed, comprising a dryness detection unit having electrodes that are fixed onto the wall of the drum in the drum.

Another state of the art embodiment is disclosed in the International Patent Application No. WO2004022836. In this patent application, a dryer is disclosed, comprising a sensor that is arranged on the drum and that communicates with the control unit by means of contactless signal transmission.

Another state of the art embodiment is disclosed in the European Patent Application No. EP0940494. In this document, a dryer is disclosed, comprising a conductivity sensor that is used for the detection of the dryness of the laundry and that communicates with the control unit by means of wireless communication.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a carrier for detecting the dryness and a washer/dryer that operates in interaction with the carrier.

Another aim of the present invention is the realization of a carrier that enables the temperature of the laundry to be detected precisely and accurately.

The carrier realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof is placed into the drum together with the laundry and moves freely in the drum together with the laundry, enabling the parameters related to the dryness of the laundry such as the humidity, temperature, the dryness, etc. of the laundry to be accurately and precisely measured by contacting the laundry in the drum, wherein the carrier comprises at least two electrodes and at least one temperature sensor arranged between the electrodes. Thus, when the laundry contacts the electrodes, the temperature sensor is also activated enabling the temperature of the laundry to be measured directly. By means of the sensor that is activated when the laundry contacts the electrodes, the data related to both the conductivity and the temperature of the laundry can be instantaneously collected. Thus, by means of the electrodes that are enabled to contact almost all the laundry to be dried in the drum and by means of the temperature sensors, the data related to the conductivity and the temperature can be obtained accurately and precisely in real-time.

The carrier is in the form of a hollow housing and, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is composed of a lower and an upper part to have a spherical form. The lower and upper parts are connected to each other firmly in a leak-tightly manner by means of the threads formed on the edges thereof. Thus, the moisture, vapor and water are prevented from entering the carrier in the humid environment of the drum.

In the treatment of gentle and easily wrinkled laundry, overheating and overdrying the laundry is tried to be avoided since it makes the ironing of the laundry difficult and leads to the deformation in the laundry due to the high heat. The actual temperature of the laundry can be measured by means of the electrodes arranged on the carrier that is preferably spherical and the temperature sensor placed between the electrodes. By means of these measurements, the decision to terminate the drying process is made based on not only the values taken by the electrodes but also the laundry temperature and conductivity values.

By means of the present invention, the laundry is prevented from being damaged due to heat by means of the electrodes that are arranged on the carrier and that directly contact the laundry and the temperature sensors that are placed therebetween. The electrodes act as a sensor that detects the presence of the laundry and trigger the operation of the temperature sensor that is placed between the electrodes, thus enabling the temperature of the laundry to be directly measured.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the two electrodes are in the shape of a circular arc or half moon arranged on the carrier and create a full circle when joined together. The temperature sensor is arranged between the two arc-shaped electrodes. When the laundry contacts the electrodes, an electric current forms between the electrodes and the temperature sensor measures the temperature. Thus, the temperature of the laundry is measured directly without measuring the temperature of the air and the drum.

By means of the present invention, the parameters related to the dryness of the laundry in the washer/dryer are measured from almost every part of the laundry and processed in the control unit. Thus, the dryness of the laundry can be determined more precisely and more accurately independently of the amount and the distribution of laundry in the drum.

A carrier and the washer/dryer that operates in interaction with the carrier realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention are illustrated in the attached figures where

Figure 1 – is the perspective view of a washer/dryer.

Figure 2 – is the perspective view of a carrier.

Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the carrier before being assembled.

The elements in the figures are numbered as follows:

Washer/dryer
Drum
Carrier
Electrode
Temperature sensor
Control unit

The carrier (3) suitable for use in a washer/dryer (1) comprising a drum (2) comprises at least two electrodes (4) that contact the laundry in the drum (2) and are used for detecting the dryness of the laundry and at least one temperature sensor (5) that is arranged between at least one pair of electrodes (4) and activated simultaneously with the electrodes (4). The electrodes (4) are arranged on the carrier (3) which carries the electrodes (4). The carrier (3) can move freely in the drum (2) (Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3).

The carrier (3) is used for measuring the dryness level of the objects that the carrier (3) contacts in the environment the carrier (3) is placed by the user. The electrodes (4) produced from conductive materials collect real-time data from the objects that the electrodes (4) contact in the environment the electrodes (4) are placed. Since the carrier (3) can move freely when the environment such as the drum (2) of a washer/dryer (1) wherein the carrier (3) is placed is in motion, the carrier (3) contacts almost every part of the laundry in the drum (2) and enables the dryness information of the entire laundry to be collected in real-time. Thereby, independently of the amount and the distribution of the laundry in the drum (2), the electrodes (4) are enabled to contact all the laundry and the information related to the parameters in relation to the dryness of the laundry can be obtained precisely and accurately. As the laundry contacts the electrodes (4) and creates an electric current between the two electrodes (4), the temperature sensor (5) arranged between the electrode (4) pair is simultaneously activated and the temperature of the laundry is measured. Thus, the temperature and the conductivity of the laundry that contacts the electrodes (4) are measured simultaneously by means of the electrodes (4). By means of the present invention, the electrodes (4) act as a presence detector that detects the presence of the laundry and trigger the operation of the temperature sensor (5).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier (3) comprises a communication unit (not shown in figures) thereon that provides contactless data transfer to the outer environment. In a version of this embodiment, the communication unit provides contactless communication optically by means of light. In a preferred version of this embodiment, the communication unit provides communication in a wireless manner.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier (3) comprises two electrodes (4) that are disposed parallel to each other. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one pair of electrodes (4) is arranged on the carrier (3) and the two electrodes (4) are arc-shaped and positioned so as to form a circle. The temperature sensor (5) is arranged between said two arc-shaped electrodes (4), preferably at the center thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the carrier (3) is a hollow, closed housing with the electrodes (4) placed on the outer surface thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carrier (3) is in the form of a hollow sphere that is composed of two hemispheres. At least two of the electrodes (4) are arranged on the upper hemisphere and at least two other are arranged on the lower hemisphere. In this embodiment, the electrodes (4) are arc-shaped strips and have a curvature that matches that of the sphere. In this embodiment of the present invention, the two electrodes (4) are oppositely arranged on the outer surface of the carrier (3) so as to form a circle. The two hemispheres are locked to each other preferably by means of the matching threads that are formed along the edges thereof.

The washer/dryer (1) that operates in interaction with the carrier (3) disclosed above and that has a drum (2) wherein the laundry is placed comprises a communication means (not shown in figures) for receiving data from outside and a control unit (6) that controls at least one of the operating parameters by means of the dryness information received from the communication means. The washer/dryer (1) can be a laundry drying machine or a laundry washing/drying machine.

The carrier (3) is placed into the drum (2) together with the laundry and the washer/dryer (1) is started to operate. The electrodes (4) produced from conductive materials and arranged on the carrier (3), used for measuring the dryness level of the laundry, move freely together with the laundry independently of the drum (2) during the drying process and collect real-time data from the laundry. Since the carrier (3) can move freely in the drum (2), the carrier (3) contacts almost every part of the laundry in the drum (2) and enables the dryness information of the entire laundry to be collected in real-time. Thereby, independently of the amount and the distribution of the laundry in the drum (2), the electrodes (4) are enabled to contact all the laundry and the information related to the parameters in relation to the dryness of the laundry can be obtained precisely and accurately. The electric current forming between the electrodes (4) when the electrodes (4) contact the laundry is transferred to the control unit (6) and the dryness of the laundry is determined. As the laundry contacts the electrodes (4) and creates an electric current between the two electrodes (4), the temperature sensor (5) arranged between the electrode (4) pair is simultaneously activated and the temperature of the laundry is measured. Thus, the temperature and the conductivity of the laundry that contacts the electrodes (4) are measured simultaneously by means of the electrodes (4). Then, the communication unit sends the results of the measurements to the control unit (6) by means of the communication means. The control unit (6) controls at least one of the operating parameters of the washer/dryer (1) based on the received dryness information.

The communication means performs the contactless communication by means of wireless or optical communication with light.

By means of the present invention, the electrodes (4) act as a presence detector that detects the presence of the laundry and trigger the operation of the temperature sensor (5).

Claims

A carrier (3) suitable for use in a washer/dryer (1) comprising a drum (2) comprises at least two electrodes (4) that contact the laundry in the drum (2) and are used for detecting the dryness of the laundry and at least one temperature sensor (5) that is arranged between at least one pair of electrodes (4) and activated simultaneously with the electrodes (4).
A carrier (3) as in Claim 1, characterized by the temperature sensor (5) that is triggered to start operating when the laundry contacts the electrodes (4).
A carrier (3) as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by the communication unit that is arranged thereon and that provides contactless communication with the outer environment.
A carrier (3) as in Claim 3, characterized by the communication unit that provides the contactless communication optically with light.
A carrier (3) as in Claim 3, characterized by the communication unit that provides the contactless communication in a wireless manner.
A carrier (3) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by two electrodes (4) that are arranged parallel to each other.
A carrier (3) as in Claim 6, characterized by at least one pair of electrodes (4) arranged thereon.
A carrier (3) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the arc-shaped electrode (4).
A carrier (3) as in Claim 8, characterized by the two electrodes (4) oppositely positioned so as to form a circle.
A carrier (3) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the temperature sensor (5) that is arranged between the two electrodes (4).
A carrier (3) as in any one of the above claims, which is a hollow, closed housing, with the electrodes (4) arranged on the outer surface thereof.
A carrier (3) as in Claim 11, which is a hollow sphere formed by joining two hemispheres together.
A carrier (3) as in Claim 12, characterized by the electrodes (4) with two thereof being arranged on the upper hemisphere and the other two being arranged on the lower hemisphere.
A washer/dryer (1) which operates in interaction with the carrier (3) as in any one of the above claims, comprising a drum (2) wherein the laundry is placed and a communication means, characterized by a control unit (6) that controls at least one of the operating parameters by means of the dryness information received from the communication means.
A washer/dryer (1) as in Claim 14, characterized by the communication means that provide the contactless communication in a wireless manner or optically with light.