WO2023008640A1

WO2023008640A1 - Automatic bathroom towel drying rack

Info

Publication number: WO2023008640A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/011879
Authority: WO
Inventors: 박민근
Original assignee: 박민근
Priority date: 2021-07-26
Filing date: 2021-09-02
Publication date: 2023-02-02
Also published as: KR20230016502A; KR102538790B1

Abstract

An automatic bathroom towel drying rack is provided. The automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a main body having a heating portion provided therein; wall hanger portions provided at both sides of the main body and installed on the wall; an upper cover provided on the upper side of the main body so that a towel is hung thereon; a measurement portion which measures the weight of the towel hung on the upper cover; a lower cover provided with an exhaust port which exhausts hot wind heated by the heating portion to an outside from the lower surface of the main body; a blower fan which adjusts the wind volume exhausted through the exhaust port; and a controller which controls the temperature of the heating portion and the wind volume of the blower fan to be adjusted according to the weight of the towel measured by the measurement portion.

Description

automatic bathroom towel rack

The present invention relates to an automatic bathroom towel drying rack.

In general, towels are naturally dried while being hung on a towel rack provided in a bathroom. However, since the bathroom has a location or structure in which ventilation is poor in the house, it takes a lot of time for towels to dry completely. Therefore, towels are often used repeatedly in a wet state. At this time, since the user uses a wet towel, the user does not wipe well and feels uncomfortable because the wet towel contacts the skin.

Recently, various types of bathroom towel drying racks have appeared. For example, a bathroom towel dryer is a method of drying towels by self-generated heat or hot air.

However, since the conventional towel dryer cannot accurately determine the condition of the towel and the drying condition, it adopts a method of drying for a set time, which causes unnecessary energy waste because the towel is often operated in a dry state. .

In addition, the user feels inconvenient because he or she must manually operate the towel drying rack each time to dry the towel after the towel is mounted.

Therefore, when a user hangs a towel, it is automatically recognized to dry the towel, and when the towel drying is completed, the system automatically shuts down to save energy. However, there is no conventional towel drying rack that satisfies these conditions.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an embodiment of the present invention is an automatic bathroom towel drying rack capable of automatically recognizing towel hanging to dry towels and adjusting the drying intensity according to the drying state to save energy. want to provide

According to one aspect of the present invention, the main body provided with a heating unit on the inside; Wall mounts provided on both sides of the main body and installed on a wall; an upper cover provided on the upper side of the main body and on which a towel is hung; a measurement unit for measuring the weight of the towel hung on the upper cover; a lower cover provided with a discharge port for discharging the warm air heated by the heating unit on the lower surface of the main body to the outside; a blowing fan controlling the amount of air discharged through the outlet; and a control unit controlling the temperature of the heating unit and the air volume of the blowing fan according to the weight of the towel measured by the measurement unit.

In one embodiment, the upper cover may be formed of a carbon fiber heating element on a surface in contact with the towel.

In one embodiment, the measuring unit is coupled between the main body and the upper cover and includes a load cell, and the control unit calculates a change rate of weight reduction of the towel according to evaporation of moisture contained in the towel, and for a predetermined time The towel is dried at a constant air volume of the blowing fan and a constant temperature of the heating part, and it is determined whether the towel is a dried towel by determining whether the change rate of weight reduction of the towel is less than or equal to a set value, and if the towel is not dried, It is determined whether the current mode is the fast mode, and if it is the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are operated to the maximum, and if it is not the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the The towel may be dried by adjusting the temperature of the heating unit, and the towel may be dried until the change rate of weight reduction of the towel converges to a set value.

In one embodiment, the blowing fan is provided inside the wall hanging part, and the air volume is controlled according to the dry state of the towel, and the air sucked into the air intake filter formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wall hanging part passes through a hollow part provided inside the connection part. It can be moved to the discharge port of the lower cover through this.

In one embodiment, the discharge port includes a side discharge port, a lower side discharge port, and a lower discharge port having different diameters, and the side discharge port is provided to be inclined toward the outer side of the lower cover from both sides of the lower surface of the lower cover, 1 diameter,

The lower discharge port is provided near the center of the lower surface of the lower cover and has a second diameter different from the first diameter, and a plurality of lower side discharge ports are provided between the side discharge port and the lower discharge port on the lower surface of the lower cover. and has a third diameter having a diameter between the first diameter and the second diameter, and the inclination and diameter may gradually change from the side discharge port to the lower discharge port.

In one embodiment, the control unit calculates the replacement use cycle of the towel through an exchange environment index, the exchange environment index includes the number of times the towel is dried, external humidity and temperature detected by the sensor unit, and the controller controls the sensor unit. The temperature of the heating unit is controlled in proportion to the temperature measured from the unit to prevent an increase in the temperature of the bathroom, and the control unit controls to notify replacement of towels when the value of the exchange environment index exceeds a predetermined value.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an automatic bathroom towel drying rack, comprising: detecting, by a measuring unit, that a towel is caught on an upper cover; Initiating measurement of the weight of the towel by the measuring unit and recording the weight of the towel; drying the towel at a predetermined air volume and a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time through heat generated by a heating unit and blowing by a blowing fan; determining whether the towel is a dry towel by determining whether the change rate of weight reduction of the towel is less than or equal to a set value; If the towel is not dry, determining whether the current mode is a quick mode; In the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are operated to the maximum, and if not in the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are adjusted according to the weight reduction change rate of the towel to dry the towel step; There is provided a control method of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack that repeats the step of drying the towels until the rate of change in weight reduction of the towels converges to a set value.

An automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention automatically dries the towels and keeps the towels dry, thereby preventing the generation of bad odors caused by the prolonged exposure of wet towels and thus the generation of bacteria. Therefore, hygiene can be improved.

In addition, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention can improve energy efficiency by reducing unnecessary electricity use by adjusting the strength of towel drying according to the drying condition of the towel.

In addition, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention automatically recognizes whether a towel is placed and whether or not the towel contains moisture to dry the towel, thereby improving user convenience because the user does not need a separate operation for drying. there is.

1 is a perspective view of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded view of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a measuring unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a lower cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart of a control method of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. This invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly describe the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exploded view of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a measuring unit of an automatic bathroom towel drying rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, an automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 100, a wall hanging part 110, an upper cover 120, a measuring part 130, and a lower cover. 140, a blowing fan 150, and a connection part 160 may be included.

The automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may be a towel holder installed on a bathroom wall. Here, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 can automatically recognize towel hanging when a user places a towel thereon and dry the towel under an operating condition proportional to the amount of moisture contained in the towel.

As a result, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent odors caused by wet towels being left for a long time and thus germs, thereby improving sanitation.

The body 100 is equipped with the main components of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10, and may include a heating unit 101 and a reinforcing member 102 on the upper surface of the body.

The heating unit 101 is provided on the lower side of the main body 100 and functions as a heat source for drying towels. For example, the heating unit 101 may be a party heater, a coil heater, a heating rod, or a heating coil that can be processed into various shapes and sizes. However, the heating unit 101 is not limited thereto and may have a suitable shape according to the shape of the main body 100 .

The main body upper surface reinforcing member 102 is provided on the upper part of the main body 100 and may be connected to a measuring unit 130 to be described later through a fixing bolt 132. The main body upper surface reinforcing member 102 has a sufficient thickness so that the fixing bolt 132 can be coupled. Therefore, the main body upper surface reinforcing member 102 is provided between the main body 100 and the measuring unit 130 to reinforce the strength of the main body 100 to prevent distortion or deformation of the main body 100.

The wall hanging part 110 is fixed to the bathroom wall through bolts (not shown), and may be provided on both sides of the main body 100 . A blowing fan 150 as described later may be provided on one side of the wall hanging part 110 .

The upper cover 120 is provided on the upper side of the main body 100, and may include an upper cover reinforcing member 121 and a bolt cover 122. The upper cover 120 may be connected through a pair of fixing bolts 123 and a measuring unit 130 as described later. The upper cover reinforcing member 121 has a sufficient thickness to be coupled with the fixing bolt 123. Accordingly, the upper cover reinforcing member 121 is provided between the upper cover 120 and the measuring unit 130 to reinforce the strength of the upper cover 120 to prevent distortion or deformation of the upper cover 120 .

Here, since the upper cover 120 is in contact with a towel, it is not easy to dry it by warm air generated from the main body 100 . To this end, the upper cover 120 may be formed of a carbon fiber heating element to dry the towel on the surface in contact with the towel hanging thereon. That is, the upper cover 120 can dry the contact area of the towel by self-heating.

The bolt cover 122 is provided on the upper side where the fixing bolt 123 is coupled with the upper cover 120, and can be formed so that the user can easily attach or detach it from the upper cover 120. In addition, the bolt cover 122 can prevent the fixing bolt 123 exposed to the upper side of the upper cover 120 from being corroded by contact with a wet towel.

The upper cover 120 may be formed in a shape suitable for holding a towel so that a towel can be placed thereon. For example, the upper cover 120 may also be implemented in a rod shape or a square column shape, but is not limited thereto.

The measuring unit 130 is provided on the upper side of the main body 100 and can measure the weight of the towel. For example, the measuring unit 130 may include a load cell 131 .

The load cell 131 may have a rectangular pillar shape in cross section. The load cell 131 may generate an electrical signal that varies according to the weight of the towel so as to measure the weight of the towel mounted on the upper cover 120 .

In addition, the load cell 131 may be coupled to the upper cover reinforcing member 121 and the main body upper surface reinforcing member 102 through fixing

bolts

123 and 132. At this time, the load cell 131 may be coupled to the upper cover 120 and a pair of fixing bolts 123 on one side and coupled to the main body 100 and a pair of fixing bolts 132 on the other side.

The lower cover 140 is provided on the lower side of the main body and can discharge wind generated from the blowing fan 150 as will be described later through the discharge port 141 . For example, the lower cover 140 may be formed in a semicircular shape to discharge air in multiple directions.

At this time, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 , the discharge port 141 may be formed with different diameters and different inclinations according to positions so that the towel can be uniformly dried regardless of the direction of air blowing.

The blowing fan 150 is provided on one side of the pair of wall hanging parts 110 to generate wind for drying towels. At this time, the temperature of the wind generated by the blowing fan 150 may rise due to heat generated by the heating unit 101 . Accordingly, the blowing fan 150 may supply warm air when the heating unit 101 operates. The blowing fan 150 may include a rotating fan 151 and an air intake filter 152 .

The rotating fan 151 is provided inside the wall hanging part 110 and can rotate according to driving by a motor (not shown). Here, the motor (not shown) may be a direct current (DC) motor capable of adjusting the rotational speed in multiple steps.

The air intake filter 152 is provided along the outer circumferential surface of the wall-mounted part 110 so that air can be sucked in so that the blowing fan 150 generates wind. The air intake filter 152 may have a lattice shape in which holes are uniformly formed to allow air to be sucked in, and impurities may be removed when the air is sucked in.

The connecting parts 160 are provided on both sides of the main body 100 to connect the main body 100 and the wall hanging part 110 . The connection part 160 has a hollow inside so that the warm air generated from the blowing fan 150 and heated by the heating part 101 passes through the main body 100 and moves to the outlet 141 of the lower cover 140. It may be a passage for In addition, a manipulation unit 170 as described later may be located on an outer circumferential surface of the connecting unit 160 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the lower cover 140 may discharge warm air for drying the towel through the outlet 141 .

The discharge port 141 may include a side discharge port 141a, a lower side discharge port 141b, and a lower discharge port 141c having different diameters and slopes in order to uniformly dry towels by position. The side discharge port 141a, the side lower discharge port 141b, and the lower discharge port 141c may have diameters different from each other. At this time, the diameter of the lower side discharge port 141b has a value between the diameter of the side discharge port 141a and the diameter of the lower discharge port 141c, and the slope and diameter gradually increase from the side discharge port 141a to the lower discharge port 141c. It can change.

The side outlet 141a may discharge warm air from both sides of the lower surface of the lower cover 140 toward the outside of the lower cover 140 . The side discharge port 141a may be formed close to the towel and may have a first diameter of the smallest size. For example, about 30% of the total discharge amount discharged from the discharge port 141 may be discharged from the side discharge port 141a. In addition, the side discharge port 141a may be inclined toward the outside of the lower cover 140 .

A plurality of lower side outlets 141b are provided between the side outlets 141a and the lower outlets 141c on the lower surface of the lower cover to discharge warm air toward the lower side of the lower cover 140 . At this time, the warm air discharged from the lower side outlet 141b may flow downward along one side of the towel. In addition, the lower side discharge port 141b may have a third diameter larger than the diameter of the side discharge port 141a and smaller than the diameter of the lower discharge port 141c.

The lower discharge port 141c is provided close to the vertical position in the center of the lower cover 140 to discharge warm air in a downward direction of the lower cover 140 . The lower discharge port 141c may have the largest second diameter so as to discharge warm air to one end of the towel hung on the upper cover 120 . That is, the amount of warm air discharged from the lower discharge port 141c is the strongest, and thus the warm air can travel to the end of the towel at the farthest distance.

Meanwhile, when the lower cover 140 has a “U” shape having extensions on both sides, the outlet 141 may further include a side outlet 141d.

The side discharge port 141d may be provided along an extension provided on both sides in a straight line. These side outlets 141d may be provided at regular intervals. At this time, the side outlets 141d may be provided horizontally and parallel to each other. In addition, since the side discharge port 141d can be contacted by a towel, a large amount of air is required. Accordingly, the side discharge port 141d may have the same diameter as the lower discharge port 141c.

At this time, the lower cover 140 may be formed with different thicknesses at the formation sites of the side discharge port 141a, the lower side discharge port 141b, and the lower discharge port 141c. For example, the lower cover 140 may be the thickest at the center of the lower surface and decrease in thickness toward both sides of the lower surface.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 includes a heating unit 101, a measuring unit 130, a blowing fan 150, a fan speed indicator 166, an audio output unit 167, and a control unit 170. ), a sensor unit 177, a storage unit 180, and a control unit 190 may be included.

Since the heating unit 101, the measurement unit 130, and the blowing fan 150 have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The fan speed indicator 166 may indicate the fan speed selected according to the input of the fan speed control button 172 and the level of the eco mode. For example, the fan speed indicator 166 may be formed of three LEDs to indicate low, medium, and high fan speeds. At this time, in the case of low speed, one LED is turned on, in the case of medium speed, two LEDs are turned on, and in the case of high speed, all three LEDs may be turned on.

When a new towel is placed on the upper cover 120, that is, when a new towel that is different in size, material, or weight from the previously used towel is placed, the voice output unit 167 prompts the user to press the exchange button 175. You can guide by voice. In addition, the voice output unit 167 may provide voice guidance so that the user can replace the towel with a new towel when the towel replacement period has elapsed. Here, the guide voice may be previously stored in the storage unit 180 to be described later.

The control unit 170 is connected to one end of the main body 100 so that a user may input an operation for selecting a function of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 . At this time, the operation of the drying function and the additional function may be selected by the control unit 170 . For example, the control unit 170 may be a protruding push button.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 170 may include a mode selection button 171, a fan speed control button 172, a timer setting button 173, a power button 174, and an exchange button 175. there is.

The mode selection button 171 may select one of the automatic mode, manual mode, quick mode, and eco mode for the towel drying function of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 . Here, in the automatic mode, when a wet towel is caught on the upper cover 120, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 automatically operates until the drying of the towel is completed.

Accordingly, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can improve user convenience because the user does not need a separate operation for drying through the automatic mode.

In the manual mode, the towel drying function is not automatically performed, and the user can manually operate the towel drying function. In the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 can be operated to the maximum so that the towel can be quickly dried. In the eco mode, the air volume of the blower fan 150 and the temperature of the heat generating unit 101 can be adjusted according to the change rate of weight reduction of the towel when drying the towel so as to operate with low noise and low energy.

The fan speed control button 172 may manually adjust the air volume of the blowing fan 150 . The fan speed control button 172 can select any one of low speed, medium speed and high speed. For example, when the fan speed control button 172 is pressed once, the blowing fan 150 operates at a low speed, and each time the fan speed control button 172 is pressed once additionally, the speed is changed to medium speed, high speed, and again to low speed so that the blowing fan 150 operates It can be.

The timer setting button 173 may manually adjust the operating time of the blowing fan 150 . For example, when the timer setting button 173 is pressed once, the blowing fan 150 may be operated for 10 minutes, and 10 minutes of operating time may be added for each additional pressing.

The power button 174 may cut off the power of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 . That is, the power button 174 can forcibly end the towel drying function of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 while it is in operation.

The exchange button 175 may input that a new towel has been placed. This has a function of resetting the towel replacement use cycle. Here, the replacement use cycle may be determined by the value of the exchange environment index calculated including the number of drying times of the towel, external humidity and temperature. The exchange environment index may be set to a high value so that towels can be frequently replaced in the hot and humid summer season. Accordingly, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may inform the user that the towel replacement cycle has elapsed when the towel replacement cycle has elapsed.

The sensor unit 177 may be provided outside the connection unit 160 or the wall hanging unit 110 so as not to be affected by heat and wind generated during the drying process. That is, the sensor unit 177 may be provided at a position where the influence of heat generated from the heating unit 101 and wind generated from the blowing fan 150 is less. The sensor unit 177 may be a temperature sensor (not shown) and a humidity sensor (not shown) to measure the temperature and humidity in the bathroom.

The storage unit 180 may store the weight of the towel measured by the measurement unit 130, the change rate of towel weight reduction, and the weight value of a new towel that has been dried in the past. Here, the weight of the towel may be a weight value of the towel continuously measured at regular time intervals. Also, the towel weight reduction change rate may be a change rate of a weight difference value of towels continuously measured at regular time intervals. In addition, the weight value of a new towel that has been dried in the past may be the weight of a stored towel when the towel mounted on the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 is a new towel.

The controller 190 may control overall operations of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to the mode selected by the manipulation unit 170 .

The control unit 190 may control the operation of the blowing fan 150 according to the measurement result of the measurement unit 130 and the user input of the control unit 170 . That is, the control unit 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 according to the weight difference value of the towel detected by the measuring unit 130 . In addition, the air volume of the blowing fan 150 may be controlled according to a user input of the manipulation unit 170 .

The control unit 190 may control the operation of the heating unit 101 according to the detection result of the sensor unit 177 . That is, the temperature of the heating unit 101 may be controlled during the drying process so that the temperature in the bathroom does not rise excessively according to the temperature and humidity sensed by the sensor unit 177 at regular intervals.

Accordingly, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can improve energy efficiency by reducing unnecessary electricity use by adjusting the drying intensity according to the drying condition of the towels.

When a weight change is sensed through the measurement unit 130, the controller 190 may control the towel to be dried at a constant air volume of the blowing fan 150 and a certain temperature of the heating unit 101 for a certain period of time. At this time, the control unit 190 may continuously store the weight of the towel in the storage unit 180 at regular time intervals. In addition, the controller 190 may control the blowing fan 150 to operate at a constant air volume and the heating unit 101 to operate at a constant temperature in order to check the amount of moisture in the towel. That is, the controller 190 may determine whether the towel is dry according to whether the weight of the towel is changed by drying the towel for a short period of time. For example, the controller 190 may control the blowing fan 150 to operate at the maximum air volume and the heating unit 101 to operate at the maximum temperature in order to check the moisture content of the towel.

The controller 190 may determine whether the towel is a dried towel by determining whether the weight reduction value of the towel is equal to or less than a set value after the towel has been dried for a predetermined time. At this time, the controller 190 may determine whether the towel placed on the towel is a dried towel according to a difference in weight values of towels stored in the storage unit 180 before and after drying the towel. That is, the controller 190 may determine whether or not the towel is dry according to the amount of weight reduction due to drying for a short time in order to know the drying state of the towel.

At this time, if the controller 190 determines that the towel is a dried towel that has been dried, that is, if the difference between the towel weight values before and after drying the towel is less than a set value with little change, it can determine whether the towel is a replaced towel. . At this time, the controller 190 may compare the average value of previously dried towels stored in the storage unit 180 with the weight value of the current towel to determine whether the towel has been replaced. If the difference between the weight values of the towels as a result of the comparison is out of the error range, the controller 190 may recognize the current towel as the replaced towel.

On the other hand, if the difference between the average value of previously dried towels stored in the storage unit 180 and the weight of the current towel is within the error range, the controller 190 determines whether the towel has the same size or shape as the previously dried towel. can be controlled to confirm to the user. For example, the controller 190 may guide the user to press the exchange button of the manipulation unit 170 when the towel has been replaced through notification of an exchange button input through the audio output unit 167 .

Meanwhile, if the towel is an undried towel, that is, if the difference between the towel weight values before and after drying the towel exceeds a set value, the controller 190 determines that the towel contains moisture and automatically performs a drying operation. You can control it.

At this time, the controller 190 determines whether the current mode is the fast mode, and if the current mode is the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 can be controlled to operate at maximum. That is, the control unit 190 may control operating conditions of the blowing fan 150 and the heating unit 101 to the maximum for drying in a short time.

In addition, the controller 190 may control the blowing fan 150 and the heating unit 101 to operate in the eco mode if the current mode is not the fast mode. At this time, the control unit 190 may dry the towel by adjusting the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 according to the weight reduction change rate of the towel. For example, the control unit 190 may control the blowing fan 150 and the heat generating unit 101 to operate in three steps according to the value of the weight reduction change rate of the towel. here. The third step may include a drying start step, an intermediate drying step, and a drying completion step. At this time, the control unit 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heat generating unit 101 to be different according to each step. For example, the control unit 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 to operate at the maximum in the drying start stage. In addition, the control unit 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 to operate in the middle in the drying intermediate stage. In addition, the control unit 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 to be operated to a minimum in the drying completion stage.

Accordingly, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can save energy by reducing the operating strength of the blower fan 150 and the heating unit 101 according to the drying progress of the towels.

At this time, the controller 190 may determine whether the towel is dry. For example, the controller 190 may determine that the towel is dried when the weight reduction change rate of the towel due to the drying operation is equal to or less than a set value. That is, the controller 190 may determine that the towel is dried when the drying operation does not further progress the drying of the towel.

In addition, when the controller 190 determines that the towel is not dry, that is, when the weight reduction change rate of the towel due to the drying operation exceeds a set value, the control unit 190 continues until the towel weight reduction change rate according to the drying operation converges to the set value. You can control the towel to dry with the current drying mode.

The controller 190 may control the air volume of the blowing fan 150 to be displayed on the fan speed indicator 166. For example, the controller 190 may control all three LEDs of the fan speed indicator 166 to be turned on at the maximum air volume and one LED to be turned on at the minimum air volume.

The controller 190 may control to output a guide voice through the voice output unit 167 . Here, the guide voice may be a notification of inputting the exchange button 175 and a notification of the lapse of towel replacement time.

In the case of notification of input of the exchange button 175, the controller 190 may guide the user to input the exchange button 175. In addition, the controller 190 may control the user to guide the user to replace a towel whose towel replacement time has passed with a new towel in case of notification of the lapse of the towel replacement period. In this case, the controller 190 may be controlled to output the guide voice previously stored in the storage 180 to the voice output unit 167 .

6 is a flowchart of a control method of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a towel is caught on the upper cover 120, the measurement unit 130 detects that the towel is caught (step S710).

Next, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 starts measuring and recording the weight of the towel by the measuring unit 130 (step S720). At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may continuously store the weight of towels at regular time intervals.

Next, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 dries the towels for a predetermined time (step S730). At this time, while the automatic bathroom towel dryer 10 is drying the towels, the blowing fan 150 may operate at a constant air volume and the heating unit 101 may operate at a constant temperature. For example, for quick drying, the blowing fan 150 may operate at a maximum air volume and the heating unit 101 may operate at a maximum temperature.

Next, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 determines whether a new towel has been dried or not (step S740). At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may determine whether the towel placed on the towel is a dried towel according to the difference between the towel weight values stored before and after drying the towel in step S730. That is, since the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 does not know the drying state of the towel, whether or not the towel is dry can be determined according to the amount of weight reduction due to drying in a short time.

As a result of the determination in step S740, if it is determined that the towel is a dried towel that has been dried, that is, if the difference between the towel weight values before and after drying the towel is less than a set value with little change, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 is replaced with the next one. It is determined whether or not the towel is worn (step S750). At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may determine whether the towel has been replaced by comparing the weight value of the current towel with the average value of previously dried towels stored. If the difference between the weight values of the towels as a result of the comparison is out of the error range, the automatic bathroom towel dryer 10 may recognize the current towel as the replaced towel (step S751).

On the other hand, if the difference between the average value of the previously dried towels stored and the weight of the current towel is within the error range, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 informs the user whether the towel has the same size or shape as the previously dried towel. You can check. At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may guide the user to press the exchange button in case of a new towel through an exchange button input notification.

At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may end the drying operation since the towels have been dried (step S760).

As a result of the determination in step S740, if it is determined that the towel is not a dried towel, that is, if the difference between the towel weight values before and after drying the towel exceeds a set value, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 determines that the towel contains moisture. It is determined whether the current mode is the fast mode in order to automatically perform the drying operation by determining (step S770).

As a result of the determination in step S770, if the current mode is the quick mode, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may operate the quick mode (step S771). At this time, the automatic bathroom towel dryer 10 may operate the air volume of the blowing fan 130 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 to the maximum so as to quickly dry the towels.

As a result of the determination in step S770, if the current mode is not the quick mode, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may operate the eco mode (step S772). At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may adjust the air volume of the blower fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 in proportion to the towel weight reduction change rate. For example, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 can adjust the air volume of the blower fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 in three stages according to the weight reduction change rate of towels. here. The third step may include a drying start step, an intermediate drying step, and a drying completion step. At this time, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may be operated by varying the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 according to each step. For example, the automatic bathroom towel dryer 10 may operate the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 at the maximum in the drying start stage. In addition, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may operate at an intermediate air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 in an intermediate stage of drying. In addition, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may operate the air volume of the blowing fan 150 and the temperature of the heating unit 101 to a minimum in the drying completion stage. Therefore, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 can save energy by reducing the operating intensity of the blower fan 150 and the heating unit 101 according to the drying progress of the towels.

Next to steps S771 and S772, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 determines whether the rate of change in weight reduction of towels is equal to or less than a set value (step S780).

As a result of the determination in step S780, if the rate of change in weight reduction of the towel due to the drying operation is less than or equal to the set value, the automatic bathroom towel drying unit 10 determines that the towel is dry because the towel is not dried by the drying operation. The operation ends (step S760).

As a result of the determination in step S780, if the weight reduction change rate of the towel due to the drying operation exceeds the set value, the automatic bathroom towel drying unit 10 determines that the towel is being dried and returns to step S770 to return to the current mode until the towel is dried. The drying operation according to may be repeated. That is, the automatic bathroom towel drying rack 10 may repeat the drying operation until the weight reduction change rate of towels converges to a set value.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented herein, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention may add elements within the scope of the same spirit. However, other embodiments can be easily proposed by means of changes, deletions, additions, etc., but these will also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A main body having a heating unit inside;

Wall mounts provided on both sides of the main body and installed on a wall;

an upper cover provided on the upper side of the main body and on which a towel is hung;

a measurement unit for measuring the weight of the towel hung on the upper cover;

a lower cover provided with a discharge port for discharging the warm air heated by the heating unit on the lower surface of the main body to the outside;

a blowing fan controlling the amount of air discharged through the outlet; and

and a control unit controlling the temperature of the heating unit and the air volume of the blower fan according to the weight of the towel measured by the measuring unit.
According to claim 1,

The automatic bathroom towel drying rack of claim 1 , wherein a surface of the upper cover in contact with which the towel is hung is formed of a carbon fiber heating element.
According to claim 1,

The measurement unit is coupled between the main body and the upper cover and includes a load cell,

The control unit,

Calculate a weight reduction change rate of the towel according to the evaporation of the moisture contained in the towel,

Drying the towel with a certain air volume of the blowing fan and a certain temperature of the heating part for a certain time,

It is determined whether the weight reduction change rate of the towel is less than or equal to a set value to determine whether it is a dry towel;

If the towel is an undried towel, determine whether the current mode is a quick mode;

In the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are operated to the maximum, and if not in the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are adjusted according to the weight reduction rate of the towel to dry the towel. ,

An automatic bathroom towel drying rack that controls to dry the towels until the weight reduction change rate of the towels converges to the set value.
According to claim 1,

The blower fan is provided inside the wall hanging part, and the air volume is adjusted according to the dry condition of the towel.

The automatic bathroom towel drying rack of claim 1 , wherein the air sucked into the air intake filter formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wall hanging unit is moved to the discharge port of the lower cover through a hollow part provided inside the connecting unit.
According to claim 1,

The outlet is

Including a side discharge port, a side lower discharge port and a lower discharge port having different diameters,

The side discharge port is inclined from both sides of the lower surface of the lower cover toward the outer side of the lower cover and has a first diameter,

The lower discharge port is provided close to vertical at the center of the lower surface of the lower cover and has a second diameter different from the first diameter,

The lower side discharge port is provided in plurality between the side discharge port and the lower discharge port on the lower surface of the lower cover and has a third diameter of a value between the first diameter and the second diameter, and the lower discharge port in the side discharge port. Automatic bathroom towel rack with a gradual change in inclination and diameter from side to side.
According to claim 1,

The control unit calculates the replacement use cycle of the towel through an exchange environment index,

The exchange environment index includes the number of towel drying times, external humidity and temperature detected by the sensor unit,

The control unit adjusts the temperature of the heating unit in proportion to the temperature sensed by the sensor unit to control the bathroom temperature to be prevented from rising,

The control unit controls to notify replacement of towels when the value of the exchange environment index is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.
In the control method of the automatic bathroom towel drying rack,

detecting that the towel is caught on the upper cover when the towel is caught on the upper cover;

Initiating measurement of the weight of the towel by the measuring unit and recording the weight of the towel;

drying the towel at a predetermined air volume and a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time through heat generated by a heating unit and blowing by a blowing fan;

determining whether the towel is dry by determining whether the weight reduction value of the towel is less than or equal to a set value;

If the towel is not dry, determining whether the current mode is a quick mode;

In the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are operated to the maximum, and if not in the fast mode, the air volume of the blowing fan and the temperature of the heating part are adjusted according to the weight reduction rate of the towel to dry the towel step;

A method of controlling an automatic bathroom towel drying rack by repeating the step of drying the towels until the rate of change in weight reduction of the towels converges to the set value.