Patent Application
20240271353
The disclosure relates to a clothes dryer and, more specifically, to a clothes dryer that predicts a risk of freezing and informs the user of the risk, and provides driving in a prepared anti-freeze driving mode according to the user's selection and a method for controlling the same.
A clothes dryer is a device for drying objects by supplying hot air into a drum containing the objects made of various materials, which may include clothes, towels, and blankets, while rotating the drum at low speed. Typically, clothes dryers may be categorized into exhausting type dryers that directly discharge the humid air from the drum to the outside after heat exchange with the drying objects in the drum and circulating (or condensing) dryers that dehumidify and heat the humid air from the drum to circulate back into the drum, rather than directly discharging the humid air to the outside. The condensing dryers have a heat pump system composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and is configured to circulate refrigerant among them. In the condensing dryer, the humid air discharged from the drum is heat exchanged (and dehumidified) through contact to the evaporator of the heat pump system and is heated through the condenser, and the resultant hot, dry air is introduced back into the drum. Condensate from the air builds up on the surface of the evaporator during the heat exchange process. The condensate on the surface of the evaporator accumulates on the bottom of the base and then moves to the pump chamber, and the pump operates to discharge the condensate accumulated in the pump chamber to the outside at regular periods or based on a predetermined water level.
In a condensing dryer, if the external temperature of the space where the dryer is installed is decreased, the condensate remaining inside the dryer may freeze, and the frozen condensate may disturb the operation of the dryer. For example, the freezing of the condensate remaining on the surface of the evaporator deteriorates the rate of heat exchange with the air discharged from the drum. For example, freezing of the condensate remaining in the hose inside the clothes dryer deteriorates smooth drainage. For example, freezing of the condensate remaining in the pump chamber constrains the impeller of the pump, impeding the operation of the pump and turning the clothes dryer into a drain failure detection state without the condensate being discharged from the pump chamber. There are a variety of methods that have been tried to de-ice clothes dryers, all of which are reactive and require significant time and effort to remove the ice, causing user inconvenience. In addition, many of the methods that are commonly tried to remove ice, such as pouring hot water into the pump chamber, are likely to cause accidents or even failure of the clothes dryer.
An aspect of the disclosure is to provide a clothes dryer that may be driven in an anti-freeze mode for preventing freezing when there is a risk of freezing and may effectively prevent freezing while minimizing noise or power consumption occurring as the dryer runs, and an anti-freeze mode driving method.
Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a clothes dryer that may predict a risk of freezing, inform the user of the risk, and operate in a prepared anti-freeze mode according to the user's selection.
Aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a clothes dryer includes a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried; a flow passage configured to guide air discharged from an inside of the drum to an outside of the drum, and then to be introduced back into the inside of the drum; a heat pump system configured to heat the air that is to be introduced back into the inside of the drum, the heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which a refrigerant circulates; and a controller configured to, in response to receiving a command for an anti-freeze mode operation, control the clothes dryer to perform a heating operation in which the compressor is driven for a first period of time, after the compressor is driven for the first period of time, the compressor is stopped for a second period of time, and the driving of the compressor for the first period of time and the stopping of the compressor for the second period of time is repeated a plurality of times.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a temperature acquisition unit configured to obtain an external temperature value; and a control table including a plurality of operation frequencies for the compressor, the plurality of operation frequencies corresponding to a plurality of external temperatures respectively, in relation to the anti-freeze mode operation. The controller may be configured to, in response to receiving the command for the anti-freeze mode operation, obtain a corresponding operation frequency among the plurality of operation frequencies from the control table based on the obtained external temperature value. The driving of the compressor for the first period of time may include driving the compressor according to the obtained corresponding operation frequency.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a refrigerant temperature sensor configured to obtain a temperature of refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The control table may include a plurality of target temperatures for the refrigerant, the plurality of target temperatures corresponding to the plurality of external temperatures respectively. The driving of the compressor for the first period of time may include driving the compressor according to the obtained operation frequency until the obtained temperature of the refrigerant reaches a corresponding target temperature among the plurality of target temperatures, and, after the obtained temperature of the refrigerant reaches the corresponding target temperature, driving the compressor according to an adjusted operation frequency so that the obtained temperature of the refrigerant remains at the corresponding target temperature.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a temperature acquisition unit configured to obtain an external temperature value; a heater installed on the flow passage; and a control table including a plurality of turn-on/off conditions for the heater, the plurality of turn-on/off conditions corresponding to a plurality of external temperatures respectively, in relation to the anti-freeze mode operation. The controller may be configured to in response to receiving the command for the anti-freeze mode operation, obtain a corresponding turn-on/off condition among the plurality of turn-on/off conditions for the heater from the control table based on the obtained external temperature value, and repeatedly turn on/off the heater according to the obtained corresponding turn-on/off condition while the compressor is driven for the first period of time.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a refrigerant temperature sensor configured to obtain a temperature of refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The corresponding turn-on/off condition for the heater may be determined based on the obtained temperature of the refrigerant.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first period of time may be shorter than the second period of time.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller may be configured to, in response to receiving the command for the anti-freeze mode operation, control the clothes dryer to perform a preparatory operation of waiting for a predetermined time with the compressor turned off before starting the heating operation.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a blower fan configured to cause air to move in the flow passage. The controller may be configured to control the blower fan to be driven while the preparatory operation is performed.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a heater installed on the flow passage; and a blower fan configured to cause air to move in the flow passage. The controller may be configured to control the blower fan to be driven with the compressor and the heater turned off for a predetermined time after the heating operation is performed the plurality of times.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a temperature acquisition unit configured to obtain an external temperature value. The controller may be configured to monitor the obtained external temperature value and, upon determining that there is a risk of freezing, generate a message indicating the risk of freezing.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the temperature acquisition unit may include at least one of a temperature sensor installed on the clothes dryer and a communication unit configured to obtain the external temperature value from an external server through a communication network.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the message may include an inquiry as to whether to perform the anti-freeze mode operation.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a display configured to output information for the user; and an input unit configured to receive an input from the user. The controller may be configured to control the message to be displayed through the display, and receive the command from a user for the anti-freeze mode operation through the input unit.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the clothes dryer may further include a communication unit configured to communicate with a pre-registered user equipment (UE) through a communication network. The controller may be configured to control the message to be transmitted to the UE through the communication unit, and receive the command for the anti-freeze mode operation from the UE through the communication unit.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, provided is a method of performing an anti-freeze mode operation in a clothes dryer, the clothes dryer including a temperature sensor, a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried, a flow passage configured to guide air discharged from an inside of the drum to an outside of the drum, and then to be introduced back into the inside of the drum, a heat pump system configured to heat the air that is to be introduced back into the inside of the drum, the heat pump system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which a refrigerant circulates, a blower fan configured to cause air to move in the flow passage, a motor configured to rotate the blower fan, and a heater configured to heat the air that is to be introduced back into the inside of the drum, the method including performing a heating operation including driving the motor, the compressor, and the heater for a first period time based on an operation specification determined according to a temperature measured by the temperature sensor, after driving the motor, the compressor, and the heater for the first period of time, stopping the motor, the compressor, and the heater for a second period of time, and repeating, for a plurality of times, the driving of the motor, the compressor, and the heater for the first period of time and the stopping of the motor, the compressor, and the heater for the second period of time; and after performing the heating operation, performing a cooling operation in which the motor is driven to rotate the fan for a third period of time with the compressor and the heater stopped.
The clothes dryer according to various embodiments of the disclosure may maintain its internal temperature not to decrease to the freezing temperature by driving in the anti-freeze mode although the external temperature is decreased, thereby allowing the user to conveniently use the clothes dryer anytime when he/she desires to dry clothes without inconveniences due to freezing. The clothes dryer and anti-freeze driving method according to various embodiments of the disclosure may minimize the driving of the motor, compressor, and heater within a range of bringing about an anti-freeze effect, thereby preventing excessive waste of power for anti-freeze purposes and excessive noise. The clothes dryer according to various embodiments of the disclosure may predict a risk of freezing when the external temperature decreases and inform the user of the risk, thereby allowing the user to be aware of the risk of freezing and take appropriate proactive measures.
Effects of the present invention are not limited to the foregoing, and other unmentioned effects would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following description. In other words, unintended effects in practicing embodiments of the disclosure may also be derived by one of ordinary skill in the art from the embodiments of the disclosure.
These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in such a detailed manner as to be easily practiced by one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the disclosure may be implemented in other various forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The same or similar reference denotations may be used to refer to the same or similar elements throughout the specification and the drawings. Further, for clarity and brevity, no description is made of well-known functions and configurations in the drawings and relevant descriptions.
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the housing 110 may have a substantially hexahedral shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the housing 110 may include a base plate 111, a front cover 112, a top cover 113, and a side/rear cover 114. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the front cover 112 may include an opening (not shown) formed in the center. A door 115 may be rotatably installed on the front cover 112 in a position corresponding to the opening. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the opening on the front cover 112 may be opened or closed by opening and closing the door 115.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an input unit 117 for receiving control inputs from the user and a display 118 for displaying a screen for guiding the user's input or various pieces of information regarding the operation of the dryer 100 may be disposed at the upper end of the front cover 112 of the housing 110. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a temperature sensor 119 may be disposed near the display 118 at an upper end of the front cover 112 of the housing 110. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the temperature sensor 119 may detect the temperature of the surrounding external air of the condensing clothes dryer 110 and transfer the detected temperature to a controller (see
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the drum 120 may have a cylindrical shape with open front and rear surfaces and horizontally disposed. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the front surface and rear surface of the drum 120 may be rotatably supported by a front panel 121 and a rear panel 122, respectively, fixed to the housing 110. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an open part 123 may be formed in positions corresponding to the above-described door 115 and opening (not shown) in the front cover 112, in the center of the front panel 121. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the opening of the front cover 112 and the open part 123 on the front panel 121 may be opened and closed together by opening and closing the above-described door 115. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, when the opening in the front cover 112 and the open part 123 are opened, the item to be dried may be put into the inside of the drum 120 or the drying item may be removed from the inside of the drum 120.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an exhaust port 124 may be formed on a lower side of the front panel 121. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, air from the inside of the drum 120 may be discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 124. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, a drum discharge temperature sensor 127 may be disposed near the exhaust port 124 to measure the temperature of the air discharged from inside the drum 120, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In the drawings, the drum discharge temperature sensor 127 is illustrates as being disposed near the exhaust port 124 on the front duct 144 described below, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the drum discharge temperature sensor 127 may be disposed at any position near the exhaust port 124 inside or outside the drum 120 to be able to measure the temperature of the air discharged from the drum 120.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, on the rear panel 122 supporting the rear surface of the drum 120, a hot air inlet 125 for allowing hot dry air to flow into the drum 120 may be formed. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, high-temperature dry air may be introduced into the drum 120 from the air circulation flow passage 140, which is described below, through the hot air inlet 125.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the drum 120 may include a plurality of lifters 126 protruding on the inner circumferential surface as shown in
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the drum driver 130 may include a driving motor 131 disposed under the drum 120 inside the housing 110 and a driving pulley 132 connected to the driving motor 131 and receiving power from the driving motor 131 to rotate. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the drum driver 130 may include a belt 133 to rotate the drum 120 while being rotated by the rotation of the driving pulley 132. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the belt 133 may be installed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the driving pulley 132 and the outer circumferential surface of the drum 120 and, as the driving pulley 132 is rotated as the driving motor 131 is driven, the drum 120 may be rotated. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the drum 120 may be rotated clockwise and/or counterclockwise as the driving motor 131 is driven.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the air circulation flow passage 140 may include a blower fan 141 disposed on the air circulation flow passage 140 to circulate air through the air circulation flow passage 140 and a blower fan case 142 to receive the blower fan 141. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the air circulation flow passage 140 may include the front duct 144 connecting the exhaust port 124 on the side of the front panel 121 of the drum 120 and the blower fan 141, and a rear duct 145 connecting the downstream portion of the blower fan 141 to the hot air inlet 125 on the rear panel 122 of the drum 120.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, a filter 147 may be disposed on the front duct 144 of the air circulation flow passage 140. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the filter 147 may filter foreign bodies in the air discharged through the exhaust port 124 from the inside of the drum 120, e.g., dust or lint from the drying item inside the drum 120. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, at least a portion of the heat pump system 150 described below and a heater 146 may be disposed on the rear duct 145 of the air circulation flow passage 140.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the heat pump system 150 may dehumidify and heat the air circulating through the air circulation flow passage 140, particularly the rear duct 145, into a hot dry state. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the heat pump system 150 may include a compressor (156 of
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, as shown in
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may compress a gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure state and discharge the compressed high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant. For example, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may compress the refrigerant through reciprocation of the piston or rotation of the rotator, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 may pass through the refrigerant temperature sensor 159 and the temperature may be measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor 159. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 may be transferred to the condenser 152. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the condenser 152 may condense the compressed gaseous refrigerant into liquid, while discharging heat to the outside. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the liquid refrigerant condensed by the condenser 152 may be transferred to the expansion valve 158. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the expansion valve 158 may expand the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 152 into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the evaporator 154 may evaporate the liquid refrigerant expanded through the expansion valve 158, and the resultant low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant may be returned to the compressor 156. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the evaporator 154 may absorb heat from the surroundings through an evaporation process of changing the low-pressure liquid refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant. In short, as shown in
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, as described above, humid air may be discharged from the drum 120 (e.g., through the exhaust port 124 shown in
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the air dehumidified and cooled through contact to the evaporator 154 may be heated through contact to the condenser 152 as described above. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, as described above, the condenser 152 may discharge heat in the process of condensing the compressed gaseous refrigerant into liquid, and the ambient air may be heated by the discharged heat. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the air heated through the condenser 152 may be moved to the drum 120 and be further heated by the heater 146 as shown in
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the temperature sensor 119 may measure the temperature of the external air surrounding the clothes dryer 100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as described above in connection with
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the input unit 117 may receive various inputs/commands from the user. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the input unit 117 may receive a selection for the operation mode of the dryer 100, e.g., an anti-freeze mode or a dry mode, from the user According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the input unit 117 may receive an operation start and/or stop command according to the selected mode, from the user.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may support communication with various types of external devices, e.g., a predesignated UE or external data server through an external communication network according to various types of wired/wireless communication protocols. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may support any short-range wireless communication protocol such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN (WLAN), Zigbee, or Z-wave. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may support any communication protocol such as TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, or MQTT. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may also support any wireless communication protocol such as GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, or 6G. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may receive information about the temperature change related to the location of the condensing clothes dryer 100 from an external data server according to any wired or wireless communication protocol. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may transmit a message indicating that a freezing risk has occurred to an external UE according to any wired or wireless communication protocol. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communication unit 410 may receive an operation command according to the anti-freeze mode from the external UE according to any wired or wireless communication protocol.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the driving motor 131 may rotate clockwise and/or counterclockwise according to the control signal from the controller 420 to be described below. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as described above in connection with
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may operate according to a predetermined operating frequency under the control of the controller 420 to be described below. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may compress the gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure state and then discharge it. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, as the operating frequency of the compressor 156 increases, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 may increase. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 may be measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor 159. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as is described below, when the clothes dryer 100 operates in the anti-freeze mode, the controller 420 may adjust the operation frequency of the compressor 156 considering the measured value of the refrigerant temperature sensor 159.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as described above with reference to
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the controller 420 may monitor a temperature value (ambient temperature) related to the condensing clothes dryer 100 and continuously determine whether there is a risk of freezing. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may continuously obtain the temperature measured by, e.g., the temperature sensor 119 and/or the related temperature from an external data server (e.g., the weather server) through the communication unit 410, and may determine whether the obtained temperature meets a freezing risk requirement. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may continuously monitor and determine whether the obtained temperature remains less than or equal to a threshold for a predetermined time or more. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when it is determined that the freezing risk requirement is met, the controller 420 may generate a message indicating the determination. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may transmit a message indicating the freezing risk to the display 118. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may transmit a message indicating the freezing risk to a predetermined external UE through the communication unit 410.
According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the controller 420 may receive, from the above-described input unit 117, various inputs or commands from the user, received on the input unit 117. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may also receive various inputs or commands transmitted from the external UE through the communication unit 410 described above. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may receive selection of the anti-freeze mode by the user from the input unit 117 or the communication unit 410. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may receive an operation start and/or stop command from the user through the input unit 117 or the communication unit 410.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, upon receiving the selection of the anti-freeze mode and the operation start command through the input unit 117 or the communication unit 410, the controller 420 may start the operation according to the anti-freeze mode. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may obtain, e.g., various control information to be used when operating in the anti-freeze mode from the control table 430, e.g., operation specifications for each condition of the compressor 156 and/or the heater 146. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may continuously receive and monitor the temperature measurement value of the refrigerant discharged by the compressor 156 from the refrigerant temperature sensor 159 after the operation in the anti-freeze mode is started. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may control the operation of the driving motor 131, the compressor 156, and/or the heater 146 based on the control information obtained from the control table 430 and the refrigerant temperature obtained from the refrigerant temperature sensor 159, thereby performing the operation in the anti-freeze mode.
First, in step 502, the control unit 420 may determine whether the freezing risk requirement is met. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may obtain the temperature value continuously measured from the temperature sensor 119, and determine whether the freezing risk requirement is met by comparing the received temperature value with a reference value. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may determine whether the freezing risk requirement is met by continuously obtaining the temperature value from the outside (e.g., an external data server) through the communication unit 410 and comparing the received temperature value with the reference value. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the temperature obtained over a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds or more) remains less than or equal to the reference value (e.g., 2 degrees Celsius), it may be determined that the freezing risk requirement is met, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
When it is determined in step 502 that the freezing risk requirement is met, the procedure may proceed to step 504. In step 504, the controller 420 may generate a message indicating that a freezing risk has occurred and inquiring about whether to perform an operation in the anti-freeze mode. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may control to display the generated message through the display 118. According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may transmit the generated message to a pre-registered UE through the communication unit 430.
In this regard,
Meanwhile, although not illustrated in
Referring back to
If the operation in the anti-freeze mode starts, in step 702, the controller 420 may enter the compressor operation preparation step to start driving the driving motor 131 and may wait a predetermined time period (e.g., A minutes). During the time, the blower fan 141 may be driven by the driving of the driving motor 131, and the subsequent operations may be prepared with the compressor 156 (and heater 146) of the heat pump system 150 stopped. In step 704, it is determined whether a predetermined time period (e.g., A minutes) elapses and, when the predetermined time elapses, the procedure proceeds to step 706, starting the heating operation step.
In step 706, the controller 420 may first identify the external temperature. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may identify the external temperature at the time from, e.g., the above-described temperature sensor 119. According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may identify the external temperature at the time by the temperature measured by another temperature sensor (e.g., the drum discharge temperature sensor 127) installed on the clothes dryer 100.
Then, in step 708, the controller 420 may obtain the compressor operation specifications and the heater operation specifications from the control table 430 based on the temperature identified in step 706. Although not shown, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the control table 430, a plurality of sections for the external temperature may be divided and, for each section, an initial operation frequency and/or discharge refrigerant target temperature for the compressor 156 may be defined. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the lower the temperature, the higher the initial operation frequency of the compressor 156 and the discharge refrigerant target temperature may be defined, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Although not shown, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the control table 430, a plurality of sections for the external temperature may be divided and, for each section, turn-on and turn-off conditions for the heater 146 (e.g., a refrigerant discharge temperature condition for turning on the heater 146 and a refrigerant discharge temperature condition for turning off the heater 146) may be defined. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the turn-off condition of the heater 146 may be set to be constant regardless of the section to which the external temperature belongs, and the turn-on condition may be defined as a higher temperature as the temperature decreases, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may obtain, from the control table 430, the initial operation frequency of the compressor 156 and/or the discharged refrigerant target temperature defined corresponding to the section to which the external temperature identified in step 706 belongs, as the compressor operation specification. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may obtain, from the control table 430, a condition for turning on and off the heater 456 defined corresponding to the section to which the external temperature identified in step 706 belongs, as the heater operation specification.
Then, in step 710, the controller 420 may control each of the compressor 156 and the heater 146 to be driven for a predetermined time period (e.g., B minutes), based on the compressor operation specification and the heater operation specification obtained in step 708. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may control the compressor 156 to start operation according to the compressor operation specification obtained in step 708, e.g., at the obtained initial operation frequency and, after the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 reaches the discharged refrigerant target temperature, control the compressor 156 to operate while adjusting the operation frequency of the compressor 156 to maintain the temperature. Accordingly, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, each heating operation step may have a first section where the compressor 156 is driven at the initial operation frequency of the compressor operation specification and a second section where, after the refrigerant discharge temperature increases to the target as a result of the driving in the first section, the compressor 156 is driven at a frequency adjusted to maintain the increased temperature. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 420 may turn on, e.g., the heater 146 according to the heater operation specification obtained in step 708 and may then control the operation of the heater 146 in such a manner as to, if the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 reaches the obtained turn-off condition, turn off the heater 146 and, if reaching the turn-on condition, turn on the heater 146. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the heater 146 may be continuously controlled to turn on/off according to temperature changes while the heating operation step lasts.
In step 712, it is determined whether the set time period (e.g., B minutes) elapses and, if so, the procedure may proceed to step 714, entering the heating stop step. In step 714, the controller 420 may wait for a predetermined time period (e.g., C minutes) with all of the driving motor 131, the compressor 156, and the heater 146 stopped. In step 716, it is determined whether the predetermined time period (e.g., C minutes) elapses and, if so, the procedure may proceed to step 718. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as is described below, the heating operation step of step 706 to step 712 and the heating stop step of step 714 to step 716 may be repeated multiple times (e.g., D times), and only in the final round, the duration of the heating stop step may be set to be slightly shorter (e.g., C-3 minutes) than that in the other heating stop steps, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In step 718, it may be determined whether the heating operation step of step 706 to step 712 and the heating stop step of step 714 to step 716 are repeated a predetermined number of times (e.g., D times). In step 718, if it is determined that the steps are not repeated the predetermined number of times, the procedure may return to step 706. In step 718, if it is determined that the steps are repeated the predetermined number of times, the procedure may proceed to step 720, entering the cooling step for a predetermined time period (e.g., E minutes). In the cooling step 720, the controller 420 may cool the internal components of the dryer 100 by driving only the driving motor 131 (and resultant driving of the blower fan) for a predetermined time with the compressor 156 and the heater 146 stopped.
In the disclosure, in connection with
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The terms as used herein are provided merely to describe some embodiments thereof, but are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” may include all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, the term ‘and/or’ should be understood as encompassing any and all possible combinations by one or more of the enumerated items. As used herein, the terms “include,” “have,” and “comprise” are used merely to designate the presence of the feature, component, part, or a combination thereof described herein, but use of the term does not exclude the likelihood of presence or adding one or more other features, components, parts, or combinations thereof. As used herein, the terms “first” and “second” may modify various components regardless of importance and/or order and are used to distinguish a component from another without limiting the components.
As used herein, the terms “configured to” may be interchangeably used with the terms “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of” depending on circumstances. The term “configured to” does not essentially mean “specifically designed in hardware to.” Rather, the term “configured to” may mean that a device can perform an operation together with another device or parts. For example, a ‘device configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C’ may be a dedicated device to perform the corresponding operation or may mean a general-purpose device capable of various operations including the corresponding operation.
As used herein, the term “part” or “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A part or module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, ‘part’ or ‘module’ may be implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single entity or multiple entities. Some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or another component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.
In the disclosure, the above-described description has been made mainly of specific embodiments, but the disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments, but should rather be appreciated as covering all various modifications, equivalents, and/or substitutes of various embodiments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0184875 | Dec 2021 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of International Application No. PCT/KR2022/016178, filed on Oct. 21, 2022, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application 10-2021-0184875, filed on Dec. 22, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2022/016178 | Oct 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18640864 | US |
