Patent Application
20240271354
The disclosure relates to a dryer that performs a defrost operation and a method for controlling the same.
A dryer is an electronic product that dries drying items, such as clothing, towels, or blankets. For example, the dryer has a drum for receiving drying items, and may dry the drying items by supplying hot air into the drum while rotating the drum at low speed.
Typically, dryers may be divided into an exhausting dryer that directly discharges a humid air from the drum to an outside after heat exchange with the drying items in the drum and a circulating (or condensing) dryer that circulates the humid air from the drum back into the drum after dehumidifying and heating the air rather than directly discharging the humid air to the outside.
A condensing dryer has a heat pump system composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and is configured to circulate refrigerant between 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 then flows back into the drum in a high-temperature, dry state, during the heat exchange process described above, condensate from the air forms on the surface of the evaporator. The condensate on the surface of the evaporator accumulates on the bottom of the dryer base and then moves to a pump chamber, and a drain pump operates to discharge the condensate accumulated in the pump chamber to the outside at regular periods or based on a predetermined water level.
However, in the winter season when an external temperature is low, the condensate remaining in the pump chamber of the dryer may freeze, constraining the drain pump, with the result of failure to drain the condensate. If the drying item is dried in the frozen pump chamber, the condensate generated before the ice melts continues to fill up, so that the full water level in the pump chamber is detected by a water level sensor. However, to defrost the pump chamber, the dryer drives the heat pump system regardless of whether the water level sensor detects the full water level, and defrosts the pump chamber using the heat discharged from, e.g., an air passage through which the air circulating inside and outside the drum flows or the compressor provided near the pump chamber.
Various embodiments of the disclosure provide a dryer limiting the number of forced drains of condensate considering whether a drying item is present in the drum of the dryer and a method for controlling the same.
Various embodiments of the disclosure provide a dryer performing a defrost operation until condensate is drained from the dryer if no drying item is present in the drum of the dryer and a method for controlling the same.
A dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure may comprise a drum configured to receive a drying item, at least one first sensor configured to detect a presence of the drying item in the drum, a pump chamber configured to store condensate, a drain pump configured to discharge the condensate from the pump chamber, and a controller configured to, when detecting the drying item in the drum based on a signal of the at least one first sensor, limit a number of forced drains of the drain pump to reduce a water level of the pump chamber.
A method for controlling a dryer including a drum configured to receive a drying item, at least one first sensor configured to detect the drying item in the drum, a pump chamber configured to store condensate, a second sensor configured to detect a water level of the pump chamber, and a drain pump configured to discharge the condensate, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, may comprise obtaining information for detecting the drying item in the drum through the at least one first sensor, obtaining water level information about the pump chamber through the second sensor and determining whether the water level of the pump chamber is a full water level based on the obtained water level information about the pump chamber, determining whether the drying item is present in the drum based on the information for detecting the drying item in the drum when the water level of the pump chamber is the full water level, and limiting a number of forced drains of the pump chamber to lower the water level of the pump chamber when the drying item is present in the drum.
The dryer according to various embodiments of the disclosure may limit the number of forced drains when a drying item is present in the drum of the dryer and stop the defrost operation when the full water level in the pump chamber storing condensate is not relieved even with the limited number of forced drains, thereby preventing water leakage due to additionally generated condensate. It is also possible to prevent damage to the drying item due to hot air.
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.
Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.
Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.
Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.
For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts:
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
The housing 110 may include a base plate 111 forming a bottom surface of the dryer 100, a front cover 112 forming a front surface of the dryer 100, a top cover 113 forming a top surface of the dryer 100, and a side cover 114 forming a lateral surface and a rear surface of the dryer 100.
An opening for loading or unloading drying items into/from the drum 120 may be formed in a center of the front cover 112.
The housing 110 may include a door 115 rotatably connected to the front cover 112. The door 115 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the opening of the front cover 112. The opening may be opened and closed by rotation of the door 115.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include an input 117 receiving a command for controlling the operation of the dryer 100 from the user. The input 117 may be disposed on the front cover 112. The input 117 may include, e.g., at least one of a jog shuttle or a dial type input 117a which may be gripped to rotate by the user and a touch pad or a key/button type input 117b.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a display 118 that outputs various information about the operation of the dryer 100. The display 118 may be disposed on the front cover 112. The display 118 may include various types of display panels such as an LCD, an LED, an OLED, a QLED, and a micro LED. A touch pad may be disposed on the front surface of the display 118 to be implemented as a touch screen.
Referring to
An open portion 123 may be formed in a central portion of the front panel 121. The open portion 123 may be formed at a position corresponding to the opening of the front cover 112 and the door 115. As the door 115 is opened and closed, the opening of the front cover 112 and the open portion 123 of the front panel 121 may be opened and closed together. When the door 115 is opened, the drum 120 may communicate with the dryer 100, and the user may put the drying items into the drum 120 or withdraw the drying items from the inside of the drum 120. When the door 115 is closed, the drum 120 may be blocked from the outside of the dryer 100.
An air outlet 124 through which air flows may be formed on a lower side of the front panel 121. The internal air of the drum 120 may be discharged to the outside of the drum 120 through the air outlet 124.
An air inlet 125 through which air flows may be formed in the rear panel 122. The external air of the drum 120 may be supplied into the drum 120 through the air inlet 125.
The drum 120 may include a plurality of lifters 126 protruding from an inner circumferential surface of the drum 120. Each of the plurality of lifters 126 may repeatedly raise and lower the drying items as the drum 120 rotates. Accordingly, the drying items may be evenly dried during the drying process.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a roller 128 for supporting rotation of the drum 120. The roller 128 may be disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the drum 120.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a drum driver 130 for rotating the drum 120. The drum driver 130 may include a motor 131 generating power, a pulley 132 rotated by receiving power from the motor 131, and a belt 133 connecting the pulley 132 and the drum 120. The belt 133 may be installed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the pulley 132 and the outer circumferential surface of the drum 120 and, as the motor 131 is driven, the pulley 132 may rotate, and so may the drum 120. The drum 120 may rotate clockwise and/or counterclockwise according to driving of the motor 131.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include an air flow passage 140 for guiding air circulating inside and outside the drum 120 and a blower fan 141 for generating an air flow.
The air flow passage 140 may include a front duct 144 connecting the air outlet 124 of the front panel 121 and the blower fan 141, and a rear duct 145 connecting the air inlet 125 of the rear panel 122 and the blower fan 141.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pulley 132 may be connected to one side of the driving motor 131, and the blower fan 141 may be connected to the other side of the driving motor 131. Accordingly, when the driving motor 131 is operated, not only the pulley 132 but also the blower fan 141 may be rotated by receiving power from the driving motor 131. According to certain embodiments, a separate motor for driving the blower fan 141 may be further provided in the housing 110. Accordingly, the pulley 132 and the blower fan 141 may rotate independently regardless of the operation of the driving motor 131. When the blower fan 141 is operated, the air inside the drum 120 may be discharged to the outside of the drum 120 through the air outlet 124 by the air flow generated by the rotation of the blower fan 141, and the air outside the drum 120 may be supplied to the inside of the drum 120 through the air inlet 125. Accordingly, air may circulate inside and outside the drum 120.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a filter 146 for filtering foreign substances contained in the air circulating inside and outside the drum 120. The filter 146 may filter foreign substances such as dust or lint generated from the drying item during the drying process. The filter 146 may be disposed in the front duct 144 of the air flow passage 140.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a heat pump system 150 for dehumidifying or heating air circulating inside and outside the drum 120 through heat exchange between a refrigerant and air.
The heat pump system 150 may be installed on the base plate 111 of the housing 110. At least some of the components, e.g., a condenser 152 and an evaporator 154, of the heat pump system 150 may be disposed in the air flow passage 140. The heat pump system 150 may include a compressor 156 (see
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may compress the refrigerant through the reciprocating motion of the piston in a cylinder. According to certain embodiments of the disclosure, the compressor 156 may compress the refrigerant through the rotational motion of a rotor. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.
The air discharged from the drum 120 and introduced into the front duct 144 may be heat-exchanged with the refrigerant to be cooled in the evaporator 154 disposed on the air flow passage 140. Moisture contained in the air discharged from the drum 120 may be condensed and removed by the heat exchange process. Accordingly, condensate may be generated near the evaporator 154. The air cooled in the evaporator 154 may be heated while being heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the condenser 152 disposed on the air flow passage 140. The air supplied to the drum 120 may be heated by the heat exchange process.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a heater 147 for heating air supplied to the drum 120. The heater 147 may be disposed in the rear duct 145 of the air flow passage 140. The heater 147 may be positioned between the condenser 152 of the heat pump system 150 and the air inlet 125 of the rear panel 122. The heater 147 may additionally heat the air heated by the condenser 152.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a first sensor 180 (see
Referring to
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a drain pump 170 discharging condensate stored in the pump chamber 160 to the outside. The drain pump 170 may be connected to a drain pipe, and may discharge condensate stored in the pump chamber 160 to the outside of the dryer 100 through the drain pipe, or supply the condensate to a water container separately provided inside the dryer 100. The drain pump 170 may be installed at the pump chamber cover 164 of the pump chamber 160.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a second sensor 190 for detecting the water level of the pump chamber 160. The second sensor 190 may be referred to as a water level sensor 190, and for convenience of description below, the second sensor 190 is referred to as the water level sensor 190. The water level sensor 190 may be installed on the pump chamber cover 164 of the pump chamber 160. The water level sensor 190 may include a stem 191 fixed by the pump chamber cover 164 and extending downward, and a float 192 connected to the stem 191 to be vertically movable. Since the float 192 also rises as the water level of the pump chamber 160 rises, the water level sensor 190 may detect the water level of the pump chamber 160 through the height of the float 192. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and as the water level sensor, several other types of water level sensing means such as an electrode type sensor may be used as the water level sensor.
Referring to
The compressor 156 may compress the gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure state and discharge the compressed high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 156 may be supplied to the condenser 152. The condenser 152 may condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 156 into a liquid state through heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant and emit heat to the surroundings. The refrigerant condensed in the condenser 152 may be supplied to the expansion valve 158. The expansion valve 158 may expand the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 152 into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve 158 may be supplied to the evaporator 154. The evaporator 154 may evaporate the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve 158 into a gaseous state through heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant to absorb surrounding heat. Thereafter, the refrigerant evaporated from the evaporator 154 may be returned to the compressor 156. Accordingly, in the heat pump system 150, the refrigerant may circulate in the order of the compressor 156, the condenser 152, the expansion valve 158, and the evaporator 154 to exchange heat with air.
As described above, the air inside the drum 120 may be discharged to the outside of the drum 120 through the air outlet 124. The air discharged from the drum 120 may be supplied to the evaporator 154 through the blower fan 141. The air supplied to the evaporator 154 may be cooled while losing heat to the refrigerant by evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator 154. In other words, heat of air may be transferred to the refrigerant by heat exchange in the evaporator 154. Accordingly, when the air supplied to the evaporator 154 is cooled and the temperature of the air is lowered below the dew point, moisture contained in the air may condense on the surface of the evaporator 154, and moisture of the air supplied to the evaporator 154 may be removed. Water (condensate) condensed on the surface of the evaporator 154 may be collected in a water tray container provided under the evaporator 154. The condensate collected in the water tray container may be supplied to separate storage, e.g., the pump chamber 160, stored, and discharged to the outside through the drain pump 170.
The air dehumidified by the evaporator 154 may be supplied to the condenser 152. The air supplied to the condenser 152 may be heated while absorbing heat from the refrigerant by the condensation process of the refrigerant in the condenser 152. In other words, heat of the refrigerant may be transferred to the air by heat exchange in the condenser 152. Accordingly, the air supplied to the condenser 152 may be heated to become hot and dry. The air heated in the condenser 152 may be supplied to the heater 147 and may be additionally heated in the heater 147. Air additionally heated by the heater 147 may be supplied into the drum 120. As a result, the air circulating through the drum 120 may be dehumidified and heated in the heat pump system 150 to be utilized for drying the drying item received in the drum 120.
In the drawings and relevant descriptions, for convenience of description, no detailed description is given of other components than those necessary for understanding operational functions of the dryer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
The input 117 may receive various inputs/commands from the user. The input 117 may receive a selection for the operation mode of the dryer 100, e.g., a defrost mode or a dry mode, from the user. The input 117 may receive a command to start and/or stop an operation according to the operation mode of the dryer selected from the user.
The first sensor 180 may detect the presence of the drying item received in the drum 120 of the dryer 100. The first sensor 180 may include a current sensor 181 for obtaining a current value of the driving motor 131 and/or a humidity sensor 182 for obtaining a humidity value of the drum 120. The humidity sensor 182 may contact the drying item rotating according to the rotation of the drum 120 and obtain an electrical signal (humidity value) according to the amount of moisture contained in the drying item. The humidity sensor 182 may be installed at a front lower portion of the dryer 100.
The second sensor 190 (water level sensor) may detect the water level of the pump chamber 160.
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may include a controller 200 controlling the overall operation of the dryer 100, and memory 210 storing data related to the overall operation of the dryer 100. The memory 210 may store a data value for determining whether there is a drying item in the drum 120. The memory 210 may store a data value for determining whether the water level of the pump chamber 160 is a full water level.
The controller 200 may receive various inputs or commands from the user through the input 117. For example, the controller 200 may receive an input or the command regarding the dry mode for drying the drying item or the defrost mode for defrosting the pump chamber 160 through the input 117.
When the controller 200 receives the selection of the defrost mode and an operation start command through the input 117, the controller 200 may monitor the data value obtained by the first sensor 180 to determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120. For example, the controller 200 may receive a driving current value of the driving motor 131 from the current sensor 181. For example, the controller 200 may receive a humidity value of the drum 120 from the humidity sensor 182. The controller 200 may compare a difference value between a threshold current value of the driving motor 131 stored in the memory 210 and the current value of the driving motor 131 received from the current sensor 181 with a setting difference value stored in the memory 210 to determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120. Here, the threshold current value may refer to a driving current value of the driving motor 131 obtained when there is no drying item in the drum 120. The controller 200 may compare an initial humidity value stored in the memory 210 with the humidity value of the drum 120 received from the humidity sensor 182 to determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120. Here, the initial humidity value may refer to a humidity value in the drum 120 obtained when there is no drying item in the drum 120.
When the controller 200 receives the selection of the defrost mode and an operation start command through the input 117, the controller 200 may monitor the data value obtained from the second sensor 190 to determine whether the water level of the pump chamber 160 is the full water level. Specifically, the controller 200 may receive the water level value of the pump chamber 160 from the water level sensor 190, which is the second sensor 190. The controller 200 may compare a threshold water level value of the pump chamber 160 stored in the memory 210 with the water level value of the pump chamber 160 received from the water level sensor 190 to determine whether the water level of the pump chamber 160 is the full water level. Here, the threshold water level value may refer to a water level value when the water level of the pump chamber 160 is the full water level and may refer to a value at which water leakage may occur in the pump chamber 160 when the water level of the pump chamber 160 rises above this value.
The controller 200 may transmit a message including information on the overall operation or status of the dryer 100 to the display 118. In the defrost mode, the controller 200 may transmit an error message (e.g., an ‘Empty the water’ message) to the display 118 when the full water level of the condensate stored in the pump chamber 160 is not relieved even though the drain pump 170 is driven.
The controller 200 may rotate the driving motor 131 clockwise and/or counterclockwise. As described above, the controller 200 may rotate the drum 120 through the pulley 132 and the belt 133 that receive the driving force of the driving motor 131. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the driving motor 131 may be connected to the blower fan 141 to rotate the blower fan 141, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
The controller 200 may adjust the operation of the drain pump 170 based on the signal values of the first sensor 180 and the second sensor 190 in the defrost mode.
In the defrost mode, the controller 200 may adjust the operation of the compressor 156 to defrost the dryer 100, e.g., the pump chamber 160. The controller 200 may drive the compressor 156 with a power higher than that of the compressor 156 at the dry cycle in the defrost mode.
Referring to
The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may start monitoring to determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120 in the defrost mode (S610). According to an embodiment, the controller 200 may receive, from the first sensor 180, a signal value for determining whether a drying item is present in the drum 120 in the defrost mode. The controller 200 may continuously receive the humidity value in the drum 120 from the humidity sensor 182 of the first sensor 180 in the defrost mode. The controller 200 may continuously receive the driving current value of the driving motor 131 from the current sensor 181 of the first sensor 180 in the defrost mode. The dryer 100 according to an embodiment may perform weight sensing of the drum 120 based on the driving current value of the driving motor 131.
After step S610, the controller 200 may receive the water level value of the pump chamber 160 from the water level sensor 190, which is the second sensor 190. According to an embodiment, the controller 200 may determine whether the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to the full water level based on the water level value of the pump chamber 160 (S620). Specifically, when the water level value of the pump chamber 160 obtained through the water level sensor 190 is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold water level value A, the controller 200 may determine that the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to the full water level. Here, the threshold water level value the may mean the water level value when the pump chamber 160 is at the full water level. On the other hand, when the water level value obtained through the water level sensor 190 is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold water level value A, the controller 200 may determine that the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to the low water level.
When the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to the full water level in step (Yes in S620), the controller 200 may determine whether the number of forced drains of the drain pump 170 counted in step S650, which is described below, has reached a preset stop count value B (e.g., 3) (S630).
When the counted number of forced drains of the drain pump 170 does not reach the preset stop count value B (No in S630), the controller 200 may determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120 based on the signal value of the first sensor 180 obtained in step S610 (S642, S644).
The controller 200 may determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120 based on the humidity value in the drum 120 obtained by the humidity sensor 182 in step S610 (S642). According to an embodiment, in step S610, the controller 200 may determine whether the humidity value in the drum 120 obtained by the humidity sensor 182 is larger than or equal to a preset initial humidity value C (e.g., 0) (S642). Specifically, when the humidity value inside the drum 120 is larger than or equal to the initial humidity value C, the controller 200 may determine that a drying item is present in the drum 120. On the other hand, when the humidity value inside the drum 120 is less than or equal to the initial humidity value C, the controller 200 may determine that there is no drying item in the drum 120. In other words, in step S642, the controller 200 may primarily determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120.
When the humidity value inside the drum 120 is less than or equal to the initial humidity value C (Yes in S642), the controller 200 may determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120 based on the driving current value of the driving motor 131 obtained by the current sensor 181 in step S610 (S644). According to an embodiment, the controller 200 may determine whether the difference value between the driving current value of the drum 120 obtained by the current sensor 181 in step S610 and the threshold current value of the drum 120 is less than or equal to a preset set difference value D (set weight value) (S644). Here, the threshold current value of the drum 120 may refer to the driving current value of the rotating drum 120 measured in the state in which there is no drying item in the drum 120. Further, the difference value between the driving current value of the drum 120 and the threshold current value of the drum 120 may be referred to as a weight sensing value. Specifically, when the difference value between the driving current value and the threshold current value of the drum 120 is larger than or equal to the set difference value D, the controller 200 may determine that a drying item is present in the drum 120. On the other hand, when the difference value between the driving current value and the threshold current value of the drum 120 is less than or equal to the set difference value D, the controller 200 may determine that there is no drying item in the drum 120. In other words, in step S644, the controller 200 may secondarily determine whether a drying item is present in the drum 120.
When a drying item in the drum 120 is detected (No in S642 or No in S644), the controller 200 may count (n=n+1) the number n of forced drains of the drain pump 170 (S650). Here, the number of forced drains may refer to the number of on/off operations of the drain pump operating when the drying item in the drum 120 is detected. After step S650, the controller 200 may operate the drain pump 170 to discharge the condensate stored in the pump chamber 160 to the outside (S660). In other words, when a drying item in the drum 120 is detected, the controller 200 may perform a safety operation of limiting the number of forced drains of the drain pump 170 for lowering the water level of the pump chamber 160. Accordingly, when a drying item is present in the drum 120, the dryer 100 according to an embodiment may prevent water leakage due to additionally generated condensate and damage to the drying item due to hot air.
When no drying item in the drum 120 is detected (Yes in S644), the controller 200 may operate the drain pump 170 such that the condensate stored in the pump chamber 160 is discharged to the outside without counting the number of forced drains of the drain pump 170 (S660). In other words, when no drying item in the drum 120 is detected, the controller 200 may not limit the number of forced drains of the drain pump 170 for lowering the water level of the pump chamber 160. Accordingly, the defrost mode may be continuously performed while avoiding the safety operation of limiting the number of forced drains of the drain pump 170.
After step S660, the controller 200 may return to step S620 and re-determine whether the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to the full water level (S620).
When the water level of the pump chamber 160 is determined to be the full water level again (Yes in S620), the controller 200 may determine again whether the number n of forced drains of the drain pump 170 counted in step S650 reaches the stop count value (S630). Specifically, when the counted number n of forced drains of the drain pump 170 does not reach the stop count value (No in S630), the controller 200 may perform step S642 and to re-perform the above-described series of steps. In contrast, when the counted number n of forced drains of the drain pump 170 reaches a preset count value (Yes in S630), the controller 200 may output an error message (e.g., display ‘Empty the water’) to the display 118 and pause the operation of the dryer 100 (S670). For example, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the driving motor 131, the blower fan 141, the compressor 156, and/or the drain pump 170 to pause the dryer 100.
When the water level of the pump chamber 160 corresponds to a low water level (No in S620), the controller 200 may determine whether the operation time of the dryer 100 in the defrost mode exceeds a predetermined default operation time E (S680).
When the operation time of the dryer 100 in the defrost mode does not exceed the default operation time E (No in S680), the controller 200 may return to step S620 and re-perform the above-described series of step.
When the operation time of the dryer 100 in the defrost mode exceeds the default operation time E (Yes in S680), the controller 200 may stop the operation of the compressor 156 and perform a cooling operation for operating the blower fan 141 for a predetermined time, and then terminate the defrost mode (S690).
When the defrost mode of the dryer 100 according to an embodiment is performed (
Referring to
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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.
Meanwhile, the terms “upper side”, “lower side”, and “front and rear directions” used in the disclosure are defined with respect to the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.
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.
Although the present disclosure has been described with various embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0191050 | Dec 2021 | KR | national |
| 10-2022-0033450 | Mar 2022 | KR | national |
This application is a bypass continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2022/017027 filed on Nov. 2, 2022, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0191050 filed on Dec. 29, 2021, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0033450 filed on Mar. 17, 2022, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2022/017027 | Nov 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18645251 | US |
