Drying method of clothes dryer

Abstract

Disclosed in a control method of a clothes dryer. The drying method of a clothes dryer, includes: detecting a temperature of the air exhausted from a drum; determining a change in water content of a drying material on the basis of the detected temperature; and controlling a drying operation according to the water content change of the drying material. Accordingly, the air temperature in an exhaust port of a drum is measured, and a water content or a temperature of a drying material can be determined on the basis of data about a gradient of the temperature change.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a conventional clothes dryer;

FIG. 2 is a graph for describing a drying method of a conventional clothes dryer;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are views illustrating an exterior and an internal structure of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a graph for describing a principle of a drying method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are graphs showing a water content and a temperature change in an actual drying process of a drying material;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a temperature change gradient according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart exemplarily illustrating a drying method according to the present invention.

Claims

1. A drying method of a clothes dryer, comprising: detecting a temperature of the air exhausted from a drum;determining a change in water content of a drying material on the basis of the detected temperature; andcontrolling a drying operation according to the water content change of the drying material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the water content change of the drying material uses a temperature change pattern of the exhausted air over time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the water content change of the drying material determines the following at least three periods: a) an initial preheating period of the drying material;b) a constant rate (isothermal) drying period of the drying material; andc) an overheating drying period of the drying material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the water content change of the drying material comprises obtaining a gradient of a temperature change over a predetermined period time, and setting a drying period on the basis of accumulation data of the gradient change.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the accumulation data of the gradient change is obtained by continuously obtaining a gradient of a temperature change of a predetermined time (predetermined period) with respect to a unit time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining of the water content change of the drying material, the water content change is determined on the basis of a gradient change of a temperature change of the exhausted air.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a drying operation of the drying material is controlled with reference to a time point when the gradient of the temperature change becomes constant, and a time point when the gradient of the temperature change increases.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the gradient change (Δgradient) of the temperature change of the exhausted air is determined by the following equation using a maximum gradient (Max) and a minimum gradient (Min) with respect to a predetermined time (predetermined period) (T): Δ gradient=(Max(T)−Min(T))/T