A drying device for a washing machine and a drying control method thereof

Abstract

A drying device of a washing machine and a drying control method thereof, wherein the washing machine is provided with an exhaust assembly installed on an inner door body, a hot air assembly installed on a side wall of a cavity, a heating element and a blowing fan installed in a hot air passage of the hot air assembly, an exhaust fan installed in an exhaust passage of the exhaust assembly, a humidity sensor used to detect the humidity and temperature of the air inside the cavity, a controller capable of receiving an output signal of the humidity sensor, and correspondingly controlling the blowing fan, the exhaust fan and the heating element according to the output signal. After the washing is finished, the washing machine has a lot of internal steam and extremely high humidity. The control method first turns on the blowing fan and the exhaust fan to quickly discharge the moisture, then converts the relative humidity detected by the humidity sensor into absolute humidity, and then controls the fan and the heating element to work accordingly according to the absolute humidity drop rate. The entire drying process is relatively efficient, energy-saving and intelligent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to cleaning equipment, in particular to a drying device of a cleaning machine and a drying control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] After a washing machine such as a dishwasher washes the dishes, the user may directly store the dishes in the washing chamber of the dishwasher. If the humidity in the washing chamber is high, it is easy for bacteria to breed in the washing chamber and on the surface of the dishes. In particular, when there are stains in the washing chamber, harmful substances that affect the health of the user may also be produced in a high humidity environment. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the humidity inside the washing chamber. For example, the Chinese invention patent application "Sink Dishwasher and Washing Control Method Thereof" with application number 201711194214.X (application publication number CN 107928585A) discloses such a dishwasher, in which a humidity sensor of the dishwasher is used to detect the humidity in the washing chamber, and a controller is respectively connected to the air inlet device and the humidity sensor. After the sink dishwasher completes washing, the controller controls the air inlet device according to the humidity in the washing chamber. For example, the Chinese invention patent "Drying control device, method and dishwasher for dishwasher" with patent number 201510420771.9 (authorization announcement number CN 105105694 B) discloses a dishwasher in which the humidity sensor is installed in the inner tank of the dishwasher to detect the humidity in the inner tank, and the humidity communication circuit is used to output the humidity in the inner tank to the control module.

[0003] In the drying stage of the dishwasher, the more commonly used method is to use time to control the operation of the fan and heating element. In addition, a small number of dishwashers use humidity sensors to control the drying of the dishwasher. This method uses a humidity sensor to detect the internal humidity of the dishwasher or the humidity of the air duct, and controls the operation of the fan and heating element according to the humidity changes. The existing drying technology has the following disadvantages: 1. Using time to control drying is not smart enough, and it is impossible to control the drying process in real time according to the actual state of the dishwasher; 2. Using a humidity sensor to detect the internal humidity of the dishwasher generally detects relative humidity, and the relative humidity value is related to the internal temperature of the dishwasher. Monitoring relative humidity cannot accurately know whether the inside of the dishwasher is dry or not. For example, when the internal temperature of the dishwasher is low, there may be more water droplets in the dishwasher that cannot evaporate, and the relative humidity will be at a lower level at this time. In summary, the existing dishwasher drying control method needs to be further improved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an intelligent washing machine drying device in view of the above-mentioned existing technical status.

[0005] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a drying control method for a washing machine capable of controlling a fan and a heating element according to the absolute speed drop rate in the cavity in response to the above-mentioned prior art status.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned first technical problem is: the drying device of the washing machine includes a cavity and an inner door body used to cooperate with the front side of the cavity, and is characterized in that: an exhaust assembly is installed on the inner door body, and a hot air assembly is installed on the side wall of the cavity, the hot air assembly includes an outer shell, a hot air channel connecting the outside of the cavity with the inside of the cavity is formed inside the outer shell, a heating element and a blowing fan are installed in the hot air channel, the exhaust assembly has an exhaust outer shell, an exhaust channel connecting the inside of the cavity with the outside of the cavity is formed inside the exhaust outer shell, an exhaust fan is installed in the exhaust channel, and also includes a humidity sensor and a controller, the humidity sensor is used to detect the humidity and temperature of the air inside the cavity, the controller can receive the output signal of the humidity sensor, and can control the blowing fan, exhaust fan and heating element accordingly according to the output signal.

[0007] Preferably, the hot air channel has an air inlet and an air outlet, and an air inlet hole connected to the air outlet is opened on the side wall of the cavity. In this way, the external air is sucked into the hot air channel by the blower, and the air in the hot air channel is heated by the heating element and enters the cavity through the air inlet hole to dry the cavity.

[0008] Preferably, the exhaust passage has an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, and an exhaust hole connected to the exhaust inlet is provided on the inner door body, so that the air in the cavity can enter the exhaust passage through the exhaust hole and then be discharged from the exhaust outlet.

[0009] The hot air component can be installed at multiple positions of the cavity. Preferably, the hot air component is arranged on the left wall or the right wall of the cavity.

[0010] The humidity sensor can be installed in a plurality of different positions. Preferably, the humidity sensor is installed at the bottom of the cavity or inside the exhaust assembly.

[0011] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above second technical problem is: a drying control method of the washing machine, the drying control method comprises the following steps:

[0012] S1, washing is finished, exhaust fan is turned on;

[0013] S2, the exhaust fan works for a first preset time T1, and detects whether the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine is lower than a first preset value; if so, execute step S3; if not, repeat step S2;

[0014] S3, the blowing fan is turned on and works for the preset time T2;

[0015] S4, detecting whether the absolute humidity drop rate V inside the cleaning machine is lower than a second preset value V2, if so, executing step S5; if not, executing step S7;

[0016] S5, turn on the heating element to perform hot air drying, and the heating element works for T3; the humidity sensor detects the temperature inside the cavity to determine whether the temperature is lower than the preset temperature value T, if so, execute step S6; if not, repeat step S5;

[0017] S6, turn off the heating element and execute step S8;

[0018] S7, determining whether the absolute humidity in the cleaning machine cavity is lower than a preset value Q, if so, executing step S8; if not, executing step S3;

[0019] S8, turn off the exhaust fan and the blower fan, and the drying is finished.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: the cleaning machine converts the relative humidity detected by the humidity sensor into absolute humidity, and then controls the operation of the fan and the heating element according to the absolute humidity drop rate. After the cleaning machine finishes washing, there is a lot of steam inside and the humidity is extremely high. First, turn on the blowing fan and the exhaust fan to quickly discharge the moisture. When the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine drops to a first preset value, turn on the heating element to heat and dry, thereby improving the drying efficiency. When the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine is lower than a second preset value, turn off the heating element, use the fan for drying, and reduce energy consumption. When the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine is lower than a third preset value, turn off the fan and the drying is completed. It can be seen that the entire drying process is relatively efficient, energy-saving, and intelligent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a drying device of a cleaning machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded schematic diagram of the drying device shown;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hot air assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exhaust assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 Flow chart of a drying control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the drying device of the washing machine of this embodiment includes a cavity 1 and an inner door body 2 used to cooperate with the front of the cavity. A hot air component 3 is installed on the side wall of the cavity 1. The hot air component 3 can be installed on the left wall or the right wall of the cavity 1. The hot air component 3 includes a shell 31. A hot air channel connecting the outside of the cavity 1 with the inside of the cavity 1 is formed inside the shell 31. A heating element 32 and a blowing fan 33 are installed in the hot air channel. The heating element 32 preferably uses a PCT heater. The hot air channel has an air inlet 34 and an air outlet 35. An air inlet hole 11 connected to the air outlet 35 is opened on the side wall of the cavity 1. An exhaust component 4 is installed on the inner door body 2. The exhaust component 4 has an exhaust shell 41. An exhaust channel connecting the inside of the cavity 1 with the outside of the cavity 1 is formed inside the exhaust shell 41. An exhaust fan 42 is installed in the exhaust channel. The exhaust passage has an exhaust inlet 43 and an exhaust outlet 44 , and an exhaust hole 21 communicating with the exhaust inlet 43 is formed on the inner door body 2 .

[0028] A humidity detection mechanism 6 is also installed on the side wall of the cavity 1. The humidity detection mechanism 6 has a U-shaped channel. The inlet and outlet of the U-shaped channel are both connected to the inside of the cavity 1. The humidity sensor 5 is installed in the U-shaped channel. When the air in the cavity 1 flows through the U-shaped channel, the humidity sensor 5 can detect humidity and temperature. In addition, the humidity sensor 5 can also be installed at the bottom of the cavity 1 or inside the exhaust component 4 or other positions. Regardless of the installation position, the humidity sensor installation position must be connected to the inside of the cleaning machine cavity 1. The humidity sensor 5 is used to detect the humidity and temperature of the air inside the cavity 1. The controller (not shown in the figure) is used to receive the output signal of the humidity sensor 5, and can control the blowing fan 33, the exhaust fan 42 and the heating element 32 accordingly according to the output signal.

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, the drying control method of the washing machine includes the following steps:

[0030] S1, washing is finished, and the exhaust fan 42 is turned on;

[0031] S2, the exhaust fan 42 works for a first preset time T1, and detects whether the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine is lower than a first preset value; if so, execute step S3; if not, repeat step S2;

[0032] S3, the blowing fan 33 is turned on and works for a preset time T2;

[0033] S4, detecting whether the absolute humidity drop rate V inside the cleaning machine is lower than a second preset value V2, if so, executing step 5; if not, executing step S7;

[0034] S5, turn on the heating element 32 to perform hot air drying, and the heating element 32 works for a duration of T3; the humidity sensor 5 detects the temperature inside the cavity 1 to determine whether the temperature is lower than a preset temperature value T, if so, execute step S6; if not, repeat step S5;

[0035] S6, turn off the heating element 32, and execute step S8;

[0036] S7, determining whether the absolute humidity in the cleaning machine cavity is lower than a preset value Q, if so, executing step S8; if not, executing step S3;

[0037] S8, turn off the exhaust fan 42 and the blowing fan 33, and the drying is completed.

[0038] The above control method first uses the humidity sensor 5 to detect the relative humidity inside the washing machine, then converts the relative humidity into absolute humidity, and then controls the operation of the blowing fan 33, the exhaust fan 42 and the heating element 32 of the washing machine during the drying stage according to the absolute humidity drop rate, which has the following advantages of high efficiency, energy saving and intelligence:

[0039] After the washing machine is finished, there is a lot of steam inside and the humidity is extremely high. The exhaust fan 42 is turned on first to discharge the steam inside the cavity 1. Then, according to the absolute humidity change rate inside the cavity 1, the blower fan 33 is controlled to turn on to further increase the steam discharge speed inside the cavity and achieve efficient dehumidification. The steam inside the washing machine is discharged in two stages, which can prevent a large amount of steam from overflowing from the cavity 1, thereby improving the user experience.

[0040] According to the absolute humidity change rate inside the washing machine, the heating element 32 is controlled to be turned on or off. When the absolute humidity decreases too slowly, the hot air and the heating element 32 are turned on to enhance drying. If the absolute humidity decrease rate is always higher than the preset value V2, the fan is controlled to be turned off according to the humidity value inside the cavity 1. At this time, the dishes are dried by the residual heat to reduce energy consumption.

[0041] When the absolute humidity drop rate inside the washing machine is lower than the third preset value, it means that the humidity inside the washing machine is at a low level and the inside of the washing machine is in a dry state. The fan can be turned off and the drying is completed.

[0042] The calculation formula for converting relative humidity into absolute humidity is as follows:

[0043] Absolute humidity: P W =φ·P S , saturated vapor pressure: Moisture content: Q = P W × V. Where φ is relative humidity, V is volume, and T is temperature.

[0044] The cleaning machine of this embodiment is a dishwasher. In addition, in addition to the dishwasher, the drying device and the control method can also be applied to other cleaning equipment.

Claims

1. A drying device for a washing machine, comprising a cavity (1) and an inner door (2) for cooperating with the front of the cavity, characterized in that: An exhaust assembly (4) is installed on the inner door body (2), and a hot air assembly (3) is installed on the side wall of the cavity (1). The hot air assembly (3) includes an outer shell (31), and a hot air channel connecting the outside of the cavity (1) with the inside of the cavity (1) is formed inside the outer shell (31). A heating element (32) and a blowing fan (33) are installed in the hot air channel. The exhaust assembly (4) has an exhaust outer shell (41), and an exhaust channel connecting the inside of the cavity and the outside of the cavity is formed inside the exhaust outer shell (41). An exhaust fan (42) is installed in the exhaust channel. The exhaust assembly (4) also includes a humidity sensor (5) and a controller. The humidity sensor (5) is used to detect the humidity and temperature of the air inside the cavity. The controller can receive an output signal of the humidity sensor (5) and can control the blowing fan (33), the exhaust fan (42) and the heating element (32) accordingly according to the output signal. The drying control method includes the following steps: S1, washing is finished, and the exhaust fan (42) is turned on; S2, the exhaust fan (42) operates for a first preset time T1, and detects whether the absolute humidity drop rate inside the cleaning machine is lower than a first preset value; if so, execute step S3; if not, repeat step S2; S3, the blowing fan (33) is turned on and works for a preset time T2; S4, detecting whether the absolute humidity drop rate V inside the cleaning machine is lower than a second preset value V2, if so, executing step 5; if not, executing step S7; S5, turning on the heating element (32) to perform hot air drying, the heating element (32) working time T3; the humidity sensor (5) detects the internal temperature of the cavity (1) to determine whether the temperature is lower than the preset temperature value T, if so, executing step S6; if not, repeating step S5; S6, turn off the heating element (32), and execute step S8; S7, determining whether the absolute humidity in the cleaning machine cavity is lower than a preset value Q, if so, executing step S8; if not, executing step S3; S8, turn off the exhaust fan (42) and the blowing fan (33), and the drying is completed.

2. The drying device of a cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot air channel has an air inlet (34) and an air outlet (35), and an air inlet hole (11) connected to the air outlet (35) is provided on the side wall of the cavity (1).

3. The drying device of a cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust passage has an exhaust inlet (43) and an exhaust outlet (44), and an exhaust hole (21) connected to the exhaust inlet (43) is formed on the inner door body (2).

4. The drying device of a cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot air component (3) is arranged on the left wall or the right wall of the cavity (1).

5. The drying device of a cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidity sensor (5) is installed at the bottom of the cavity (1) or inside the exhaust assembly (4).

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