Clothes drying method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a clothes drying method and device. The method comprises the following steps: after the drying machine is started, the air volume in the air duct of the drying machine and the current of the fan are detected; according to the air volume and the current, the weight range to which the clothes to be dried belongs is determined; according to the weight range to which the clothes to be dried belongs, the direction conversion frequency of the drum in the drying machine is determined; the rotation direction of the drum is controlled to be converted according to the direction conversion frequency, so that the clothes to be dried are dried. The above method associates the direction conversion frequency with the weight of the clothes to be dried, and can avoid the problems that the power consumption is large when the clothes to be dried are less, and the clothes to be dried cannot be dried when the clothes to be dried are more.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of dryers, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for drying clothes. Background Technology

[0002] For those living in humid, rainy seasons, or in coastal areas, clothes often struggle to dry quickly. Clothes dryers have solved this problem. Users place clothes inside the dryer's drum, which heats the water in the clothes, turning it into steam and venting it outside, thus drying the clothes. The dryer contains a drum motor that drives the drum to rotate. If the drum can change direction during rotation, the clothes can be tumbled more thoroughly, accelerating the drying process, especially when there are many clothes to dry.

[0003] In existing technology, the frequency at which the drum changes rotation direction is the factory default value. This results in high power consumption when there are few clothes and inadequate drying when there are many clothes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method and apparatus for drying clothes. It addresses the problems in the prior art where high power consumption is inefficient when there are few clothes and inadequate drying when there are many clothes.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for drying clothes, applied in a clothes dryer, comprising:

[0006] After the dryer is started, the air volume in the air duct inside the dryer and the current of the fan are detected.

[0007] Based on the air volume and the current, determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried;

[0008] The direction switching frequency of the inner drum of the dryer is determined according to the weight range of the clothes to be dried;

[0009] The roller is controlled to change its rotation direction according to the direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried.

[0010] Optionally, determining the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume and the current includes:

[0011] Obtain the ratio of the air volume to the current;

[0012] Based on the ratio, the weight range to which the clothes to be dried belong is determined.

[0013] Optionally, determining the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume and the current includes:

[0014] Based on the ratio and the first mapping relationship, the weight range to which the clothes to be dried belong is determined. The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio of air volume and current and the weight range.

[0015] Optionally, determining the direction switching frequency of the dryer drum based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried includes:

[0016] The direction switching frequency of the drum is determined based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the weight range and the direction switching frequency.

[0017] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0018] During the drying process of the clothes to be dried, the current weight of the clothes to be dried is determined in real time;

[0019] The direction switching frequency of the roller is adjusted according to the current weight.

[0020] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0021] Output a prompt message, which includes the direction conversion frequency.

[0022] Secondly, this application provides a clothes dryer, including: a sampling module and a signal processing module;

[0023] The sampling module is used to detect the air volume in the air duct of the dryer and the current of the fan after the dryer is started.

[0024] The signal processing module is used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume and the current; determine the direction switching frequency of the drum inside the dryer based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried; and control the drum to switch its rotation direction according to the direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried.

[0025] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to obtain the ratio of the air volume to the current; and to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the ratio.

[0026] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the ratio and the first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio of air volume and current and the weight range.

[0027] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to determine the direction conversion frequency of the drum based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the weight range and the direction conversion frequency.

[0028] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is further configured to determine the current weight of the clothes to be dried in real time during the drying process; and adjust the direction switching frequency of the drum according to the current weight. This reduces the frequency at which the drum switches rotation direction when the clothes are almost dry, thereby reducing the power consumption of the dryer.

[0029] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is further configured to output a prompt message, the prompt message including the direction conversion frequency.

[0030] Thirdly, this application provides a computer program product that, when the instructions contained in the computer program product are run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in the first aspect.

[0031] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method provided in the first aspect above.

[0032] Fifthly, this application provides a clothes dryer, including: a processor; and

[0033] Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor;

[0034] The processor is configured to implement the method provided in the first aspect by executing the executable instructions.

[0035] The clothes drying method and equipment provided in this application, after the dryer is started, first detects the air volume in the air duct and the current of the fan inside the dryer. Then, based on the air volume in the air duct and the current of the fan, the weight range of the clothes to be dried is determined. Next, based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried, the direction switching frequency of the drum inside the dryer is determined. Finally, the drum is controlled to change its rotation direction according to the aforementioned direction switching frequency to dry the clothes. The above method correlates the direction switching frequency with the weight of the clothes to be dried, which can avoid the problems of high power consumption when there are few clothes to be dried and incomplete drying when there are many clothes to be dried. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 The structural diagram of the dryer provided in this application;

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the clothing drying method provided in this application;

[0038] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air volume in the air duct and the current of the fan provided by the present application;

[0039] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the second mapping relationship provided by the present application;

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of the second embodiment of the clothes drying method provided by the present application;

[0041] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the clothes dryer provided by the present application;

[0042] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the clothes dryer provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] To make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0044] In the present application, it should be explained that the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "a plurality of" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character "generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "The following at least one (piece)" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (piece) or plural items (pieces). For example, at least one (piece) of a, b, or c can mean: a alone, b alone, c alone, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, or a combination of a, b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0045] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the clothes dryer provided by the present application. Figure 1 The illustrated clothes dryer includes a drum, a motor for driving the drum to rotate, and a heat pump system. The heat pump system includes an air duct and a fan for blowing hot air in the air duct into the drum. After the clothes dryer is started, the fan and the motor start to work, the fan blows the hot air in the air duct into the drum, and the motor drives the drum to rotate.

[0046] If the drum can change its rotation direction during operation, the clothes to be dried can be tumbled more thoroughly, thus accelerating the drying process, especially when there are many clothes to dry. Furthermore, the higher the frequency of the drum changing its rotation direction, the more frequently it changes direction, the more thoroughly the clothes are tumbled, and the faster the drying speed, but the higher the power consumption. For ease of explanation, the frequency of changing the rotation direction will be referred to as the direction switching frequency in this application.

[0047] In existing technologies, the direction switching frequency is a default value. That is, after the user puts the clothes to be dried into the drum, the drum switches the rotation direction according to this default value. This may result in high power consumption when there are few clothes to be dried, and inadequate drying when there are many clothes to be dried.

[0048] Based on the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes that, under the condition that the fan current remains constant, when there are many clothes to be dried, the air vents of the drum are severely blocked, resulting in a small air volume in the air duct. When there are few clothes to be dried, the air vents of the drum are not severely blocked, and the air volume in the air duct is large. Therefore, this principle can be used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried, and then the direction switching frequency can be determined according to the weight range of the clothes to be dried, so that the direction switching frequency is related to the weight of the clothes to be dried. This can avoid the problems of high power consumption when there are few clothes to be dried and incomplete drying when there are many clothes to be dried.

[0049] The specific implementation scheme of this application will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] Example 1

[0051] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the clothes drying method provided in this application. Figure 2 As shown, the clothes drying method provided in this embodiment includes:

[0052] S201. After the dryer is started, check the air volume in the air duct inside the dryer and the current of the fan.

[0053] In one possible implementation, an airflow sensor can be installed in the duct to detect the airflow in the duct. A current detection device can be installed in the dryer, connected to the fan, to detect the fan's current. This current detection device can be a current meter, a Hall effect current sensor, or an electromagnetic current transformer; this application is not limited to any particular type.

[0054] S202. Determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume in the air duct and the current of the fan.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the ratio between the air volume in the duct and the current of the fan can be obtained, and the weight range of the clothes to be dried can be determined based on this ratio.

[0056] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the ratio between the air volume in the duct and the current of the fan, the weight range of the clothes to be dried can be determined based on the ratio and a first mapping relationship. The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio between the air volume and the current and the weight range.

[0057] For example, Figure 3 The diagram shows the relationship between airflow in the duct and fan current. (For...) Figure 3 The slope of the curve at each point is the ratio of the airflow to the current at that point. A steeper slope indicates heavier clothes to be dried. Assuming... Figure 2 The slope of the curve shown is graB at point B, graC at point C, and graD at point D. (graB, +∞) can be mapped to a first weight range, for example, 5-8 kg. (graC, graB) can be mapped to a second weight range, for example, 2-5 kg. (graD, graC) can be mapped to a third weight range, for example, 0-2 kg. These mappings constitute the first mapping relationship.

[0058] It should be noted that: Figure 3 The illustrated first mapping relationship is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0059] The following is combined with Figure 3 Examples of S201-S202 are provided below:

[0060] After the dryer is started, the air volume sensor detects that the air volume in the duct is M square meters per hour, and the current detection device detects that the current of the fan is N milliamps. The ratio between the air volume in the duct and the current of the fan is M / N. Assuming that M / N is in the range of (graB, +∞), the weight range of the clothes to be dried can be determined to be 5-8 kg.

[0061] S203. Determine the frequency of the direction switching of the drum inside the dryer according to the weight range of the clothes to be dried.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the direction switching frequency of the drum can be determined based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried and a second mapping relationship, whereby the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the weight range and the direction switching frequency.

[0063] For example, Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the second mapping relationship is shown. Figure 4 In the second mapping relationship shown, the direction switching frequency corresponding to 5-8 kg is 1 / 5 minute, the direction switching frequency corresponding to 2-5 kg ​​is 1 / 10 minute, and the direction switching frequency corresponding to 0-2 kg is 1 / 15 minute.

[0064] It should be noted that: Figure 4 The illustrated second mapping relationship is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0065] S204. Control the drum to change its rotation direction according to the above-mentioned direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried.

[0066] Continuing with the example in S202:

[0067] The example in S202 specifies that the weight range of the clothes to be dried is 5-8 kg. Figure 4 The second mapping relationship shown indicates that the direction switching frequency for 5-8 kg is 1 / 5 minute. Therefore, the control drum rotates clockwise for 5 minutes, then starts rotating counter-clockwise, then counter-clockwise for 5 minutes, and then starts rotating clockwise again, repeating this cycle continuously.

[0068] To inform users of the dryer's orientation change frequency, the dryer can output a prompt message, which includes the aforementioned orientation change frequency. This prompt message can be either voice or text.

[0069] The clothes drying method provided in this embodiment first detects the airflow in the duct and the current of the fan after the dryer is started. Then, based on the airflow and fan current, the weight range of the clothes to be dried is determined. Next, based on the weight range of the clothes, the direction switching frequency of the drum inside the dryer is determined. Finally, the drum is controlled to change its rotation direction according to the aforementioned direction switching frequency to dry the clothes. This method correlates the direction switching frequency with the weight of the clothes to be dried, avoiding the problems of high power consumption when there are few clothes to be dried and insufficient drying when there are many clothes.

[0070] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of Embodiment 2 of the clothing drying method provided in this application. Figure 5 As shown, the clothes drying method provided in this embodiment includes:

[0071] S501. After the dryer is started, the air volume in the air duct inside the dryer and the current of the fan are detected.

[0072] S502. Determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume in the air duct and the current of the fan.

[0073] S503. Determine the frequency of the direction switching of the drum inside the dryer according to the weight range of the clothes to be dried.

[0074] S504. The control drum changes its rotation direction according to the above-mentioned direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried.

[0075] The implementation process of S501-S504 can be found in S201-S204 of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] S505. During the drying process of the clothes to be dried, the current weight of the clothes to be dried is determined in real time.

[0077] S506. Adjust the direction switching frequency according to the current weight.

[0078] As the moisture in the clothes gradually evaporates during the drying process, the obstruction of the drum's ventilation holes by the clothes is reduced, and the airflow in the duct changes. Therefore, the current weight of the clothes to be dried can be determined in real time using the method provided in the above embodiment. The direction switching frequency can be adjusted according to the current weight of the clothes to be dried, thereby reducing the frequency of the drum switching rotation direction when the clothes to be dried are almost dry, thus reducing the power consumption of the dryer.

[0079] To further reduce the power consumption of the dryer, the real-time determination of the current weight in S505 can be replaced with periodic determination of the current weight of the clothes to be dried. For example, the current weight of the clothes to be dried can be determined one hour after the dryer is started, and the direction switching frequency of the drum can be adjusted according to the current weight.

[0080] The clothes drying method provided in this embodiment can adjust the direction switching frequency of the drum in real time during the drying process of the clothes to be dried, so that when the clothes to be dried are almost dry, the frequency of the drum switching rotation direction is reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the dryer.

[0081] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the dryer provided in this application. See also: Figure 6 As shown, in Figure 1 Based on the structure shown, Figure 6 The dryer shown also includes: a sampling module 601 and a signal processing module 602.

[0082] The sampling module 601 is used to detect the air volume in the air duct of the dryer and the current of the fan after the dryer is started.

[0083] The signal processing module 602 is used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume and the current; determine the direction switching frequency of the drum inside the dryer based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried; and control the drum to switch the rotation direction according to the direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried.

[0084] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to obtain the ratio of the air volume to the current; and to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the ratio.

[0085] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the ratio and the first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio of air volume and current and the weight range.

[0086] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is specifically used to determine the direction conversion frequency of the drum based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the weight range and the direction conversion frequency.

[0087] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is further configured to determine the current weight of the clothes to be dried in real time during the drying process; and adjust the direction switching frequency of the roller according to the current weight.

[0088] Optionally, the signal processing module 602 is further configured to output a prompt message, the prompt message including the direction conversion frequency.

[0089] Figure 6 The dryer shown can be used to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and will not be repeated here.

[0090] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the clothes dryer provided in this application. Figure 7 As shown, the dryer in this embodiment may include:

[0091] Memory 1101 is used to store program instructions.

[0092] The processor 1102 is configured to implement the steps in any of the above method embodiments when the program instructions are executed. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0093] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in any of the above method embodiments. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and will not be repeated here.

[0094] This application also provides a program product comprising a computer program stored in a readable storage medium. At least one processor can read the computer program from the readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the computer program to cause a clothes dryer to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be described again here.

[0095] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0096] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0097] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software functional units.

[0098] The integrated units implemented as software functional units described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These software functional units, stored in a storage medium, include several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute some steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0099] It should be understood that the processor described in this application can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0100] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A method for drying clothes, applied in a clothes dryer, characterized in that, include: After the dryer is started, the air volume in the air duct inside the dryer and the current of the fan driving the air duct are detected by the sensor installed inside the dryer. Obtain the ratio of the air volume to the current, and determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the ratio and the first mapping relationship; The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio of air volume to current and the weight range; the ratio is used to characterize the degree to which the air vents of the inner drum of the dryer are blocked by the clothes to be dried; The direction switching frequency of the inner drum of the dryer is determined according to the weight range of the clothes to be dried; The roller is controlled to change its rotation direction according to the direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried; During the drying process of the clothes to be dried, the steps of detecting, acquiring, and determining the weight range are repeated in real time or periodically to determine the current weight of the clothes to be dried. The direction switching frequency of the roller is adjusted according to the current weight.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the direction switching frequency of the dryer's inner drum based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried includes: The direction switching frequency of the drum is determined based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the weight range and the direction switching frequency.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Output a prompt message, which includes the direction conversion frequency.

4. A clothes dryer, characterized in that, include: Sampling module and signal processing module; The sampling module is used to detect the air volume in the air duct of the dryer and the current of the fan driving the air duct after the dryer is started, through a sensor installed in the dryer. The signal processing module is used to determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried based on the air volume and the current. Based on the weight range of the clothes to be dried, determine the direction switching frequency of the drum inside the dryer; control the drum to switch its rotation direction according to the direction switching frequency in order to dry the clothes to be dried; The signal processing module is specifically used to obtain the ratio of the air volume to the current, and determine the weight range of the clothes to be dried according to the ratio and the first mapping relationship; the first mapping relationship is used to indicate the correspondence between the ratio of air volume and current and the weight range; the ratio is used to characterize the degree to which the air vents of the inner drum of the dryer are blocked by the clothes to be dried. The signal processing module is also used to repeatedly execute the steps of detecting, acquiring, and determining the weight range in real time or periodically during the drying process of the clothes to be dried, so as to determine the current weight of the clothes to be dried; and adjust the direction switching frequency of the roller according to the current weight.

5. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the instructions contained in the computer program product are run on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-3.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method described in any one of claims 1-3.

7. A clothes dryer, characterized in that, include: processor; as well as Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-3 by executing the executable instructions.

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