Clothes dryer and control method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a clothes dryer and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of household appliances, and aims to solve the technical problem that a clothes dryer cannot accurately determine whether clothes are dried. The clothes dryer comprises a box body, a roller, a detector and a controller. The roller is located in the box body and is used for loading clothes; the detector is used for detecting the resistance value of the clothes and the running time of the clothes dryer; the controller is connected with the detector and is configured to: in the process of running a clothes drying program, acquire the resistance value change rate of the clothes; determine the loading capacity of the roller according to the resistance value change rate; determine the stopping time of the clothes dryer according to the loading capacity; and control the clothes dryer to stop running when the clothes dryer runs to the stopping time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of household appliance technology, and more particularly to a clothes dryer and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] With increasing demands for urban aesthetics and the continuous rise in high-rise buildings, outdoor clothes-drying space is becoming increasingly limited in many areas. Furthermore, in regions characterized by persistent dampness, severe air pollution, and frequent sandstorms, it is also inconvenient for people to dry their clothes.

[0003] Therefore, clothes dryers came into being. Clothes dryers use circulating hot air to dry clothes inside the drum. For example, a heating device and a fan can be installed inside the dryer. The fan drives the heated airflow into the drum to dry the clothes.

[0004] Current technology for determining whether clothes are dry relies on the resistance of the clothing. However, dryers are sometimes subject to interference from external circuits during operation, causing the resistance detection circuit to deviate from its readings. This results in the dryer being unable to accurately determine whether the clothes are dry. Therefore, how to accurately determine whether the clothes inside the dryer are dry has become a pressing problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a clothes dryer and its control method to solve the technical problem that the clothes dryer cannot accurately determine whether the clothes are dried.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a clothes dryer, which includes: a housing, a roller, a detector, and a controller. The roller is located inside the housing and is used to load clothes. The detector is used to detect the resistance of the clothes and the running time of the dryer. The controller is connected to the detector and is configured to: acquire the resistance change rate of the clothes during the running of the drying program; determine the loading amount of the roller based on the resistance change rate; determine the stop time of the dryer based on the loading amount; and control the dryer to stop running when the stop time is reached.

[0008] The technical solution provided in this application provides at least the following beneficial effects: During the drying process, the load of the drum is determined by acquiring the resistance change rate. It can be understood that this resistance change rate reflects the dryness of the clothes to a certain extent; that is, the load of the drum can be determined by the dryness of the clothes. The stop time of the dryer is then determined based on the load. Since the drying time is constant when the load of clothes is fixed, this application determines whether the clothes are dry by the resistance change rate. Thus, even if external circuit interference causes the overall resistance value detected by the resistance detection circuit to shift, the pattern of resistance change remains unchanged. This allows for accurate determination of whether the clothes are dry, thereby improving the user experience.

[0009] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of obtaining the resistance change rate, specifically configured to: obtain the resistance value of the garment at the current time and the previous time, and calculate the resistance change rate based on the obtained resistance values ​​of the garment at the current time and the previous time; wherein, the resistance change rate is the difference between the resistance value of the garment at the current time and the resistance value of the garment at the previous time divided by the resistance value of the garment at the previous time.

[0010] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of determining the loading amount of the drum based on the resistance change rate, specifically configured to: determine a first running time, the first running time being the running time of the dryer when the resistance change rate reaches a first preset value; if the first running time is greater than or equal to a first preset time and less than or equal to a second preset time, determine the loading amount as a first loading amount, which is half-loaded; if the first running time is greater than or equal to a third preset time and less than or equal to a fourth preset time, determine the loading amount as a second loading amount, which is full-loaded; if the first running time is less than the first preset time, or if the first running time is greater than the second preset time and less than the third preset time, determine the loading amount as a third loading amount; wherein the first preset time is less than the second preset time, the second preset time is less than the third preset time, and the third preset time is less than the fourth preset time.

[0011] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of determining the stop time of the dryer based on the load amount, specifically configured as follows: if the load amount is half-loaded, the stop time is determined to be a fifth preset time; if the load amount is full-loaded, the stop time is determined to be a sixth preset time; wherein the fifth preset time is less than the sixth preset time.

[0012] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of determining the stop time of the dryer based on the load amount, specifically configured to: if the load amount is a third load amount, determine the stop time based on the resistance change rate.

[0013] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of determining the stop time based on the resistance change rate, specifically configured to: determine a second running time, the second running time being the difference between the running time of the dryer and the first running time when the resistance change rate reaches a second preset value, wherein the second preset value is less than the first preset value; and determine the stop time based on the first running time and the second running time.

[0014] In some embodiments, the controller performs the step of determining the stop time based on the first running time and the second running time, specifically configured such that: the stop time is the sum of the first running time, the second running time, and K times the second running time; where K is a constant.

[0015] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: after the first running time, when the resistance change rate reaches a third preset value, control the dryer to stop running, wherein the third preset value is less than the second preset value.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a control method for a clothes dryer, comprising: acquiring the resistance change rate of the clothes during the operation of a drying program; determining the loading amount of the drum based on the resistance change rate; determining the stop time of the clothes dryer based on the loading amount; and controlling the clothes dryer to stop operating when the clothes dryer reaches the stop time.

[0017] In some embodiments, obtaining the resistance change rate specifically includes: obtaining the resistance value of the garment at the current time and the previous time, and calculating the resistance change rate based on the obtained resistance values ​​of the garment at the current time and the previous time; wherein, the resistance change rate is the difference between the resistance value of the garment at the current time and the resistance value of the garment at the previous time divided by the resistance value of the garment at the previous time.

[0018] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on any of the aforementioned devices, cause the devices to perform any of the aforementioned dryer control methods.

[0019] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, the processor is connected to the memory, and when the chip is running, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to cause the chip to execute any of the above-described control methods for a clothes dryer.

[0020] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on any of the aforementioned devices, cause the device to execute any of the aforementioned dryer control methods.

[0021] It should be noted that the aforementioned computer instructions may be stored, in whole or in part, on a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium may be packaged together with the controller's processor, or it may be packaged separately from the controller's processor; this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0022] The beneficial effects described in aspects two through five of this application can be referred to the analysis of the beneficial effects of aspect one, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions of this application and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of this application.

[0024] Figure 1 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a clothes dryer provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the circuit connection structure of a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the display interface of a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a second flowchart of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 8This is the third flowchart of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in this application embodiment;

[0032] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the resistivity and water yield of clothing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 10 This is the fourth flowchart of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 11 This is the fifth flowchart of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in this application embodiment;

[0035] Figure 12 This is the sixth flowchart of a control method for a clothes dryer provided in this application embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of this application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0038] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0039] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly, for example, as a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, when describing pipelines, the terms "connected" and "linked" as used in this application have the meaning of establishing electrical connection. The specific meaning needs to be understood in conjunction with the context.

[0040] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0041] To facilitate understanding, this application first describes the working principle of the dryer. When the dryer is working, the heater heats the gas in the circulation system. After a certain period of time, the gas in the circulation system will be at a high temperature. The clothes in the drum evaporate into the circulation gas at a high temperature, forming a high-temperature and high-humidity circulation gas. When the high-temperature and high-humidity circulation gas passes through the low-temperature condenser, condensate will be released. Finally, the circulation gas will release all the water in the clothes at the condenser, completing the drying of the clothes.

[0042] Since the resistance of clothing usually decreases as the humidity decreases, related technologies typically determine the dryness of clothing by judging the resistance value. However, dryers are sometimes affected by external circuit interference during operation, which causes the overall resistance value detected by the resistance detection circuit to shift, making it impossible for the dryer to accurately determine whether the clothes are dry.

[0043] In view of this, this application provides a clothes dryer whose controller determines the drum load by acquiring the resistance change rate of the clothes, and then determines the dryer's stop time based on the load. It is understood that when the load of clothes is constant, the drying time is constant. This application determines whether the clothes are dry by using the resistance change rate. Thus, even if external circuit interference causes the overall resistance value detected by the resistance detection circuit to shift, the resistance change rate (change pattern) remains unchanged. This allows for accurate determination of whether the clothes are dry, improving the user experience.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the dryer 100 may include: a housing 01, a drum 02, and a detector 03. Figure 1 (not shown in the image) and controller 04 ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image).

[0045] The housing 01 is used to protect the internal electrical components of the dryer 100 and to seal the channels between the inside and outside of the dryer 100 to prevent damage to the electrical components. The drum 02 is located inside the housing 01 and is used to hold the clothes to be dried.

[0046] In addition, detector 03 is electrically connected to controller 04. Detector 03 is used to detect the resistance of the clothes and the running time of dryer 100.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the detector 03 may include a resistance detector for detecting the resistance of the clothing. For example, Figure 1 As shown, the resistance detector can detect the resistance of the clothes in real time by using the bimetallic strip 05 set on the front support of the drum of the dryer 100.

[0048] In another possible implementation, the detector 03 may further include a timer for detecting the running time of the dryer 100. For example, the timer may start counting while the dryer 100 is running, thus allowing the running time of the dryer 100 to be obtained.

[0049] In some embodiments, controller 04 refers to a device that can generate operation control signals based on instruction opcodes and timing signals to instruct the dryer 100 to execute control instructions. Exemplarily, controller 04 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic device (PLD), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or any combination thereof. Controller 04 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules; this application embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0050] For example, after the user selects and starts the drying program, the controller 04 can control the operation of various electrical components to dry the clothes in the drum 02 to meet the user's needs.

[0051] Figure 2 This application provides a schematic diagram of the circuit connection structure of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the controller 04 can be electrically connected to the detector 03. The controller 04 can be configured to: acquire the resistance change rate of the clothes during the operation of the drying program; determine the loading amount of the roller 02 based on the resistance change rate of the clothes; determine the stopping time of the dryer 100 based on the loading amount; and control the dryer 100 to stop running when the dryer 100 reaches the stopping time.

[0052] This application determines the load capacity of the drum 02 by acquiring the resistance change rate of the clothing during the drying process. It can be understood that this resistance change rate reflects the dryness of the clothing to a certain extent, meaning the load capacity of the drum 02 can be determined based on the dryness of the clothing. The stop time of the dryer 100 is then determined based on the load capacity, since the drying time is constant for a given load capacity. Thus, this application determines whether the clothing is dry by measuring the resistance change rate. Even if external circuit interference causes an overall shift in the resistance value detected by the resistance detection circuit, the underlying pattern of resistance change remains unchanged. This allows for accurate determination of whether the clothing is dry, thereby improving the user experience.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the dryer 100 may further include: a door 06, which is disposed on the housing and faces the roller 02. By opening and closing the door 06, clothes can be put in and taken out of the roller 02.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, in accordance with the flow direction of the gas inside the drum 02, the dryer 100 housing 01 is sequentially provided with the drum 02, the front air duct 20 (on the side near the door 06), the bottom air duct 30, and the rear air duct 40 (on the side away from the door 06), thus forming a circulating air duct for circulating gas.

[0055] Figure 3 This application shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the dryer 100 may further include a condenser 07 and a heater 08. The condenser 07 may be disposed in the bottom air duct 30, and the heater 08 may be disposed in the rear air duct 40. The heater 08 is used to heat the circulating gas. The heater 08 may be a heating assembly with a heating tube or heating element.

[0056] Thus, when the high-temperature circulating gas heated by the heater 08 passes through the drum 02, the moisture in the clothes inside the drum 02 evaporates into the circulating gas at high temperature, forming high-temperature and high-humidity circulating gas. This high-temperature and high-humidity circulating gas passes through the front air duct 20 and the bottom air duct 30 to reach the condenser 07 at the bottom of the dryer 100. Under the action of the condenser 07, the high-temperature and high-humidity circulating gas will condense water. The circulating gas then enters the rear air duct 40, where it is heated by the heater 08. The circulating gas is then converted into high-temperature circulating gas to complete the circulation loop.

[0057] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the dryer 100 may further include a fan 09, which is used to increase the air pressure in the air duct and discharge high-pressure air. It is a machine that relies on input mechanical energy to increase gas pressure and discharge gas; it can also be a ventilator, blower, variable frequency fan, etc. The fan 09 can be installed in, for example... Figure 3 The air inlet shown is located at the air inlet of the drum 02 (i.e., the air inlet side of the heater 08), so that the hot air generated by the condenser is blown into the drum 02, and the air can circulate in a directional manner in the circulation duct.

[0058] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the fan 09 may include a motor 91 and an impeller 92. The motor 91 can be electrically connected to the controller 04, and the impeller 92 is connected to the shaft of the motor 91. The impeller 92 is disposed in the rear air duct. When the motor 91 is started, the impeller 92 rotates to blow air onto the heater 08 to improve the flow of the circulating gas.

[0059] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 further includes a water storage tank 10, which may be disposed in the bottom air duct 30 and below the condenser 07, for receiving condensate dripping from the condenser 07.

[0060] In some embodiments, a water valve may be provided below the water storage tank 10, which is used to control the outflow of condensate from the water storage tank.

[0061] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a temperature sensor, which is a sensor capable of detecting temperature and converting the detected temperature value into a usable output signal. For example, the temperature sensor may be used to detect the temperature of the air inside the drum 02 and send the detected temperature value to the controller 04, which then controls the various electrical components to perform corresponding operations based on the drying temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[0062] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a display, which may be a liquid crystal display or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The specific type, size, and resolution of the display are not limited, but those skilled in the art will understand that the display can be modified in terms of performance and configuration as needed.

[0063] In some embodiments, the display may be used to show the control panel of the dryer 100 or operating information of the dryer 100. For example, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the dryer 100 displays operating information such as the running time and the currently running drying program on the monitor.

[0064] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a voice prompt device for playing voice prompt information according to a program. The content of the voice prompt information may be pre-set by the dryer 100 manufacturer or set by the user through a human-machine interface device. For example, when the controller 04 detects that the clothes have met the drying end conditions, the controller 04 may control the voice prompt device to play a prompt message such as "Drying complete".

[0065] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a human-computer interaction device for enabling interaction between the user and the dryer 100. The human-computer interaction device may include one or more of physical buttons or a touch-screen display panel. For example, the user can use the human-computer interaction device to set the drying program that the dryer 100 should run.

[0066] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a communication device, which is a component for communicating with external devices or servers according to various communication protocol types. For example, the communication device may include at least one of the following: a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, a wired Ethernet module, a near field communication (NFC) module, or other network communication protocol chips or NFC chips, and an infrared receiver. The communication device can be used to communicate with other devices or communication networks (such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.).

[0067] In some embodiments, the controller 04 can communicate with the terminal device used by the user via a communication device. For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the user's terminal device is a mobile phone. The controller 04 receives the drying program selected by the user on the mobile phone through the communication device, and then controls the electrical components of the dryer 100 to start executing the drying program.

[0068] In some embodiments, the dryer 100 may further include a power supply, which, under the control of the controller 04, provides power supply support for the dryer 100 by using electricity input from an external power source.

[0069] The specific solution of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0070] This application also provides a control method for a clothes dryer, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0071] S101. During the operation of the drying program, the controller acquires the rate of change of resistance of the clothes.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the start of the dryer program can be triggered by the user, that is, the user controls the start of the dryer program.

[0073] For example, a user can control the start of the dryer program by operating the display panel of the touch dryer.

[0074] For example, users can also establish a communication connection with the dryer through a mobile device, thereby controlling the start of the dryer program on the mobile device, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0075] Among them, such as Figure 7 As shown, the specific implementation of this controller to obtain the rate of change of resistance of clothing may include the following steps:

[0076] S1011, The controller obtains the resistance values ​​of the clothing at the current moment and the previous moment.

[0077] In some embodiments, the controller can obtain the resistance value of the clothing by a detector at preset time intervals, and the controller can store the correspondence between the running time and the resistance value of the clothing in a memory.

[0078] The relationship between the running time and the resistance of the clothing can be represented by a table. For example, such a table could be shown in Table 1 below.

[0079] Table 1

[0080]

[0081]

[0082] In Table 1, the controller obtains the resistance value of the clothing every 1 second through the detector. Table 1 is only an exemplary illustration and is not a specific limitation on the correspondence table described in the embodiments of this application.

[0083] Optionally, the controller can also acquire the resistance value of the clothing at intervals of 2S, 3S, or 4S using a detector, and store the corresponding relationship in memory.

[0084] In another possible implementation, the controller obtains the resistance value of the clothing by a detector at preset millisecond or preset minute intervals. The correspondence table can be a correspondence between the resistance value of the clothing and the unit of millisecond or minute.

[0085] In other embodiments, the controller may also acquire the resistance value of the clothing in real time through a detector and store the acquired resistance value of the clothing in a memory.

[0086] S1012. When the resistance change rate is calculated based on the resistance values ​​of the clothing at the current time and the previous time, the controller calculates the resistance change rate based on the real-time resistance information.

[0087] The rate of change of resistance is the difference between the resistance of the garment at the current moment and the resistance of the garment at the previous moment, divided by the resistance of the garment at the previous moment.

[0088] For example, in Table 1, if the current time is 00:10:02, the current resistance of the clothing is 125, and the previous resistance of the clothing could be 120. Therefore, the rate of change of the resistance of the clothing at the current time is 1 / 24.

[0089] S102. The controller determines the load capacity of the roller based on the resistance change rate. This load capacity refers to the amount of clothing the roller can hold. It is understandable that, given the same initial moisture content, more clothing means a longer time to reach moisture content A, thus allowing the controller to determine the appropriate roller load capacity.

[0090] In some embodiments, the load capacity of the roller can be divided into three states: half-loaded, fully loaded, and other load capacities. In one possible implementation, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the load capacity of the roller can be determined through the following steps.

[0091] S1021. The controller determines the first running time, which is the running time of the dryer when the resistance change rate reaches the first preset value.

[0092] Experiments revealed that the resistivity of clothing exhibits the following characteristics related to its moisture content: when the moisture content is above a certain value A (approximately 20%), the resistivity remains almost unchanged with increasing moisture content; however, when the moisture content is below this value A, the resistivity decreases rapidly and increases with decreasing moisture content. When the moisture content is below a certain value B (approximately 4%), the resistivity remains almost unchanged with decreasing moisture content.

[0093] Based on the characteristics of clothing resistivity and moisture content described above, it can be seen that the resistivity versus drying time function curve during the clothing drying process has two obvious abrupt change points, A and B. These points A and B can be identified through resistivity; that is, abrupt change points A and B on the function curve can be identified during the operation of the dryer. For example, if the current resistivity is greater than a preset value compared to 10 minutes ago and remains so for more than 8 minutes, then this point is considered abrupt change point A. For example, if the current resistivity is greater than a preset value compared to 10 minutes ago and remains so for more than 8 minutes, then this point is considered abrupt change point B. It should be noted that the 10 minutes and 8 minutes are merely illustrative descriptions and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0094] Figure 9 This illustration shows a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the resistivity and water content (i.e., 1 - moisture content) of the clothing provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown in the diagram, points M and N represent the resistivity state when the moisture content of the clothing in the dryer is higher than value A; points M and N represent the resistivity state when the moisture content of the clothing in the dryer is higher than value B but lower than value A; and points N and N represent the resistivity state when the moisture content of the clothing in the dryer is lower than value B. It can be understood that when the resistivity suddenly increases rapidly at points A and B, the rate of change of resistance also increases.

[0095] Therefore, the first preset value can be the resistance change rate at point M, and the first running time is the time when the humidity of the clothes in the dryer reaches value A.

[0096] S1022. If the first running time is greater than or equal to the first preset time and less than or equal to the second preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the first loading amount, which is half load.

[0097] The first preset time and the second preset time can be preset by the system, and the half load can be half of the maximum capacity of the dryer.

[0098] For example, the first preset time and the second preset time can be determined by the following method: measuring the time when the moisture content of the clothes in the dryer reaches value A under half-load conditions, and using this time as the standard time when the moisture content of the clothes reaches value A under half-load conditions. The first preset time and the second preset time can be increased or decreased by a certain value based on the half-load standard time.

[0099] For example, if the standard half-load time is 5 minutes, then the first preset time can be set to 4 minutes, and the second preset time can be 6 minutes. If the first running time is greater than or equal to 4 minutes and less than or equal to 6 minutes, then the load is determined to be half-load.

[0100] S1023. If the first running time is greater than or equal to the third preset time and less than or equal to the fourth preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the second loading amount, which is the full load.

[0101] Among them, the first preset time is less than the second preset time, the second preset time is less than the third preset time, and the third preset time is less than the fourth preset time.

[0102] In addition, the third and fourth preset times can be preset by the system. The full load can be the maximum allowable capacity of the dryer. For example, the third and fourth preset times can be determined by measuring the time it takes for the moisture content of the clothes inside the dryer to reach value A when the dryer is fully loaded (i.e., loaded with the maximum allowable capacity of the dryer). This time is used as the standard time for the moisture content of the clothes to reach value A when the dryer is fully loaded, and this standard time for full load is between the third and fourth preset times.

[0103] For example, the standard time for full load can be 9 minutes, the third preset time can be 8 minutes, and the fourth preset time can be 10 minutes. If the first running time is greater than or equal to 8 minutes and less than or equal to 10 minutes, then the loading is determined to be full load.

[0104] S1024. If the first running time is less than the first preset time, or if the first running time is greater than the second preset time and less than the third preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the third loading amount. That is, for example, if the first preset time is 4 minutes, the second preset time is 6 minutes, and the third preset time is 8 minutes, and if the first running time is less than 4 minutes, or the first running time is greater than 6 minutes and less than 8 minutes, then the loading amount is determined to be the third loading amount.

[0105] In other embodiments, the load capacity of the roller can also be divided into four states: first load, second load, third load, and full load.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the load capacity of the roller can be determined by the following criteria.

[0107] 1. The controller determines the first running time, which is the running time of the dryer when the resistance change rate reaches the first preset value.

[0108] 2. If the first running time is less than the first preset time, the loading amount is determined as the first load.

[0109] 3. If the first running time is greater than or equal to the first preset duration but less than the second preset duration, the loading capacity is determined as the second load.

[0110] 4. If the first running time is greater than or equal to the second preset time but less than the third preset time, the load capacity is determined to be the third load capacity.

[0111] 5. If the first running time is greater than or equal to the third preset time, the load capacity is determined to be full load.

[0112] The first preset duration, the second preset duration, and the third preset duration can all be preset by the system.

[0113] For example, the first preset duration can be determined by measuring the time it takes for the moisture content of the clothes in the dryer to reach value A when the dryer is loaded to one-quarter of its maximum capacity (i.e., one-quarter of the maximum capacity allowed by the dryer). This duration is used as the first standard duration for the moisture content of the clothes to reach value A when the dryer is loaded to one-quarter of its maximum capacity. This first standard duration can be used as the first preset duration.

[0114] Similarly, the second preset duration can be determined by the following method: measuring the time it takes for the moisture content of the clothes in the dryer to reach value A when the dryer is loaded at half its maximum capacity (i.e., half of the maximum allowable capacity of the dryer). This time is used as the second standard duration for the moisture content of the clothes to reach value A when the dryer is half-loaded. This second standard duration can be used as the second preset duration.

[0115] The third preset duration can be determined by the following method: measuring the time it takes for the moisture content of the clothes in the dryer to reach value A when the dryer is loaded with three-quarters of its maximum capacity (i.e., three-quarters of the maximum capacity allowed by the dryer). This time is used as the third standard duration for the moisture content of the clothes to reach value A when the dryer is loaded with three-quarters of its maximum capacity. This third standard duration can be used as the third preset duration.

[0116] It is understood that the loading capacity of the roller can also be divided into two, five, six, etc., which will not be described in detail in this application embodiment.

[0117] S103. The controller determines the stop time of the dryer based on the load.

[0118] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 10 As shown, the controller can be categorized into the following cases based on the determined stop time of the dryer:

[0119] S1031. If the load is half-loaded, the controller determines the stop time to be the fifth preset time.

[0120] S1032. If the load is full, the controller determines the stop time to be the sixth preset time.

[0121] The fifth preset time is less than the sixth preset time. Both the fifth and sixth preset times can be preset by the system. The fifth and sixth preset times are in a one-to-one correspondence with half load and full load. This correspondence table can be stored in the controller.

[0122] Alternatively, the fifth preset time can be determined by measuring the standard time it takes for the moisture content of the clothes inside the dryer to reach 0% when the dryer is half-loaded. The fifth preset time can be this standard time. To ensure that the clothes are completely dried, the fifth preset time can also be longer than this standard time.

[0123] Similarly, the sixth preset time can be determined by measuring the standard time when the moisture content of the clothes in the dryer reaches 0% under full load. The sixth preset time can be this standard time. In order to ensure that the clothes are completely dried, the sixth preset time can also be greater than this standard time.

[0124] When the load is the third load, the stop time of the dryer can be determined based on the resistance change rate.

[0125] S1033. If the load is the third load, the controller determines the stop time based on the resistance change rate.

[0126] It is understandable that the third loading capacity includes two cases: the first running time is less than the first preset time, and the first running time is greater than the second preset time and less than the third preset time. In these two cases, the dryness and humidity of the clothes are quite different.

[0127] To ensure the drying effect of the dryer, in some embodiments, such as Figure 11 As shown, step S1033 can be specifically implemented as follows:

[0128] S10331, The controller determines a second running time, which is the difference between the running time of the dryer and the first running time when the resistance change rate reaches a second preset value.

[0129] The second preset value is less than the first preset value. It can be understood that the second preset value can be the resistance change rate at point N. Thus, the running time is the time it takes for the humidity of the clothes inside the dryer to reach value B. The second running time is the time it takes for the humidity of the clothes inside the dryer to change from value A to value B.

[0130] S10332, The controller determines the stop time based on the first running time and the second running time.

[0131] That is, the controller determines the stop time of the dryer based on the sum of the first running time and the second running time.

[0132] It is understandable that when clothes are in the same dryer, the time required for the moisture content to increase from A to B is T1, and the time required for the moisture content to decrease from B to 0% is T2. Through experimental testing of T1 and T2 during the drying process of clothes of different weights, it was found that T2 basically conforms to T1 = T1 * K, where K is a constant. Thus, the controller can determine the drying time T2 that needs to continue based on the measured value of T1.

[0133] Therefore, the stopping time can be the sum of the first running time (running time of segment 0-M), the second running time (running time of segment MN), and K times the second running time (N-running time with a water content of 0%).

[0134] In other embodiments, such as Figure 12 As shown, after the first running time, the control method of this clothes dryer can also be implemented in the following steps:

[0135] S10333: After the first running time, when the resistance change rate reaches a third preset value, the controller controls the dryer to stop running. This third preset value is less than the second preset value.

[0136] Understandably, this third preset value can be the rate of change in resistance of the clothes after the moisture content of the clothes reaches 0%. That is, when the controller detects that the moisture content of the clothes has reached 0%, the controller determines that the dryer has reached its stop time.

[0137] S104. When the dryer reaches the stop time, the controller controls the dryer to stop running.

[0138] For example, if the stop time for several clothes dryers is 11:00, then when the clothes dryer runs until 11:00, the controller will stop the clothes dryer.

[0139] In this embodiment of the dryer, during the drying process, the drum load is determined by acquiring the rate of change in resistance of the clothing. It can be understood that this rate of change in resistance reflects the dryness or moisture content of the clothing to a certain extent; that is, the drum load can be determined based on the dryness or moisture content of the clothing. The dryer's stop time is then determined based on the load; that is, when the load of clothing is constant, the drying time is constant. Thus, this application determines whether the clothing is dry by using the rate of change in resistance and the elapsed running time. Even if external circuit interference causes the overall resistance value detected by the resistance detection circuit to shift, the pattern of resistance change remains unchanged. This allows for accurate determination of whether the clothing is dry, thereby improving the user experience.

[0140] As can be seen, the above mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from a methodological perspective. To achieve the above functions, the embodiments of this application provide corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0141] This application embodiment can divide the controller into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. Optionally, the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0142] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer-executable instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute any of the control methods for a clothes dryer provided in the above embodiments.

[0143] This application also provides a computer program product containing computer execution instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute any of the control methods for a clothes dryer provided in the above embodiments.

[0144] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer-executable instructions. When these computer-executable instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer-executable instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer-executable instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs).

[0145] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple instances. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0146] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

[0147] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer, characterized in that, include: Box; A roller, located inside the box, is used to hold clothing; A detector is used to detect the resistance of the clothing and the running time of the dryer; The controller, electrically connected to the detector, is configured to: During the drying process, the rate of change of resistance of the clothing is obtained; The loading capacity of the roller is determined based on the resistance change rate. The stop time of the dryer is determined based on the loading capacity; When the dryer reaches the stop time, control the dryer to stop running; The controller is specifically configured to determine the loading amount of the roller based on the resistance change rate. A first running time is determined, which is the running time of the dryer when the resistance change rate reaches a first preset value; If the first running time is greater than or equal to the first preset time and less than or equal to the second preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the first loading amount, and the first loading amount is half load; If the first running time is greater than or equal to the third preset time and less than or equal to the fourth preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the second loading amount, and the second loading amount is fully loaded; If the first running time is less than the first preset time, or if the first running time is greater than the second preset time and less than the third preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the third loading amount; Wherein, the first preset time is less than the second preset time, the second preset time is less than the third preset time, and the third preset time is less than the fourth preset time; If the loading amount is the third loading amount, the stopping time is determined based on the resistance change rate, and is specifically configured as follows: A second running time is determined, which is the difference between the running time of the dryer and the first running time when the resistance change rate reaches a second preset value, wherein the second preset value is less than the first preset value; The stop time of the dryer is determined based on the first running time and the second running time.

2. A clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is specifically configured to perform the acquisition of the resistance change rate as follows: Obtain the resistance values ​​of the garment at the current time and the previous time, and calculate the rate of change of the resistance value based on the obtained resistance values ​​of the garment at the current time and the previous time. The resistance change rate is the difference between the resistance of the garment at the current moment and the resistance of the garment at the previous moment, divided by the resistance of the garment at the previous moment.

3. A clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is configured to determine the stop time of the dryer based on the load amount. If the load is half-loaded, the stopping time is determined to be the fifth preset time; if the load is full-loaded, the stopping time is determined to be the sixth preset time. The fifth preset time is less than the sixth preset time.

4. A clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller executes the process of determining the stop time based on the first running time and the second running time, specifically configured as follows: The stopping time is the sum of the first running time, the second running time, and K times the second running time; where K is a constant.

5. A clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to: After the first running time, when the resistance change rate reaches a third preset value, the dryer is controlled to stop running, wherein the third preset value is less than the second preset value.

6. A control method for a clothes dryer, characterized in that, The method includes: During the drying process, the rate of change in the resistance of the clothes is measured. The loading capacity of the roller is determined based on the resistance change rate. The stop time of the dryer is determined based on the loading capacity; When the dryer reaches the stop time, control the dryer to stop running; The controller executes the process of determining the load on the roller based on the resistance change rate, specifically configured as follows: A first running time is determined, which is the running time of the dryer when the resistance change rate reaches a first preset value; If the first running time is greater than or equal to the first preset time and less than or equal to the second preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the first loading amount, and the first loading amount is half load; If the first running time is greater than or equal to the third preset time and less than or equal to the fourth preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the second loading amount, and the second loading amount is fully loaded; If the first running time is less than the first preset time, or if the first running time is greater than the second preset time and less than the third preset time, the loading amount is determined to be the third loading amount; Wherein, the first preset time is less than the second preset time, the second preset time is less than the third preset time, and the third preset time is less than the fourth preset time; If the loading amount is the third loading amount, the stopping time is determined based on the resistance change rate, and is specifically configured as follows: A second running time is determined, which is the difference between the running time of the dryer and the first running time when the resistance change rate reaches a second preset value, wherein the second preset value is less than the first preset value; The stop time of the dryer is determined based on the first running time and the second running time.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the resistance change rate specifically includes: obtaining the resistance value of the clothing at the current time and the previous time, and calculating the resistance change rate based on the obtained resistance values ​​of the clothing at the current time and the previous time; wherein, the resistance change rate is the difference between the resistance value of the clothing at the current time and the resistance value of the clothing at the previous time divided by the resistance value of the clothing at the previous time.

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