A method for detecting leakage of a refrigerant of a clothes dryer and a clothes dryer

Abstract

The application discloses a clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method and a clothes dryer. The clothes dryer can detect whether refrigerant has leaked at the initial stage of drying operation. If leakage occurs, the user is prompted to perform relevant operations (stop drying, warn the user to repair, prompt to perform indoor ventilation, etc.) in a timely manner, so that the machine cannot heat, clothes cannot be dried, and invalid work such as waste of user time and power consumption is avoided due to refrigerant leakage. If the machine adopts flammable and explosive refrigerant, the safety fire and explosion hidden danger caused by leakage can be effectively reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of clothes drying machines, in particular to a clothes drying machine refrigerant leakage detection method and clothes drying machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] The heat pump clothes drying machine is through the compressor to work on the refrigerant medium, using the refrigerant in the evaporator, condenser and through the throttling device before and after the state change and the surrounding air heat exchange and transfer, and through the fan to the heat absorbed by the heat air to the inner barrel and the clothes full contact, hot air flow continuously take away the moisture in the clothes, so as to achieve the purpose of drying clothes.

[0003] If the refrigerant leaks, it will cause the compressor to run without refrigerant being compressed, doing useless work, and the machine has no heating capacity, and the clothes cannot be dried.

[0004] The existing clothes drying machine does not have a refrigerant leakage detection function, and the user cannot confirm whether the machine can normally dry before use, and often appears that the clothes are still wet after several hours of drying (the market heat pump clothes drying machine does not dry the complaint more). With the use of environmentally friendly refrigerant (such as R290), higher requirements are put forward for product safety, and the safety hazard caused by refrigerant leakage is greater. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present application provides a clothes drying machine refrigerant leakage detection method to detect whether the refrigerant leaks, avoid the machine running in the state of no refrigerant, time-consuming and laborious, and reduce the safety hazard.

[0006] The present application also provides a clothes drying machine applying the above method.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present application provides the following technical scheme:

[0008] A clothes drying machine refrigerant leakage detection method, comprising the steps of:

[0009] When starting the drying operation, the compressor is started, and the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the throttling device outlet and the evaporator inlet is obtained;

[0010] When the compressor runs for a preset running time t, the second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the throttling device outlet and the evaporator inlet is obtained;

[0011] Compare the difference between T1 and T2 with the preset temperature difference T0, if yes, it is determined that the refrigerant leaks for the first time; if not, it is determined that the refrigerant does not leak for the first time.

[0012] Preferably, the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the throttling device outlet and the evaporator inlet is obtained, comprising:

[0013] Acquiring a measured value of a temperature detecting device arranged in a pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator, and recording as a first temperature T1.

[0014] Preferably, the acquiring a second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator comprises:

[0015] Acquiring a measured value of a temperature detecting device arranged in a pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator, and recording as a second temperature T2.

[0016] Preferably, after the first determining that the refrigerant leaks, the method further comprises:

[0017] Sending a first determining leakage signal, outputting a user operation guidance, and / or controlling the compressor to stop.

[0018] Preferably, after the controlling the compressor to stop, the method further comprises:

[0019] When the compressor stops for a preset stop time t0, controlling the compressor to start, acquiring a first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator;

[0020] When the compressor runs for a preset running time t, acquiring a second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator;

[0021] Comparing whether a difference between T1 and T2 is less than a preset temperature difference T0, if yes, second determining that the refrigerant leaks, if no, second determining that the refrigerant does not leak.

[0022] Preferably, after the first determining that the refrigerant does not leak, the method further comprises:

[0023] Sending a normal running signal.

[0024] Preferably, when starting the drying operation, the compressor starts, and the compressor cooling fan also starts.

[0025] Preferably, the preset running time t is not less than 1 min, and / or the preset stop time t0 is not less than 2 min.

[0026] A clothes dryer, comprising: a refrigerant leakage detection system adopting the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method as described above;

[0027] The refrigerant leakage detection system comprises: a central control module;

[0028] The central control module is configured to acquire the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2, and compare whether a difference between the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2 is less than a preset temperature difference T0.

[0029] Preferably, the refrigerant leakage detection system further comprises: a temperature detecting device.

[0030] The temperature detection device is used for measuring the temperature of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator.

[0031] From the above technical solution, the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method provided by the application can detect whether the refrigerant has leaked at the initial stage of drying operation, and if the leakage occurs, the user can be prompted to perform relevant operations (stop drying, warn the user to repair, prompt to ventilate the room, etc.) in time, so as to avoid the situation that the machine cannot heat, the clothes cannot be dried, the user's time is wasted, and invalid work such as power consumption is caused due to refrigerant leakage; if the machine uses flammable and explosive refrigerant, the safety fire and explosion hazards caused by leakage can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 The circulation diagram of the heat pump clothes dryer refrigerant provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0034] Figure 2 The flowchart of the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0035] Figure 3 The figure showing the change of the temperature of the evaporator inlet with running time for different refrigerant amounts provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0036] Figure 4 The flowchart of the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method in the first embodiment provided by the application is shown in the figure.

[0037] Figure 5 The flowchart of the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method in the second embodiment provided by the application is shown in the figure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method provided by the embodiment of the application has the following innovative points: based on the fact that the existing clothes dryer cannot detect refrigerant leakage by itself after refrigerant leakage, a temperature detection device is added to the pipeline at the position of the outlet of the capillary tube or the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator, which is used to detect the temperature of the refrigerant, and the difference between the temperature T1 at the moment when the compressor is just started and the temperature T2 at the moment when the compressor has run for a specific time t is compared with a preset value T0 to determine whether the refrigerant has leaked, which is simple and easy to implement.

[0039] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort belong to the scope of the present application.

[0040] The clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises the following steps:

[0041] S1, when starting the drying operation and starting the compressor, obtaining a first temperature T1 of a pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator;

[0042] S2, when the compressor runs for a preset running time t, obtaining a second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator;

[0043] S3, comparing whether the difference between T1 and T2 is less than a preset temperature difference T0, if yes, determining that the refrigerant has leaked for the first time, and if no, determining that the refrigerant has not leaked for the first time. The flowchart can be referred to Figure 2 .

[0044] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection method provided by the embodiments of the present application can detect whether the refrigerant has leaked at the initial stage of the drying operation of the clothes dryer. If the refrigerant has leaked, the user is prompted to take relevant actions in time, so as to avoid that the machine cannot heat due to the refrigerant leakage, the clothes cannot be dried, and the user's time and electricity are wasted. If the machine uses flammable and explosive refrigerant, the safety fire and explosion hazards caused by the leakage can be effectively reduced.

[0045] Preferably, the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator is obtained by:

[0046] The measurement value of the temperature detection device A arranged in the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator is obtained and recorded as the first temperature T1. The temperature detection device A can be a temperature sensor or other similar functional device. The structure can be referred to Figure 1 .

[0047] Similarly, the second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator is obtained by:

[0048] The measurement value of the temperature detection device A arranged in the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator is obtained and recorded as the second temperature T2.

[0049] Specifically, after determining that the refrigerant has leaked for the first time, the following steps are further included:

[0050] It issues an initial leak detection signal, outputs user operation instructions, and / or controls the compressor to shut down.

[0051] Furthermore, after controlling the compressor to stop, it also includes:

[0052] S4. When the compressor stops for a preset shutdown time t0, control the compressor to start and obtain the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator.

[0053] When the compressor runs for a preset running time t, the second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator is obtained.

[0054] The difference between T1 and T2 is compared to see if it is less than the preset temperature difference T0. If it is, a second determination is made that a refrigerant leak has occurred; if not, a second determination is made that no refrigerant leak has occurred. That is, to prevent false judgments, after the initial determination of a refrigerant leak and shutdown, a second test is performed after a waiting time t0.

[0055] As a preferred option, after a secondary determination of refrigerant leakage, the following should also be included:

[0056] S5. Issue a secondary leak detection signal, output user operation instructions, and / or control the compressor to shut down. The flowchart can be found here. Figure 4 As shown.

[0057] In this embodiment, after initially determining that there is no refrigerant leak, the following steps are also included:

[0058] S6 sends a normal operation signal; at the same time, it controls the compressor to keep working, and the drying continues.

[0059] The flowchart can be referenced. Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown.

[0060] For dryers using flammable and explosive refrigerants, the compressor cooling fan can be forced to operate after startup to force airflow within the machine cavity, reducing the risk of excessive refrigerant concentration due to refrigerant leakage and thus mitigating safety hazards.

[0061] Specifically, the preset running time t is not less than 1 minute, and / or the preset shutdown time t0 is not less than 2 minutes. The preset temperature difference T0 can be determined according to... Figure 3 Changes in settings, such as Figure 5 In some embodiments, the temperature can be specifically 5 degrees Celsius.

[0062] This invention also provides a clothes dryer, including: a refrigerant leak detection system employing the above-described clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method;

[0063] The refrigerant leak detection system includes: a central control module;

[0064] The central control module is used to acquire the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2, and compare whether the difference between the two is less than the preset temperature difference T0.

[0065] From the above technical solution, it can be seen that the clothes dryer provided by the embodiment of the present application combines the previous refrigerant leakage detection method with other electric control devices of the clothes dryer to form a complete refrigerant leakage detection and protection system. Before the drying action starts, the refrigerant leakage detection algorithm is first run to determine whether the clothes dryer as a whole is in a safe state without refrigerant leakage. When it is determined through the refrigerant leakage detection algorithm that there is refrigerant leakage, the other electric control devices of the system will perform corresponding actions to ensure that no safety hazard accidents occur.

[0066] As preferred, the refrigerant leakage detection system further comprises a temperature detection device A.

[0067] The temperature detection device A is used to measure the temperature of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator.

[0068] The present solution will be further described in combination with specific embodiments as follows:

[0069] The present application relates to a detection method for refrigerant leakage of a clothes dryer, as shown in the accompanying drawings, a heat pump type clothes dryer heating system is composed of a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, and the parts are connected to each other through copper pipes. The refrigerant circulation is as follows: the compressor exhausts, flows out to the capillary tube (throttling device) through the condenser, and then flows into the evaporator, and then flows into the compressor. Figure 1

[0070] The refrigerant leakage detection system comprises a temperature detection device A installed at the evaporator inlet copper pipe, which is used for monitoring the temperature change in the refrigerant leakage detection algorithm. The protection unit comprises a compressor cooling fan, which is used for reducing the space refrigerant concentration after the refrigerant leakage occurs, and a central control module for controlling the fault occurrence and prompting. The above units form a complete heat pump type clothes dryer refrigerant leakage detection and protection system.

[0071] The specific implementation steps are as follows:

[0072] 1. A temperature detection device A, such as a temperature sensor or other similar functional equipment, is added to the pipeline at the position of the capillary tube outlet of the clothes dryer and the evaporator inlet to detect the temperature of the refrigerant after passing through the throttling device;

[0073] 2. After each start-up drying operation, the temperature detection device A immediately detects the refrigerant temperature at the compressor start time and records the temperature value T1;

[0074] 3. After running for a set time t, the refrigerant temperature T2 at time t is detected and recorded;

[0075] ​4. Calculate the difference of T1-T2, and compare with preset temperature T0;

[0076] 5. If T1-T2 is not less than T0, the refrigerant is in normal state, and the dryer enters the normal drying process;

[0077] 6. If T1-T2 < T0, it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, and the machine performs corresponding actions. In order to prevent misjudgment, a secondary detection can be added after waiting for a time t0 after the first determination of refrigerant leakage stops; if it is determined that there is no leakage, the machine operates normally;

[0078] 7. If the results of the two consecutive detections are both determined to be refrigerant leakage, the refrigerant leakage protection action is performed, prompting the user to perform related operations (repair, indoor ventilation, etc.).

[0079] In particular, for dryers filled with flammable and explosive refrigerant (such as R290), the compressor cooling fan action can be forced to start for a period of time, such as 2 minutes, to promote air circulation inside the machine cavity, thereby reducing the safety hazards caused by the high concentration of refrigerant in the machine cavity due to refrigerant leakage.

[0080] For ease of illustration, the detection example is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Figure 4 and Figure 5 Figure 4 It is set that t0 = 2 min, Figure 5 in which T0 = 5℃, the running time t = 3 min, and the forced fan runs for 2 min.

[0081] For a variable frequency compressor model, the EEV can be adjusted to a specific opening before the compressor starts running, and then the above method is used for measurement.

[0082] The existing refrigerant leakage detection scheme generally relies on multiple temperature sensors and refrigerant pressure sensors, which has a high hardware cost and is more concentrated in air conditioning products. The detection method is not suitable for heat pump type dryers. The present scheme only uses one temperature sensor, combined with a specific software algorithm, to realize the application of refrigerant leakage detection in heat pump dryers, and cooperates with other electronic control parts to form a complete refrigerant leakage detection and protection system.

[0083] In summary, the embodiment of the present application discloses a dryer refrigerant leakage detection method, which uses a temperature parameter at the inlet of the evaporator. After the drying compressor starts running, it can be determined whether the refrigerant leaks within a short period of time (such as 1 min), and whether the dryer as a whole is in a safe state without refrigerant leakage. If it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, the machine performs an alarm prompt, prompting the user to repair, avoiding invalid drying operation, and reducing safety hazards.

[0084] ​The various embodiments described in this specification are intended to be illustrative only and in no way limit the scope of the application. Changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, which employ the principles of the application, without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, the application is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but instead has scope to encompass any changes and modifications that serve the same, equivalent, or similar purposes.

[0085] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments enables a person skilled in the art to make or use the application. Modifications of these embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the application as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments presented, therefore, are not to be taken in a limiting sense as the scope of the present application is to be measured by the broadest permissible scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a leakage of a refrigerant in a clothes dryer, characterized by, The method comprises the steps of: acquiring a first temperature T1 of a pipeline between an outlet of a throttling device and an inlet of an evaporator when a compressor is started at the beginning of a drying operation; acquiring a second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator when the compressor is operated for a preset operation time t; the preset operation time t is not less than 1 min; comparing whether a difference between the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2 is less than a preset temperature difference T0, and if yes, determining that the refrigerant has leaked for the first time; if not, determining that the refrigerant has not leaked for the first time; after the refrigerant is determined to have leaked for the first time, the method further comprises the steps of: controlling the compressor to be started when the compressor is stopped for a preset stop time t0, and acquiring the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator; acquiring the second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator when the compressor is operated for the preset operation time t; comparing whether the difference between the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2 is less than the preset temperature difference T0, and if yes, determining that the refrigerant has leaked for the second time; if not, determining that the refrigerant has not leaked for the second time.

2. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 1, wherein, The step of acquiring the first temperature T1 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator comprises the step of: acquiring a measurement value of a temperature detection device (A) arranged in the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator, and recording the measurement value as the first temperature T1.

3. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 1, wherein, The step of acquiring the second temperature T2 of the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator comprises the step of: acquiring a measurement value of the temperature detection device (A) arranged in the pipeline between the outlet of the throttling device and the inlet of the evaporator, and recording the measurement value as the second temperature T2.

4. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 1, wherein, After the refrigerant is determined to have leaked for the first time, the method further comprises the steps of: sending a first determination leakage signal, and / or outputting user operation guidance.

5. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 1, wherein, After the refrigerant is determined to have not leaked for the first time, the method further comprises the step of: sending a normal operation signal.

6. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 1, wherein, When the compressor is started at the beginning of the drying operation, the compressor cooling fan is also started.

7. The clothes dryer refrigerant leak detection method of claim 5, wherein, The preset stop time t0 is not less than 2 min.

8. A clothes dryer characterized by comprising: The method comprises: a refrigerant leakage detection system adopting the refrigerant leakage detection method according to any one of claims 1-7; the refrigerant leakage detection system comprises a central control module; the central control module is configured to acquire the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2, and compare whether a difference between the first temperature T1 and the second temperature T2 is less than a preset temperature difference T0.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 8, characterized in that, The refrigerant leakage detection system further comprises a temperature detection device (A); the temperature detection device (A) is configured to measure a temperature of a pipeline between an outlet of a throttling device and an inlet of an evaporator.

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