Washing machine and control method

Abstract

This invention provides a washing machine, including an inner drum with a receiving cavity for accommodating clothes; a drying assembly including a drying channel and an air inlet communicating with the drying channel, the air inlet communicating with the receiving cavity to introduce drying airflow into the receiving cavity through the drying assembly; an air guide plate disposed at the air inlet, the air guide plate being used to guide the drying airflow, and the air guide plate being movably disposed; a detection module for detecting the humidity in the receiving cavity; and a control module connected to the detection module and the air guide plate, the control module controlling the movement of the air guide plate according to the humidity detected by the detection module. Through the above configuration, the airflow pattern of the drying air can be adjusted to ensure that the clothes in the receiving cavity are surrounded by hot air as much as possible, making the clothes more evenly heated, thereby achieving precise drying of the clothes and improving the drying efficiency of the washing machine in this embodiment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of washing machine technology, and more specifically to a washing machine and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Most existing washer-dryer combos use electric heating to dry clothes with hot air. The drying unit of a front-loading washing machine has a closed-loop airflow system. A fan blows dry air into the heater, where it is electrically heated into hot, dry air. This hot air then enters the washing machine drum, evaporating the moisture on the clothes into water vapor. This humid, hot air then enters the condenser, where it condenses and filters out dry, cool air, which is then recirculated back into the fan. This process achieves the drying purpose.

[0003] However, current drying ducts are generally connected to the inner drum of a washer-dryer combo or dryer via rubber hoses, with the air outlet pointing directly at the bottom of the inner drum and in a fixed direction. This setup can easily result in ineffective drying after washing.

[0004] Therefore, existing technologies need further development. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and provide a washing machine and control method to solve the technical problem of poor drying effect of washing machines in related technologies.

[0006] To achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A washing machine is provided, comprising: an inner drum having a receiving cavity for accommodating clothes; a drying assembly including a drying channel and an air inlet communicating with the drying channel, the air inlet communicating with the receiving cavity to allow drying airflow to be introduced into the receiving cavity through the drying assembly; an air guide plate disposed at the air inlet, the air guide plate being used to guide the drying airflow, the air guide plate being movably disposed; a detection module for detecting the humidity within the receiving cavity; and a control module connected to the detection module and the air guide plate, the control module controlling the movement of the air guide plate according to the humidity detected by the detection module.

[0007] A control method applicable to the washing machine described above includes: measuring the humidity inside the receiving cavity; and a control module controlling the movement of the air guide vane based on the humidity inside the receiving cavity.

[0008] Furthermore, the method by which the control module controls the movement of the air guide plate according to the humidity inside the cavity includes: the control module adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate and the vertical direction to control the movement of the air guide plate.

[0009] Furthermore, the method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate and the vertical direction includes: measuring the height h of the clothing in the receiving cavity, and calculating the angle α based on the height h; the height h of the clothing is the maximum distance between the upper surface of the clothing and the bottom surface of the receiving cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, the receiving cavity is designed as a cylindrical structure, with an inner diameter of x and a height of y; the formula for calculating angle α is:

[0011] Furthermore, the control method also includes: controlling the inner cylinder to rotate; when the inner cylinder rotates, the control module controls the air guide plate to swing to perform air sweeping.

[0012] Furthermore, the method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate and the vertical direction includes: controlling the inner cylinder to stop rotating; and adjusting the angle α.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for controlling the rotation of the inner cylinder includes: controlling the inner cylinder to rotate along a first preset direction; controlling the inner cylinder to stop rotating; controlling the inner cylinder to rotate along a second preset direction; wherein the first preset direction is opposite to the second preset direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate and the vertical direction by the control module includes: measuring the humidity value a% in the accommodating cavity by the detection module; comparing the humidity value a% with the threshold b%; if a% ≤ b%, adjusting the angle α to a first preset angle so that the air guide plate guides the drying airflow to avoid the clothes; if a% > b%, adjusting the angle α to a second preset angle so that the air guide plate guides the drying airflow to the clothes.

[0015] Furthermore, the method for controlling the air guide plate to direct the drying airflow to the clothes includes: determining the moisture content of the clothes based on the humidity value a%; re-measuring the height value h of the clothes when the moisture content of the clothes changes; recalculating the angle α based on the height value h of the clothes; and adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate and the vertical direction.

[0016] Beneficial effects:

[0017] Applying the washing machine and control method of this embodiment to real life, by intelligently adjusting the air outlet direction based on the washing load and distribution range, clothes can be dried precisely. With the corresponding shaking logic, the clothes in the inner drum can receive the hot airflow evenly. Furthermore, the air outlet direction can be adjusted at different stages according to the degree of drying of the clothes, effectively improving the drying efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a rear view of the washing machine used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram illustrating the annotation of angle α and height h used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first working state of the washing machine used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second working state of the washing machine used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the third working state structure of the washing machine used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the existing technology used in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the control method used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the forward and reverse rotation of the motor for drying, as used in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] The above figures include the following reference numerals:

[0027] 1. Inner drum; 10. Clothes; 11. Receiving cavity; 20. Drying assembly; 21. Drying channel; 22. Air inlet; 3. Air guide plate. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a washing machine is provided; please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1 to 8 ,include:

[0030] The inner drum 1 has a receiving cavity 11 for accommodating clothes 10; a drying assembly 20 includes a drying channel 21 and an air inlet 22 communicating with the drying channel 21, the air inlet 22 communicating with the receiving cavity 11 to allow drying airflow to be introduced into the receiving cavity 11 through the drying assembly 20; a guide plate 3 is disposed at the air inlet 22 and is used to guide the drying airflow, the guide plate 3 is movably disposed; a detection module is used to detect the humidity in the receiving cavity 11; a control module is signal-connected to the detection module and to the guide plate 3, the control module controls the movement of the guide plate 3 according to the humidity detected by the detection module.

[0031] With the above settings, the washing machine in this embodiment can detect environmental factors in the receiving cavity 11, such as humidity, load or distribution range of clothes 10, and adjust the movement state of the air guide plate 3 accordingly. This allows the airflow pattern of the drying air to be adjusted so that most of the clothes 10 in the receiving cavity 11 are surrounded by hot air, making the clothes 10 more evenly heated, thereby achieving precise drying of the clothes 10 and improving the drying efficiency of the washing machine in this embodiment.

[0032] The control method of this embodiment is applicable to the washing machine described above. The control method includes: measuring the humidity inside the receiving cavity 11; and the control module controlling the movement of the air guide plate 3 according to the humidity inside the receiving cavity 11.

[0033] Specifically, traditional dryers have a fixed air outlet direction, which cannot guarantee a good airflow path. High-speed airflow cannot accurately flow over the surface of the clothing, resulting in low drying efficiency. (See also...) Figure 7 Assuming the garment 10 is close to the door seal structure at the front of the inner drum 1, since the air outlet direction is fixed and there is no airflow path in the air inlet 22, the drying airflow will follow... Figure 6 The preset route indicated by the middle arrow cannot fully contact the clothes 10. Therefore, the control method in this embodiment needs to dynamically adjust the air outlet direction based on the drying status of the clothes (i.e., the humidity level in the receiving cavity 11).

[0034] Specifically, when the moisture content in the receiving cavity 11 decreases (i.e., the humidity decreases), the clothes in the receiving cavity 11 become fluffy, and the height of the clothes in the receiving cavity 11 is not constant. Correspondingly, if the air guide angle of the air guide plate 3 remains unchanged when the height of the clothes in the receiving cavity 11 changes, it will affect the drying effect or damage the clothes. In this embodiment, the air guide plate 3 can move according to the humidity in the receiving cavity 11, thereby adjusting the air guide angle of the air guide plate 3, making the clothes dry faster and improving the drying efficiency.

[0035] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8The control module controls the movement of the air guide plate 3 based on the humidity inside the receiving cavity 11 by adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate 3 and the vertical direction. In this way, by controlling the angle α, precise drying can be achieved according to the drying status of the clothes 10, and the guiding angle of the air guide plate 3 for the drying airflow can be adjusted accordingly, directing the drying airflow to different positions on the clothes 10.

[0036] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate 3 and the vertical direction includes: measuring the height h of the clothing 10 in the receiving cavity 11 and calculating the angle α based on the height h; the height h of the clothing 10 is the maximum distance between the upper surface of the clothing 10 and the bottom surface 12 of the receiving cavity 11.

[0037] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The cavity 11 is designed as a cylindrical structure, with an inner diameter of x and a height of y; the formula for calculating angle α is:

[0038] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The control method also includes: controlling the inner cylinder 1 to rotate; when the inner cylinder 1 rotates, the control module controls the air guide plate 3 to swing to perform air sweeping.

[0039] Specifically, the reason why the air guide plate is in an up-and-down sweeping state during the rotation of the inner drum 1 is that the height h of the clothes when the inner drum 1 is stationary cannot represent the height h of the clothes when the inner drum 1 is in motion. That is, when the inner drum 1 is in motion, the clothes are tumbling and there is no fixed height h. Therefore, the air guide plate 3 is made to perform up-and-down sweeping motion (i.e., the angle α is changing) while the inner drum 1 is in motion, so that the clothes in the inner drum 1 are heated as evenly as possible.

[0040] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate 3 and the vertical direction includes: controlling the inner cylinder 1 to stop rotating; and adjusting the angle α.

[0041] During the period when the inner drum 1 is not rotating, the height h of the clothes 10 inside the inner drum 1 is measured. After calculating the angle α, the angle α of the air guide plate 3 is adjusted so that the air guide plate 3 blows air onto the surface of the clothes. The high-speed drying airflow is as follows: Figure 3-5 The preset route indicated by the middle arrow flows through the clothes 10 on the top layer of the inner drum 1. Since the clothes 10 tumble back and forth with the movement of the inner drum 1 during the movement, all clothes 10 have a chance to appear on the top layer during the stop.

[0042] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8The method for controlling the rotation of the inner cylinder 1 includes: controlling the inner cylinder 1 to rotate along a first preset direction; controlling the inner cylinder 1 to stop rotating; controlling the inner cylinder 1 to rotate along a second preset direction; wherein the first preset direction is opposite to the second preset direction.

[0043] Specifically, in this embodiment, after the washing machine receives the drying command, see... Figure 7 First, the motor rotates, controlling the inner drum 1 to shake and scatter the clothes 10; after the clothes 10 are shaken and scattered, the motor enters the forward and reverse rotation drying process.

[0044] Specifically, the normal drying process is: inner drum 1 rotates forward (duration T1) - stops (duration T2) - reverses (duration T3).

[0045] The control method in this embodiment dynamically adjusts the air outlet angle of the air duct during the rotation of the inner drum 1, that is, the air guide plate 3 is in an up-and-down sweeping state. When the inner drum 1 is in a stopped state, the program measures the height of the clothes 10 and adjusts the angle of the air guide plate 3 so that the air outlet of the air guide plate 3 is directly above the surface of the clothes in the inner drum 1.

[0046] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The method by which the control module adjusts the angle α between the air guide plate 3 and the vertical direction includes: measuring the humidity value a% inside the accommodating cavity 11 through the detection module; and comparing the humidity value a% with the threshold b%.

[0047] If a% ≤ b%, then adjust the angle α to the first preset angle so that the air guide plate 3 guides the drying airflow to avoid the clothes 10;

[0048] If a% > b%, then adjust the angle α to the second preset angle so that the air guide plate 3 guides the drying airflow to the clothes 10.

[0049] In the control method of this embodiment, see Figure 8 The method for controlling the air guide plate 3 to guide the drying airflow to the clothes 10 includes: determining the moisture content of the clothes 10 based on the humidity value a%; re-measuring the height value h of the clothes 10 when the moisture content of the clothes 10 changes; recalculating the angle α based on the height value h of the clothes 10; and adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate 3 and the vertical direction.

[0050] Specifically, by judging the degree of drying of the clothes 10, the air outlet mode can be adjusted in a targeted manner to improve drying efficiency.

[0051] Specifically, assuming the humidity threshold of garment 10 when it is dry is b%, as the drying process progresses, the humidity of the garment is measured and marked as a%. When a% ≤ b%, the angle α is adjusted to change the airflow direction of the air guide plate 3 (the airflow direction is fixed, hot air is not blown onto garment 10, and vertical airflow is not performed), which can reduce damage to garment 10. When a% > b%, the h value and angle α are measured based on the moisture content of garment 10. The moisture content of garment 10 will continuously decrease, causing garment 10 to become fluffy, so the h value will increase when the cycle stops. The h value is not constant. Therefore, the latest h value needs to be measured and the angle α recalculated each time the cycle stops.

[0052] Applying the washing machine and control method of this embodiment to real life, by intelligently adjusting the air outlet direction based on the washing load and distribution range, clothes can be dried precisely. With the corresponding shaking logic, the clothes in the inner drum can receive the hot airflow evenly. Furthermore, the air outlet direction can be adjusted at different stages according to the degree of drying of the clothes, effectively improving the drying efficiency.

[0053] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0054] Optionally, specific examples in this embodiment can refer to the examples described in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0055] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0056] If the integrated units in the above embodiments are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause one or more computer devices (which may be personal computers, servers, or network devices, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0057] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized in that, include: Inner tube (1), the inner tube (1) having a receiving cavity (11) for receiving clothing (10); The drying assembly (20) includes a drying channel (21) and an air inlet (22) communicating with the drying channel (21). The air inlet (22) is communicating with the receiving cavity (11) to allow the drying airflow to be introduced into the receiving cavity (11) through the drying assembly (20). Air guide plate (3), the air guide plate (3) is disposed at the air inlet (22), the air guide plate (3) is used to guide the drying airflow, and the air guide plate (3) is movably disposed; The detection module is used to detect the humidity inside the receiving cavity (11); The control module is connected to the detection module and the air guide plate (3) by signal. The control module controls the movement of the air guide plate (3) according to the humidity detected by the detection module. The method by which the control module controls the movement of the air guide plate (3) based on the humidity inside the accommodating cavity (11) includes: The control module adjusts the angle α between the air guide plate (3) and the vertical direction to control the movement of the air guide plate (3); The method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate (3) and the vertical direction includes: The height h of the clothing (10) inside the receiving cavity (11) is measured, and the angle α is calculated based on the height h; the height h of the clothing (10) is the maximum distance between the upper surface of the clothing (10) and the bottom surface (12) of the receiving cavity (11); The humidity value a% inside the accommodating cavity (11) was measured by the detection module. Compare the humidity value a% with the threshold b%. If a%≤b%, then adjust the angle α to the first preset angle so that the air guide plate (3) guides the drying airflow to avoid the clothes (10). If a% > b%, then adjust the angle α to the second preset angle so that the air guide plate (3) guides the drying airflow to the clothes (10): The moisture content of the clothing (10) is determined based on the humidity value a%. When the moisture content of the garment (10) changes, the height value h of the garment (10) is remeasured; Based on the height value h of the garment (10), the angle α is recalculated; Adjust the angle α between the air guide plate (3) and the vertical direction.

2. A control method applicable to the washing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control method includes: Measure the humidity inside the cavity (11); The control module controls the movement of the air guide plate (3) according to the humidity inside the accommodating cavity (11).

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The receiving cavity (11) is configured as a cylindrical structure, the inner diameter of the receiving cavity (11) is x, and the height of the receiving cavity (11) is y; the formula for calculating the angle α is: α = αrctαn .

4. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The inner cylinder (1) is controlled to rotate; when the inner cylinder (1) rotates, the control module controls the air guide plate (3) to swing to perform air sweeping.

5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method for adjusting the angle α between the air guide plate (3) and the vertical direction includes: controlling the inner cylinder (1) to stop rotating; and adjusting the angle α.

6. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method for controlling the rotation of the inner cylinder (1) includes: Control the inner cylinder (1) to rotate along a first preset direction; Control the inner cylinder (1) to stop rotating; Control the inner cylinder (1) to rotate along the second preset direction; The first preset direction is opposite to the second preset direction.

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