Drying apparatus and method of controlling the same

Abstract

A drying apparatus is disclosed, including a drying unit and a processor for controlling the operation of the drying unit. The processor can control the drying unit to: if a drying request is received, identify whether the drying request is an initial drying request for an object to be dried or an additional drying request for the object to be dried; and if the drying request is identified as an additional drying request, perform an additional drying operation on the object to be dried based on a drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying request for the object to be dried.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a drying apparatus and its control method, and more specifically, to a drying apparatus and its control method for drying materials to be dried. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the release of drying equipment, drying devices offering various functions are being developed. For example, these devices provide various processes such as standard drying, rapid drying, shirt drying, time-based drying, AI-customized drying, delicate garment drying, wool drying, sheet drying, towel drying, and air drying. Furthermore, after checking the device's status, users can be provided with its current operating status or maintenance requests.

[0003] Although the drying equipment offers the various functions described above, it may not achieve the desired level of drying if the user selects the wrong process or if the material to be dried, such as bed sheets, is being dried.

[0004] In this situation, the user performs drying again, but the drying equipment performs the same drying operation without reflecting the previous drying history, which leads to the problem of damaging the material to be dried due to over-drying.

[0005] Users can directly change the drying settings, but they may not be able to objectively determine the moisture state of the material to be dried, and it is difficult to set the drying operation so as not to damage the material.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method for performing optimal drying operations without causing inconvenience to users when additional drying operations are performed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to embodiments of the present disclosure for achieving the above objectives, a drying apparatus is provided, comprising a drying unit and a processor configured to control the operation of the drying unit, wherein the processor is configured to: based on receiving a drying request, identify whether it is an initial drying request for a material to be dried or an additional drying request for the material to be dried; and based on the drying request being identified as an additional drying request, control the drying unit to perform an additional drying operation on the material to be dried based on a drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying request for the material to be dried.

[0008] The material to be dried is a first material to be dried, and the drying apparatus further includes: a memory for storing weight information associated with a second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying request was received, and humidity information associated with the second material to be dried, wherein the processor is configured to: identify at least one of the weight information or humidity information associated with the first material to be dried; and, based on the identified information and the information stored in the memory, identify whether the drying request is an initial drying request or an additional drying request.

[0009] The memory also stores the opening and closing information of the drying unit door immediately following the drying operation before the drying request is received, and wherein the processor is configured to identify whether the drying request is an initial drying request or an additional drying request by further considering the door opening and closing information.

[0010] The processor is configured to: control the drying unit to perform additional drying operations based on the drying operation method, based on the drying request being an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method being a threshold level or higher; wherein the drying level represents one of a plurality of drying times for each drying process, and wherein the drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0011] The processor is configured to control the drying unit to perform an additional drying operation on the first material to be dried, based on the fact that the drying request is an additional drying request, by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or drying end determination conditions of the drying operation method.

[0012] The processor is configured to: change at least one of drying time, drying end determination condition and drying temperature based on a predetermined first drying process in a plurality of drying processes, and change at least one of drying time or drying end determination condition based on a second drying process in a plurality of drying processes, which is a remaining process in a plurality of drying processes.

[0013] The processor is configured to: provide a message to the user to recheck the drying level based on the drying request being an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method being less than a threshold level; and control the drying unit to perform additional drying operations based on the drying operation method and the input drying level, wherein the drying level represents one of a plurality of drying times for each drying process, and wherein the drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0014] The processor is configured to: based on the fact that the drying request is an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method is less than a threshold level, control the drying unit to perform an additional drying operation for the material to be dried by changing at least one of the following: drying temperature, drying end determination condition, or drying time corresponding to the input drying level of the drying operation method.

[0015] The processor is configured to: change at least one of the following: a predetermined first drying process among multiple drying processes, a drying end determination condition, a drying time corresponding to an input drying level, and a drying temperature, based on the drying operation method; and change at least one of the following: a second drying process among multiple drying processes, which is a remaining process, based on the drying operation method, a drying end determination condition or a drying time corresponding to an input drying level.

[0016] The processor is configured to: identify the number of times an additional drying request is input based on whether the drying request is an additional drying request; and control the drying unit to perform additional drying operations on the material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the initial drying request and the drying operation method corresponding to at least one additional drying request prior to the initial drying request, based on whether the number of additional drying requests is two or more.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a drying apparatus is provided, the method comprising: receiving a drying request; identifying whether the drying request is an initial drying request for a material to be dried or an additional drying request for the material to be dried; and, based on the drying request being identified as an additional drying request, performing an additional drying operation on the material to be dried based on a drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying request for the material to be dried.

[0018] The method further includes storing weight information associated with a second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying request was received, and humidity information associated with the second material to be dried, wherein identifying the drying request includes identifying at least one of the weight information or humidity information associated with the first material to be dried; and identifying whether the drying request is an initial drying request or an additional drying request based on the identified information and the stored information.

[0019] The storage includes: storing door opening and closing information of the drying device immediately following the drying operation before the drying request is received, and wherein identifying the drying request includes: identifying whether the drying request is an initial drying request or an additional drying request by further considering the door opening and closing information.

[0020] Performing additional drying operations includes: performing additional drying operations based on the drying request being an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method being a threshold level or higher, wherein the drying level represents one of a plurality of drying times for each drying process, and wherein the drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0021] Performing additional drying operations includes: based on the drying request being an additional drying request, performing additional drying operations on the material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or drying end determination conditions of the drying operation method.

[0022] According to the above embodiments, when an additional drying request is input, the drying apparatus can perform an additional drying operation based on the previous drying operation method, thereby achieving effective drying while preventing damage to the material to be dried.

[0023] Furthermore, the user's convenience is enhanced because the drying device can identify whether the user's drying request is an additional drying command. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an additional drying operation according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the drying process and drying grades according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating additional drying commands according to various embodiments.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an artificial intelligence model for identifying the type of drying command according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an artificial intelligence model for identifying drying options according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a drying apparatus according to an embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be modified in various ways. Therefore, specific exemplary embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the specification. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known functions or structures will not be described in detail, as they would obscure this disclosure with unnecessary detail.

[0033] This disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] In consideration of the functions described in this disclosure, the terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected as general terms that are used as broadly as possible. However, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in some cases, there may be arbitrarily chosen terms whose meanings will be described in the specification of this disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined based on their own meaning and throughout the content of this disclosure, rather than their simple names.

[0035] In this disclosure, terms such as “comprising,” “may include,” “composed of,” or “may consist of” are used herein to specify the presence of a corresponding feature (e.g., a constituent element, such as a number, function, operation, or part) and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0036] In this disclosure, expressions such as “A or B”, “at least one of A [and / or] B” or “one or more of A [and / or] B” include all possible combinations of the listed items.

[0037] The expressions “first,” “second,” etc., used in this disclosure may refer to various elements, regardless of their order and / or importance, and may be used to distinguish one element from another, without limiting these elements.

[0038] Unless otherwise specifically defined, a singular expression may include a plural expression. It should be understood that terms such as “comprising” or “consisting of” are used herein to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, element, part or combination thereof, and do not preclude the presence or possibility of adding one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof.

[0039] In this disclosure, the term "user" may refer to a person using the drying device or a device using the drying device (e.g., an artificial intelligence device).

[0040] This disclosure is made in consideration of the above-mentioned needs, and the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a drying apparatus and its control method for effectively performing additional drying operations according to an additional drying request (command).

[0041] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the structure of the drying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

[0043] The drying apparatus 100 can be a device for removing moisture from a material to be dried. For example, the drying apparatus 100 can use heat or air to evaporate the moisture from the material to be dried. In this case, the drying apparatus 100 can generate heat or air by using gas or electrical energy to evaporate the moisture from the material to be dried. In particular, the drying apparatus 100 may include a fan and generate hot air to evaporate the moisture.

[0044] Furthermore, the drying device 100 can mechanically separate moisture. For example, the drying device 100 can remove moisture by high-speed centrifugal rotation. Moreover, the drying device 100 can be implemented using the above-described methods in a complex manner, and can be any device as long as it is for removing moisture.

[0045] Reference Figure 1 The drying apparatus 100 may include a drying unit 110 and a processor 120.

[0046] The drying unit 110 can be a component for removing moisture. For example, the drying unit 110 can be implemented as a fan for generating airflow. Furthermore, the drying unit 110 can be a device for generating heat. In this case, the drying unit 110 can include a fan and generate hot air. Additionally, the drying unit 110 can be implemented to perform high-speed rotation. In this case, the drying unit 110 can include a space for feeding the material to be dried.

[0047] In the following description, for ease of description, the material to be dried by the drying unit 110 using hot air is described. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the embodiments described below can be implemented without temperature-related components when the drying unit 110 uses wind or performs high-speed rotation.

[0048] The processor 120 can typically control the operation of the drying apparatus 100. Specifically, the processor 120 can be connected to each component of the drying apparatus 100 to generally control the operation of the drying apparatus 100. For example, the processor 120 can be connected to components such as the drying unit 110, a memory (not shown), a display (not shown), a communication interface (not shown), etc., to control the operation of the drying apparatus 100.

[0049] According to embodiments, processor 120 may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON). However, there is no limitation thereto, and processor 120 may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), or a communication processor (CP), and an ARM processor, or may be defined by the corresponding term. Furthermore, processor 120 may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or a large-scale integration (LSI) including processing algorithms, or may be implemented in the form of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0050] When a drying command is received, the processor 120 can identify whether the drying command is an initial drying command for the material to be dried (referred to as the first material to be dried for ease of explanation) or an additional drying command for the first material to be dried.

[0051] For example, the drying apparatus 100 may further include a memory storing weight information and humidity information related to a second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying command was received. The processor 120 can identify at least one of the weight or humidity information of the first material to be dried, and based on the identified information and the information stored in the memory, identify whether the drying command is an initial drying command or an additional drying command. When the difference between the weight of the first material to be dried and the weight of the second material to be dried is within a first threshold, the processor 120 can identify that the first material to be dried and the second material to be dried are the same, and identify the drying command as an additional drying command. Furthermore, when the difference between the humidity of the first material to be dried and the humidity of the second material to be dried is within a second threshold, the processor 120 can identify that the first material to be dried and the second material to be dried are the same, and identify the drying command as an additional drying command. Additionally, the processor 120 can identify whether the drying command is an initial drying command or an additional drying command by comparing the total weight and humidity of the first and second materials to be dried.

[0052] The memory can also store information about door opening and closing immediately following the drying operation before the drying command is received, and the processor 120 can further consider the door opening and closing information to identify whether the drying command is an initial drying command or an additional drying command. For example, even though the weight difference between the first material to be dried and the second material to be dried is within a first threshold, and the humidity difference between the first material to be dried and the second material to be dried is within a second threshold, if the difference between the door opening and closing time after the drying operation of the second material to be dried and the door opening and closing time before the input of the first material to be dried exceeds a threshold time, the processor 120 can identify that the first material to be dried and the second material to be dried are different.

[0053] However, there are no limitations on this, and the drying device 100 may include multiple buttons for each of the initial drying command and the additional drying command. In this case, the user can operate the button corresponding to the additional drying command, and the drying device 100 can perform an additional drying operation on the first material to be dried according to the additional drying command.

[0054] When the drying command is an additional drying command, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform an additional drying operation for the first material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command for the first material to be dried. In other words, when it is determined that an additional drying operation will be performed on the first material to be dried, the processor 120 can perform the additional drying operation by changing the option of the previous drying operation method for the first material to be dried.

[0055] When the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method is a threshold level or higher, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform additional drying operations based on the drying operation method. Here, the drying level can be represented by a drying process, which can be one of multiple drying times, and the drying process can be classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0056] For example, the drying device 100 can provide multiple drying processes, such as standard drying, quick drying, shirt drying, time-based drying, AI-customized drying, delicate garment drying, wool drying, sheet drying, towel drying, and air drying. Each of these multiple drying processes can provide multiple drying levels. For example, the shirt process can provide multiple drying levels, such as very, more, normal, less, and damp. The drying time can decrease sequentially from "very" to "damp." Furthermore, even at the same drying level, the drying time can vary depending on the drying process. For example, a "very" level in the sheet process can have a longer drying time than a "very" level in the wool process.

[0057] However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and multiple drying processes can be modified or added. Furthermore, some of the multiple drying processes can provide a single drying grade. Additionally, the drying grade can also be achieved by other methods, such as "high, medium, low".

[0058] In the example above, when the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is "normal" or higher (e.g., very, more, normal), the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform the additional drying operation based on the drying operation method.

[0059] For example, when the drying command is an additional drying command, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform an additional drying operation on the first material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or drying end determination condition of the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command.

[0060] Furthermore, when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a predetermined first drying process among multiple drying processes, the processor 120 may change at least one of the drying time, the drying end determination condition, and the drying temperature. And when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a second drying process as a remaining process among multiple drying processes, the processor 120 may change at least one of the drying time or the drying end determination condition. In other words, in the case of a predetermined first drying process, the processor 120 may need to change the drying temperature.

[0061] For example, when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a sheet process, the processor 120 may need to increase the drying temperature, in addition to changing at least one of the drying time or the drying end determination condition. Furthermore, when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a wool process, the processor 120 can change at least one of the drying time or the drying end determination condition. This is because wool may shrink when the temperature increases, while sheet shrinkage is less of a problem even when the temperature increases.

[0062] Meanwhile, when the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method is less than the threshold level, the processor 120 can provide the user with a message for rechecking the drying level.

[0063] In the example above, when the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is lower than "normal" (e.g., less, damp), the processor 120 can provide the user with a message for rechecking the drying level. This is to identify the user's intent regarding the additional drying command, since the initial drying command was, to some extent, a command requesting that the material to be dried contain moisture. In other words, to check whether the user has changed his / her mind and wants to dry the material to be dried to be moisture-free, or to check whether the user wants the material to be dried to contain some moisture but be drier than the current state, the processor 120 can provide the user with a message for rechecking the drying level.

[0064] When a drying level is input from the user, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform additional drying operations based on the drying operation method and the input drying level. In other words, when it is identified that an additional drying operation is to be performed on the first material to be dried, the processor 120 can determine the drying level based on the information input from the user, and perform the additional drying operation by changing the option of the previous drying operation method for the first material to be dried.

[0065] When the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method corresponding to the drying command is lower than the threshold level, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform an additional drying operation on the first material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying method, the drying end determination condition, or the drying time corresponding to the input drying level of the drying operation method.

[0066] Furthermore, when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a predetermined first drying process among multiple drying processes, the processor 120 may change at least one of the drying end determination condition, the drying time corresponding to the input drying level, and the drying temperature. And when the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command is a second drying process that is a remaining process among multiple drying processes, the processor 120 may change at least one of the drying end determination condition and the drying time corresponding to the input drying level.

[0067] In other words, the processor 120 can change the drying temperature based on the drying process of the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command. Furthermore, the processor 120 can perform additional drying operations based on the drying level of the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command, by changing either the drying time corresponding to the previous drying level or the drying time corresponding to a newly input drying level by the user.

[0068] Simultaneously, when the drying command is an additional drying command, the processor 120 can identify the number of times the additional drying command has been entered. When the additional drying command has been entered two or more times, the processor 120 can control the drying unit 110 to perform an additional drying operation on the first material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the initial drying command and the drying operation method corresponding to at least one additional drying command preceding the initial drying command. In other words, when an additional drying command is entered two or more times, the processor 120 can perform the additional drying operation by considering all previous drying operation methods.

[0069] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and when an additional drying command is entered two or more times, the processor 120 can perform the additional drying operation by considering only the most recent drying operation.

[0070] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of the drying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

[0071] The drying apparatus 100 may include a drying unit 110 and a processor 120. Furthermore, see reference... Figure 2 The drying device 100 may also include a memory 130, a display 140, a user interface 150, a communication interface 160, and a speaker 170. Further details will not be repeated. Figure 1 The constituent elements shown are repeated Figure 2 Description of the constituent elements shown.

[0072] Memory 130 can refer to hardware that stores information such as data in an electrical or magnetic manner so that processor 120 or the like can access it. For this purpose, memory 130 can be implemented as at least one of non-volatile memory, volatile memory, flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), RAM, ROM, etc.

[0073] The memory 130 may store at least one instruction or module required for the operation of the drying apparatus 100 or the processor 120. Here, an instruction is a symbolic unit that instructs the operation of the drying apparatus 100 or the processor 120, and may be written in machine language, a language that a computer can understand. A module may be a set of instructions for performing a specific operation in a work unit.

[0074] The memory 130 can store data as information in bit or byte units capable of representing text, numbers, images, etc. For example, the memory 130 can store information about the material to be dried. Furthermore, the memory 130 can store drying command type recognition modules, drying operation modules, etc. Here, each module can be implemented as a rule-based model or as a neural network model.

[0075] The memory 130 can be accessed by the processor 120, and the processor 120 can perform operations such as reading, recording, editing, deleting, or updating instructions, modules, or data.

[0076] Functions related to artificial intelligence according to this disclosure are operated by processor 120 and memory 130.

[0077] Processor 120 may consist of one or more processors. The one or more processors may be general-purpose processors such as CPUs, APs, or digital signal processors (DSPs), graphics-specific processors such as GPUs or vision processing units (VPUs), or artificial intelligence-specific processors such as NPUs.

[0078] One or more processors can perform control to process input data according to predetermined action rules or artificial intelligence models stored in memory. Furthermore, if one or more processors are AI-dedicated processors, these processors can be designed with hardware architectures specifically designed to process particular AI models. Predetermined action rules or AI models are formed through training.

[0079] The training described herein can, for example, mean: to form a set of predetermined action rules or artificial intelligence models that perform desired features (or objects) by training a basic artificial intelligence model using multiple training data sets through a learning algorithm. This training can be performed on a device demonstrating artificial intelligence according to this disclosure, or by a separate server and / or system. Examples of learning algorithms include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

[0080] An artificial intelligence model can include multiple neural network processes. Each neural network process has multiple weight values ​​and performs neural network processing through the processing results of previous processes and the interaction between these weights. The weights of these multiple neural network processes can be optimized using the training results of the artificial intelligence model. For example, multiple weights can be updated to reduce or minimize the loss or cost values ​​acquired by the artificial intelligence model during the training process.

[0081] Artificial neural networks can include deep neural networks (DNNs), and include, for example, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), deep neural networks (DNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recurrent deep neural networks (BRDNNs), or deep Q-networks. However, there are no limitations on these embodiments.

[0082] The display 140 can be implemented as various types of displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, plasma display panels (PDPs), etc. The display 140 may also include driving circuitry or a backlight unit, which can be implemented in the form of a-si TFTs, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFTs, or organic TFTs (OTFTs). Furthermore, the display 140 can be combined with touch sensors, flexible displays, 3D displays, etc., to realize a touchscreen.

[0083] User interface 150 can be implemented as buttons, touchpads, mice, and keyboards, and can also be implemented as a touchscreen capable of performing display and input functions. Buttons can be various types of buttons, such as mechanical buttons, touchpads, or gears formed in any area of ​​the front, side, or rear of the main body of the drying device 100. The user can input drying commands through user interface 150.

[0084] The communication interface 160 is a component used to perform communication with various types of external devices according to various communication methods. For example, the drying device 100 can receive user commands for controlling the drying device 100 from external devices through the communication interface 160.

[0085] The communication interface 160 may include a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, an infrared communication module, a wireless communication module, etc. Each communication module can be implemented as at least one hardware chip.

[0086] Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules can communicate via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth methods, respectively. When using a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, various connection information such as SSID or session keys can be sent or received first to establish a communication connection, after which various other information can be sent and received. Infrared communication modules can perform communication based on infrared communication technology (Infrared Data Association (IrDA)), used to wirelessly transmit data at short range using infrared light, which falls between visible light and millimeter waves.

[0087] In addition to the communication methods mentioned above, the wireless communication module may also include at least one communication chip for performing communication according to various wireless communication standards, such as Zigbee, 3G, 3GPP, LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 4G, 5G, etc.

[0088] The communication interface 160 may include wired communication interfaces such as HDMI, DP, Thunderbolt, USB, RGB, D-SUB, DVI, etc.

[0089] In addition, the communication interface 160 may include at least one of a wired communication module for performing communication to a fiber optic cable using a local area network (LAN) module, an Ethernet module, a two-strand cable, or a coaxial cable.

[0090] The speaker 170 is a component that not only outputs various audio data processed in the processor 120, but also outputs various alarms or voice messages. The processor 120 can output sounds indicating the operating status of the drying device 100, sounds indicating changes in the operating status, and sounds requesting a recheck of the drying level through the speaker 170.

[0091] At the same time, despite Figure 2 As not shown, the drying apparatus 100 may include a space for accommodating the material to be dried. For example, the drying apparatus 100 may include a space in the form of a drying basket or a drying drum for accommodating the material to be dried.

[0092] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the space for accommodating the drying apparatus 100 and the material to be dried can be separated. In this case, a separate device is provided that includes a space for accommodating the material to be dried, and the drying apparatus 100 can be arranged adjacent to this separate device, and the drying operation is performed by supplying hot air to the space accommodating the material to be dried.

[0093] As described above, when an additional drying command is input, the drying device 100 performs an additional drying operation based on the previous drying operation method, which enables effective drying while preventing damage to the material to be dried.

[0094] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 3 to 8 The operation of the drying apparatus 100 will be described in more detail. For ease of description, reference will be made to... Figures 3 to 8 Various embodiments are described. However, Figures 3 to 8 The various embodiments can be practiced in combination.

[0095] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an additional drying operation according to an embodiment.

[0096] First, the processor 120 can begin the drying operation (S310). For example, when a drying command is received from the user, the processor 120 can begin the drying operation according to the received drying command. Here, the drying operation can be an initial drying operation or an additional drying operation.

[0097] Then, the drying operation ends (S320), and the processor 120 can identify whether additional drying needs to be performed (S330). For example, the processor 120 can receive an additional drying command from the user. Furthermore, the processor 120 can receive the drying command from the user, identify whether the currently input material to be dried is the target of the drying operation within a threshold time, and identify whether to perform additional drying. Additionally, after the drying operation ends, the processor 120 can detect the humidity of the material to be dried, and when the detected humidity is a threshold humidity or higher, the processor 120 can provide the user with a message suggesting additional drying. In the following description, for ease of description, the user-input additional drying command is described.

[0098] When it is determined that additional drying is not required, the processor 120 can terminate the drying operation. When it is determined that additional drying is required and the material to be dried is input into the drying device 100 (S340), the processor 120 can identify whether it is the same material to be dried (S350).

[0099] For example, when the drying operation is completed, the processor 120 can detect at least one of the weight or moisture content of the material to be dried and store the detected information in the memory 130. Furthermore, when an additional drying command is received from the user and the material to be dried is input into the drying apparatus 100, the processor 120 can detect at least one of the weight or moisture content of the input material to be dried. The processor 120 can identify whether the input material to be dried is the same as the previously input material by comparing the results of the two detections.

[0100] When the same material to be dried is identified, the processor 120 can identify that the previously dried drying level is a threshold level or higher (S360). If the previously dried drying level is lower than the threshold level, the processor 120 can instruct the user to recheck the drying level (S370). Then, the processor 120 can change the drying option based on the drying level input from the user (S390).

[0101] Furthermore, when the previous drying level was a threshold level or higher, the processor 120 can identify the drying option to be changed by using previous process information. For example, the processor 120 can change the drying temperature based on whether the previous process information indicated a temperature-precise drying process. In the case of fabrics such as wool, the fabric may shrink during high-temperature drying; therefore, the processor 120 can maintain the drying temperature in the case of a wool process. Conversely, when the previous process information indicated a less temperature-precise drying process for sheets or towels, the processor 120 can increase the drying temperature to complete the drying.

[0102] Furthermore, when the previous process information is a drying process that allows setting a drying level, the processor 120 can change the drying time based on the drying level.

[0103] Furthermore, in drying processes where the end of drying is determined solely based on moisture content, independent of time, such as in AI drying, the processor 120 can modify the drying end determination criteria. For example, the drying apparatus 100 may include at least one sensor that detects the moisture content of the material to be dried, and the processor 120 may determine whether to end drying based on the number of times the at least one sensor detects moisture content during a specific time period.

[0104] In most drying processes, the drying operation can be terminated based on either the drying time or a drying termination condition. In other words, the processor 120 can change either the drying time or the drying termination condition. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the processor 120 can terminate the drying operation at an earlier stage when the drying time has elapsed or when the drying termination condition is met.

[0105] Furthermore, even if the drying operation ends based on the drying time in the previous drying operation, the processor 120 can also end the drying operation based on the drying end determination condition in the additional drying operation.

[0106] The processor 120 can change the drying options (S390) and perform additional drying operations based on the changed drying options (S310). For example, in the case of changing the drying temperature, the processor 120 can change the drying temperature to the maximum temperature. Where the drying unit 110 is turned on when the hot air temperature is 39 degrees Celsius, and the drying unit 110 was turned off during the previous drying operation when the hot air temperature is 45 degrees Celsius, the processor 120 can turn on the drying unit 110 when the hot air temperature is 45 degrees Celsius during the additional drying operation, and turn off the drying unit 110 when the hot air temperature is 52 degrees Celsius. In other words, the processor 120 can perform drying more reliably by increasing the temperature of the hot air operated by the drying unit 110.

[0107] Furthermore, the processor 120 can change the drying time, and in this case, the drying time is changed based on the drying level of a previous drying operation or a drying level input by the user. For example, when the drying time is changed based on the drying level of a previous drying operation, the processor 120 can perform an additional drying operation during the drying time obtained by reducing the drying time corresponding to the drying level of the previous drying operation by a threshold ratio. Furthermore, when the drying time is changed based on the drying level input by the user, the processor 120 can perform an additional drying operation during the drying time obtained by reducing the drying time corresponding to the drying level input by the user by a threshold ratio.

[0108] Furthermore, the processor 120 can modify the drying end determination condition by further strengthening the drying end determination condition. For example, the drying apparatus 100 includes at least one sensor that detects the moisture content of the material to be dried. If the condition that at least one sensor detects moisture less than three times per minute during a previous drying operation and this occurs twice is assumed to be the drying end determination condition, then the processor 120 can use the condition that at least one sensor detects moisture less than three times per minute during an additional drying operation and this occurs three times as the drying end determination condition. Furthermore, the processor 120 can also use the condition that at least one sensor detects moisture less than twice per minute during an additional drying operation and this occurs twice as the drying end determination condition.

[0109] exist Figure 3 The description includes, but is not limited to, performing additional drying operations on the same material to be dried. For example, when receiving an additional drying command from a user, the processor 120 can perform the additional drying operation regardless of whether it is the same material to be dried. In this case, the processor 120 can perform the additional drying operation on the material to be dried based on a drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command.

[0110] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the drying process and drying grades according to an embodiment.

[0111] Reference Figure 4 The drying device 100 can provide multiple drying processes. Figure 4 For ease of description, only the sheet drying process and the wool drying process are shown, but the drying device 100 can provide various processes, such as standard drying, rapid drying, shirt drying, time drying, AI customized drying, fine garment drying, towel drying, air drying, etc.

[0112] In the process of drying sheets, the drying unit 110 can be turned on when the temperature of the hot air is 45 degrees Celsius, and can be turned off when the temperature of the hot air is 52 degrees Celsius. In the process of drying wool, the drying unit 110 can be turned on when the temperature of the hot air is 39 degrees Celsius, and can be turned off when the temperature of the hot air is 45 degrees Celsius.

[0113] However, there are no restrictions on this, and the temperature for each process of turning the drying unit 110 on and off can be set differently.

[0114] In addition, Figure 4For ease of description, each process is shown to be divided by the temperature at which the drying unit 110 is turned on and off. However, there are no limitations on this, and if a drying drum is provided, each process may have a different rotational speed of the drying drum in addition to the temperatures at which the drying unit 110 is turned on and off.

[0115] Meanwhile, the sheet drying process can offer very, more, normal, less, and damp dryness grades, as can the wool process. Each other drying process can offer very, more, normal, less, and damp dryness grades. However, there are no limitations on this, and some drying processes may not offer a dryness grade.

[0116] In the "Extraordinary" drying level for bed sheets, the drying time can be 95 minutes, and this time can be reduced as the level changes to More, Normal, Less, and Damp. In the "Extraordinary" drying level for wool fabrics, the drying time can be 55 minutes, and this time can be reduced as the drying level changes to More, Normal, Less, and Damp.

[0117] In addition, Figure 4 For ease of description, the diagram shows the drying grade divided by the drying time, but it is not limited to this. For example, the drying grade can be divided by the drying end criteria described above. For example, in the drying grade "Very" for bed sheets, the drying end criterion is that at least one sensor detects moisture less than three times per minute, and this continues for five times. Furthermore, the number of times at least one sensor detects moisture less than three times per minute can decrease as the grade changes to More, Normal, Less, and Damp.

[0118] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating additional drying commands according to various embodiments.

[0119] Reference Figure 5 The drying device 100 may include a display 140, and the processor 120 may control the display 140 to show the user a message query about additional drying. However, there are no limitations on this, and the processor 120 may also output an audio query about additional drying to the user via a speaker 170.

[0120] Users can touch Figure 5 The processor 120 can input an additional drying command by clicking "OK". In this case, the processor 120 can control the display 140 to display a message indicating that the additional drying operation has been performed, or output a sound indicating that the additional drying operation has been performed via the speaker 170.

[0121] In addition, refer to Figure 6In addition to the display 140, the drying device 100 may include a first button 510 and a second button 520. When the first button 510 is operated, the processor 120 can recognize that an initial drying command has been input, and when the second button 520 is operated, the processor can recognize that an additional drying command has been input. Furthermore, the drying device 100 may include multiple buttons and can recognize that additional drying commands have been input by operating two or more buttons.

[0122] However, there are no limitations on this, and the drying device 100 may include various forms of user interface and receive input of additional drying commands. For example, the drying device 100 may include an interface with a form other than buttons, such as a dashboard, and recognize that additional drying commands have been input by manipulating the dashboard. Furthermore, the drying device 100 may include a touch display and recognize that additional drying commands have been input by operating the touch display.

[0123] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an artificial intelligence model for identifying the type of drying command according to an embodiment.

[0124] Reference Figure 7 The processor 120 can identify the type 730 of the drying command by using the first artificial intelligence model 720. Specifically, the processor 120 can obtain the type 730 of the drying command as output data by inputting drying history data 710 as input data into the first artificial intelligence model 720. Here, the drying history data 710 may include at least one of the following: weight information about the material to be dried, humidity information about the material to be dried, or door opening and closing information. Here, the material to be dried may include the material to be dried during previous drying operations and the material to be dried currently.

[0125] The first artificial intelligence model 720 can be a model trained on an external server. However, there is no limitation on this, and the processor 120 can additionally train the trained first artificial intelligence model 720 in real time. For example, even when the drying command is recognized as an additional drying command by the first artificial intelligence model 720, the processor 120 can update the first artificial intelligence model 720 based on the cancellation command when a user inputs a command to cancel the additional drying.

[0126] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an artificial intelligence model for identifying drying options according to an embodiment.

[0127] Reference Figure 8The processor 120 can use a second artificial intelligence model 820 to identify the drying option 830. Specifically, the processor 120 can obtain the drying option 830 as output data by inputting the drying option data 810 into the second artificial intelligence model 820 as input data. Here, the drying option data 810 may include at least one of a drying process or a drying level.

[0128] The second artificial intelligence model 820 can be a model trained on an external server. However, it is not limited to this; the processor 120 can additionally train the trained second artificial intelligence model 820 in real time. For example, even when the drying option is identified by the second artificial intelligence model 820, the processor 120 can update the second artificial intelligence model 820 based on the command input by the user to change the drying option.

[0129] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a drying apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0130] First, a drying command is received (S910). It is then determined whether the drying command is an initial drying command for the first material to be dried or an additional drying command for the first material to be dried (S920). Based on whether the drying command is an additional drying command, an additional drying operation for the first material to be dried is performed based on the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying command for the first material to be dried (S930).

[0131] Here, the method may further include storing weight information and humidity information related to the second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying command was received, and identification (S920) may include identifying at least one of the weight information or humidity information of the first material to be dried, and identifying whether the drying command is an initial drying command or an additional drying command based on the identified information and the stored information.

[0132] The storage may include storing door opening and closing information immediately following the drying operation prior to receiving the drying command, and identification (S920) may include identifying whether the drying command is an initial drying command or an additional drying command by further considering the door opening and closing information.

[0133] Simultaneously, performing additional drying operations (S930) may include performing additional drying operations based on the drying command being an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method being a threshold level or higher, the drying level being an additional drying operation being performed based on the drying operation method, the drying level being an indication of one of a plurality of drying times for each drying process, and the drying process being classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0134] Here, performing an additional drying operation (S930) may include performing an additional drying operation for the first material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or drying end determination condition of the drying operation method, based on the fact that the drying command is an additional drying command.

[0135] Performing an additional drying operation (S930) may include, based on the drying operation method, changing at least one of the drying time, drying end determination condition and drying temperature in a predetermined first drying process among multiple drying processes, and based on the drying operation method, changing at least one of the drying time or drying end determination condition in a second drying process as a remaining process among multiple drying processes.

[0136] Simultaneously, performing additional drying operations (S930) may include providing the user with a message to recheck the drying level based on the drying command and the drying operation method, where the drying level is less than a threshold level; and performing additional drying operations based on the drying level input from the user, and based on the drying operation method and the input drying level. The drying level may represent one of multiple drying times for each drying process, and the drying process may be classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

[0137] Here, performing an additional drying operation (S930) may include performing an additional drying operation for the first material to be dried by changing at least one of the following: the drying command is an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method is less than a threshold level, based on the drying command being an additional drying command and the drying level of the drying operation method being less than a threshold level.

[0138] Performing an additional drying operation (S930) may include, based on the drying operation method, changing at least one of a predetermined first drying process among multiple drying processes, a drying end determination condition, a drying time corresponding to an input drying level, and a drying temperature, and, based on the drying operation method, performing a second drying process as a remaining process among multiple drying processes, changing at least one of a drying end determination condition or a drying time corresponding to an input drying level.

[0139] The method may further include identifying the number of times an additional drying command is input based on the drying command being an additional drying command, and executing the additional drying command (S930) may include performing an additional drying operation for the first material to be dried based on the number of times the additional drying command is input two or more times, based on a drying operation method corresponding to the initial drying command and a drying operation method corresponding to at least one additional drying command preceding the initial drying command.

[0140] According to the above embodiments, when an additional drying command is input, the drying device can perform an additional drying operation based on the previous drying operation method, thereby achieving effective drying while preventing damage to the material to be dried.

[0141] Furthermore, the user's convenience is enhanced because the drying unit can identify whether the user's drying command is an additional drying command.

[0142] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this disclosure, various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented as software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium. A machine is a device that invokes and operates according to instructions stored in the storage medium, and may include an electronic device (e.g., electronic device A) according to the disclosed embodiments. When instructions are executed by a processor, the processor may directly perform the function corresponding to the instructions or, under the control of the processor, use other elements to perform the function corresponding to the instructions. Instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executed by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, a "non-transitory" storage medium is tangible and may not include signals, and it does not distinguish whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily in the storage medium.

[0143] According to embodiments, methods according to the various embodiments disclosed herein can be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be exchanged between a seller and a buyer as a marketable product. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., an optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an app store (e.g., PlayStore™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product can be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store server, or a relay server.

[0144] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the above embodiments can be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the embodiments described in this specification can be implemented as a processor itself. According to software implementations, the embodiments such as processes and functions described in this specification can be implemented as separate software modules. Each software module can perform one or more functions and operations described in this specification.

[0145] Computer instructions for performing processing operations according to the embodiments disclosed above may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When the computer instructions stored in such a non-transitory computer-readable medium are executed by a processor, the computer instructions enable a particular machine to perform the processing operations according to the embodiments described above. A non-transitory computer-readable medium is not a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, or memory, but rather refers to a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be read by a machine. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may include CDs, DVDs, hard disk drives, Blu-ray discs, USB drives, memory cards, and ROMs.

[0146] Each element (e.g., a module or program) according to the various embodiments described above may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some sub-elements of the aforementioned sub-elements may be omitted, or other sub-elements may be further included in the various embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some elements (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into one entity to perform the same or similar functions performed by each respective element prior to integration. According to the various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other elements may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or at least some operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or different operations may be added.

[0147] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure as claimed in the appended claims. Furthermore, such modifications should not be interpreted independently of the technical concept or prospects of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus, comprising: Drying unit; A memory that stores drying history data, the drying history data including at least one of the following: weight information of the material in the drying device, humidity information of the material, or opening and closing information of the door of the drying device; as well as A processor is configured to control the operation of the drying unit, wherein the processor is configured to: Based on the received drying request and the drying history data stored in the memory, it is identified whether it is an initial drying request for the material to be dried or an additional drying request for the material to be dried. as well as Based on the fact that the drying request is identified as the additional drying request, the drying unit is controlled to perform an additional drying operation on the material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying request for the material to be dried.

2. The drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The material to be dried is the first material to be dried, and The memory is used to store weight information associated with the second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying request was received, and humidity information associated with the second material to be dried. The processor is configured as follows: Identify at least one of the weight information or humidity information associated with the first material to be dried; and Based on the identified information and the information stored in the memory, it is determined whether the drying request is the initial drying request or the additional drying request.

3. The drying apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The memory also stores information about the opening and closing of the drying device door after the immediate drying operation preceding the receipt of the drying request, and The processor is configured to identify whether the drying request is the initial drying request or the additional drying request by further considering the opening and closing information of the door.

4. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the fact that the drying request is the additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method is a threshold level or higher, the drying unit is controlled to perform the additional drying operation based on the drying operation method. Wherein, the drying grade represents one of a plurality of drying times used in each drying process, and The drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

5. The drying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the fact that the drying request is an additional drying request, the drying unit is controlled to perform the additional drying operation on the material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or the drying end determination condition of the drying operation method.

6. The drying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the drying operation method, which is a predetermined first drying process in a plurality of drying processes, at least one of the drying time, the drying end determination condition, and the drying temperature is changed; as well as Based on the drying operation method, as a second drying process that is a remaining process in the plurality of drying processes, at least one of the drying time or the drying end determination condition is changed.

7. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the fact that the drying request is an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method is less than the threshold level, a message is provided to the user to re-check the drying level; as well as Based on the drying level input by the user, the drying unit is controlled to perform the additional drying operation based on the drying operation method and the input drying level. Wherein, the drying grade represents one of a plurality of drying times used in each drying process, and The drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

8. The drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The processor is configured to: based on the fact that the drying request is the additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method is less than the threshold level, control the drying unit to perform the additional drying operation for the material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, the drying end determination condition, or the drying time corresponding to the input drying level of the drying operation method.

9. The drying apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the drying operation method, which is a predetermined first drying process in a plurality of drying processes, at least one of the drying end determination condition, the drying time corresponding to the input drying level, and the drying temperature is changed; as well as Based on the drying operation method, as a second drying process that is a remaining process in the plurality of drying processes, at least one of the following is changed: the drying end determination condition or the drying time corresponding to the input drying level.

10. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to: Based on the fact that the drying request is an additional drying request, the number of times the additional drying request is entered is identified; as well as Based on the fact that the additional drying request is entered two or more times, the drying unit is controlled to perform the additional drying operation on the material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the initial drying request and the drying operation method corresponding to at least one additional drying request prior to the initial drying request.

11. A method for controlling a drying apparatus, the method comprising: Receive drying request; Based on stored drying history data including at least one of the following: weight information of the material in the drying device, humidity information of the material, or opening and closing information of the door of the drying device, the drying request is identified as either an initial drying request for the material to be dried or an additional drying request for the material to be dried. as well as Based on the fact that the drying request is identified as the additional drying request, the additional drying operation is performed on the material to be dried based on the drying operation method corresponding to the previous drying request for the material to be dried.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The material to be dried is the first material to be dried, and the method further includes: Stores weight information associated with the second material to be dried that was just dried before the drying request was received, as well as humidity information associated with the second material to be dried. The identification of the drying request includes: Identify at least one of the weight information or humidity information associated with the first material to be dried; and Based on the identified and stored information, it is determined whether the drying request is the initial drying request or the additional drying request.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The storage includes: information on the opening and closing of the drying unit's door after the immediate preceding drying operation before the drying request was received, and... The process of identifying the drying request includes: identifying whether the drying request is the initial drying request or the additional drying request by further considering the opening and closing information of the door.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Performing the additional drying operation includes: based on the drying request being an additional drying request and the drying level of the drying operation method being a threshold level or higher, performing the additional drying operation based on the drying operation method. Wherein, the drying grade represents one of a plurality of drying times used in each drying process, and The drying process is classified based on at least one of the type of material to be dried or the drying method.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, Performing the additional drying operation includes: based on the fact that the drying request is the additional drying request, performing the additional drying operation on the material to be dried by changing at least one of the drying temperature, drying time, or the drying end determination condition of the drying operation method.

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