Clothes dryer

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a clothes dryer. The clothes dryer comprises a shell; the roller is arranged in the shell; the water storage box comprises a base water box; the draining pump is arranged in the base water box; the float switch is fixed beside the draining pump and comprises a floating ball floating state and a floating ball falling state; the controller is connected with the timer, the drainage pump and the float switch, and the controller is configured to execute the following steps that when it is detected that the float switch is in the floating ball floating state, the drainage pump is controlled to work, and the timer is started; when it is detected that the float switch is switched from the floating ball floating state to the floating ball falling state, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage amount of the drainage pump are obtained; calculating the drainage rate of the drainage pump based on the drainage amount and the timing duration; determining the residual drainage duration based on the drainage rate and the to-be-drained amount; and controlling the drainage pump to stop working after continuously working for residual drainage duration. The drainage noise can be eliminated while the drainage effect is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of clothes dryers, and particularly to a clothes dryer. Background Art

[0002] A clothes dryer is a cleaning household appliance that uses a heating wire or a heat pump system to instantaneously evaporate and dry the moisture in the washed clothes. In order to keep the bottom of the clothes dryer dry and prevent the water storage box from overflowing due to excessive water storage, wetting the floor and the bottom of the clothes dryer, it is necessary to drain the water stored in the water storage box in time.

[0003] The current drainage method usually sets a fixed drainage time after the float switch floats. In order to ensure that the water in the water storage box is fully drained, the set drainage time is often longer than the normal drainage time. However, this causes the drainage pump of the clothes dryer to run with a large noise when there is a water-vapor mixture, affecting the user experience.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a clothes dryer that can ensure the drainage effect and eliminate the drainage noise. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a clothes dryer.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a clothes dryer, including: a housing; a drum disposed in the housing; a water storage box including a base water box; a drainage pump disposed in the base water box; a float switch fixed beside the drainage pump, including a floating state and a falling state of a float ball; a controller respectively connected to a timer, the drainage pump and the float switch, and the controller is configured to perform the following steps: when it is detected that the float switch is in the floating state of the float ball, control the drainage pump to work and start the timer; when it is detected that the float switch switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump; calculate the drainage rate of the drainage pump based on the drainage volume and the timing duration; determine the remaining drainage duration based on the drainage rate and the drainage volume to be drained; control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration.

[0007] In the above embodiment, the float switch and the timer are used to obtain the drainage volume completed by the drainage pump during the timing duration, and then the drainage rate of the drainage pump is accurately calculated according to the timing duration and the drainage volume. The accurate remaining drainage duration is determined according to the drainage volume to be drained and the calculated drainage rate, so as to control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration, avoiding the drainage noise caused by still controlling the drainage pump to work when the drainage volume to be drained has been drained. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the drainage noise while ensuring the drainage effect, and further extend the service life of the drainage pump.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtain the proportional relationship between the water level of the base water box and the water volume of the base water box; determine the drainage volume based on the dead band height on the float switch and the proportional relationship, where the dead band height represents the water level difference between the water level of the base water box when starting to drain and the water level of the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops.

[0009] In the above embodiment, since the base water boxes configured for different types of dryers are different, the proportional relationship between the water level of the base water box and the water volume of the base water box is obtained in advance, and the dead band height on the float switch is fixed. Therefore, the drainage volume can be accurately determined based on the dead band height and the proportional relationship.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: determine the height of the water to be drained as the difference between the water level of the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops and a preset water level, where the preset water level is the lowest water level that the base water box reaches when the drain pump operates; determine the volume of the water to be drained based on the height of the water to be drained and the proportional relationship.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the difference between the water level of the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops and the preset water level is determined as the height of the water to be drained, and then the volume of the water to be drained can be accurately determined based on the height of the water to be drained and the proportional relationship.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: determine whether the state of the float switch can change according to the water storage volume in the circulation pipeline of the drain pump; if the state of the float switch cannot change and the float switch does not switch from the state where the float ball floats to the state where the float ball drops within a first time period, it is determined that the dryer has a fault.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: if the state of the float switch can change and the float switch does not switch from the state where the float ball floats to the state where the float ball drops within a second time period, it is determined that the drain pump and / or the float switch has a fault.

[0014] In the above embodiment, compared with the prior art that uses a fixed time for drainage and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the drain pump and the float switch have faults, this embodiment only needs to drain water once to detect the faults of the drain pump and / or the float switch, thereby improving the efficiency of fault detection.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the water storage box further includes a top water box, and the drainage pump is configured to pump out the water in the base water box and discharge it into the top water box; the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: if the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within a second time period, and switches back to the floating state of the float ball within a third time period after the drainage pump stops working, it is determined that the water storage box is full.

[0016] In the above embodiment, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the water storage box is full, this embodiment only needs to drain water once to detect whether the water storage box is full, thereby improving the efficiency of detecting the water volume in the water storage box.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the float switch is a two-stage float switch, the float switch includes a first float and a second float, and the height of the first float is greater than the height of the second float; the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: when it is detected that the first float is in the floating state of the float ball, control the drainage pump to work and start the timer; when it is detected that the second float switches from the falling state of the float ball to the floating state of the float ball, and the first float is in the falling state of the float ball, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump.

[0018] In the above embodiment, the two-stage float switch is used to control the high water level and the low water level respectively. Therefore, compared with the one-stage float switch for controlling the water level, the accuracy is higher, and even if one of the floats fails, it does not affect the other float to work. Therefore, the reliability of the water level control is stronger.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: if it is not detected that the second float switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball, or the first float switches from the falling state of the float ball to the floating state of the float ball, it is determined that the dryer is faulty.

[0020] In the above embodiment, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the dryer is faulty and determines whether the dryer is faulty only based on the state of one float; this embodiment uses a two-stage float switch. If it is not detected that the second float switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball, or the first float switches from the falling state of the float ball to the floating state of the float ball, it is determined that the dryer is faulty. It can accurately detect whether the dryer is faulty only by draining water once, improving the efficiency and accuracy of dryer fault detection.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: If it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state of the float ball, it is determined that the float switch fails.

[0022] In the above embodiment, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time, it is necessary to drain water multiple times to determine whether the float switch fails, and only determine whether the float switch fails based on the state of one float; this embodiment adopts a two-stage float switch. If it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state of the float ball, it is determined that the float switch fails. Only one drainage is required to accurately detect whether the float switch fails, improving the efficiency and accuracy of the float switch failure detection.

[0023] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and form a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a float switch in a dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 is a flowchart of steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a flowchart of steps for determining the drainage volume provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 is a flowchart of steps for determining the drainage volume to be discharged provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 6 is a flowchart of steps for failure detection provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 7It is a flowchart of steps executable by a controller in a dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of a two-stage float switch provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 9 It is a flowchart of steps for fault detection provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 10 It is a flowchart of steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0035] Here, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0036] The block diagrams shown in the drawings are only functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0037] The flowcharts shown in the drawings are only exemplary illustrations and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily need to be executed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, while some operations / steps can be combined or partially combined, so the actual execution order may change according to the actual situation.

[0038] It should also be noted that: "a plurality of" mentioned in the present application means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0039] In the description, claims and drawings of this application, terms such as "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0040] The current drainage method usually sets a fixed drainage time after the float switch floats. In order to ensure that the water in the water storage box is fully drained, the set drainage time is often longer than the normal drainage time. However, this causes the drainage pump of the dryer to run with a large noise when there is a water-vapor mixture, affecting the user experience.

[0041] To solve the above technical problems, this application proposes a dryer that can ensure the drainage effect and eliminate drainage noise. Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of this application. As Figure 1 shown, the dryer 10 includes a housing 11, a drum 12, a water storage box, a float switch, a drainage pump, a timer and a controller. Each part in the dryer 10 will be introduced one by one below.

[0042] The housing 11 is the external structure of the dryer 10, used to fix and protect the internal components. The housing 11 is usually made of metal or plastic; usually, a door is also provided on the housing 11 for putting clothes into or taking them out of the drum 12, and the door is usually equipped with a sealing ring to prevent water leakage; usually, a control panel is also provided on the housing 11, and there are buttons, knobs or touch screens on the control panel.

[0043] The drum 12 is arranged inside the housing 11 and is usually made of stainless steel. It is used to hold the clothes to be dried and dry the clothes to be dried. By rotating, the clothes to be dried are evenly heated to facilitate the removal of moisture from the clothes to be dried.

[0044] The water storage box includes a base water box and a top water box. The base water box is located at the bottom of the dryer 10, and the top water box is located at the top of the dryer 10. The base water box is used to collect the water generated during the drying process of the clothes. The drainage pump can pump out the water collected by the base water box and discharge it into the top water box. When the water in the top water box is almost full, the user can draw out the top water box horizontally, pour out the condensed water in the top water box and then reinstall the top water box in place, which helps to prevent water leakage from the bottom and ensure that the bottom of the dryer remains dry.

[0045] The drainage pump is arranged inside the base water box and is used to pump out the water stored in the base water box and discharge it to a fixed position. By pumping out the water in the base water box through the drainage pump, it can ensure that water will not accumulate at the bottom of the dryer 10, thereby avoiding the problems of dampness and water leakage at the bottom of the dryer 10.

[0046] The float switch is a water level control device and is also arranged inside the base water box. And to simplify the internal structure of the dryer 10, the float switch is fixed beside the drainage pump. The float switch includes a floating state of the float ball and a falling state of the float ball. The floating state of the float ball corresponds to the state on, and the falling state of the float ball corresponds to the state off. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the float switch in the dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The state of the float switch is related to the water level in the base water box. When the water level in the base water box reaches above the first water level, the float switch must be in the floating state of the float ball; when the water level in the base water box is below the second water level, the float switch must be in the falling state of the float ball. Among them, the first water level and the second water level are determined in advance through multiple drainage tests. The height of the first water level is greater than the height of the second water level. When the water level in the base water box is between the second water level and the first water level, depending on the type of the dryer, the float switch may be in the floating state of the float ball or may be in the falling state of the float ball. Figure 2 The distance at which the shown float switch must be in the floating state of the float ball is less than 1 mm, the distance at which the float switch must be in the falling state of the float ball is greater than 5 mm, and the distance at which the float switch is in an uncertain state is 1 - 5 mm.

[0047] The timer has a positive timing function and a countdown function, and is respectively used to accurately obtain the working duration of the drainage pump and accurately control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration.

[0048] The controller is respectively connected to the timer, the drainage pump and the float switch.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a step flow chart for controlling the operation of the drainage pump provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the controller can be configured to execute the following steps 310 - step 350:

[0050] Step 310, when it is detected that the float switch is in the floating state of the float ball, control the drainage pump to operate and start the timer;

[0051] Step 320, when it is detected that the float switch switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump;

[0052] Step 330: Calculate the drainage rate of the drainage pump based on the displacement and the timing duration.

[0053] Step 340: Determine the remaining drainage duration based on the drainage rate and the water volume to be drained.

[0054] Step 350: Control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration.

[0055] The following will describe these 5 steps in detail respectively.

[0056] In step 310, it should be noted in advance that the float switches provided in different types of dryers may be different. Even if the water levels in the base water boxes are the same, there may be some float switches in the state where the float ball floats up while some float switches are in the state where the float ball drops. Therefore, multiple groups of tests need to be carried out on the current type of dryer in advance to determine the water level height in the base water box when starting to drain water and the water level height in the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops.

[0057] When the float switch is in the state where the float ball floats up, it indicates that the water level in the current base water box has reached above the preset water level. It is necessary to drain the water in the base water box in time to prevent water leakage from the bottom, so as to ensure that the bottom of the dryer remains dry. Therefore, when it is detected that the float switch is in the state where the float ball floats up, control the drainage pump to extract the water stored in the base water box, and start the timer while the drainage pump is working to start timing.

[0058] In step 320, the displacement refers to the amount of water discharged during the timing duration of the drainage pump's operation. When it is detected that the float switch switches from the state where the float ball floats up to the state where the float ball drops, obtain the timing duration of the timer at this moment, and obtain the displacement of the drainage pump determined based on the timing duration, where the timing duration of the timer is equal to the working duration of the drainage pump.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 which is the step flowchart for determining the displacement provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller is further configured to execute the following steps 410 - step 420:

[0060] Step 410: Obtain the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box.

[0061] Step 420: Determine the displacement based on the deadband height on the float switch and the proportional relationship. The deadband height represents the water level difference between the water level in the base water box when starting to drain water and the water level in the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops.

[0062] The following will describe these 2 steps in detail respectively.

[0063] In step 410, due to different types of dryers, the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box often varies. Therefore, multiple groups of drainage tests need to be pre-conducted on the dryer to obtain the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box, so that when the water level in the base water box is obtained through the float switch, the current water volume in the base water box can be determined.

[0064] In step 420, similarly, based on multiple groups of drainage tests, the deadband height fixed on the float switch can be determined. The deadband height = the water level height in the base water box at the beginning of drainage - the water level height in the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops. This deadband height represents the height by which the water level in the base water box drops during the working timing of the drainage pump. Based on the deadband height on the float switch and the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box, the drainage volume can be calculated. The drainage volume refers to the amount of water discharged during the working timing of the drainage pump.

[0065] Exemplarily, the water level height in the base water box at the beginning of drainage is h1, the water level height in the base water box when the float switch switches to the state where the float ball drops is h2, and the deadband height h = h1 - h2; according to the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box, it can be calculated that when the water level height in the base water box is h1, the water volume in the base water box is q1, and when the water level height in the base water box is h2, the water volume in the base water box is q2; thus, it can be obtained that the drainage volume q = q1 - q2.

[0066] As can be seen from the above, since the base water boxes configured for different types of dryers are different, the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box is obtained in advance, and the deadband height on the float switch is fixed. Therefore, based on the deadband height and the proportional relationship, the drainage volume can be accurately determined.

[0067] In step 330, based on the amount of water discharged during the working timing of the drainage pump and the timing duration, the drainage rate of the drainage pump during operation can be calculated. The drainage rate reflects the speed at which the drainage pump operates. Specifically, the drainage rate = drainage volume ÷ timing duration.

[0068] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the drainage rate of the drainage pump will not change arbitrarily. The drainage pump is always controlled to operate at the same power, that is, if the drainage rate of the drainage pump is determined to be v1, the drainage pump will always drain water at a drainage rate of v1.

[0069] In step 340, the remaining drainage volume refers to the amount of water that still needs to be discharged from the base water box, and the remaining drainage duration refers to the duration required for the drainage pump to drain the remaining drainage volume. Based on the drainage rate and the remaining drainage volume, the remaining drainage duration can be calculated. Specifically, the remaining drainage duration = remaining drainage volume ÷ drainage rate.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 which is a flowchart of steps for determining the water volume to be drained provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller may also be configured to execute the following steps 510 - step 520:

[0071] Step 510: Determine the height of the water to be drained as the difference between the water level in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball drops and the preset water level. The preset water level is the lowest water level that the base water box reaches when the drainage pump operates;

[0072] Step 520: Determine the water volume to be drained based on the height of the water to be drained and the proportional relationship.

[0073] The following will describe these two steps in detail respectively.

[0074] In step 510, it should be noted that it is difficult to completely drain the water in the base water box. Therefore, the lowest water level that the base water box reaches when the drainage pump operates is used as the preset water level. The height of the water to be drained = the water level height in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball drops - the preset water level height.

[0075] In step 520, based on the proportional relationship among the height of the water to be drained, the water level in the base water box, and the water volume in the base water box, the water volume to be drained is determined.

[0076] Exemplarily, when the water level height in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball drops is H1, the preset water level height is H2, and the height of the water to be drained H = H1 - H2; according to the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box, it can be calculated that when the water level height in the base water box is H1, the water volume in the base water box is Q1, and when the water level height in the base water box is H2, the water volume in the base water box is Q2. Thus, it can be obtained that the water volume to be drained Q = Q1 - Q2.

[0077] As can be seen from the above, the difference between the water level in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball drops and the preset water level is determined as the height of the water to be drained, and then based on the height of the water to be drained and the proportional relationship, the water volume to be drained can be accurately determined.

[0078] In step 350, for example, if the remaining drainage duration of the drainage pump is determined to be t, then control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for t.

[0079] As described above, in this embodiment, the float switch and the timer are used to obtain the drainage volume completed by the drainage pump during the timing duration, and then the drainage rate of the drainage pump is accurately calculated based on the timing duration and the drainage volume. The accurate remaining drainage duration is determined according to the drainage volume to be drained and the calculated drainage rate, so as to control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration, avoiding the drainage noise caused by controlling the drainage pump to work when the drainage volume to be drained has been exhausted. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the drainage noise while ensuring the drainage effect, and further extend the service life of the drainage pump.

[0080] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 which is a flowchart of the steps for fault detection provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller can also be configured to execute the following steps 610-step 630:

[0081] Step 610, determine whether the state of the float switch can change according to the water storage volume in the circulation pipeline of the drainage pump;

[0082] Step 620, if the state of the float switch cannot change and the float switch does not switch from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the first time period, it is determined that the dryer has a fault;

[0083] Step 630, if the state of the float switch can change and the float switch does not switch from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the second time period, it is determined that the drainage pump and / or the float switch has a fault;

[0084] The following will describe these 3 steps in detail respectively.

[0085] It should be noted in advance that since the dryer may not work properly during the operation of the drainage pump, it is necessary to detect the fault of the dryer so that the dryer can work properly. The existing technical solution is to drain water at a fixed time when the float switch is in the floating state of the float ball, and determine whether the water storage box is full, whether the float switch and the drainage pump are faulty through multiple drainages.

[0086] In step 610, the circulation pipeline is the pipeline through which water flows when the drainage pump works. When the drainage pump pumps water through the circulation pipeline, a certain amount of water will be stored in the circulation pipeline. If the water storage volume in the circulation pipeline reaches above the preset water volume, the water level in the base water box will drop significantly, and the state of the float switch can change; if the water storage volume in the circulation pipeline is below the preset water volume, the water level in the base water box will drop slightly, and the state of the float switch is not enough to change.

[0087] In step 620, if the state of the float switch cannot change due to the small decline in the water level of the base water box, and the float switch never switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the first time period, it can be determined that the dryer has a fault. A fault in the dryer indicates that the water storage box is full and / or there is a fault with the float switch and / or the drain pump.

[0088] In step 630, if the water level in the base water box drops significantly, the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch never switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the second time period, it can be determined that there is a fault with the drain pump or the float switch, or both the drain pump and the float switch have faults.

[0089] As can be seen from the above, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the drain pump and the float switch are faulty, in this embodiment, only one drainage is required to detect a fault in the drain pump and / or the float switch, thereby improving the efficiency of fault detection.

[0090] In another exemplary embodiment, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps:

[0091] If the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the second time period, and then switches back to the floating state of the float ball within the third time period after the drain pump stops working, it is determined that the water storage box is full.

[0092] The following describes these steps in detail.

[0093] The water storage box being full means that both the top water box and the base water box are full of water, and the water stored in the top water box can be taken out and poured out by the user. If the water level in the base water box drops significantly, the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch switches from the floating state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball within the second time period, and then switches back to the floating state of the float ball within the third time period after the drain pump stops working, it can be determined that the water storage box is full. Preferably, the third time period is less than the second time period. For example, the third time period is 5s.

[0094] As can be seen from the above, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the water storage box is full, in this embodiment, only one drainage is required to detect whether the water storage box is full, thereby improving the efficiency of detecting the water volume in the water storage box.

[0095] In another exemplary embodiment, the float switch is a two-stage float switch, including a first float and a second float, where the height of the first float is greater than the height of the second float; please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7It is a flowchart of steps executable by a controller in a dryer provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller may also be configured to execute the following steps 710 - step 720:

[0096] Step 710, when it is detected that the first float is in the floating state of the float ball, control the drain pump to work and start the timer;

[0097] Step 720, when it is detected that the second float switches from the falling state of the float ball to the floating state of the float ball, and the first float is in the falling state of the float ball, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drain pump.

[0098] The following will describe these two steps in detail respectively.

[0099] It should be noted in advance that the structural schematic diagram of the two - stage float switch is as Figure 8 shown. The two - stage float switch has two distances, namely distance A and distance B shown in the figure. Distance B corresponds to the first float, and distance A corresponds to the second float.

[0100] When the water level in the base water box is within the range of distance A, the first float is in the falling state of the float ball, and the second float is in the floating state of the float ball; when the water level in the base water box is within the range of distance B, the first float is in the floating state of the float ball, and the second float is in the falling state of the float ball; when the water level in the base water box is between distance A and distance B, both the first float and the second float are in the falling state of the float ball. Among them, there is no clear size relationship between distance A and distance B, and distance A and distance B can be equal or not equal.

[0101] In step 710, the first float being in the floating state of the float ball indicates that the current water level in the base water box has reached above the preset water level, and it is necessary to drain the water in the base water box in time to prevent water from leaking from the bottom, thereby ensuring that the bottom of the dryer remains dry. Therefore, when it is detected that the first float is in the floating state of the float ball, control the drain pump to pump the water stored in the base water box, and start the timer to start timing while the drain pump is working.

[0102] In step 720, after starting the drain pump to work, if it is detected that the second float switches from the falling state of the float ball to the floating state of the float ball, and the first float is in the falling state of the float ball, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drain pump.

[0103] After step 720, calculate the drainage rate of the drain pump according to the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drain pump, and determine the remaining drainage duration according to the drainage rate and the drainage volume to be drained. Similarly, control the drain pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration.

[0104] In another exemplary embodiment, please refer toFigure 9 , Figure 9 is a flowchart of the steps for fault detection provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application. The controller is further configured to execute the following steps 910 - step 920:

[0105] Step 910, if it is not detected that the second float switches from the floating state of the floating ball to the falling state of the floating ball, or the first float switches from the falling state of the floating ball to the floating state of the floating ball, it is determined that a fault has occurred in the dryer;

[0106] Step 920, if it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state of the floating ball, it is determined that the float switch is faulty.

[0107] The following provides a detailed description of these 2 steps respectively.

[0108] In step 910, under normal conditions, during the operation of the drain pump, the water level in the base water box will drop accordingly. Therefore, the second float will switch from the floating state of the floating ball to the falling state of the floating ball, and the first float will switch from the falling state of the floating ball to the floating state of the floating ball. However, if it is not detected that the second float switches from the floating state of the floating ball to the falling state of the floating ball, or the first float switches from the falling state of the floating ball to the floating state of the floating ball, it can be determined that a fault has occurred in the dryer. A fault in the dryer indicates that the water storage box is full and / or there is a fault in the two - stage float switch and the drain pump.

[0109] As can be seen from the above, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether a fault has occurred in the dryer, and determines whether the dryer is faulty only based on the state of one float; in this embodiment, a two - stage float switch is adopted. If it is not detected that the second float switches from the floating state of the floating ball to the falling state of the floating ball, or the first float switches from the falling state of the floating ball to the floating state of the floating ball, then it is determined that a fault has occurred in the dryer. Only one drainage is required to accurately detect whether a fault has occurred in the dryer, improving the efficiency and accuracy of dryer fault detection.

[0110] In step 920, if it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state of the floating ball, it indicates that at least one of the floats in the two - stage float switch is faulty. Therefore, it can be determined that the two - stage float switch is faulty.

[0111] As can be seen from the above, compared with the prior art that drains water at a fixed time and needs to drain water multiple times to determine whether the float switch is faulty, and determines whether the float switch is faulty only based on the state of one float; in this embodiment, a two - stage float switch is adopted. If it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state of the floating ball, then it is determined that the float switch is faulty. Only one drainage is required to accurately detect whether the float switch is faulty, improving the efficiency and accuracy of float switch fault detection.

[0112] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 which is a flowchart of steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application. When the drainage program starts running, the state of the float switch is detected. If it is detected that the float switch is in the state where the float ball has dropped, continuous detection is carried out until it is detected that the float switch is in the state where the float ball has floated up, then the drainage pump is started to work and a timer is started simultaneously. Among them, the detection can be real-time detection or periodic detection, for example, detection is carried out every 3 s.

[0113] After the drainage pump starts working, the water level in the base water box begins to drop. If it is detected that the float switch is still in the state where the float ball has floated up, continuous detection is carried out until it is detected that the float switch switches from the state where the float ball has floated up to the state where the float ball has dropped, and the timing duration T1 of the timer at this moment is determined. The drainage rate is calculated based on the timing duration T1 and the pre-determined drainage volume, and then the remaining drainage duration T2 is calculated based on the remaining drainage volume and the drainage rate, and the countdown of the remaining drainage duration T2 is started. When the countdown of the remaining drainage duration T2 ends, the drainage pump is turned off and the drainage program ends.

[0114] As can be seen from the above, in this embodiment, the drainage rate is calculated based on the timing duration T1 determined by the timer and the pre-determined drainage volume, and then the remaining drainage duration T2 is calculated based on the remaining drainage volume and the drainage rate, so as to control the drainage pump to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage duration T2, avoiding the drainage noise caused by still controlling the drainage pump to work when the remaining drainage volume has been drained out. Therefore, it can eliminate the drainage noise while ensuring the drainage effect, and further extend the service life of the drainage pump.

[0115] After considering the specification and practicing the disclosed embodiments herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present application. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application, which follow the general principles of the present application and include known common general knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present application.

[0116] It should be understood that the above content is only a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present application and is not used to limit the implementation of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can easily make corresponding adaptations or modifications according to the main concept and spirit of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope required by the claims.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer, characterized in that: include: case; a drum disposed in the housing; Water storage box, including a base water box; A drainage pump disposed in the base water box; A float switch fixed beside the drainage pump, including a float ball floating up state and a float ball falling state; A controller is connected to the timer, the drainage pump and the float switch respectively, and the controller is configured to perform the following steps: When it is detected that the float switch is in a state where the float ball floats up, the drainage pump is controlled to work and the timer is started; When it is detected that the float switch switches from the floating ball floating state to the floating ball falling state, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump are obtained; Calculating the drainage rate of the drainage pump based on the drainage volume and the timing duration; Determining the remaining drainage time based on the drainage rate and the amount of water to be drained; The drainage pump is controlled to stop working after continuing to work for the remaining drainage time.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: Obtaining a proportional relationship between the water level of the base water box and the water volume of the base water box; The drainage volume is determined based on the hysteresis height on the float switch and the proportional relationship, wherein the hysteresis height represents the water level difference between the water level of the base water box when drainage starts and the water level of the base water box when the float switch switches to the float ball falling state.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: When the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball falls, the difference between the water level of the base water box and the preset water level is determined as the height to be drained, and the preset water level is the lowest water level reached by the base water box when the drainage pump works; The amount of water to be discharged is determined based on the height of water to be discharged and the proportional relationship.

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: Determining whether the state of the float switch can be changed according to the water storage amount of the circulation pipeline in the drainage pump; If the state of the float switch cannot be changed, and the float switch does not switch from the floating ball rising state to the floating ball falling state within a first time period, it is determined that the dryer has a fault.

5. The clothes dryer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: If the state of the float switch can be changed, and the float switch does not switch from the floating ball rising state to the floating ball falling state within the second time period, it is determined that the drainage pump and / or the float switch are faulty.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water storage box also includes a top water box, and the drainage pump is used to pump out the water in the base water box and discharge it into the top water box; the controller is also configured to perform the following steps: If the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch switches from the float ball floating state to the float ball falling state within the second time period, and switches to the float ball floating state again within the third time period after the drainage pump stops working, it is determined that the water storage box is full.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The float switch is a two-stage float switch, comprising a first float and a second float, wherein the height of the first float is greater than the height of the second float; the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: When it is detected that the first float is in a floating ball state, controlling the drainage pump to work and starting the timer; When it is detected that the second float switches from the floating ball falling state to the floating ball floating state, and the first float is in the floating ball falling state, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump are obtained.

8. The clothes dryer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: If it is not detected that the second float switches from the float ball floating state to the float ball falling state, or the first float switches from the float ball falling state to the float ball floating state, it is determined that the dryer has a fault.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to perform the following steps: If it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in a floating state, it is determined that the float switch is faulty.

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