Clothes dryer

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a clothes dryer, comprising: a shell; a drum arranged in the shell; a water storage box, comprising a base water box; a drainage pump arranged in the base water box; a float switch fixed beside the drainage pump, comprising a floating state of a float ball and a falling state of the float ball; a controller connected with a timer, the drainage pump and the float switch respectively, the controller being configured to perform the following steps: when it is detected that the float switch is in the floating state of the float ball, 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 state of the float ball to the falling state of the float ball, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage amount of the drainage pump are acquired; based on the drainage amount and the timing duration, the drainage rate of the drainage pump is calculated; based on the drainage rate and the to-be-drained amount, the residual drainage duration is determined; and the drainage pump is controlled to stop working after continuing to work for the residual drainage duration. The application can guarantee the drainage effect while eliminating the drainage noise.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of clothes dryer technology, and specifically to a clothes dryer. Background Technology

[0002] A clothes dryer is a household cleaning appliance that uses heating wires or a heat pump system to instantly evaporate the moisture from washed clothes. To keep the bottom of the dryer dry and prevent water from overflowing from the water tank and wetting the floor and the bottom of the dryer, the water stored in the water tank needs to be drained regularly.

[0003] Current drainage methods typically involve setting a fixed drainage time after the float switch rises. In order to ensure that the water in the water tank is fully drained, the drainage time is often set to be longer than the normal drainage time. However, this results in the drain pump of the dryer running noisily when water and steam are mixed, which affects the user experience.

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

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a clothes dryer.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a clothes dryer, including: a housing; a drum disposed within the housing; a water storage box, including a base water box; a drain pump disposed within the base water box; a float switch fixed next to the drain pump, including a float-up state and a float-down state; a controller connected to a timer, the drain pump, and the float switch respectively, the controller being configured to perform the following steps: when the float switch is detected to be in the float-up state, controlling the drain pump to operate and starting the timer; when the float switch is detected to switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, acquiring the timer's duration and the drain pump's drainage volume; calculating the drain pump's drainage rate based on the drainage volume and the duration; determining the remaining drainage time based on the drainage rate and the amount to be drained; and controlling the drain pump to stop operating after continuing to operate for the remaining drainage time.

[0007] In the above embodiment, a float switch and a timer are used to obtain the drainage volume completed by the drainage pump within the timed period. Then, the drainage rate of the drainage pump is accurately calculated based on the timed period and the drainage volume. The precise remaining drainage time is determined based on the amount to be drained and the calculated drainage rate. This allows the drainage pump to be controlled to stop working after the remaining drainage time, avoiding drainage noise caused by keeping the drainage pump running even after the amount to be drained has been drained. Therefore, drainage noise can be eliminated while ensuring drainage effect, thereby extending the service life of the drainage pump.

[0008] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: obtaining the proportional relationship between the water level of the base water box and the water volume of the base water box; determining the drainage volume based on the hysteresis height on the float switch and the proportional relationship, wherein the hysteresis height characterizes the water level difference between the water level of the base water box when drainage begins and the water level of the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float falls.

[0009] In the above embodiments, since different types of dryers are equipped with different base water boxes, the ratio between the water level and the water volume in the base water box is obtained in advance. Furthermore, the hysteresis height on the float switch is fixed, so the drainage volume can be accurately determined based on the hysteresis height and the ratio.

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: when the float switch is switched to the state where the float ball is in the fall, the difference between the water level in the base water box and the preset water level is determined as the drainage height, where the preset water level is the lowest water level reached by the base water box when the drainage pump is working; and the drainage volume is determined based on the drainage height and the proportional relationship.

[0011] In the above embodiment, when the float switch is switched to the float falling state, the difference between the water level in the base water box and the preset water level is determined as the drainage height, and the drainage volume can be accurately determined based on the drainage height and the proportional relationship.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: determining whether the state of the float switch can change based on the water storage 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 float rising state to the float falling state within a first time period, then it is determined that the dryer has malfunctioned.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, 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 float-up state to the float-down state within a second time period, then the drain pump and / or the float switch is determined to be faulty.

[0014] In the above embodiments, compared with the prior art which uses fixed-time drainage and requires multiple drainages to determine whether the drainage pump and float switch have failed, this embodiment only requires one drainage to detect the drainage pump and / or float switch failure, thereby improving the efficiency of fault detection.

[0015] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the water storage box further includes a top water box, and the drain pump is used to extract water from 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 rising state to the float falling state within a second time period, and switches back to the float rising state within a third time period after the drain pump stops working, then it is determined that the water storage box is full.

[0016] In the above embodiment, compared with the prior art which drains water at fixed intervals and requires multiple drainages to determine whether the water tank is full, this embodiment only requires one drainage to detect whether the water tank is full, thereby improving the efficiency of water tank level detection.

[0017] In one embodiment of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, 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 the first float is detected to be in a float-up state, control the drainage pump to operate and start the timer; when the second float is detected to switch from a float-down state to a float-up state, and the first float is in a float-down state, obtain the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump.

[0018] In the above embodiment, a two-stage float switch is used to control the high water level and the low water level respectively. Therefore, the accuracy of water level control is higher than that of a single-stage float switch. Furthermore, even if one float fails, it will not affect the operation of the other float, thus making the water level control more reliable.

[0019] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps: if the second float does not switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, or the first float switches from the float-down state to the float-up state, then the dryer is determined to have malfunctioned.

[0020] In the above embodiments, compared with the prior art which uses fixed-time drainage, requiring multiple drainages to determine whether the dryer has malfunctioned, and relying solely on the state of a single float to determine whether the dryer has malfunctioned, this embodiment uses a two-stage float switch. A malfunction is only determined if the second float does not switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, or if the first float switches from the float-down state to the float-up state. This allows for accurate detection of dryer malfunctions with only one drainage operation, improving the efficiency and accuracy of dryer malfunction detection.

[0021] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, 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, then the float switch is determined to be faulty.

[0022] In the above embodiments, compared with the prior art which uses fixed-time drainage, requiring multiple drainages to determine whether the float switch has malfunctioned, and judging whether the float switch has malfunctioned based on the state of only one float, this embodiment uses a two-stage float switch. If both the first float and the second float are detected to be in the floating state, it is determined that the float switch has malfunctioned. Only one drainage is needed to accurately detect whether the float switch has malfunctioned, thus improving the efficiency and accuracy of float switch fault detection.

[0023] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a float switch in a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps for determining the discharge volume provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps for determining the volume of water to be drained, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the fault detection steps provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 7This is a flowchart illustrating the steps that the controller in a clothes dryer can execute, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a two-stage float switch provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the fault detection steps provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

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

[0037] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0038] It should also be noted that "multiple" as mentioned in this application refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0039] The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not 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 apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0040] Current drainage methods typically involve setting a fixed drainage time after the float switch rises. In order to ensure that the water in the water tank is fully drained, the drainage time is often set to be longer than the normal drainage time. However, this results in the drain pump of the dryer running noisily when water and steam are mixed, which affects the user experience.

[0041] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application proposes a clothes dryer that can guarantee drainage effect and eliminate drainage noise. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the dryer 10 includes a housing 11, a drum 12, a water tank, a float switch, a drain pump, a timer, and a controller. Each part of the dryer 10 will be described in detail below.

[0042] The housing 11 is the external structure of the dryer 10, used to secure and protect the internal components. The housing 11 is typically made of metal or plastic; it usually has a door for placing or removing clothes into or from the drum 12, and the door is usually fitted with a sealing ring to prevent water leakage; the housing 11 also usually has a control panel with buttons, knobs or a touch screen.

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

[0044] The water storage system includes a base water tank and a top water tank. The base water tank is located at the bottom of the dryer 10, and the top water tank is located at the top of the dryer 10. The base water tank collects water generated during the drying process, and the drain pump extracts the water collected in the base water tank and discharges it into the top water tank. When the top water tank is nearly full, the user can pull it out horizontally, empty the condensate, and then reinstall it. This helps prevent water leakage from the bottom and ensures that the bottom of the dryer remains dry.

[0045] The drain pump is located inside the base water box and is used to extract the water stored in the base water box and discharge it to a fixed position. By extracting the water from the base water box by the drain pump, water can be ensured that water does not accumulate at the bottom of the dryer 10, thereby avoiding the problems of dampness and leakage at the bottom of the dryer 10.

[0046] The float switch is a water level control device, also located inside the water tank in the base. For the sake of simplicity in the internal structure of the dryer 10, the float switch is fixed next to the drain pump. The float switch includes two states: the float is on and the float is off. The float is on (equivalent to "on") and the float is off (equivalent to "off"). Specifically... Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a float switch in a dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The state of the float switch is related to the water level in the base water tank. When the water level in the base water tank reaches or exceeds the first water level, the float switch is always in the float-up state; when the water level in the base water tank is below the second water level, the float switch is always in the float-down state. The first and second water levels are determined in advance through multiple sets of 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 tank is between the second and first water levels, depending on the type of dryer, the float switch may be in the float-up state or the float-down state. Figure 2 The distance between the float switch and the float ball in the floating state is less than 1mm, the distance between the float switch and the float ball in the falling state is greater than 5mm, and the distance between the float switch and the indeterminate state is 1-5mm.

[0047] The timer has both a countdown and a forward countdown function, which are used to accurately determine the working time of the drain pump and to precisely control the drain pump to stop working after the remaining drainage time.

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

[0049] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the controller can be configured to perform the following steps 310-350:

[0050] Step 310: When the float switch is detected to be in the float-raised state, control the drainage pump to work and start the timer;

[0051] Step 320: When the float switch is detected to switch from the float rising state to the float falling state, the timer duration and the drainage pump discharge volume are obtained.

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

[0053] Step 340: Determine the remaining drainage time based on the drainage rate and the amount of water to be drained;

[0054] Step 350: Control the drainage pump to stop working after the remaining drainage time.

[0055] The following is a detailed description of each of these five steps.

[0056] In step 310, it should be noted that different types of dryers may have different float switches. Even if the water level in the base water tank is the same, some float switches may be in the float-up state while others are in the float-down state. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct multiple tests on the current type of dryer in advance to determine the water level in the base water tank when drainage begins and the water level in the base water tank when the float switch switches to the float-down state.

[0057] When the float switch is in the float-up position, it indicates that the water level in the base water tank has reached or exceeded the preset level. The water in the base water tank needs to be drained promptly to prevent leakage from the bottom and ensure the bottom of the dryer remains dry. Therefore, when the float switch is detected to be in the float-up position, the drain pump is activated to extract water from the base water tank, and a timer is started simultaneously with the drain pump operation.

[0058] In step 320, the drainage volume refers to the amount of water discharged during the operating time of the drainage pump. When the float switch is detected to switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, the timing duration of the timer at this moment is obtained, and the drainage volume of the drainage pump determined based on the timing duration is obtained, wherein the timing duration of the timer is equal to the operating time of the drainage pump.

[0059] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the steps for determining the drainage volume provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The controller is also configured to perform the following steps 410-420:

[0060] Step 410: Obtain the ratio between the water level in the base water tank and the water volume in the base water tank;

[0061] Step 420: Determine the drainage volume based on the hysteresis height and proportional relationship on the float switch. The hysteresis height represents the water level difference between the water level in the base water box when drainage begins and the water level in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the float falling state.

[0062] The following sections will describe these two steps in detail.

[0063] In step 410, the ratio between the water level and the water volume in the base water tank often varies depending on the type of dryer. Therefore, multiple drainage tests need to be conducted on the dryer beforehand to obtain the ratio between the water level and the water volume in the base water tank, so that the current water volume in the base water tank can be determined when the water level in the base water tank is obtained through the float switch.

[0064] In step 420, similarly, the fixed hysteresis height on the float switch can be determined based on multiple sets of drainage tests. Hysteresis height = water level in the base water box at the start of drainage - water level in the base water box when the float switch switches to the float-falling state. This hysteresis height characterizes the drop in water level in the base water box during the drainage pump's operating time. Based on the proportional relationship between the hysteresis height on the float switch, 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 drainage pump's operating time.

[0065] For example, when drainage begins, the water level in the base water box is h1. When the float switch switches to the float-down state, the water level in the base water box is h2. The hysteresis height h = h1 - h2. Based on the proportional relationship between the water level and the water volume in the base water box, it can be calculated that when the water level in the base water box is h1, the water volume in the base water box is q1, and when the water level in the base water box is h2, the water volume in the base water box is q2. Therefore, the drainage volume q = q1 - q2 can be derived.

[0066] As can be seen from the above, since different types of dryers are equipped with different base water boxes, it is necessary to obtain the ratio between the water level and the water volume in the base water box in advance. Furthermore, the hysteresis height on the float switch is fixed. Therefore, the drainage volume can be accurately determined based on the hysteresis height and the ratio.

[0067] In step 330, based on the amount of water discharged during the operation time of the drainage pump and the time duration, the drainage rate during operation of the drainage pump can be calculated. The drainage rate reflects how fast the drainage pump operates; specifically, drainage rate = drainage volume ÷ time duration.

[0068] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the drainage rate of the drainage pump will not be arbitrarily changed. The drainage pump will always be controlled to work with 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 the drainage rate of v1.

[0069] In step 340, the amount of water to be drained refers to the amount of water still needing to be drained from the base water box, and the remaining drainage time refers to the time required for the drainage pump to completely drain the water. Based on the drainage rate and the amount of water to be drained, the remaining drainage time can be calculated. Specifically, remaining drainage time = amount of water to be drained ÷ drainage rate.

[0070] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the steps for determining the amount of water to be drained, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The controller can also be configured to perform the following steps 510-520:

[0071] Step 510: When the float switch is switched to the state where the float falls, the difference between the water level in the base water box and the preset water level is determined as the drainage height. The preset water level is the lowest water level that the base water box reaches when the drainage pump is working.

[0072] Step 520: Determine the amount of water to be drained based on the height and ratio of the water to be drained.

[0073] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0074] In step 510, it should be noted that the water in the base water box is difficult to drain completely. Therefore, the lowest water level reached by the base water box through the operation of the drain pump is taken as the preset water level. The drainage height is equal to the water level height of the base water box when the float switch is switched to the float ball falling state - the preset water level height.

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

[0076] For example, when the float switch is switched to the float-down state, the water level in the base water box is H1, the preset water level is H2, and the drainage height H = H1 - H2. Based on the ratio between the water level and the water volume in the base water box, it can be calculated that when the water level is H1, the water volume is Q1, and when the water level is H2, the water volume is Q2. Therefore, the drainage volume Q = Q1 - Q2.

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

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

[0079] As can be seen from the above, this embodiment uses a float switch and a timer to obtain the drainage volume completed by the drainage pump within the timed period. Then, based on the timed period and the drainage volume, the drainage rate of the drainage pump is accurately calculated. Based on the amount to be drained and the calculated drainage rate, the precise remaining drainage time is determined. This allows the drainage pump to be controlled to stop working after the remaining drainage time, avoiding the drainage noise caused by continuing to control the drainage pump when the amount to be drained has been drained. Therefore, it can eliminate drainage noise while ensuring drainage effect, and thus extend the service life of the drainage pump.

[0080] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of fault detection steps provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The controller can also be configured to perform the following steps 610-630:

[0081] Step 610: Determine whether the state of the float switch can change based on the amount of water stored 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 float rising state to the float falling state within the first time period, then the dryer is determined to be malfunctioning.

[0083] Step 630: If the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch does not switch from the float rising state to the float falling state within the second time period, then the drain pump and / or the float switch is determined to be faulty.

[0084] The following is a detailed description of each of these three steps.

[0085] It should be noted that the dryer may malfunction during the operation of the drain pump. Therefore, fault detection is necessary to ensure the dryer functions properly. Current solutions involve draining water at fixed intervals when the float switch is in the float-raised state. Multiple drainage cycles are used to determine if the water tank is full and whether the float switch and drain pump are malfunctioning.

[0086] In step 610, the circulation pipeline is the pipe through which water flows when the drainage pump is working. When the drainage pump pumps water through the circulation pipeline, a certain amount of water will be stored in the circulation pipeline. If the amount of water stored in the circulation pipeline reaches or exceeds the preset amount, the water level in the base water box will drop significantly, and the state of the float switch will change. If the amount of water stored in the circulation pipeline is below the preset amount, the water level in the base water box will drop only slightly, and the state of the float switch will not change significantly.

[0087] In step 620, if the water level in the base water tank drops only slightly, causing the float switch to remain unchanged, and the float switch fails to switch from the float-up state to the float-down state within the first time interval, then the dryer is considered to be malfunctioning. A dryer malfunction indicates that the water tank is full and / or that the float switch or drain pump is faulty.

[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 does not switch from the float rising state to the float falling state within the second time period, then it can be determined that the drain pump or the float switch is faulty, or both the drain pump and the float switch are faulty.

[0089] As can be seen from the above, compared with the existing technology that uses fixed time for drainage and requires multiple drainages to determine whether the drainage pump and float switch are faulty, this embodiment only needs to drain once to detect the fault of the drainage pump and / or float switch, thereby improving the efficiency of fault detection.

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

[0091] If the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch switches from the float rising state to the float falling state within the second time period, and switches back to the float rising state within the third time period after the drain pump stops working, then the water tank is determined to be full.

[0092] The following is a detailed description of this step.

[0093] A full water tank means that both the top and base water tanks are full, and the water in the top tank can be removed and emptied by the user. If the water level in the base tank drops significantly, the float switch will change state. Specifically, the float switch will switch from a floating state to a falling state within a second time period, and then switch back to a floating state within a third time period after the drain pump stops operating. This indicates that the water tank is full. Ideally, the third time period should be shorter than the second time period, for example, 5 seconds.

[0094] As can be seen from the above, compared with the existing technology that drains water at fixed intervals and requires multiple drainages to determine whether the water tank is full, this embodiment only needs to drain water once to detect whether the water tank is full, thereby improving the efficiency of water tank water level detection.

[0095] In another exemplary embodiment, the float switch is a two-stage float switch, including a first float and a second float, wherein the height of the first float is greater than the height of the second float; see also Figure 7 , Figure 7This is a flowchart illustrating the steps that a controller in a dryer can execute, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The controller can also be configured to perform the following steps 710-720:

[0096] Step 710: When the first float is detected to be in the state of the float ball floating, control the drainage pump to work and start the timer;

[0097] Step 720: When it is detected that the second float has switched from the float falling state to the float rising state, and the first float is in the float falling state, the timer duration and the drainage pump discharge volume are obtained.

[0098] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0099] It should be noted beforehand that the structural diagram of the two-stage float switch is as follows: Figure 8 As 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 tank is within distance A, the first float is in the sinking state, and the second float is in the floating state. When the water level in the base water tank is within distance B, the first float is in the floating state, and the second float is in the sinking state. When the water level in the base water tank is between distance A and distance B, both the first and second floats are in the sinking state. Distances A and B do not have a fixed relative magnitude; they may be equal or unequal.

[0101] In step 710, the first float is in the float-up state, indicating that the water level in the base water tank has reached or exceeded the preset water level. The water in the base water tank needs to be drained promptly to prevent leakage from the bottom and ensure the bottom of the dryer remains dry. Therefore, when the first float is detected to be in the float-up state, the drain pump is controlled to extract the water stored in the base water tank, and a timer is started simultaneously with the drain pump operation.

[0102] In step 720, after the drainage pump is started, if it is detected that the second float has switched from the float falling state to the float rising state, and the first float is in the float falling state, the timer duration and the drainage volume of the drainage pump are obtained.

[0103] After step 720, the drainage rate of the drainage pump is calculated based on the timer duration and the drainage volume of the drainage pump. The remaining drainage time is determined based on the drainage rate and the amount to be drained. Similarly, the drainage pump is controlled to stop working after the remaining drainage time.

[0104] In another exemplary embodiment, see Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a flowchart of fault detection steps provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application, wherein the controller is further configured to perform the following steps 910-920:

[0105] Step 910: If the second float does not switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, or the first float switches from the float-down state to the float-up state, then the dryer is determined to be malfunctioning.

[0106] Step 920: If both the first float and the second float are detected to be in a floating state, then the float switch is determined to be faulty.

[0107] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0108] In step 910, under normal circumstances, during the operation of the drain pump, the water level in the base water tank will drop accordingly. Therefore, the second float will switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, and the first float will switch from the float-down state to the float-up state. However, if the second float does not switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, or the first float switches from the float-down state to the float-up state, it can be determined that the dryer has malfunctioned. A dryer malfunction indicates a full water tank and / or a faulty two-stage float switch or drain pump.

[0109] As can be seen from the above, compared with the existing technology that uses fixed-time drainage, which requires multiple drainages to determine whether the dryer has malfunctioned, and relies solely on the state of a single float to determine whether the dryer has malfunctioned; this embodiment uses a two-stage float switch. Only if the second float does not switch from the float-up state to the float-down state, or the first float switches from the float-down state to the float-up state, is it determined that the dryer has malfunctioned. Only one drainage is needed to accurately detect whether the dryer has malfunctioned, thus improving the efficiency and accuracy of dryer malfunction detection.

[0110] In step 920, if it is detected that both the first float and the second float are in the floating state, it means that at least one float in the two-stage float switch is faulty, so the two-stage float switch is faulty.

[0111] As can be seen from the above, compared with the existing technology that uses fixed-time drainage, which requires multiple drainages to determine whether the float switch has malfunctioned, and which judges whether the float switch has malfunctioned based on the state of only one float, this embodiment uses a two-stage float switch. If both the first float and the second float are detected to be in the floating state, it is determined that the float switch has malfunctioned. Only one drainage is needed to accurately detect whether the float switch has malfunctioned, which improves the efficiency and accuracy of float switch fault detection.

[0112] Please see Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps for controlling the operation of a drainage pump, provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. When the drainage program begins, the state of the float switch is detected. If the float switch is detected to be in a downed state, the detection continues until the float switch is detected to be in a raised state, at which point the drainage pump is started and a timer is simultaneously activated. The detection can be real-time or periodic, for example, every 3 seconds.

[0113] After the drain pump starts working, the water level in the base water box begins to drop. If the float switch is still detected as being in the float-up state, the detection continues until the float switch switches from the float-up state to the float-down state, at which point the timer's duration T1 is determined. Based on the duration T1 and the predetermined drainage volume, the drainage rate is calculated. Then, based on the volume to be drained and the drainage rate, the drainage duration T2 is calculated, and a countdown for the drainage duration T2 is started. The drain pump is turned off when the countdown for the drainage duration T2 ends, and the drainage program ends.

[0114] As can be seen from the above, this embodiment uses the timer to determine the timing duration T1 and the predetermined drainage volume to calculate the drainage rate. Then, based on the drainage volume and drainage rate, it calculates the drainage duration T2, thereby controlling the drainage pump to stop working after the drainage duration T2. ​​This avoids the drainage noise caused by continuing to control the drainage pump to work even when the drainage volume has been drained. Therefore, it can eliminate drainage noise while ensuring drainage effect, and thus extend the service life of the drainage pump.

[0115] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein.

[0116] It should be understood that the above content is only a preferred exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily make corresponding modifications or alterations based on the main concept and spirit of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of protection claimed in the claims.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer, characterized in that, include: case; A roller disposed within the housing; Water storage box, including the base water box; A drain pump is installed inside the water box of the base; A float switch fixed next to the drainage pump includes a float-up state and a float-down state. A controller, connected to the timer, the drain pump, and the float switch, is configured to perform the following steps: When the float switch is detected to be in the state where the float is floating, the drain pump is controlled to work and the timer is started; When the float switch is detected to switch from the float rising state to the float falling state, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump are obtained; The drainage rate of the drainage pump is calculated based on the drainage volume and the timing duration. The remaining drainage time is determined based on the drainage rate and the amount of water to be drained. The drainage pump is controlled to stop working after the remaining drainage time has elapsed. The controller is also configured to perform the following steps: Based on the water storage in the circulation pipeline of the drainage pump, determine whether the state of the float switch can change; If the state of the float switch cannot change, and the float switch does not switch from the float rising state to the float falling state within the first time period, then the dryer is determined to be malfunctioning. If the state of the float switch can change, and the float switch does not switch from the float rising state to the float falling state within a second time period, then the drain pump and / or the float switch is determined to be faulty.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to perform the following steps: Obtain the proportional relationship between the water level in the base water box and the water volume in the base water box; The drainage volume is determined based on the hysteresis height on the float switch and the proportional relationship. The hysteresis height represents the water level difference between the water level in the base water box when drainage begins and the water level in the base water box when the float switch is switched to the state where the float falls.

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

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water storage tank also includes a top water tank, and the drain pump is used to extract water from the base water tank and discharge it into the top water tank; 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 rising state to the float falling state within a second time period, and switches back to the float rising state within a third time period after the drain pump stops working, then the water storage box is determined to be full.

5. 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 the first float is detected to be in a floating state, the drain pump is controlled to work and the timer is started. When the second float is detected to switch from the float falling state to the float rising state, and the first float is in the float falling state, the timing duration of the timer and the drainage volume of the drainage pump are obtained.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to perform the following steps: If the second float does not switch from the floating state to the falling state, or the first float switches from the falling state to the floating state, the dryer is determined to be malfunctioning.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to perform the following steps: If both the first float and the second float are detected to be in a floating state, then the float switch is determined to be faulty.

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