Clothes dryer

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a clothes dryer, comprising: a cabinet; a drying barrel and an air circulation system; an air inlet assembly and an air outlet assembly; a heater and an air inlet pipeline, an air flow meter; a filter screen, an air outlet pipeline and an air outlet fan, an air outlet motor and a fan; a controller connected with the air flow meter and the air outlet motor respectively, used for executing a clothes dryer filter screen detection program, the program comprising the following steps: controlling the air outlet motor to reach a preset rotating speed and keeping the air outlet motor running at the preset rotating speed; detecting a current value of the air outlet motor in the process of keeping the air outlet motor running at the preset rotating speed, and judging whether the filter screen is blocked based on the current value; and / or, obtaining a current flow value of the air flow meter and a historical flow value obtained in the process of historically executing the clothes dryer filter screen detection program, and judging whether the filter screen is blocked based on the current flow value and the historical flow value; if at least one of the above is yes, it is determined that the filter screen is blocked. The application can improve the accuracy of filter screen cleaning detection.

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 drying device that dries damp clothes. During operation, a heater located at the front of the air inlet duct heats the air, which is then drawn into the drying drum. This allows the damp clothes to exchange heat with the hot, dry air in the drum. The air after this heat exchange often carries lint or fine dust particles remaining from the dried clothes. When this air passes through the filter, the lint or dust particles are trapped on the filter, easily causing it to clog.

[0003] Once the filter becomes clogged, it will affect the normal operation of the dryer, and thus affect the final drying effect of the clothes. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that the filter is not clogged. However, the accuracy of current detection methods for whether the filter is clogged is not good.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a dryer that can accurately detect whether the filter is clogged. 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 drying drum and an air circulation system disposed within the housing; the air circulation system includes an air inlet assembly and an air outlet assembly; the air inlet assembly includes a heater and an air inlet duct for allowing heated air to enter the drying drum to exchange heat with the clothes inside the drying drum, and the air inlet duct is also provided with an air flow meter; the air outlet assembly includes a filter screen, an exhaust duct, and an exhaust fan, and the heat-exchanged air passes through the filter screen and is discharged from the exhaust duct under the action of the exhaust fan, the exhaust fan including an exhaust motor and a fan; a controller, respectively connected to the air outlet assembly. The airflow meter is electrically connected to the exhaust motor and is used to execute a dryer filter detection program. The dryer filter detection program includes the following steps: controlling the exhaust motor to reach a preset speed and maintaining the preset speed; detecting the current value of the exhaust motor while maintaining the preset speed, and determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current value; and / or acquiring the current flow value of the airflow meter and the historical flow value acquired during the previous execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow value and the historical flow value; if at least one of the above determinations is true, then it is determined that the filter is clogged.

[0007] In the above embodiments, by detecting the current value of the exhaust motor while maintaining a preset speed, it is possible to accurately determine whether the filter is clogged. Furthermore, based on the current flow value obtained by the air flow meter and the historical flow value obtained during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, it is also possible to accurately determine whether the filter is clogged. If at least one of the two determinations is positive, it can be accurately determined that the filter is clogged and needs to be cleaned.

[0008] In one embodiment of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the dryer filter detection program further includes the following steps: first, determining whether the filter is clogged by the current value; if the determination is no, then determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow value and the historical flow value; if the determination is also no, then determining that the filter is not clogged.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the current value of the exhaust motor while maintaining a preset speed is used to determine whether the filter is clogged. If the filter is not clogged in the first judgment, a second judgment is made based on the current flow value and historical flow value measured by the air flow meter. Only when the second judgment is also negative can it be finally determined that the filter is not clogged. The filter is accurately determined to be clogged through two consecutive judgments.

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, in the dryer filter detection program, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current value includes: if the current value reaches or exceeds a preset current value, it is determined that the filter is clogged, wherein the preset current value represents the maximum current value of the exhaust motor when the filter is clogged; if the current value is below the preset current value, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0011] In the above embodiments, the preset current value represents the maximum current value of the exhaust motor when the filter is clogged. Since the exhaust motor operates at a preset speed, the higher the degree of filter clogging, the greater the reflected flow rate. Therefore, if the current value reaches or exceeds the preset current value, it can be accurately determined that the filter is clogged. If the current value is below the preset current value, it can be accurately determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate value and the historical flow rate value in the dryer filter detection program includes: calculating the difference between the historical flow rate value and the current flow rate value; if the difference is below a preset value, it is determined that the filter is clogged, the preset value representing the minimum air intake when the filter is clogged, and the preset value being a positive number; if the difference reaches or exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0013] In the above embodiments, since lint may continuously fall off clothes during the drying process, the degree of clogging of the filter in the current dryer filter detection program will only increase compared to the previous degree of clogging. Therefore, if the difference between the historical flow rate value and the current flow rate value is below the preset value, it indicates that the amount of lint added in the subsequent drying process is unlikely to affect the air intake, and the filter can be accurately determined to be clogged. If the difference between the historical flow rate value and the current flow rate value reaches or exceeds the preset value, it indicates that the amount of lint added in the subsequent drying process can still affect the air intake, and the filter can be accurately determined not to be clogged.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate value and the historical flow rate value further includes: if the difference is negative, then it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0015] In the above embodiments, in order to prevent the filter from being judged as clogged due to human intervention in cleaning the filter, the difference is judged to be negative. If the difference is negative, it can be accurately determined that the filter is not clogged and no further cleaning is required.

[0016] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the dryer filter detection program further includes the following steps: when the start command of the dryer filter detection program is detected, it is determined whether the door of the dryer is closed; if it is determined to be closed, the filter detection indicator light is controlled to display the detection state, and the steps of controlling the exhaust motor to reach the preset speed and maintaining the preset speed are executed.

[0017] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the dryer filter detection program further includes the following steps: if it is determined that the filter is not clogged, control the filter detection indicator light to display an end state, and control the exhaust motor to stop running.

[0018] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the dryer filter detection program further includes the following step: when it is determined that the filter is clogged, the filter detection indicator light is controlled to display a prompt state.

[0019] In the above embodiments, when it is determined that the filter is clogged, the indicator light on the filter can promptly remind the user to clean the filter, thus avoiding affecting the normal use of the dryer.

[0020] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller further performs the following steps: if it is detected that the dryer door is opened and then closed after the drying program is completed, it enters the filter detection candidate state after waiting for a preset time; in the filter detection candidate state, the temperature value of the heater is detected, and when the temperature value is below the preset temperature value, the dryer filter detection program is started.

[0021] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller further performs the following steps: before starting the execution of the dryer filter detection program, it is determined whether the current program execution corresponds to the first detection after the filter has been cleaned; if the determination is yes, then during the current execution of the dryer filter detection program, the filter is determined to be clogged only based on the current value, and the airflow value of the exhaust motor is recorded while maintaining the preset speed; if the determination is no, then the dryer filter detection program is executed normally.

[0022] In the above embodiment, before starting the dryer filter detection program, it is determined whether the current program corresponds to the first detection after the filter has been cleaned. If it is the first detection after the filter has been cleaned, the filter is only judged based on the current value to determine whether the filter is clogged, and the air flow value of the exhaust motor is recorded while maintaining a preset speed. The air flow value recorded in this detection is used as the historical flow value for the next detection, thereby simplifying the detection process while ensuring the accuracy of the dryer clogging 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 three-dimensional structural diagram of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a side view of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the steps for foreign object detection provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the steps of a dryer filter detection procedure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps that the controller in a clothes dryer can execute, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure 6 A flowchart of the steps of a dryer filter detection procedure provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] To address the current technical problem of inaccurate detection of filter clogging, this application proposes a dryer capable of accurately detecting filter clogging. Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the dryer 100 includes a drying drum 101, an exhaust fan 102, a valve 103, an air duct 104, a heating pipe 105, and a filter 106. Each part of the dryer 100 will be described in detail below.

[0037] It should be noted that in practical applications, the structure of a clothes dryer can also be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, it can be... Figure 1 The dryer structure shown can be modified by adding / removing / replacing corresponding parts. This section does not limit the structure of the dryer to only one type. Figure 1 The structure shown.

[0038] The drying drum 101, located inside the dryer 100, is usually made of stainless steel and 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.

[0039] The exhaust fan 102 is used to remove moisture and heat from the drying drum, maintain a suitable environment inside the drying drum 101, and improve drying efficiency.

[0040] Valve 103 controls the flow of hot air inside the drying drum 101 by opening or closing it and adjusting the opening degree of valve 103 to meet different drying needs.

[0041] The air duct 104 is responsible for conveying the generated hot air from the heating pipe 105 to the drying barrel and for discharging the dehumidified air from the drying barrel 101.

[0042] The heating pipe 105 is responsible for generating hot air by heating the air, which can be transported into the drying drum 101 to provide the heat energy required for the drying process, ensuring that the clothes in the drying drum receive sufficient heat and achieve a rapid drying effect.

[0043] Filter 106 is used to prevent fine fibers, dust and other particles from entering the air circulation system in order to maintain the normal operation of the equipment and the cleanliness of the user environment.

[0044] Please continue reading. Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a side view structural diagram of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the dryer 200 includes lifting ribs 201, air flow meter 202, air inlet duct 203, air outlet duct 204, exhaust motor 205, housing 206, filter 207, door 208, drying drum 209, main control board 210, filter indicator light 211, and controller. Each part of the dryer 200 will be described in detail below.

[0045] Similarly, in practical applications, the structure of a clothes dryer can be adjusted according to actual needs; for example, it can be... Figure 2 The dryer structure shown can be modified by adding / removing / replacing corresponding parts. This section does not limit the structure of the dryer to only one type. Figure 2 The structure shown.

[0046] The lifting rib 201 is a structural component used to support and fix the drying drum 209, ensuring that the drying drum 209 remains stable during operation and preventing the drying drum 209 from shaking.

[0047] Air flow meter 202 is installed inside air inlet duct 203 to monitor air flow in air inlet duct 203. It can provide real-time air flow data to help the control system adjust air intake and exhaust to ensure that temperature and humidity are controlled within a suitable range during the drying process.

[0048] The air inlet duct 203 is connected to the external air passage and to air inlet components such as heaters, and is responsible for introducing fresh air into the air circulation system for drying clothes.

[0049] The exhaust duct 204 is responsible for expelling the humid air generated during the drying process from the dryer 200 to maintain a dry environment in the drying drum 209.

[0050] The exhaust motor 205 is responsible for providing power to drive the fan, which pushes air through the exhaust duct 204 to exhaust it from the dryer 200, in order to maintain a dry environment in the drying drum 209.

[0051] The housing 206 is the external structure of the dryer 200, used to secure and protect the internal components. The housing 206 is typically made of metal or plastic. A door 208 is usually also provided on the housing 206 for placing or removing clothes into or from the drying drum 209, and the door 208 is typically equipped with a sealing ring to prevent water leakage.

[0052] The main control board 210 is usually installed on the housing 206. The main control board 210 has buttons, knobs or touch screen. The main control board 210 is connected to various components of the dryer 200 and is responsible for controlling the operation and drying process of the entire dryer 200. The filter indicator light 211 is used to display the cleanliness status of the filter 207 and remind the user whether the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced.

[0053] The filter 207 is installed on the exhaust duct to filter dust, fibers and other impurities in the air discharged during the drying process, so as to prevent impurities from entering the external environment and ensure that the discharged air is relatively clean.

[0054] The drying drum 209 is located inside the dryer 200 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.

[0055] The controller, electrically connected to both the air flow meter and the exhaust motor, is used to execute the dryer filter detection program. To determine whether the dryer filter detection program can be executed correctly, the controller can perform the following steps:

[0056] If the dryer door is opened and then closed after the drying program is completed, it will enter the filter detection candidate state after waiting for a preset time.

[0057] In the filter detection candidate state, the temperature value of the heater is detected. When the temperature value is below the preset temperature value, the dryer filter detection program is started.

[0058] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0059] The initial determination that the clothes in the drying drum have been removed is made after the door opens and closes. The preset waiting time is to reduce the temperature of the heater in the dryer. If the heater temperature is too high, it will heat the air in the drying drum, affecting the normal operation of the subsequent dryer filter detection program. Therefore, after waiting for the preset time, the dryer enters the filter detection candidate state, and the heater temperature is checked in the filter detection candidate state. The dryer filter detection program is only started when the heater temperature is below the preset temperature value.

[0060] Because the presence of foreign objects in the drying drum can affect the normal operation of the dryer's filter detection program, a second check is required to accurately determine whether foreign objects are present in the drying drum. Preferably, a foreign object detection program is run before the dryer's filter detection program to check for foreign objects in the drying drum. Foreign objects include, but are not limited to, living organisms, metal objects, plastic objects, and sharp objects.

[0061] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of foreign object detection provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Methods for detecting the presence of foreign objects inside the drying drum include, but are not limited to, using infrared sensors, weight sensors, vibration sensors, and current sensors. After the sensors initially detect that no foreign objects are present in the drying drum, the drum motor is started, and the instantaneous current Ix during motor startup is detected. This instantaneous current Ix is compared with the maximum current Io during multiple pre-simulated no-load starts. If the instantaneous current Ix is determined to be above the maximum current Io, then it is finally determined that foreign objects are present in the drying drum; if the instantaneous current Ix is determined to be below the maximum current Io, then it is again determined that no foreign objects are present in the drying drum.

[0062] After confirming the presence of foreign objects in the dryer drum, the filter indicator light flashes slowly to indicate that the subsequent dryer filter detection procedure cannot proceed normally. Preferably, a reminder message is pushed to a pre-bound user terminal, promptly reminding the user to clean the foreign objects from the dryer drum to avoid affecting the subsequent dryer filter detection procedure. If the user chooses to ignore the issue on the user terminal or fails to address it within a preset time period, the indicator light turns off, and the foreign object detection procedure terminates.

[0063] After the foreign object detection procedure is completed and it is confirmed that there are no foreign objects inside the drying drum, the dryer filter detection procedure will be executed. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a dryer filter detection procedure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the dryer filter detection procedure includes the following steps S410-S440:

[0064] S410 controls the exhaust fan motor to reach a preset speed and maintain that preset speed.

[0065] S420 detects the current value of the exhaust motor while it is running at a preset speed, and determines whether the filter is clogged based on the current value.

[0066] S430: Obtain the current flow rate value of the air flow meter and the historical flow rate value obtained during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determine whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate value and the historical flow rate value;

[0067] S440, if at least one of the above judgments is true, then it is determined that the filter is clogged.

[0068] The following sections will describe these four steps in detail.

[0069] Before step S410, it is necessary to ensure that the dryer door is closed. This is because if the dryer door is open, it will cause significant misjudgments in the subsequent dryer filter detection program. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the start command of the dryer filter detection program is detected, it first determines whether the dryer door is closed. If the dryer door is determined to be closed, the filter detection indicator light is set to the detection state, and the exhaust motor is controlled to reach a preset speed and maintain that preset speed. If the dryer door is determined to be open, the dryer filter detection program is stopped.

[0070] In S410, the exhaust motor is controlled to maintain the preset speed after reaching the preset speed, thereby ensuring that the exhaust motor runs at the preset speed every time the dryer filter detection program is run, and the degree of filter blockage is used as the only variable in the entire control process.

[0071] In S420, it should be noted that the current value of the exhaust motor when the preset speed is reached will vary due to the different degrees of clogging of the filter. The higher the current value of the exhaust motor when the preset speed is reached, the higher the degree of clogging of the filter.

[0072] In the dryer filter detection program, the steps for determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current value include:

[0073] If the current value reaches or exceeds the preset current value, it is determined that the filter screen is clogged. The preset current value represents the maximum current value of the exhaust motor when the filter screen is clogged.

[0074] If the current value is below the preset current value, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0075] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0076] The preset current value refers to the maximum current of the exhaust motor when the filter is completely clogged. If the current value reaches or exceeds the preset current value, it indicates that the filter is completely clogged or the degree of clogging is higher than the degree of clogging corresponding to the preset current value, thus confirming that the filter is clogged and needs to be cleaned; if the current value is below the preset current value, it indicates that the filter is not clogged and does not need to be cleaned.

[0077] Similarly, in the S430, when the exhaust fan motor is running at a preset speed, the degree of clogging of the filter will also affect the airflow in the intake duct. Different degrees of clogging of the filter will result in different airflow in the intake duct. In particular, the smaller the airflow in the intake duct when the preset speed is reached, the higher the degree of clogging of the filter.

[0078] The current flow rate of the air intake duct is obtained by using an air flow meter.

[0079] Historical flow rates are airflow values ​​recorded after the filter has been cleaned and before the current procedure is executed. For example, the airflow value recorded during the first test after the filter has been cleaned is labeled as the first recorded airflow value, the airflow value recorded during the second test after the filter has been cleaned is labeled as the second recorded airflow value, and so on. If the airflow value recorded in this test is the third recorded airflow value, then the airflow values ​​recorded during the first and second tests are all historical flow rates; if the airflow value recorded in this test is the fourth recorded airflow value, then the airflow values ​​recorded during the first, second, and third tests are all historical flow rates. Historical flow rates are typically recorded and stored in the system's data storage unit for subsequent querying and analysis.

[0080] Historical flow rates are assigned weights chronologically. Preferably, the historical flow rates closest to the current measurement are assigned higher weights. For example, historical flow rates include the air flow rates recorded in the first, second, and third measurements, which can be assigned weights of 2:3:5 or 1:3:6 respectively. Alternatively, the historical flow rate closest to the current measurement can be assigned the highest weight, with the remaining historical flow rates assigned the same weight. Again, using the above embodiment as an example, weights can be assigned in a 2:2:6 or 3:3:4 manner.

[0081] After calculating the weighted average value based on the historical flow values ​​with the corresponding weights, the current flow value is compared with the weighted average value to accurately determine whether the filter is clogged. If the current flow value is above the weighted average value, the filter is not clogged; if the current flow value is below the weighted average value, the filter is clogged.

[0082] In another exemplary embodiment, in the dryer filter detection procedure, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate and historical flow rate includes:

[0083] Calculate the difference between historical flow values ​​and current flow values;

[0084] If the difference is below the preset value, it is determined that the filter is clogged. The preset value represents the minimum air intake when the filter is clogged, and the preset value is a positive number.

[0085] If the difference reaches or exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0086] The following is a detailed description of these three steps.

[0087] In this embodiment, the historical flow value represents the air flow value recorded during the most recent program execution. For example, if the air flow value recorded during the current program execution is the air flow value recorded during the third detection after the filter was cleaned, then the historical flow value is the air flow value recorded during the second detection after the filter was cleaned; if the air flow value recorded during the current program execution is the air flow value recorded during the second detection after the filter was cleaned, then the historical flow value is the air flow value recorded during the first detection after the filter was cleaned.

[0088] It should be noted that because the filter screen filters and accumulates a large amount of lint and impurities each time the clothes are dried, the amount of lint and impurities accumulated by the filter screen each time is higher than the amount accumulated in the previous time. Therefore, the flow rate value detected each time will inevitably be lower than the flow rate value detected in the previous time.

[0089] As shown above, the minimum airflow rate when the filter is clogged is set as the preset value, and the preset value is a positive number. If the difference between the historical flow rate and the current flow rate is below the preset value, it indicates that the airflow in the intake duct has little or no impact when the exhaust fan speed remains constant, thus accurately determining that the filter is clogged. If the difference between the historical flow rate and the current flow rate is above the preset value, it indicates that the filter is still filtering more lint and impurities during each drying process, thus accurately determining that the filter is not clogged and does not require cleaning at this time.

[0090] Furthermore, this application considers the scenario where the user cleans the filter between two filter detection procedures. Since the user cleans the filter, the current flow rate will be greater than the historical flow rate, resulting in a negative difference that is less than the preset value, potentially leading to an incorrect judgment that the filter is clogged. To avoid misjudgments due to user cleaning, if the difference between the historical and current flow rates is negative, it can be accurately determined that the filter is not clogged and does not require further cleaning.

[0091] In S440, if it is determined that the filter is clogged through S420, then it can be confirmed that the filter is clogged; if it is determined that the filter is clogged through S430, then it can also be confirmed that the filter is clogged; if it is determined that the filter is clogged through both S420 and S430, then it can be confirmed without a doubt that the filter is clogged; only when it is determined that the filter is not clogged through both S420 and S430 can it be confirmed that the filter is not clogged.

[0092] If the filter is confirmed to be unclogging, the filter detection indicator light will be turned off, and the exhaust motor will stop running, indicating that the dryer filter detection program has ended.

[0093] If the filter is found to be clogged, the filter detection indicator light will be set to a warning state, such as flashing rapidly. It can also send a reminder message to the pre-bound user terminal to remind the user to check or clean the filter in time to avoid affecting the normal use of the dryer.

[0094] In summary, as described in S410-S440, this embodiment can accurately determine whether the filter is clogged by detecting the current value of the exhaust motor while it is running at a preset speed. Furthermore, it can also accurately determine whether the filter is clogged by using the current flow rate obtained from the air flow meter and the historical flow rate obtained during the previous execution of the dryer filter detection program. If at least one of the two determinations is positive, it can be accurately determined that the filter is clogged and needs to be cleaned.

[0095] In another exemplary embodiment, the current value is used to determine whether the filter is clogged. If the current value is not clogged, the current flow value and historical flow value are used to determine whether the filter is clogged.

[0096] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps that the controller in a dryer can execute, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The controller can also be configured to execute the following steps S510-S530:

[0097] S510 controls the exhaust fan motor to reach a preset speed and maintains that preset speed.

[0098] S520 detects the current value of the exhaust motor while it is running at a preset speed, and determines whether the filter is clogged based on the current value.

[0099] S530, if the determination is negative, then obtain the current flow value of the air flow meter and the historical flow value obtained during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determine whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow value and the historical flow value.

[0100] In S510-S530, this embodiment first determines whether the filter is clogged by measuring the current value of the exhaust motor while it is running at a preset speed. If the filter is not clogged in the first determination, a second determination is made based on the current flow rate and historical flow rate measured by the air flow meter. Only when the second determination is also negative can it be finally determined that the filter is not clogged. By making two consecutive determinations, the filter is accurately determined whether it is clogged.

[0101] In another exemplary embodiment, the controller also performs the following steps:

[0102] Before starting the dryer filter testing program, determine whether this program execution corresponds to the first test after the filter has been cleaned;

[0103] If the result is yes, then during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, the filter is only judged based on the current value to determine whether it is clogged, and the air flow value of the exhaust motor is recorded while maintaining the preset speed.

[0104] If the result is negative, the dryer filter detection procedure will proceed normally.

[0105] If this is the first test after the filter has been cleaned, there will be no historical flow data, making it impossible to determine if the filter is clogged based on the current and historical flow values. Instead, the system can only determine filter clogging based on the current flow value and record the airflow value while the exhaust motor is running at a preset speed. This recorded airflow value will be used as the historical flow value for the next test, thus simplifying the testing process while maintaining accuracy in detecting dryer clogging. If this is not the first test after the filter has been cleaned, the normal dryer filter testing procedure will be executed.

[0106] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the steps of a dryer filter detection procedure provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the dryer filter detection procedure includes the following steps S610-S650:

[0107] S610 controls the exhaust fan motor to reach a preset speed and maintains the preset speed.

[0108] S620 detects the current value of the exhaust motor while it is running at a preset speed, and determines whether the filter is clogged based on the current current value.

[0109] S630: Obtain historical current values ​​detected during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determine whether the filter is clogged based on the current current value and the historical current value.

[0110] S640: Obtain the current flow rate value of the air flow meter and determine whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate value;

[0111] S650 acquires historical flow values ​​obtained during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determines whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow value and the historical flow value.

[0112] This embodiment is in Figure 4Based on S410-440 shown, two more judgments are added, namely S630 and S640. The following focuses on a detailed description of S630 and S640.

[0113] In S630, the historical current value is the current value recorded after the filter was cleaned and before the current program execution. For example, the current value recorded during the first detection after the filter was cleaned is marked as the first recorded current value, the current value recorded during the second detection after the filter was cleaned is marked as the second recorded current value, and so on. If the current value recorded in this detection is the third recorded current value, then the current values ​​recorded during the first and second detections are all historical current values; if the current value recorded in this detection is the fourth recorded current value, then the current values ​​recorded during the first, second, and third detections are all historical current values. Historical current values ​​are typically recorded and stored in the system's data storage unit for subsequent querying and analysis.

[0114] Historical current values ​​are assigned corresponding weights in chronological order. Preferably, historical current values ​​closer to the current detection are assigned higher weights. For example, historical current values ​​include the current values ​​recorded in the first, second, and third detections, which can be assigned weights of 2:3:5 or 1:3:6 respectively. Alternatively, the historical current value closest to the current detection can be assigned the highest weight, with the remaining historical current values ​​assigned the same weight. Again, using the above embodiment as an example, weights can be assigned in a 2:2:6 or 3:3:4 manner.

[0115] After calculating the weighted average value based on the historical current values ​​with the corresponding weights, the current current value is compared with the weighted average value to accurately determine whether the filter is clogged. If the current current value is above the weighted average value, the filter is not clogged; if the current current value is below the weighted average value, the filter is clogged.

[0116] In another exemplary embodiment, in the dryer filter detection procedure, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current current value and historical current values ​​includes:

[0117] Calculate the first difference between the current value and the historical current value;

[0118] If the first difference is below the first preset value, the filter is determined to be clogged. The first preset value represents the minimum current difference when the filter is clogged, and the preset value is a positive number.

[0119] If the first difference reaches or exceeds the first preset value, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0120] The following is a detailed description of these three steps.

[0121] In this embodiment, the historical current value represents the current value recorded during the most recent program execution. For example, if the air current value recorded during the current program execution is the air current value recorded during the third detection after the filter was cleaned, then the historical current value is the air current value recorded during the second detection after the filter was cleaned; if the air current value recorded during the current program execution is the air current value recorded during the second detection after the filter was cleaned, then the historical current value is the air current value recorded during the first detection after the filter was cleaned.

[0122] It should be noted that since the filter screen filters and accumulates a large amount of lint and impurities each time the clothes are dried, the amount of lint and impurities accumulated by the filter screen each time is higher than the amount accumulated in the previous time. Therefore, the current value detected each time will inevitably be higher than the current value detected in the previous time.

[0123] As can be seen from the above, since lint may continuously fall off clothes during the drying process, the degree of clogging of the filter in the current dryer filter detection program will only increase compared to the previous degree of clogging. A first preset value is set to represent the minimum current difference when the filter is clogged. Therefore, if the difference between the current flow rate and the historical flow rate is below the first preset value, it indicates that the amount of lint added in the subsequent drying process is unlikely to affect the air intake, and the filter can be accurately determined to be clogged. If the difference between the current flow rate and the historical flow rate reaches or exceeds the first preset value, it indicates that the amount of lint added in the subsequent drying process can still affect the air intake, and the filter can be accurately determined not to be clogged.

[0124] In S640, the current flow rate of the detected air intake duct is obtained through an air flow meter.

[0125] It should be noted that the degree of clogging of the filter also affects the airflow in the air intake duct. Different degrees of clogging will result in different airflow in the air intake duct. In particular, the lower the airflow in the air intake duct when the preset speed is reached, the higher the degree of clogging of the filter.

[0126] In the dryer filter detection program, the steps for determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate include:

[0127] If the current flow rate is below the preset flow rate, the filter is determined to be clogged. The preset flow rate represents the minimum airflow when the filter is clogged.

[0128] If the current flow rate reaches or exceeds the preset flow rate, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

[0129] The following is a detailed description of these two steps.

[0130] The preset flow rate value refers to the minimum airflow required when the filter is completely clogged. If the current flow rate value is below the preset flow rate value, it indicates that the filter is completely clogged or the degree of clogging is higher than the degree of clogging corresponding to the preset flow rate value, thus confirming that the filter is clogged and needs to be cleaned; if the current flow rate value is above the preset flow rate value, it indicates that the filter is not clogged and does not need to be cleaned.

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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: Box; The drying drum and air circulation system are located inside the chamber; The air circulation system includes an air intake assembly and an air exhaust assembly. The air intake assembly includes a heater and an air intake duct, which allows heated air to enter the drying drum for heat exchange with the clothes inside. An air flow meter is also installed in the air intake duct. The air exhaust assembly includes a filter, an exhaust duct, and an exhaust fan. The heat-exchanged air passes through the filter and is discharged from the exhaust duct under the action of the exhaust fan. The exhaust fan includes an exhaust motor and a fan. The controller, electrically connected to both the air flow meter and the exhaust fan motor, is used to execute a dryer filter detection program, which includes the following steps: Control the exhaust fan motor to reach a preset speed and maintain the preset speed. The current value of the exhaust motor is detected while it is running at the preset speed, and the filter is determined to be clogged based on the current value. And / or, obtain the current flow value of the air flow meter and the historical flow value obtained during the historical execution of the dryer filter detection program, and determine whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow value and the historical flow value; If at least one of the above conditions is met, then the filter is determined to be clogged. In the dryer filter detection program, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current value includes: If the current value reaches or exceeds the preset current value, it is determined that the filter screen is clogged. The preset current value represents the maximum current value of the exhaust motor when the filter screen is clogged. If the current value is below the preset current value, it is determined that the filter screen is not clogged; In the dryer filter detection program, the step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate value and the historical flow rate value includes: Calculate the difference between the airflow value recorded in the most recent program execution and the current airflow value; If the difference is below a preset value, it is determined that the filter is clogged, and the preset value represents the minimum air intake when the filter is clogged; If the difference reaches or exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the filter screen is not clogged.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dryer filter detection procedure also includes the following steps: First, the current value is used to determine whether the filter is clogged. If the current value is not clogged, the current flow rate and the historical flow rate are used to determine whether the filter is clogged.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The preset value is a positive number.

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the filter is clogged based on the current flow rate and the historical flow rate further includes: If the difference is negative, it is determined that the filter is not clogged.

5. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dryer filter detection procedure also includes the following steps: When the start command of the dryer filter detection program is detected, it is determined whether the door of the dryer is closed; If the determination is yes, the filter detection indicator light is set to the detection state, and the steps of controlling the exhaust motor to reach the preset speed and maintaining the preset speed are executed.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The dryer filter detection procedure also includes the following steps: If it is determined that the filter screen is not clogged, the filter screen detection indicator light is set to the "end" state, and the exhaust fan motor is stopped.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The dryer filter detection procedure also includes the following steps: If it is determined that the filter screen is clogged, the filter screen detection indicator light will be set to a warning state.

8. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller also performs the following steps: If the dryer door is opened and then closed after the drying program is completed, it will enter the filter detection candidate state after waiting for a preset time. In the filter detection candidate state, the temperature value of the heater is detected. When the temperature value is below the preset temperature value, the dryer filter detection program is started.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller also performs the following steps: Before starting the dryer filter detection program, determine whether the current program execution corresponds to the first detection after the filter has been cleaned; If the determination is yes, then during the execution of the dryer filter detection program, the filter is determined to be clogged only based on the current value, and the airflow value of the exhaust motor is recorded while maintaining the preset speed. If the result is negative, the dryer filter detection procedure will be executed normally.

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