Clothes dryer and method for controlling a clothes dryer

Abstract

This application provides a clothes dryer and a method for controlling the clothes dryer. The clothes dryer includes: a housing; a drum; a motor; a heat pump system; and a capacitive humidity measurement module, including a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module. The first capacitive sensor is used to detect the humidity of a first area where clothes are present to obtain a first humidity value; the second capacitive sensor is used to detect the humidity of a second area where clothes are not present to obtain a second humidity value; the humidity parameter acquisition module is used to acquire humidity parameters based on the first and second humidity values ​​and send the humidity parameters to a controller; the humidity parameters characterize the humidity difference between the first and second areas; the controller is configured to perform the following steps: during the drying process of clothes in the clothes dryer, receiving the humidity parameters sent by the capacitive humidity measurement module; and shutting down the heat pump system according to the humidity parameters to stop drying the clothes. This improves the drying effect of the clothes dryer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of clothes dryer technology, and more particularly to a clothes dryer and a method for controlling the clothes dryer. Background Technology

[0002] A clothes dryer is a household appliance used to dry wet clothes. It uses a heat pump to heat fresh, cold air into dry, hot air. This hot air then exchanges heat with the clothes tumbling in the drum, causing the moisture in the clothes to gradually evaporate, thus drying the clothes.

[0003] During the drying process, the dryer needs to determine whether the clothes are completely dried in order to reduce energy consumption while ensuring the drying effect.

[0004] In related technologies, clothes dryers can use capacitive sensors to determine whether clothes are dry; that is, the clothes are considered dry when the humidity value detected by the capacitive sensor is low. However, in actual drying processes, capacitive sensors are very sensitive to temperature changes. Since temperature increases are essential during the drying process, the humidity values ​​detected by capacitive sensors often become inaccurate, failing to accurately reflect the humidity of the clothes. This leads to inaccurate determination of the drying end time by the dryer, thus affecting the drying effect. Summary of the Invention

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

[0006] The purpose of this application is to improve the accuracy of the dryer in judging the end time of drying, thereby improving the drying effect of the dryer.

[0007] The problems addressed in this application are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a clothes dryer, comprising:

[0009] The housing is constructed as the outer casing of the dryer;

[0010] A cylindrical body, located inside the box, is used to hold clothing;

[0011] An electric motor, connected to the cylinder, is configured to drive the cylinder to rotate relative to the housing; a heat pump system, located inside the housing, is used to raise the internal temperature of the cylinder.

[0012] A capacitive humidity measurement module, placed inside the cylinder, is used to detect the humidity of clothing and obtain humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of the clothing; the capacitive humidity measurement module includes a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module;

[0013] The first capacitive sensor is placed facing the clothing and is used to detect the humidity of the first area where the clothing is present, and to obtain a first humidity value.

[0014] The second capacitive sensor, not placed facing the clothing, is used to detect the humidity of a second area where no clothing is present, and to obtain a second humidity value;

[0015] The humidity parameter acquisition module is used to acquire humidity parameters based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value, and send the humidity parameters to the controller; the humidity parameters represent the humidity difference between the first region and the second region.

[0016] The controller is electrically connected to the motor, the capacitor humidity measurement module, and the heat pump system, and the controller is configured to perform the following steps:

[0017] During the drying process of the clothes dryer, the humidity parameters sent by the capacitive humidity measuring module are received;

[0018] The heat pump system is shut down based on the humidity parameters to stop drying the clothes.

[0019] In the above embodiment, a first capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a first area containing clothing and a second capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a second area without clothing are installed inside the drum via a capacitive humidity measurement module. The difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two capacitive sensors. Therefore, compared to determining the drying stop time based solely on the humidity value detected by one capacitive sensor, the humidity parameter obtained by combining the first and second humidity values ​​can accurately characterize the humidity of the clothing. It is less susceptible to the influence of temperature on the dielectric constant, thus allowing for accurate stopping of drying based on this humidity parameter. This improves the accuracy of the dryer's determination of the drying end time, thereby enhancing the drying effect of the dryer.

[0020] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of clothing based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value through the following steps:

[0021] For each first preset number of first humidity values ​​acquired, the first preset number of first humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a third humidity value; and for each first preset number of second humidity values ​​acquired, the first preset number of second humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a fourth humidity value.

[0022] Obtain a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value;

[0023] The humidity difference value is obtained based on the first difference value;

[0024] The humidity standard deviation is obtained based on the first standard deviation.

[0025] The humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation are defined as the humidity parameters.

[0026] In the above embodiments, by filtering a first preset number of first humidity values ​​and a first preset number of second humidity values, outliers in the first and second humidity values ​​can be filtered out, reducing the influence of outliers in the first and second humidity values. This allows for the accurate acquisition of the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation values ​​used to characterize the humidity of clothing. Thus, the humidity parameters determined by the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation values ​​can accurately characterize the humidity status of the clothing.

[0027] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, through the following steps:

[0028] The third humidity value is calibrated using a preset humidity compensation value to obtain a calibrated third humidity value;

[0029] Obtain the second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and the second standard deviation between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value;

[0030] The second difference is determined as the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value;

[0031] The second standard deviation is determined as the first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value.

[0032] In the above embodiment, since the first capacitive sensor and the second capacitive sensor are not the same sensor, there is an error between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor. Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate the third humidity value using a preset humidity compensation value to reduce the error. Then, the first difference and the first standard deviation can be obtained by using the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, which improves the accuracy of the obtained first difference and the first standard deviation. Thus, the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation obtained by the first difference and the first standard deviation can more accurately reflect the humidity of the clothing.

[0033] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the humidity compensation value is obtained in the following manner:

[0034] When the dryer is powered on, if the drum continues to rotate, the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value are obtained;

[0035] The absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value and the average humidity value is determined as the humidity compensation value.

[0036] In the above embodiment, since the first capacitive sensor faces the clothes inside the drum, its detected first humidity value is significantly affected by the wet clothes. When it reaches the lower limit humidity value, it can be considered that the first capacitive sensor is closest to the wet clothes, and this lower limit humidity value best reflects the humidity of the clothes. The second capacitive sensor, however, does not face the clothes and is not affected by the wet clothes; its average humidity value best reflects the humidity of the area without clothes. This allows the humidity compensation value, determined by the absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value, to calibrate the third humidity value, thereby reducing the error between the third and fourth humidity values.

[0037] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire the humidity difference value according to the first difference value through the following steps: acquiring the first product between the (n-1)th first difference value and a preset first fitting parameter; n is a positive integer greater than 2; acquiring the second product between the nth first difference value and a preset second fitting parameter; and determining the sum of the first product and the second product as the nth humidity difference value.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the nth humidity difference is obtained by summing the first product between the (n-1)th first difference and the preset first fitting parameter and the second product between the nth first difference and the preset second fitting parameter, thereby achieving the fitting of the first difference and reducing the fluctuation of the humidity difference. This makes it easier to determine whether to stop drying by observing the trend of the humidity difference, thus improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the drying end time.

[0039] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire the humidity standard deviation value according to the first standard deviation value through the following steps: acquiring the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation value and a preset third fitting parameter; n is a positive integer greater than 2; acquiring the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation value and a preset fourth fitting parameter; and determining the sum of the third product and the fourth product as the nth humidity standard deviation value.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the nth humidity standard deviation is obtained by summing the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation and the preset third fitting parameter and the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation and the preset fourth fitting parameter. This achieves fitting of the first standard deviation, thereby reducing the fluctuation of the humidity standard deviation. This makes it easier to determine whether to stop drying by using the humidity standard deviation, thus improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the drying end time.

[0041] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing solution, shutting down the heat pump system according to the humidity parameter includes:

[0042] If the humidity difference changes from a decreasing trend to a stable trend, and the humidity standard deviation falls below a preset reference standard deviation, the heat pump system is shut down.

[0043] In the above embodiment, as the clothes dry, the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor will gradually approach the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor, thereby causing the humidity difference to gradually stabilize within a set range. That is, the trend of the humidity difference changes from a downward trend to a stable trend. Then, by using the relationship between the humidity standard deviation and the preset reference standard deviation, it is determined whether the clothes have been dried, thereby improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the time when drying is finished.

[0044] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the controller is further configured to perform the following steps:

[0045] In response to a preset drying command, if the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, the load is determined based on the humidity standard deviation.

[0046] The initial clothing humidity level is determined based on the load and the humidity difference.

[0047] The clothes are dried according to the load and the initial moisture content of the clothes.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the capacitive humidity sensor converts the capacitance value of a capacitor into a humidity value. When the capacitive humidity sensor is first powered on, even under different operating conditions and scenarios, the humidity value detected by the sensor is essentially the same, causing the dryer to obtain an incorrect initial humidity level for the clothes, affecting the drying effect. In contrast, the first capacitive sensor of this application detects the humidity of the area where clothes are present. The weight and humidity of the clothes both affect the humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor, thus influencing the humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation. Therefore, by determining the load based on the humidity standard deviation when the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, the load is obtained. Then, the humidity level of the clothes is judged by combining the load and the humidity difference, allowing for drying based on the load and the initial humidity level of the clothes. This achieves drying based on the load and the humidity level of the clothes, improving drying efficiency.

[0049] In one embodiment of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, determining the initial clothing humidity based on the load and the humidity difference includes:

[0050] Obtain the second reference humidity difference value corresponding to the load amount;

[0051] If the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference, the initial clothing humidity is determined to be at a high humidity level; otherwise, the initial clothing humidity is determined to be at a low humidity level.

[0052] In the above embodiments, the different load amounts result in different humidity standard deviations. Therefore, the initial clothing condition is determined based on the relationship between the second reference humidity difference corresponding to the load amount and the humidity standard deviation. If the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference, the initial clothing humidity condition is determined to be at a high humidity level; otherwise, the initial clothing humidity condition is determined to be at a low humidity level, thus achieving accuracy in obtaining the initial clothing condition.

[0053] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a method for controlling a clothes dryer, wherein a capacitive humidity measuring module is disposed inside the drum of the clothes dryer; the capacitive humidity measuring module includes a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module; wherein, the first capacitive sensor is placed facing the clothes and is used to detect the humidity of the area where the clothes are present to obtain a first humidity value; the second capacitive sensor is not placed facing the clothes and is used to detect the humidity of the area where there are no clothes to obtain a second humidity value; the humidity parameter acquisition module is used to obtain a humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of the clothes based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value; the method includes:

[0054] During the drying process of the clothes dryer, the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor are acquired.

[0055] Humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of the clothing are obtained based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value;

[0056] Stop drying the clothes based on the humidity parameters.

[0057] In the above embodiment, a first capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a first area containing clothing and a second capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a second area without clothing are installed inside the drum via a capacitive humidity measurement module. The difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two capacitive sensors. Therefore, compared to determining the drying stop time based solely on the humidity value detected by one capacitive sensor, the humidity parameter obtained by combining the first and second humidity values ​​can accurately characterize the humidity of the clothing. It is less susceptible to the influence of temperature on the dielectric constant, thus allowing for accurate stopping of drying based on this humidity parameter. This improves the accuracy of the dryer's determination of the drying end time, thereby enhancing the drying effect of the dryer.

[0058] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0059] 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:

[0060] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer shown in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the circuit connection principle of a clothes dryer, as shown in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the drying principle of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 4 This is a timing diagram of data acquisition provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a humidity difference provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a humidity standard deviation provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a clothes dryer control method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of steps for controlling a clothes dryer, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0068] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0069] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this application.

[0070] 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 controller devices and microcontroller devices.

[0071] 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.

[0072] Furthermore, the terms “including” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover but not exclusively include, for example, a product or device that includes a series of components is not necessarily limited to those components that are clearly listed, but may include other components that are not clearly listed or that are inherent to such product or device.

[0073] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0074] The terms "first" and "second" are configured for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0075] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0076] It should be noted that "multiple" in this article refers to two or more. The "and" characters describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and B can represent: A alone, both A and B existing simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0077] Currently, clothes dryers use capacitive sensors to determine whether clothes are dry. The working principle of a capacitive sensor is based on calculating the capacitance value of a humidity-sensitive capacitor. A capacitive sensor typically consists of two electrodes and a porous humidity-sensitive material between them. This material can adsorb or desorb water vapor. When the ambient humidity changes, the dielectric constant of the material changes, causing a change in the capacitance value of the capacitor. Therefore, temperature is a crucial factor affecting the dielectric constant. As temperature changes, the dielectric constant between the capacitor plates changes, leading to fluctuations in the capacitance value. Thus, temperature changes directly affect the capacitance value of the capacitive humidity sensor, thereby affecting the accuracy of its measured humidity values.

[0078] However, a rise in temperature is essential during the drying process of clothes. Therefore, the humidity value detected by the capacitive sensor may be incorrect, as it cannot accurately reflect the humidity of the clothes. This leads to the dryer's inaccurate judgment of the drying end time, which in turn affects the drying effect of the dryer.

[0079] In view of this, the dryer provided in this application embodiment incorporates a first capacitive sensor inside the drum to detect the humidity of a first area containing clothing and a second capacitive sensor to detect the humidity of a second area where clothing is not present. The difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two capacitive sensors. Therefore, the humidity parameter obtained from the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor can accurately characterize the humidity level of the clothing. By stopping the drying process based on this humidity parameter, the accuracy of the dryer's determination of the drying end time is improved, thereby enhancing the drying effect of the dryer.

[0080] The dryer provided in this application is a device for removing moisture from clothes. As those skilled in the art will know, similar electrical appliances such as dryers that remove moisture and washing machines with drying functions are also suitable for being configured as the control scheme and corresponding device configuration of this application.

[0081] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a clothes dryer as an example. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0082] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection principle of a clothes dryer provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0083] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the dryer 10 may include a housing 11.

[0084] In some alternative embodiments, the housing 11 is the external structure of the dryer 10, used to secure and protect the internal components. The housing 11 can be made of metal or plastic. A door may also be provided on the housing 11, which may be equipped with a sealing ring to prevent water leakage. The housing 11 may also be equipped with a display screen and a control panel, which may have buttons, knobs, or a touch screen.

[0085] The dryer 10 may include a drum 12.

[0086] In some alternative embodiments, the cylinder 12 may be disposed inside the housing 11. The cylinder 12 may be made of stainless steel.

[0087] The inside of the cylinder 12 forms a drying chamber 13, which is used to hold clothes to be dried, such as clothes, shirts, skirts, pants, etc.

[0088] There may be one drying chamber 13 or multiple drying chambers 13. Multiple drying chambers 13 may be arranged at intervals along the height and / or width of the dryer body 11.

[0089] The dryer 10 may include a door 14. The door 14 is used to open or close the drying chamber 13. When the door 14 is open, clothes to be dried can be placed inside the drum 12.

[0090] Specifically, the door 14 is rotatably mounted on the housing 11 to open or close the drying chamber 13. For example, the door 14 is rotatably connected to the housing 11 via a hinge assembly.

[0091] The door 14 can also be slidably mounted on the housing 11 to open or close the drying chamber 13. For example, the door 14 is pull-outly connected to the housing 11 via a slide rail assembly.

[0092] It should be noted that when there are multiple drying chambers 13, there can be only one door 14, with multiple drying chambers sharing one door 14; or, there can be multiple door 14, each corresponding to a different drying chamber 13.

[0093] The dryer 10 may include a motor 15, the output end of which is connected to the drum 12 to drive the drum 12 to rotate, thereby causing the clothes inside the drum 12 to move continuously during the drying process, achieving the effect of shaking and increasing the drying contact area.

[0094] The dryer 10 may include a heat pump system 16. The heat pump system 16 is located inside the housing 11.

[0095] The heat pump system 16 is used to raise the internal temperature of the drum so as to dry the clothes inside the drum 12 with high temperature.

[0096] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the drying principle of the dryer provided in this application.

[0097] like Figure 3 As shown, the heat pump system of the dryer 10 includes a compressor 31, a condenser 32, an evaporator 33, and corresponding connecting pipes. The compressor 31 compresses low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous refrigerant. This process generates a large amount of heat. As the high-temperature refrigerant passes through the condenser 32, it transfers heat to the air surrounding the condenser 32. The hot air is then sent into the dryer drum 12 to dry clothes. During the drying process, the hot, humid air is guided through the condenser 32, where the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air, cooling the air and condensing moisture. The moisture is collected in a water tank or discharged. The cooled refrigerant is then transported back to the compressor 31 through the connecting pipes, where it is compressed again and enters the next cycle. This cycle allows the dryer to efficiently utilize heat energy and reduce energy consumption.

[0098] In some embodiments, the heat pump system 21 further includes a fan. The fan is used to blow air into the drum 12 to accelerate the rate at which hot air is delivered into the drum 12 of the dryer.

[0099] The dryer 10 may include a capacitive humidity measurement module 22.

[0100] The capacitive humidity sensor 22 is placed inside the cylinder 12 and can be attached to the side wall of the cylinder 12. The capacitive humidity sensor 22 is used to detect the humidity of the clothing and obtain humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of the clothing.

[0101] Specifically, the capacitive humidity measurement module 22 includes a first capacitive sensor 17, a second capacitive sensor 18, and a humidity parameter acquisition module 19.

[0102] The first capacitive sensor 17 is placed facing the clothing and is used to detect the humidity of the first area where the clothing is located and obtain a first humidity value.

[0103] The second capacitive sensor 18 is not placed facing the clothing and is used to detect the humidity of a second area where there is no clothing to obtain a second humidity value.

[0104] In some embodiments, the second capacitive sensor 18 may be placed on the back of the first capacitive sensor 17.

[0105] The humidity parameter acquisition module 19 is electrically connected to the first capacitive sensor 17 and the second capacitive sensor 18.

[0106] The humidity parameter acquisition module 19 is used to acquire humidity parameters based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value, and send the humidity parameters to the controller; the humidity parameters represent the humidity difference between the first region and the second region.

[0107] It should be noted that both the first and second capacitive sensors detect changes in the dielectric constant of the medium within a certain spatial distance, utilizing the correlation between the dielectric constant and the spatial moisture content to achieve non-contact spatial detection of moisture content. Since the dielectric constant of the medium between the capacitor plates changes with temperature, this causes fluctuations in the capacitance value. Therefore, temperature changes directly affect the capacitance value of the capacitive humidity sensor, thus affecting the accuracy of its measured humidity value. By placing a first capacitive sensor inside the cylinder for detecting the humidity in a first area containing clothing and a second capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity in a second area without clothing, the difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two capacitive sensors. Therefore, the humidity parameter characterizing the humidity difference between the first and second areas can also be accurately used to determine the humidity of the clothing.

[0108] In an optional embodiment, the humidity parameter acquisition module can be configured to acquire a humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of clothing based on a first humidity value and a second humidity value through the following steps:

[0109] For each first preset number of first humidity values ​​acquired, the first preset number of first humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a third humidity value; and for each first preset number of second humidity values ​​acquired, the first preset number of second humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a fourth humidity value.

[0110] Obtain the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and the first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value;

[0111] The humidity difference is obtained based on the first difference.

[0112] The humidity standard deviation is obtained based on the first standard deviation.

[0113] The humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation are defined as humidity parameters.

[0114] In this embodiment, by filtering a first preset number of first humidity values ​​and a first preset number of second humidity values, outliers in the first and second humidity values ​​can be filtered out, reducing their impact. This allows for the accurate acquisition of the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation, which characterize the humidity of the clothing. Thus, the humidity parameters determined by the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation accurately characterize the humidity level of the clothing.

[0115] It should be noted that the humidity parameter acquisition module needs to acquire the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor, that is, periodically acquire the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor. The interval of this period is a preset first duration, which is the interval between acquiring the first humidity value and the second humidity value. Throughout the drying process, the preset first duration can be a fixed value, such as 50ms, or it can be changed according to the drying process, without limitation. The acquired first humidity value and second humidity value should be the humidity values ​​detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second capacitive sensor at the same time.

[0116] For example: At a first moment, the first capacitive sensor detects the humidity in the area where clothing is present, obtaining a first humidity value at that first moment. Simultaneously, the second capacitive sensor detects the humidity in the area where no clothing is present, obtaining a second humidity value at that first moment. The dryer then acquires the values ​​from both the first and second capacitive sensors at the first moment. After a preset first time interval, at the second moment, the first capacitive sensor detects the humidity in the area where clothing is present, obtaining a first humidity value at that second moment. Simultaneously, the second capacitive sensor detects the humidity in the area where no clothing is present, obtaining a second humidity value at that second moment. The dryer then acquires the values ​​from both the first and second capacitive sensors at the second moment.

[0117] It should be noted that, in order to reduce the influence of outliers in the first and second humidity values, a preset filtering algorithm is used to filter the first humidity value to obtain the third humidity value. The preset filtering algorithm is then used to filter the second humidity value to obtain the fourth humidity value. The preset filtering algorithm can be an average value filtering algorithm. Preferably, the preset filtering algorithm can be a median value filtering algorithm, so as to effectively filter out occasional pulse interference in the first and second humidity values ​​while reducing the influence of outliers.

[0118] For example, for each set of first humidity values ​​obtained, the first set of first humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a third humidity value, including: removing the maximum and minimum values ​​from the first set of first humidity values. The average value of the remaining first humidity values ​​is then determined as the third humidity value.

[0119] For example, for each first preset number of second humidity values ​​obtained, the first preset number of second humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a fourth humidity value, including: removing the maximum and minimum values ​​from the first preset number of second humidity values. The average value of the remaining second humidity values ​​is then determined as the fourth humidity value.

[0120] It should be noted that since the acquisition of the first and second humidity values ​​is periodic, the time required to acquire a preset number of first humidity values ​​is also periodic. A second time interval can be set, which is the interval between acquiring the third and fourth humidity values. The number of first humidity values ​​acquired each time this second time interval is fixed. Therefore, the first humidity values ​​acquired within the second time interval can be filtered to obtain the third humidity value; and the second humidity values ​​acquired within the second time interval can be filtered to obtain the fourth humidity value.

[0121] The preset second duration is equal to the product of the preset first duration and the first preset quantity. For example, the preset second duration can be 10 times the preset first duration. Specifically, the preset first duration is 50ms, and the preset second duration is 500ms. Within the time period corresponding to the second duration, 10 first humidity values ​​and 10 second humidity values ​​are obtained. The maximum and minimum values ​​of the 10 first humidity values ​​are removed, and the average of the remaining 8 first humidity values ​​is determined as the third humidity value. The maximum and minimum values ​​of the 10 second humidity values ​​are removed, and the average of the remaining 8 second humidity values ​​is determined as the fourth humidity value.

[0122] Optionally, obtaining a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, includes: subtracting the third humidity value from the fourth humidity value to obtain the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; and obtaining the first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value based on the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value.

[0123] Further, the difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value is calculated to obtain the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, including: calculating D i =A i -B i The first difference between the i-th third humidity value and the i-th fourth humidity value is obtained. Where D... i Let A be the first difference between the i-th third humidity value and the i-th fourth humidity value.i For the i-th third humidity value, B i This is the i-th fourth humidity value.

[0124] Further, obtaining a first standard deviation between the third and fourth humidity values ​​based on the first difference between the third and fourth humidity values ​​includes: obtaining the standard deviation of the first difference at a preset third time interval. This standard deviation of the first difference is then determined as the standard deviation between the first and second humidity values.

[0125] The preset third duration is the interval for calculating the first standard deviation. The preset second duration is longer than the preset second duration. For example, the preset third duration can be 10 times the preset second duration. Specifically, the preset second duration is 500ms, and the preset third duration is 5s. Ten first differences are obtained at each preset third duration interval. The standard deviation of these ten first differences is calculated to obtain the standard deviation value of the first difference, and then the standard deviation value between the first humidity value and the second humidity value is determined.

[0126] Furthermore, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, through the following steps: calibrating the third humidity value using a preset humidity compensation value to obtain a calibrated third humidity value; acquiring a second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a second standard deviation between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; determining the second difference as the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; and determining the second standard deviation as the first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value.

[0127] Since the first capacitive sensor and the second capacitive sensor are not the same sensor, there is an error between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor. Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate the third humidity value using a preset humidity compensation value to reduce the error. Then, the first difference and the first standard deviation can be obtained by using the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, which improves the accuracy of the obtained first difference and the first standard deviation. As a result, the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation obtained by the first difference and the first standard deviation can more accurately reflect the humidity of the clothing.

[0128] Furthermore, the third humidity value is calibrated using a preset humidity compensation value to obtain the calibrated third humidity value, that is, the sum of the preset humidity compensation value and the third humidity value is obtained; this sum is determined as the calibrated third humidity value.

[0129] Further, obtaining the second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and the second standard deviation between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, includes: subtracting the calibrated third humidity value from the fourth humidity value to obtain the second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; and obtaining the second standard deviation between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value based on the second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value.

[0130] It should be noted that the method of obtaining the second difference between the calibrated third and fourth humidity values ​​by subtracting the third and fourth humidity values ​​is the same as the method of obtaining the first difference between the third and fourth humidity values ​​by subtracting the third and fourth humidity values; the method of obtaining the second standard deviation between the calibrated third and fourth humidity values ​​based on the second difference is the same as the method of obtaining the first standard deviation between the third and fourth humidity values ​​based on the first difference, and will not be elaborated here.

[0131] Furthermore, the humidity compensation value is obtained as follows: when the dryer is powered on, if the drum continues to rotate, the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value are obtained; the absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value and the average humidity value is determined as the humidity compensation value.

[0132] In this way, because the first capacitive sensor faces the clothes inside the drum, its detected humidity value is significantly affected by the wet clothes. When the humidity is at its lower limit, it can be considered that the first capacitive sensor is closest to the wet clothes, and this lower limit humidity value best reflects the humidity of the clothes. The second capacitive sensor, however, does not face the clothes and is not affected by the wet clothes; its average humidity value best reflects the humidity of the area without clothes. This allows the humidity compensation value, determined by the absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity and the average humidity value of the second humidity, to calibrate the third humidity value, thereby reducing the error between the third and fourth humidity values.

[0133] In some optional embodiments, when the dryer is powered on, the controller can control the drum to rotate continuously, that is, control the drum to rotate continuously for a preset first time period. The first time period can be within a preset number of minutes after the dryer is powered on, for example, within the first minute after the dryer is powered on. The lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value is the minimum value of the first humidity value obtained during the continuous rotation of the drum. After the first time period, the dryer begins to obtain the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation value used to characterize the humidity of the clothes based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value. During the continuous rotation of the drum, the first capacitive sensor continuously detects the humidity of the first area where clothes are present, obtaining the first capacitive sensor value; the second capacitive sensor continuously detects the humidity of the second area where there are no clothes, obtaining the second capacitive sensor value. Then, the humidity parameter acquisition module obtains the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value, and determines the absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value and the average humidity value as the humidity compensation value. After the first time period, the drum can be controlled to stop rotating, or it can be controlled to continue rotating; there is no limitation here.

[0134] Furthermore, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a humidity difference based on a first difference through the following steps: acquiring the first product between the (n-1)th first difference and a preset first fitting parameter; where n is a positive integer greater than 2; acquiring the second product between the nth first difference and a preset second fitting parameter; and determining the sum of the first product and the second product as the nth humidity difference.

[0135] In this way, the nth humidity difference is obtained by summing the first product between the (n-1)th first difference and the preset first fitting parameter and the second product between the nth first difference and the preset second fitting parameter, thus achieving the fitting of the first difference and reducing the fluctuation of the humidity difference. This makes it easier to determine whether to stop drying by observing the trend of the humidity difference, thereby improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the drying end time.

[0136] It should be noted that during the clothes drying process, the second capacitive sensor is not placed facing the clothes inside the drum, but only detects the humidity in areas without clothes. The second humidity value detected by this sensor is relatively stable, which in turn makes the fourth humidity value obtained after filtering from the second humidity value relatively stable. Due to the rotation of the drum, the distance between the clothes and the first capacitive sensor changes. When the clothes are closer to the first capacitive sensor, the first humidity value detected by the sensor increases, which in turn increases the third humidity value obtained after filtering from the first humidity value, thus increasing the first difference between the third and fourth humidity values. Conversely, when the clothes are farther away from the first capacitive sensor, the first humidity value detected by the sensor decreases, which in turn decreases the third humidity value obtained after filtering from the first humidity value, thus decreasing the first difference between the third and fourth humidity values.

[0137] As can be seen, due to the rotation of the drum, the distance between the clothes and the first sensor continuously cycles between "far" and "near," resulting in significant fluctuations in the obtained first difference value. This makes it difficult to accurately extract the fluctuation pattern, leading to low accuracy in determining the drying end time based on the first fluctuation finding. Therefore, the sum of the first product between the (n-1)th first difference value and a preset first fitting parameter, and the second product between the nth first difference value and a preset second fitting parameter, yields the nth humidity difference value. This allows for fitting using two adjacent first differences, ensuring that the fluctuation of the humidity difference value is smaller than that of the first difference value. This facilitates determining whether to stop drying based on the trend of the humidity difference value, improving the accuracy of the dryer's judgment on the drying end time.

[0138] In some alternative embodiments, the preset first fitting parameter may be less than 1; the preset second fitting parameter may be less than 1; and the sum of the preset first fitting parameter and the preset second fitting parameter is 1.

[0139] Preferably, the preset first fitting parameter can be greater than or equal to the preset second fitting parameter.

[0140] For example, the preset first fitting parameter can be 0.9; the preset second fitting parameter can be 0.1. The first product equals the (n-1)th first difference × 0.9; the second product equals the nth first difference × 0.1; then the humidity difference = the (n-1)th first difference × 0.9 + the nth first difference × 0.1.

[0141] Furthermore, the humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire the humidity standard deviation value based on the first standard deviation value through the following steps: acquiring the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation value and the preset third fitting parameter; where n is a positive integer greater than 2; acquiring the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation value and the preset fourth fitting parameter; and determining the sum of the third product and the fourth product as the nth humidity standard deviation value.

[0142] In this way, the nth humidity standard deviation is obtained by summing the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation and the preset third fitting parameter and the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation and the preset fourth fitting parameter. This achieves the fitting of the first standard deviation, thereby reducing the fluctuation of the humidity standard deviation. This makes it easier to determine whether to stop drying by using the humidity standard deviation, thus improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the drying end time.

[0143] It should be noted that during the clothes drying process, the second capacitive sensor is not placed facing the clothes inside the drum, and always detects the humidity in the area without clothes. The second humidity value detected by the sensor is relatively stable, which in turn makes the fourth humidity value obtained after filtering the second humidity value relatively stable. Due to the rotation of the drum, the distance between the clothes and the first capacitive sensor changes. When the clothes are closer to the first capacitive sensor, the first humidity value detected by the sensor increases, which in turn increases the third humidity value obtained after filtering the first humidity value, thus increasing the first humidity standard deviation between the third and fourth humidity values. Conversely, when the clothes are farther away from the first capacitive sensor, the first humidity value detected by the sensor decreases, which in turn decreases the third humidity value obtained after filtering the first humidity value, thus decreasing the first humidity standard deviation between the third and fourth humidity values.

[0144] As can be seen, due to the rotation of the drum, the distance between the clothes and the first sensor continuously cycles between "far" and "near," resulting in significant fluctuations in the obtained first humidity standard deviation value. This leads to low accuracy in determining the drying end time based on the fluctuations observed in the first measurement. Therefore, the nth humidity standard deviation value is obtained by summing the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation value and a preset third fitting parameter, and the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation value and a preset fourth fitting parameter. This allows for fitting using two adjacent first standard deviation values, ensuring that the fluctuations in the humidity standard deviation value are smaller than those in the first standard deviation value. This improves the accuracy of the dryer's determination of the drying end time by using the humidity standard deviation value to determine whether to stop drying.

[0145] In some alternative embodiments, the preset third fitting parameter may be less than 1; the preset fourth fitting parameter may be less than 1; and the sum of the preset third fitting parameter and the preset fourth fitting parameter is 1.

[0146] Preferably, the preset third fitting parameter can be greater than or equal to the preset fourth fitting parameter.

[0147] For example, the preset third fitting parameter can be 0.99; the preset fourth fitting parameter can be 0.01. The third product equals the (n-1)th first standard deviation × 0.99, and the fourth product equals the nth first standard deviation × 0.01; the humidity standard deviation = the (n-1)th first standard deviation × 0.99 + the nth first standard deviation × 0.01.

[0148] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 A timing diagram of data acquisition provided for an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0149] like Figure 4 As shown in this embodiment, the process of determining the drying end time by the dryer involves four data acquisition processes: humidity value acquisition, compensation value calculation, difference calculation, and difference fitting. Humidity value acquisition involves acquiring the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor at preset first time intervals. Compensation value calculation involves acquiring the humidity compensation value. Difference calculation involves calculating the first difference and the first standard deviation. Difference fitting involves fitting the first difference and the first standard deviation together.

[0150] Specifically, time t1 is the moment the dryer is powered on. After the dryer is powered on, it acquires humidity values ​​and calculates compensation values, that is, at preset first time intervals, it acquires the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor. At the same time, it controls the drum to rotate continuously; during the continuous rotation of the drum, it acquires the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value; the absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value and the average humidity value is determined as the humidity compensation value.

[0151] The time interval between time t1 and time t2 is the first minute after the dryer is powered on. At time t2, which is the second minute after the dryer is powered on, the humidity compensation value is calculated, and the difference calculation begins. That is, the first humidity value is filtered to obtain the third humidity value; the second humidity value is filtered to obtain the fourth humidity value; the first difference between the third and fourth humidity values, and the first standard deviation between the third and fourth humidity values ​​are obtained.

[0152] At time t3, which is one minute after t2, starting from the third minute after the dryer is powered on, difference fitting calculation is performed. This involves obtaining the first product between the (n-1)th first difference and the preset first fitting parameter (n is a positive integer greater than 2); obtaining the second product between the nth first difference and the preset second fitting parameter; and summing the first and second products to determine the nth humidity difference; obtaining the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation and the preset third fitting parameter (n is a positive integer greater than 2); and obtaining the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation and the preset fourth fitting parameter; and summing the third and fourth products to determine the nth humidity standard deviation.

[0153] The settings for time t3 and time t2 can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation, and no restrictions are imposed here.

[0154] The dryer 10 may include a controller 20. The controller 20 is electrically connected to the motor 15, the capacitor humidity measurement module 22, and the heat pump system 21.

[0155] In some embodiments, the controller can control the motor 15 to operate in order to control the rotation of the cylinder 12.

[0156] The controller can be electrically connected to the humidity parameter acquisition module 19 of the capacitive humidity measurement module 22 to receive the humidity parameters sent by the humidity parameter acquisition module 19.

[0157] The controller can control the operation of the heat pump system 21 to dry clothes.

[0158] In an optional embodiment, the controller can be configured to perform the following steps:

[0159] During the drying process of clothes in the dryer, the humidity parameters sent by the capacitive humidity measurement module are received;

[0160] The heat pump system is shut down based on humidity parameters to stop drying clothes.

[0161] In this embodiment, a first capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a first area containing clothing and a second capacitive sensor for detecting the humidity of a second area without clothing are installed inside the drum via a capacitive humidity measurement module. The difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two capacitive sensors. Therefore, compared to determining the drying stop time based solely on the humidity value detected by one capacitive sensor, the humidity parameter obtained by combining the first and second humidity values ​​can accurately characterize the humidity of the clothing. It is less susceptible to the influence of temperature on the dielectric constant, thus allowing for accurate determination of the drying end time based on this humidity parameter. This improves the dryer's accuracy in determining the drying end time and ultimately enhances the drying effect.

[0162] Furthermore, shutting down the heat pump system based on humidity parameters includes: if the humidity difference changes from a decreasing trend to a stable trend, and the humidity standard deviation falls below a preset reference standard deviation, then shutting down the heat pump system.

[0163] In this way, as the clothes dry, the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor will gradually approach the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor, thereby causing the humidity difference to gradually stabilize within the set range. That is, the trend of the humidity difference changes from a downward trend to a stable trend. Then, by using the relationship between the humidity standard deviation and the preset reference standard deviation, it is determined whether the clothes have been dried, thereby improving the accuracy of the dryer in judging the time when drying is finished.

[0164] It should be noted that if the humidity difference does not change from a downward trend to a stable trend or the humidity standard deviation does not reach below the preset reference standard deviation, the clothes are not dried and the heat pump system needs to be controlled to continue drying the clothes.

[0165] In some alternative embodiments, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the humidity difference. (Example) Figure 5 As shown, time t1 is the moment the dryer is powered on. It can be seen that after the dryer is powered on, although the humidity difference fluctuates somewhat, the overall temperature difference shows a decreasing trend. As the dryer dries the clothes, the fluctuation of the temperature difference decreases and gradually changes to a stable trend. At time t4, the trend of the humidity difference completely changes from a decreasing trend to a stable trend, meaning the humidity difference fluctuation is fixed between 0 and d1.

[0166] In some alternative embodiments, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the standard deviation of humidity. (Example) Figure 6 As shown, time t1 represents the moment the dryer is powered on. It can be seen that after the dryer is powered on, although the humidity standard deviation fluctuates somewhat, the temperature difference remains relatively stable overall. As the dryer dries the clothes, the temperature difference shows a decreasing trend.

[0167] Combination Figure 5 and Figure 6 At time t4, the temperature difference change completely from a decreasing trend to a stable trend, indicating that the humidity of the clothes has begun to stabilize within a near-dry range. At the same time, the humidity standard deviation also decreases to a small number. If this humidity standard deviation decreases below the preset reference standard deviation, the clothes are determined to be dried. This allows for the determination of whether the heat pump system needs to be shut down to stop drying, improving the accuracy of dryness assessment and the accuracy of the dryer's judgment of the drying end time.

[0168] It should be noted that, in order to further improve the accuracy of dryness determination, if the humidity difference changes from a downward trend to a stable trend, and the humidity standard deviation is below the preset reference standard deviation within the preset fourth time period, the clothes are determined to be dry; otherwise, the clothes are determined not to be dry. The fourth time period can be set according to the actual situation and is not limited here.

[0169] For details, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a clothes dryer control method provided in another embodiment of this application. Figure 7 Some steps in the process can be arbitrarily combined, and / or the order of some operations can be arbitrarily changed.

[0170] like Figure 7 As shown, the controller is configured to perform the following steps:

[0171] Step S701: Obtain the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor. Then proceed to step S702.

[0172] Step S702: Obtain the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation to characterize the humidity of the clothing based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value. Then proceed to step S703.

[0173] Step S703: Determine whether the humidity difference has changed from a decreasing trend to a stable trend. If yes, proceed to step S704; if no, proceed to step S706.

[0174] Step S704: Determine whether the humidity standard deviation value is below the preset reference standard deviation value. If yes, proceed to step S705; if no, proceed to step S706.

[0175] Step S705: Shut down the heat pump system.

[0176] Step S706: Control the heat pump system to dry the clothes.

[0177] In this embodiment, since the first capacitive sensor is used to detect the humidity of the area where clothing is present, and the second capacitive sensor is used to detect the humidity of the area where clothing is absent, the difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor stems from the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity of the area. Consequently, as the clothing dries, the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor gradually approaches the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor, causing the humidity difference to gradually stabilize within a set range. This changes the trend of the humidity difference from a decreasing trend to a stable trend. Then, by comparing the humidity standard deviation with a preset reference standard deviation, it can be determined whether the clothing has been dried, and thus whether to shut down the heat pump system to stop drying. This improves the accuracy of the dryer's judgment on the end of drying time, thereby improving the dryer's drying effect.

[0178] Furthermore, the controller is also configured to perform the following steps: in response to a preset drying command, when the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, determine the load based on the humidity standard deviation; determine the initial humidity of the clothes based on the load and the humidity difference; and dry the clothes based on the load and the initial humidity of the clothes.

[0179] Thus, because capacitive humidity sensors convert the capacitance value into a humidity value, the humidity value detected by a capacitive humidity sensor is essentially the same when it is first powered on, even under different operating conditions and scenarios. This causes the dryer to obtain an incorrect initial humidity level for the clothes, affecting the drying effect. In contrast, the first capacitive sensor in this application detects the humidity of the area containing clothes. The weight and humidity of the clothes both affect the humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor, thus influencing the humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation. Therefore, by determining the load based on the humidity standard deviation when the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, the load is obtained. Then, the humidity level of the clothes is judged by combining the load and the humidity difference, allowing for drying based on the load and the initial humidity level of the clothes. This achieves drying based on the load and the humidity level of the clothes, improving drying efficiency.

[0180] Furthermore, the load is determined based on the humidity standard deviation, including: if the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the preset load limit standard deviation, the load is determined to be a small load level; if the humidity standard deviation reaches or falls below the preset load limit standard deviation, the load is determined to be a large load level.

[0181] It should be noted that if the humidity difference reaches or exceeds the preset first reference humidity difference value, it can be determined that the humidity difference between the area with clothing and the area without clothing is large, meaning the clothing in the drum is wet. If the load is small, there is more free space in the drum, causing the clothing to frequently move closer to or further away from the first capacitive sensor during drum rotation. This results in larger fluctuations in the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor, leading to a large humidity standard deviation. Therefore, if the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the preset load limit standard deviation value, the load level can be determined as low. Conversely, if the load is large, there is less free space in the drum, or even the drum is full, causing the clothing to remain close to the first capacitive sensor. This results in smaller fluctuations in the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor, leading to a smaller humidity standard deviation. Therefore, if the humidity standard deviation falls below the preset load limit standard deviation value, the load level can be determined as high.

[0182] It should be noted that if the humidity of the clothing is very low, the humidity in the area where the clothing is present will be close to the humidity in the area where the clothing is not present. Thus, regardless of whether the clothing is far from or close to the first capacitive sensor, the humidity difference will be small, making it impossible to determine the load. Therefore, if the humidity difference does not reach a preset first reference humidity difference value, no load determination is made, and the initial humidity level of the clothing is directly determined to be low.

[0183] Optionally, the initial humidity level of the clothing can be directly determined, that is, the initial humidity level of the clothing can be determined as high or low based on the calibrated third humidity value. Specifically, if the calibrated third humidity value is greater than a preset humidity threshold, the initial humidity level of the clothing is determined to be high; otherwise, the initial humidity level of the clothing is determined to be low.

[0184] In some optional embodiments, in response to a preset drying command, the dryer enters the drying stage, that is, at preset first time intervals, it acquires a first humidity value detected by a first capacitive sensor and a second humidity value detected by a second capacitive sensor; based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value, it acquires a humidity difference value and a humidity standard deviation value to characterize the humidity of the clothes. If the humidity difference value reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference value, it determines the load based on the humidity standard deviation value; it determines the initial humidity of the clothes based on the load value and the humidity difference value; and it dries the clothes based on the load value and the initial humidity of the clothes.

[0185] Then, the dryer enters the drying stage, which involves acquiring a first humidity value detected by a first capacitive sensor and a second humidity value detected by a second capacitive sensor at preset first time intervals. Based on the first and second humidity values, it obtains a humidity difference and a humidity standard deviation to characterize the humidity of the clothes. The dryness of the clothes is then assessed based on these humidity differences and standard deviations to determine whether the heat pump system needs to be shut down and drying stopped. Therefore, during the drying process, the acquisition of the first and second humidity values ​​continues throughout the entire drying stage to reflect the humidity status of the clothes in real time.

[0186] Furthermore, the initial humidity level of the clothing is determined based on the load and the humidity difference, including: obtaining the second reference humidity difference corresponding to the load; if the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference, the initial humidity level of the clothing is determined to be high humidity level; otherwise, the initial humidity level of the clothing is determined to be low humidity level.

[0187] Thus, different load amounts will result in different humidity standard deviations. Therefore, the initial clothing condition is determined based on the relationship between the second reference humidity difference corresponding to the load amount and the humidity standard deviation. If the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference, the initial clothing humidity condition is determined to be at a high humidity level; otherwise, it is determined to be at a low humidity level, thus achieving accuracy in obtaining the initial clothing condition.

[0188] Furthermore, drying the clothes based on the load and initial moisture content includes: performing a search operation in a preset first drying setting database using the load and initial moisture content to obtain drying setting parameters corresponding to the load and initial moisture content; and drying the clothes according to these drying setting parameters. These drying setting parameters include the setting parameters of the heat pump module and the drum's stop ratio.

[0189] For details, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 A flowchart of steps for controlling a clothes dryer is provided for another embodiment of this application. Figure 8 Some steps in the process can be arbitrarily combined, and / or the order of some operations can be arbitrarily changed.

[0190] like Figure 8 As shown, the controller is configured to perform the following operations:

[0191] Step S801: In response to a preset drying command, acquire the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor.

[0192] Step S802: Obtain the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation to characterize the humidity of clothing based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value.

[0193] Step S803: If the humidity difference reaches or exceeds the preset first reference humidity difference, determine the load based on the humidity standard deviation.

[0194] Step S804: Obtain the second reference humidity difference value corresponding to the load amount.

[0195] Step S805: Determine whether the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference. If yes, proceed to step S806; otherwise, proceed to step S807.

[0196] Step S806: Determine the initial humidity level of the clothing to be high. Then proceed to step S808.

[0197] Step S807: Determine the initial humidity level of the clothing to be low. Then proceed to step S808.

[0198] Step S808: Dry the clothes according to the load and the initial moisture content of the clothes.

[0199] Step S809: Shut down the heat pump system based on the humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation.

[0200] In this embodiment, since the first capacitive sensor detects the humidity of the area where clothing is present, both the weight and humidity of the clothing affect the humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor, thus affecting the humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation. By determining the load based on the humidity standard deviation when the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, the load is obtained. Then, the humidity of the clothing is judged by combining the load and the humidity difference, so that the clothing can be dried according to the load and the initial humidity of the clothing. This achieves drying based on the load and the humidity of the clothing. Then, the humidity difference and humidity standard deviation, which can accurately reflect the humidity of the clothing, are used to determine whether the clothing has been dried, and then determine whether to turn off the heat pump system to stop drying. This improves the accuracy of the dryer in judging the drying end time, thereby improving the drying effect of the dryer.

[0201] In some alternative embodiments, the humidity parameter may also include a calibrated third humidity value and a fourth humidity value.

[0202] After receiving the calibrated third and fourth humidity values, the controller can determine the fault based on these values.

[0203] Specifically, if the calibrated third and fourth humidity values ​​are equal, a short circuit fault is determined to have occurred in both the first and second capacitive sensors. If either the calibrated third or fourth humidity value remains unchanged, a stuck-on fault is determined to have occurred in both the first and second capacitive sensors.

[0204] In some optional embodiments, this application proposes a method for controlling a clothes dryer, wherein a capacitive humidity measurement module is provided inside the drum of the clothes dryer; the capacitive humidity measurement module includes a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module; wherein, the first capacitive sensor is placed facing the clothes and is used to detect the humidity of the area where the clothes are present to obtain a first humidity value; the second capacitive sensor is not placed facing the clothes and is used to detect the humidity of the area where there are no clothes to obtain a second humidity value; the humidity parameter acquisition module is used to acquire a humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of the clothes based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value; the method includes: during the drying process of the clothes in the clothes dryer, acquiring the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor; acquiring the humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of the clothes based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value; and stopping the drying of the clothes based on the humidity parameter.

[0205] In this way, a first capacitive sensor is installed inside the drum to detect the humidity of a first area containing clothing, and a second capacitive sensor is installed to detect the humidity of a second area where clothing is not present. The difference between the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor lies in the influence of the clothing's humidity on the humidity values ​​of the areas detected by the two sensors. Therefore, compared to determining the drying stop time based on the humidity value detected by only one capacitive sensor, the humidity parameter obtained by using both the first and second humidity values ​​more accurately characterizes the humidity of the clothing. It is less affected by the temperature's influence on the dielectric constant, and thus allows for accurate determination of when to stop drying, improving the dryer's accuracy in determining the drying end time and ultimately enhancing its drying performance.

[0206] 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.

[0207] 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: The housing is constructed as the outer casing of the dryer; A cylindrical body, located inside the box, is used to hold clothing; An electric motor, connected to the cylinder, is configured to drive the cylinder to rotate relative to the housing; a heat pump system, located inside the housing, is used to raise the internal temperature of the cylinder. A capacitive humidity measurement module, placed inside the cylinder, is used to detect the humidity of clothing and obtain humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of the clothing; the capacitive humidity measurement module includes a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module; The first capacitive sensor is placed facing the clothing and is used to detect the humidity of the first area where the clothing is present, and to obtain a first humidity value. The second capacitive sensor, not placed facing the clothing, is used to detect the humidity of a second area where no clothing is present, and to obtain a second humidity value; The humidity parameter acquisition module is used to acquire humidity parameters based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value, and send the humidity parameters to the controller; the humidity parameters represent the humidity difference between the first region and the second region. The controller is electrically connected to the motor, the capacitor humidity measurement module, and the heat pump system, and the controller is configured to perform the following steps: During the drying process of the clothes dryer, the humidity parameter sent by the capacitive humidity measuring module is received; the heat pump system is turned off according to the humidity parameter to stop drying the clothes.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of clothing based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value through the following steps: For each first preset number of first humidity values ​​obtained, the first preset number of first humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a third humidity value; And for each first preset number of second humidity values ​​acquired, the first preset number of second humidity values ​​are filtered to obtain a fourth humidity value; Obtain a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; The humidity difference value is obtained based on the first difference value; The humidity standard deviation is obtained based on the first standard deviation. The humidity difference and the humidity standard deviation are defined as the humidity parameters.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and a first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, through the following steps: The third humidity value is calibrated using a preset humidity compensation value to obtain a calibrated third humidity value; Obtain the second difference between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value, and the second standard deviation between the calibrated third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; The second difference is determined as the first difference between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value; The second standard deviation is determined as the first standard deviation between the third humidity value and the fourth humidity value.

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The humidity compensation value is obtained in the following way: When the dryer is powered on, if the drum continues to rotate, the lower limit humidity value of the first humidity value and the average humidity value of the second humidity value are obtained; The absolute value of the difference between the lower limit humidity value and the average humidity value is determined as the humidity compensation value.

5. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire the humidity difference value based on the first difference value through the following steps: Obtain the first product between the (n-1)th first difference and the preset first fitting parameters; n is a positive integer greater than 2; Obtain the second product between the nth first difference and the preset second fitting parameters; The sum of the first product and the second product is determined as the nth humidity difference.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The humidity parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire the humidity standard deviation value based on the first standard deviation value through the following steps: Obtain the third product between the (n-1)th first standard deviation value and the preset third fitting parameters; n is a positive integer greater than 2; Obtain the fourth product between the nth first standard deviation value and the preset fourth fitting parameters; The sum of the third product and the fourth product is determined as the nth humidity standard deviation.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of shutting down the heat pump system based on the humidity parameter includes: If the humidity difference changes from a decreasing trend to a stable trend, and the humidity standard deviation falls below a preset reference standard deviation, the heat pump system is shut down.

8. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to perform the following steps: In response to a preset drying command, if the humidity difference reaches or exceeds a preset first reference humidity difference, the load is determined based on the humidity standard deviation. The initial clothing humidity level is determined based on the load and the humidity difference. The clothes are dried according to the load and the initial moisture content of the clothes.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 8, characterized in that, Determining the initial clothing humidity based on the load and the humidity difference includes: Obtain the second reference humidity difference value corresponding to the load amount; If the humidity standard deviation reaches or exceeds the second reference humidity difference, the initial clothing humidity is determined to be at a high humidity level; otherwise, the initial clothing humidity is determined to be at a low humidity level.

10. A method for controlling a clothes dryer, characterized in that, The dryer's drum is equipped with a capacitive humidity measurement module; the capacitive humidity measurement module includes a first capacitive sensor, a second capacitive sensor, and a humidity parameter acquisition module; wherein, the first capacitive sensor is placed facing the clothing to detect the humidity of the area where the clothing is present, obtaining a first humidity value; the second capacitive sensor is not placed facing the clothing to detect the humidity of the area where no clothing is present, obtaining a second humidity value; the humidity parameter acquisition module is used to acquire a humidity parameter characterizing the humidity of the clothing based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value; the method includes: During the drying process of the clothes dryer, the first humidity value detected by the first capacitive sensor and the second humidity value detected by the second capacitive sensor are acquired. Humidity parameters characterizing the humidity of the clothing are obtained based on the first humidity value and the second humidity value; Stop drying the clothes based on the humidity parameters.

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