Clothes dryer and control method therefor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes dryers require users to manually select drying options based on laundry characteristics, leading to potential incomplete drying, excessive energy use, or material damage due to inappropriate temperature and time settings.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer that automatically determines the characteristics of laundry through a humidity detector and classifies them into categories, adjusting drying temperature and time accordingly, using a controller to manage the drying process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual selection of drying options is required, then user control over drying process is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer automatically detects laundry characteristics (weight, material type) and selects appropriate drying parameters without user input. The system serves itself by using sensors to monitor laundry properties and autonomously adjusting drying temperature and time, eliminating the need for manual selection while maintaining optimal drying conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical selection with automated sensing and control systems. Sensors detect laundry characteristics and the controller processes this information to automatically determine drying parameters, substituting human operation with electronic detection and control mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If drying parameters are fixed for each option, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The drying parameters are made dynamic rather than fixed. The system continuously monitors laundry characteristics during the drying process and adjusts temperature and time parameters in real-time based on detected moisture levels and laundry properties, allowing the drying process to adapt dynamically to actual conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes drying parameters (temperature, time) based on detected laundry characteristics. Different material types and weights trigger different parameter sets, allowing the system to adapt to various laundry conditions while using a unified control framework that manages the complexity of multiple parameter combinations.
3Reliability
If drying time is extended to ensure complete drying, then reliability is improved, but loss of time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses humidity sensors to continuously monitor moisture levels in the laundry during drying. This feedback allows the controller to determine when drying is complete and stop the process early, avoiding unnecessary extension of drying time while ensuring reliable completion of the drying task.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using fixed excessive drying times for all laundry types, the system applies partial action by adjusting drying duration to match actual laundry characteristics and moisture levels, achieving complete drying with minimal necessary time for each specific load.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures optimal drying conditions for each laundry type without user intervention, enhancing convenience, reducing energy waste, and minimizing damage to clothes.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of touch electrode sensors in the drum, and the pair of touch electrode sensors may output a pulse signal indicating a moisture content of the laundry in the drum when contacted by the laundry in the drum
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes dryer may include a drum in which laundry is receivable; a humidity detector to detect a dryness level of the laundry in the drum; and a controller configured to: obtain the dryness level of the laundry in the drum detected by the humidity detector while a first initial drying cycle is performed, determine a weight category of the laundry in the drum from a plurality of weight categories of laundry based on the obtained dryness level, obtain control information based on the determined weight category, and control, according to the obtained control information, a main drying cycle to dry the laundry in the drum after the first initial drying cycle is performed.