Clothes Dryer Cycle Time Control Using Heating Voltage Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes dryer algorithms inaccurately estimate drying cycle time due to failure to consider changes in voltage across the heating element, leading to inefficiencies and improper drying results.
Innovation Solution
Determining the voltage and wattage of the heating element and using this information to calculate and update the cycle time, taking into account the proportional relationship between voltage and power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cycle time is estimated based on load characteristic alone, then the estimation process is simple, but the estimation accuracy deteriorates due to voltage variations affecting heating element performance
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing heating element's voltage characteristics to self-diagnose and adjust cycle time estimates. The microcontroller monitors voltage across the heating element during operation and uses this information to correct cycle time predictions, allowing the system to improve accuracy using its own operational data without external intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the actual voltage across the heating element and comparing it to expected values. Based on the voltage deviation feedback, the microcontroller adjusts the cycle time estimation to compensate for reduced heating efficiency, creating a closed-loop control system that improves accuracy over time.
2Reliability
If voltage monitoring is added to improve cycle time accuracy, then drying results improve, but energy consumption increases due to additional sensing and calculation operations
Solution Approach 1:
The microcontroller performs multiple functions: it controls the drying cycle, monitors voltage across the heating element, estimates cycle time, and adjusts operational parameters. By making the controller multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated voltage sensing hardware that would consume additional power, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing energy consumption.
3Ease of operation
If manual cycle time input is used, then user control is maximized, but drying effectiveness deteriorates when voltage conditions deviate from expected values
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the cycle time based on real-time voltage conditions detected during operation. Rather than using a fixed manual input or a static predetermined time, the microcontroller continuously monitors voltage and modifies the cycle duration to match actual heating performance, ensuring reliable drying results regardless of voltage variations while still allowing initial user input.
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
This approach provides a more accurate estimation of cycle time, ensuring that laundry is neither over- nor under-dried, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the drying process.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element for heating the air to treat the laundry load
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a clothes dryer having a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load, an air system for supplying and exhausting air from the treating chamber, a heating element for heating the air supplied to the treating chamber, and a controller implementing a cycle of operation, wherein the controller estimates a cycle time of a drying cycle of operation.