Dryer and method of controlling the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dryers lack an effective method to notify users about the need to clean the filter, as they only check if the filter is separated and installed after a previous dry operation, failing to account for the filter's cleanliness status during subsequent operations.
Innovation Solution
A dryer equipped with a processor that determines whether the filter is separated and installed, identifies the operation type, and increases the count of successive operation times if the filter remains uncleaned. The processor then provides notifications through various interfaces (display, speaker, haptic driver) based on the count range, guiding the user to clean the filter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the dryer only checks whether the filter is separated and installed after a previous dry operation, then the notification system is simple, but it fails to accurately reflect the filter's actual cleanliness status
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors the filter's operational history by counting successive operation times since the last separation. This feedback loop allows the notification system to accurately reflect the filter's actual cleanliness status based on real operational data rather than simple presence detection, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system serves itself by automatically determining when filter cleaning is needed based on the counted operation times, without requiring additional sensors or complex user input. The system uses the operational data it already collects to trigger appropriate notifications, achieving accurate filter status monitoring through self-service mechanisms
2Adaptability or versatility
If the dryer provides a single notification based on filter separation status, then the control logic is simple, but it cannot provide differentiated notifications for different filter conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system transitions from a static, single-state notification approach to a dynamic, multi-level notification system. The processor adjusts the notification content and urgency based on the variable of successive operation times, providing differentiated notifications (e.g., gentle reminders vs. urgent warnings) that adapt to the filter's actual condition, thereby achieving versatility without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes in the notification output based on the operation time count. Different threshold ranges of successive operation times trigger different notification parameters (such as notification intensity, frequency, or type), allowing the system to provide differentiated notifications for different filter conditions while maintaining relatively simple control logic through parameter-based differentiation
3Reliability
If the dryer does not track successive operation times, then the system is simple, but it cannot determine when filter cleaning is truly necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer performs preliminary tracking of successive operation times starting from the moment the filter is installed or last separated. This preliminary action of counting operations allows the system to proactively determine when filter cleaning is truly necessary based on accumulated usage data, ensuring reliable maintenance timing before performance deterioration occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The operation tracking system continuously counts successive operation times without interruption throughout the dryer's usage. This continuous monitoring ensures that the system always has accurate, up-to-date information about filter usage, enabling reliable determination of cleaning necessity while maintaining a relatively simple incremental counting mechanism rather than complex continuous analysis
Data Source
AI summary
A dryer includes a drum, an air blowing module configured to form an air flow to be brought into the drum, a filter configured to filter out foreign substances included in air discharged out of the drum in the air flow, an input/output interface, a memory to store at least one instruction, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction stored in the memory to determine whether the filter is separated and installed after a previous dry operation, increase a number of successive operation times based on a dry operation type of the dryer in response to the filter being not separated and installed, and control the input/output interface to provide a notification to guide separation of the filter from the dryer and cleaning of the separated filter from the dryer based on the number of successive operation times.