Dryer Humidity-Based Moisture Detection for Accurate Drying Completion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dryers often fail to accurately determine the drying completion state and time due to user-dependent pre-setting, contact-type electrode sensors leading to semi-drying or over-drying, and varying drying times based on clothing material, resulting in inefficient and potentially damaging drying processes.
Innovation Solution
A dryer equipped with sensors to measure internal humidity, a processor that identifies external humidity and moisture levels, and a method to predict drying completion by analyzing humidity changes and setting threshold values based on object characteristics, ensuring precise control of the drying process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If contact-type electrode sensors are used to detect surface moisture, then the sensor can directly measure the drying state, but semi-drying or over-drying occurs due to inaccurate timing determination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary calculation model that uses internal humidity sensor readings (which are more reliable) to estimate external humidity and surface drying state. Instead of directly using contact sensors on the surface, the system mediates through internal humidity measurements and mathematical modeling to infer the drying state, thereby avoiding the inaccuracies of direct surface contact detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-type electrode sensor with a non-contact humidity sensing approach. By using internal humidity sensors combined with computational models to predict external humidity and drying state, the system substitutes direct mechanical contact measurement with indirect environmental sensing and algorithmic estimation.
2Ease of operation
If pre-set drying time is used based on user experience, then the drying process is simple to operate, but drying completion is inaccurate leading to wet or damaged clothing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment by automatically monitoring internal humidity changes, calculating moisture content, and determining drying completion without requiring user input or experience. The dryer serves itself by using its own sensor data and computational models to make real-time decisions about drying state, eliminating the need for user-pre-set times.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the dryer continuously monitors internal humidity, compares it against calculated thresholds, and adjusts the drying process accordingly. The system uses real-time humidity data to feedback control the drying duration, ensuring accurate completion without requiring manual time setting by the user.
3Reliability
If additional drying time is performed after surface drying to ensure completeness, then drying thoroughness is improved, but clothing damage occurs due to over-drying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by calculating the precise amount of drying time needed based on real-time humidity measurements and moisture content calculations. Instead of performing excessive additional drying to ensure completeness, the system determines the exact threshold where drying should stop, applying only the necessary amount of drying action required to reach the target moisture level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the drying process based on real-time conditions. By continuously monitoring internal humidity changes and calculating moisture content, the dryer adapts the drying duration to the actual state of the laundry, rather than using fixed pre-set times. This dynamic control prevents both under-drying and over-drying by responding to changing conditions during the drying cycle.
4Measurement precision
If different drying times are selected for different clothing materials, then drying accuracy for each material is improved, but the operation becomes complex requiring user selection
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines the appropriate drying parameters by monitoring internal humidity changes and calculating moisture content without requiring the user to manually select clothing material types or drying programs. The dryer serves itself by using sensor data and computational models to adapt to different materials and loads, eliminating the need for user intervention in program selection.
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
The solution enables accurate determination of drying progress and completion time, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the drying process by preventing over-drying or under-drying, regardless of clothing material, thus enhancing the overall performance of the dryer.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor to sense an internal humidity of the dryer
Data Source
AI summary
A including a sensor, a memory configured to store at least one instruction, and a processor configured to obtain, by being connected with the memory and executing at least one instruction, an internal humidity of the dryer through the sensor, identify an external humidity of the dryer based on the obtained internal humidity, obtain, based on a change in the internal humidity and the external humidity, information on an amount of emitted moisture of a drying object inserted in the dryer, and identify whether drying is complete by comparing information on the amount of emitted moisture with a threshold value.