Garment Dryer Condensate Sensing With Full-Flow Heat Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses face challenges in accurately determining dryness due to impurities accumulating on temperature sensors and low heat exchange efficiency, as air only partially passes through the heat exchanger.

Innovation Solution

A laundry treatment apparatus with a circulation path that guides air through a heat exchanger for condensation and heating, featuring a blower positioned between the heat exchanger and discharge duct to ensure air passes through the entire heat exchanger, and a dryness sensing unit measuring condensed water to determine moisture content, preventing impurity accumulation on sensors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the blower is located in front of the heat exchanger in the conventional air flow path, then the structure is simple, but air only passes through a portion of the heat exchanger resulting in low heat exchange efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat exchange efficiencyVSAvoidair flow path structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional air flow path arrangement by positioning the blower after the heat exchanger instead of before it. This inversion ensures that air is drawn through the entire heat exchanger surface area, maximizing heat exchange efficiency between the exhaust air and the heat exchanger coils.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If temperature sensors are used to determine dryness of laundry, then the measurement method is simple, but impurities accumulated on the sensor cause inaccurate measurements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedryness measurement accuracyVSAvoidimpurity accumulation on sensor

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical temperature sensor-based dryness detection method with a flow rate sensing device that measures condensed water quantity. This substitution eliminates the problem of impurity accumulation on sensors, as the flow rate sensor measures water flow without direct exposure to impure air streams.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces condensed water as an intermediary measurement parameter. Instead of directly measuring air temperature (which is affected by impurities), the system measures the quantity of condensed water formed in the heat exchanger, which indirectly and accurately reflects the moisture content and dryness state of the laundry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of energy

If excessive energy is supplied to the heat exchanger to compensate for low efficiency, then the heat exchanger can maintain operation, but energy consumption increases unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy waste in heat exchangerVSAvoiddrying efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By inverting the air flow path to position the blower after the heat exchanger, the system maximizes the utilization of heat exchanger surface area. This ensures that exhaust air passes through the entire heat exchanger, improving heat recovery efficiency and reducing the energy required to maintain drying operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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

Accurately determines dryness by measuring condensed water and ensures high heat exchange efficiency by ensuring air passes through the entire heat exchanger, while maintaining automated filter cleaning.

Implementation Method 1

a heat exchanger installed to the circulation path to implement condensation and heating of the air introduced into the circulation path

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Implementation Method 2

a heat exchanger installed to the circulation path to implement condensation and heating of the air introduced into the circulation path

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 3

a blower configured to circulate the interior air of the laundry accommodation unit through the circulation path

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Data Source

PatentUS9670613B2Garment processing apparatus

Publication Date: 2017.06.06 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

The present invention relates to a garment processing apparatus comprising: a hot-air supply unit having a circulation flow path for directing the air drawn out from the interior of a garment receiving unit into the interior of the garment receiving unit, a heat exchange unit provided to the circulation flow path, for condensing and heating the air introduced into the circulation flow path, and a blower for circulating the air in the interior of the garment receiving unit through the circulation flow path; and a dryness detection unit having a flow rate detection means for measuring the amount of condensate water formed in the heat exchange unit, and a control section for determining the amount of moisture contained in the laundry on the basis of the flow rate data provided by the flow rate detection means.