Clothes treatment apparatus, clothes humidity measurement method and clothes drying measurement method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes drying technologies inaccurately determine drying completion due to materials with dry surfaces and damp interiors, leading to incomplete drying and poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A clothes treatment device using an inductive sensing unit with a first and second electrode plate, where clothes act as the dielectric, measures signal variations to accurately determine humidity levels and complete drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If resistance sensors are used to detect clothes surface resistance for humidity measurement, then the measurement process is simple, but the drying completion is misjudged when clothes have dry surface but damp interior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the contact-based resistance sensing mechanism with an inductive sensing mechanism. The inductive sensing unit uses electromagnetic induction to detect humidity without physical contact, measuring the dielectric properties of clothes material. This substitution enables accurate detection of both surface and interior humidity states by sensing the overall dielectric constant of the clothes, resolving the misjudgment problem while maintaining measurement simplicity.
2Device complexity
If contact-based resistance sensors are used for humidity detection, then the device structure is simple, but the drying procedure is terminated in advance resulting in incomplete drying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inductive sensing unit as an intermediary between the measurement system and the clothes. This intermediary uses electromagnetic fields to indirectly sense the humidity state of clothes without direct contact. The inductive sensing measures the dielectric constant of the clothes material, which correlates with moisture content throughout the entire garment, providing reliable drying completion judgment while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
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 accurate clothes drying determination, improving user experience by ensuring thorough drying regardless of material type.
Implementation Method 1
an inductive sensing unit including a first electrode plate formed by at least one conductive plate and a second electrode plate formed by the treatment chamber, and a measurement unit electrically connected to the conductive plate and the treatment chamber
Implementation Method 2
the clothes inside the treatment chamber is part of the dielectric of the inductive sensing unit
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A clothes treatment device comprises: a treatment chamber (1) configured to accommodate and treat clothes; an inductive sensing unit comprising a first electrode plate formed by at least one conductive plate (2) and a second electrode plate formed by the treatment chamber (1), the clothes inside the treatment chamber (1) being part of a dielectric of the inductive sensing unit; and a measurement unit (3) electrically connected to the conductive plate (2) and the treatment chamber (1), the measurement unit (3) is configured to measure a variation of the signal of the inductive sensing unit and output the same to a control unit (4) of the clothes treatment device. Further disclosed are a clothes humidity measurement method and a clothes drying measurement method executed by the clothes treatment device.