Wool Dryer Control Using Dryness Sensing to Prevent Shrinkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes dryers do not adjust drying time based on wool content during the wool course, leading to incomplete drying of woolen textiles, which fails to meet the dryness standards set by wool mark standards, potentially causing damage to the textiles.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer equipped with a dryness sensor and a control unit that adjusts the drying time by sensing the dryness of the laundry and calculating pulse values to determine the appropriate duration for the wool course drying cycle, using a combination of high-capacity and low-capacity heaters to ensure complete drying while maintaining an optimal temperature range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed drying time is used for woolen textiles, then the drying cycle is simple to operate, but the textiles may not be completely dried and fail to meet dryness standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the dryness sensor continuously monitors the dryness of woolen textiles during the drying cycle and provides real-time data to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the drying time based on the sensed dryness, creating a closed-loop control system that ensures complete drying while adapting to varying moisture conditions of different textiles.
2Reliability
If the drying time is extended to ensure complete drying, then dryness standards are met, but the risk of heat damage to textiles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment of drying parameters based on real-time dryness sensing. Instead of using a fixed drying time, the control unit dynamically extends or reduces the drying cycle duration according to the actual moisture content detected by the sensor. This dynamic approach ensures that drying continues just long enough to meet dryness standards without unnecessary extended exposure to heat, thereby minimizing heat damage risk.
3Reliability
If a dryness sensor and control unit are added to adjust drying time, then drying completeness and protection from heat damage are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service control mechanism where the dryness sensor automatically monitors the drying process and the control unit autonomously adjusts the drying time based on sensed conditions. The system serves itself by making real-time decisions about when to extend or reduce drying without requiring manual intervention, thereby achieving improved textile protection through automated feedback control.
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 ensures complete drying of woolen textiles within the specified dryness range, minimizing contraction and deformation due to heat, and adhering to wool mark standards, thereby protecting the textiles during the drying process.
Implementation Method 1
a dryness sensor to sense a dryness of the laundry, and outputs a pulse value generated by converting the dryness of the laundry into an electrical signal
Implementation Method 2
heaters to supply hot air to the inside of the drum
Implementation Method 3
supplies hot air to a drum in which clothes to be dried are received so as to dry the clothes
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a clothes dryer (1) and a control method thereof in which a drying time is adjusted according to wool content during a drying cycle of a wool course. Wool content of woolen textiles is judged by sensing a dryness of the woolen textiles during a drying cycle of a wool course, and a drying time is adjusted according to the wool content, thereby minimizing contraction or deformation of the woolen textiles while satisfying the range of a target dryness set by wool mark standards. Further, only a high-capacity heater (42a) is driven during the drying cycle of the wool course, thereby allowing an internal temperature of a rotary drum to keep the optimum temperature without contraction or deformation of the woolen textiles.