Wool Dryer Control Using Dryness Feedback and Heater Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes dryers do not adjust drying time based on the wool content of textiles during the wool course, leading to incomplete drying and failure to meet dryness standards set by wool mark standards.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer with a dryness sensor and control unit that adjusts the drying time by sensing the wool content through a pulse value conversion, allowing for extended heating if necessary to ensure complete dryness, using a combination of high-capacity and low-capacity heaters to maintain optimal temperature and prevent textile contraction or deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed drying time is used for the wool course, 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 feedback control by using a dryness sensor to continuously monitor the moisture content of textiles during the drying cycle. The control unit receives signals from the sensor and dynamically adjusts the drying time based on the actual dryness level, ensuring compliance with wool mark standards while adapting to variations in textile moisture content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a static fixed drying time to a dynamic drying time adjustment mechanism. The control unit modifies the drying duration in real-time based on feedback from the dryness sensor, allowing the system to adapt to different textile moisture levels and achieve complete drying while preventing over-drying.
2Reliability
If the drying time is extended to ensure complete drying, then dryness standard compliance is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback mechanism allows the system to stop drying as soon as the textiles reach the required dryness level, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption from extended drying cycles. The control unit monitors the dryness sensor signals and terminates heating when the dryness standard is met, optimizing energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the dryness sensor to automatically determine when drying is complete, eliminating the need for manual intervention or conservative fixed time extensions. The self-regulating mechanism ensures drying stops precisely when needed, reducing energy waste while maintaining dryness standard compliance.
3Productivity
If a high-capacity heater is used to reduce drying time, then productivity is improved, but the risk of textile contraction and deformation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic control of the high-capacity heater based on real-time dryness monitoring. The control unit adjusts the heater operation intensity and duration according to feedback from the dryness sensor, allowing rapid drying when needed while preventing excessive heat exposure that could cause textile contraction or deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback loop enables the system to respond to the actual drying state of textiles, modulating the high-capacity heater output to achieve optimal drying speed without exceeding safe temperature thresholds. This prevents harmful thermal effects while maintaining high productivity.
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 that woolen textiles are dried to the required dryness level, minimizing contraction and deformation while adhering to wool mark standards, by dynamically adjusting the drying time based on sensed moisture content.
Implementation Method 1
a dryness sensor to sense a dryness of the laundry... The dryness sensor may output 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
heaters to supply hot air to the inside of the drum... in order to dry the clothes
Implementation Method 4
a motor to rotate the drum and to circulate the hot air
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a clothes dryer 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 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.