Wool Dryer Control Using Dryness Feedback 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.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer with a drum, heaters, 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 if additional heating time is needed during the wool course drying cycle.
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 feedback control by using a dryness sensor to detect the moisture content of woolen textiles during the drying cycle. The control unit receives the dryness signal and compares it with a preset threshold, then adjusts the drying time accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the drying process meets the required dryness standards (within 6% moisture content) while adapting to variations in initial moisture content, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a static fixed drying time to a dynamic adjustable drying time. The control unit modifies the drying duration based on real-time dryness sensor readings and calculated wool content. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize drying time for each load, ensuring complete drying while maintaining operational simplicity through automated control.
2Reliability
If the drying time is extended to ensure complete drying, then dryness standard is satisfied, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback mechanism continuously monitors dryness during the drying cycle and provides real-time information to the control unit. When the dryness sensor detects that the textiles have reached the required dryness level (within 6% moisture content), the system can terminate the drying cycle early, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption. This ensures that energy is used only as long as needed to meet the dryness standard.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the drying time parameter dynamically based on detected dryness levels and calculated wool content. By adjusting the drying time parameter according to actual conditions rather than using a fixed extended duration, the system achieves complete drying while minimizing energy consumption. The control unit calculates optimal drying time based on pulse value sums from the dryness sensor, allowing precise parameter adjustment.
3Reliability
If a fixed drying time is used without considering wool content, then the control process is simple, but the drying quality varies with different wool contents
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the dryness sensor to detect variations in wool content indirectly through pulse value patterns. The control unit analyzes the sum of pulse values during specific time intervals to determine wool content level, then automatically adjusts the drying cycle accordingly. This automated feedback-based detection ensures consistent drying quality across different wool contents without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting wool content characteristics through the dryness sensor and autonomously adjusting the drying parameters. The control unit calculates the appropriate drying time based on the sum of pulse values, eliminating the need for manual wool content assessment. This self-service automation maintains simple operation for the user while achieving consistent drying quality through intelligent adaptation.
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 complete drying of woolen textiles within the desired dryness range, minimizing contraction and deformation due to heat, while adhering to wool mark standards.
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... the control unit may perform the drying cycle of the wool course by controlling the high-capacity first heater
Implementation Method 3
a motor to rotate the drum and to circulate the hot air... the control unit may perform the drying cycle of the wool course by driving the heaters and the motor
Implementation Method 4
heaters to supply hot air to the inside of the drum... in which high-temperature and high-humidity air having passed through a drum is exhausted to the outside of the dryer
Implementation Method 5
a clothes dryer is an apparatus which supplies hot air to a drum in which clothes to be dried are received so as to dry the clothes
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.