JP2000229200A - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To appropriately control a drying operation even when the amount of clothes stored in a rotating drum is small. SOLUTION: When the cloth amount judgment is a rank of "minimal"(S6; Y), the entire operation time T is temporarily set to 25 minutes (S13), and the current time t reaches 15 minutes. Later (S14;
Y), the drying rate F is detected from the resistance value between the electrodes (S15),
When the drying rate F is smaller than 99% (S16; N),
A correction value C is obtained from the current time t and the drying rate F at that time (S18), and the operation time T is updated to a value obtained by adding the correction value C to the current time t (S19). If the drying rate F is 99% or more (S16; Y), the operation time T is not corrected (S17).
By repeating the process until the current time t reaches the operation time T (S20), even if the frequency of contact of the clothes with the electrode is low, the operation time T can be reduced by detecting the drying rate F at the time of contact. It can be corrected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer having a cloth amount determining means for determining the amount of clothes in a rotating drum.

[0002]

In a clothes dryer, a pair of electrodes are provided in a rotating drum for drying clothes, and it is detected that wet clothes come into contact with the electrodes, and
Some are configured to determine the amount of cloth from the number of contacts per unit time and to detect the degree of drying from the resistance value between the electrodes. In this case, for example, the degree of drying is 9
It is possible to control the drying operation based on the detection of the degree of drying, such that the drying operation is terminated when a predetermined finishing time according to the cloth amount rank has elapsed after the detection of 9%. It was done.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the amount of clothes contained in the rotating drum is small (for example, 800
g), the detection of the degree of drying becomes unstable because the reliability of the contact of the clothing with the electrode is inferior (the frequency of contact is reduced), and appropriate drying operation control (determination of drying time) is performed. There is a possibility that there is no. In this case, the degree of dryness is likely to be detected higher than the actual degree of dryness, and even if the clothes are not sufficiently dried, the drying operation is likely to be terminated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a clothes drying apparatus capable of performing appropriate drying operation control even when the amount of clothes stored in a rotating drum is small. To provide a machine.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothes dryer in which a rotating drum for storing clothes, a heater for generating hot air, and a hot air for circulating and supplying the rotating drum. Fan, a motor for rotating the rotating drum, a cloth amount determining means for determining a cloth amount of the clothing in the rotating drum, and the clothing by a resistance value between a pair of electrodes provided in the rotating drum. Drying degree detecting means for detecting the degree of drying, control means for controlling the motor and the heater to execute a drying operation, and when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value. It is characterized in that it comprises an operating time determining means for determining the remaining operating time at any time based on the operating elapsed time and the degree of dryness detected by the dryness detecting means.

[0006] Regardless of the amount of clothes, the degree of drying of the clothes should gradually increase with the elapse of the drying operation, and if the approximate amount of clothes is known, the operation at that time will be performed. The relationship between the elapsed time and the increase in the degree of dryness should have a certain relationship depending on the amount of the cloth, but within a certain range, although there is some variation. Here, when detecting the degree of drying of clothes using the electrode, when the amount of cloth is small,
The frequency of contact of the clothes with the electrodes is reduced, and a situation in which the degree of drying is detected higher than the actual level is likely to occur.

However, according to the above configuration, when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the operating time determining means detects the elapsed operating time and the dryness detecting means. The remaining operation time is determined at any time based on the degree of drying. At this time, since the operation time determination means determines the remaining operation time as needed while considering the operation elapsed time, even if a high degree of drying is detected because the clothing does not contact the electrode, the clothing subsequently contacts the electrode. Based on the degree of dryness detected when the clothing actually contacts the electrode, the remaining drive time is corrected as needed, so that the remaining operation time is determined again based on the detected degree of dryness. The drying operation can be performed while alive. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the drying operation is terminated with insufficient drying of the clothing based on the degree of drying detected higher than the actual level.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothes dryer, comprising: a rotating drum for accommodating clothes; a heater for generating hot air; a fan for circulating and supplying hot air into the rotating drum; A motor that rotationally drives the drum, a cloth amount determining unit that determines a cloth amount of clothes in the rotating drum, a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the circulated hot air, and controls the motor and the heater. Control means for performing a drying operation;
Operating time determining means for determining the remaining operating time as needed based on the operation elapsed time and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value. It is characterized by

Here, in the drying operation, the drying proceeds due to the heat being taken off by the clothes. In the initial state of the drying operation, the temperature of the circulating hot air becomes relatively low, and the drying proceeds (the degree of drying increases). As the temperature increases, the temperature of the circulating warm air rises. In addition, the degree of increase in the temperature of the circulating hot air with the passage of time varies depending on the amount and quality of clothes.

According to the above construction, when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than the predetermined value, the operating time determining means detects the elapsed operating time and the circulation temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. The remaining operation time will be determined at any time based on the wind temperature. At this time, based on the degree of temperature rise of the circulating hot air associated with the elapsed operation time, it is possible to indirectly estimate the detailed amount and type of the clothing, so to speak, the operation time determination means determines an appropriate remaining operation time. It can be determined at any time. In this case, when the amount of cloth is small, the operation time can be determined without detecting the degree of drying of the clothes using the electrodes, so that control based on the detection of the unstable degree of drying can be omitted.

Since the appropriate drying time varies depending on the temperature inside the rotating drum at the start of operation, an initial temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the rotating drum at the start of operation is provided, and the operating time determining means is provided. The remaining operation time can be changed according to the detection result of the initial temperature detection means (the invention of claim 3), so that the drying operation can be performed in a more appropriate time. become.

In this type of clothes dryer, a filter for catching lint is provided in the air passage of the rotary drum. At this time, if the filter becomes too clogged, the amount of air blown increases. As a result, the amount of heat generated by the heater decreases, and the time required for the drying operation becomes longer. Therefore, in the apparatus provided with clogging detecting means for detecting the degree of clogging of the filter, the operating time determining means is configured to change the remaining operating time according to the detection result of the clogging detecting means. Alternatively, the drying operation can be performed in a more appropriate time.

By the way, if the cloth amount determining means is configured to determine the cloth amount based on the frequency of contact of the clothes with a pair of electrodes provided in the rotating drum at the beginning of the drying operation, the cloth amount is originally small. Even if the amount of clothing is not determined, for example, since the clothing is intertwined, the contact frequency may be low and the clothing may be determined to be a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem, when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value, the rotating drum is reversed for a predetermined time,
It is possible to carry out the determination of the cloth amount by the cloth amount determining means again (the invention of claim 5). According to this, since the clothing amount can be determined again after loosening the clothing by reversing the rotating drum, the above-described problem can be prevented, and the clothing amount can be more accurately determined. Become.

Further, in the clothes dryer according to the first aspect, when the degree of drying detected by the degree of drying detection means does not change for a predetermined time, the rotating drum can be inverted for a predetermined time (claim). Item 6)). Thus, for example, when the clothes are entangled and fall into a state where it is difficult to contact the electrodes, the clothes can be loosened by reversing the rotating drum.

When the degree of dryness detected by the dryness detecting means changes by a predetermined value or more within a unit time, the rotating drum may be inverted for a predetermined time (the invention of claim 7). When there is a large deviation in the degree of drying of the clothes because there is no fluctuation in the position of the clothes in the drum, the positional relationship of the clothes can be changed by reversing the rotating drum.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Several embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (1) First Embodiment First, a first embodiment (corresponding to claim 1) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the configuration of the clothes dryer 1 according to this embodiment. Here, the outer box 2 of the clothes dryer 1 has a rectangular box shape as a whole, and a front door 3
There is provided a clothing doorway 2a which is opened and closed by the opening. An operation panel (not shown) is provided on the front surface of the outer box 2. The operation panel includes a power switch 4, a start key, a course selection key, and a heater intensity switch key, as shown only in FIG. Are provided, and a filter check lamp 28 and the like are provided. Further, a door switch 6 (see FIG. 5) for detecting opening and closing of the door 3 is provided in the door 3 portion.

In the outer box 2, there is provided a substantially cylindrical rotating drum 7 which communicates with the clothing entrance 2a and accommodates clothing. A vent 7a is formed at the center of the rear surface of the rotary drum 7, and a lint-capturing filter 8 is detachably attached so as to cover the vent 7a. On the back side of the rotary drum 7, a fan casing 9 communicating with the ventilation port 7a is provided. In the fan casing 9, a double-winged fan 1 serving also as a dehumidifier is provided.
0 is provided. An outer air inlet 2b and an exhaust port 2c are provided on the back of the outer box 2.

In the upper part of the outer box 2, a double-shaft motor 11 is disposed, and the torque of the motor 11 is transmitted to the rotary drum 7 via a belt transmission mechanism 12. The power is transmitted to the fan 10 via the belt transmission mechanism 13. Also, in the motor 11 part,
A rotation sensor 1 for detecting the rotation speed of the motor 11
4 are provided.

Further, a duct 15 is provided at the inner bottom of the outer box 2 and communicates with the lower end of the fan casing 9 and extends forward. The front end of the duct 15 is connected to the hot air outlet 15a through a hot air outlet 15a. It communicates with the inside of the rotating drum 7.
In the duct 15, two heaters 16 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 4) for generating hot air, each of which is a PTC heater and are located on the front side, are arranged in parallel. At this time,
A temperature sensor 17 composed of a thermistor is provided in the vicinity of the vent 7a as temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot air.

When the motor 11 is driven to rotate, the rotary drum 7 rotates via the belt transmission mechanism 12 and the fan 10 rotates via the belt transmission mechanism 13. Due to the rotation of the fan 10, the air in the rotary drum 7 is released as shown by an arrow A in FIG.
Through the fan casing 9 and into the duct 15
Then, circulation is performed in which the heat is supplied by the heater 16 and supplied again into the rotary drum 7. At this time,
When hot air passes through the filter 8, lint coming out of the clothes is captured.

At the same time, on the rear side of the fan device 10, as shown by an arrow B, a flow of wind is generated in which outside air is sucked in from the outside air intake 2b and discharged from the exhaust port 2c. The circulating hot air on the front side of the fan device 10 is cooled and dehumidified. And
A pair of electrodes 18 for detecting the amount of clothes in the rotating drum 7 and the degree of drying of the clothes are provided in the outer box 2 at a predetermined insulating interval, as described later. Is provided with a circuit board 19 on which electronic components are mounted to form an electric circuit.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an electric configuration of the clothes dryer 1 centering on a microcomputer 20 for performing operation control. This microcomputer 20 includes:
Driving power is supplied from a commercial power supply 21 via a rectifier circuit 22. Further, the microcomputer 20 is provided with a clock pulse from the clock pulse generation circuit 23 to realize a clock function. Further, the microcomputer 20 is connected to a memory 24 serving as a storage unit.

The microcomputer 20 receives signals from the key switch 5, the door switch 6, the rotation sensor 14, and the temperature sensor 17, and receives a signal from the electrode 18 as a detection circuit 25. Is to be entered via Then, the microcomputer 20 sends the motor 1 via the drive circuit 26.
1. While controlling the heater 16 to execute the drying operation,
The buzzer 27 and the filter check lamp 28 are controlled.

Now, the microcomputer 20
Controls the motor 11 and the heater 16 in accordance with a control program stored in advance based on input signals from the key switch 5, the rotation sensor 14, the temperature sensor 17, and the like to execute a drying operation. . Therefore,
This microcomputer 20 functions as control means. During the drying operation, the microcomputer 20 turns off the heater 16 when the hot air temperature reaches 72 ° C. and turns on the heater 16 when the temperature drops to 62 ° C. based on the temperature detection result of the temperature sensor 17. Control is performed. The motor 11
Are configured to be rotatable forward and backward, so that the rotating drum 7 (and the fan 10) can be reversed.

A current transformer 29 serving as current detecting means for detecting a current flowing through the heater 16 is provided on the power supply line 16 a to the heater 16, and a detection signal of the current transformer 29 is transmitted through a current detecting circuit 30. Input to the microcomputer 20. Although a detailed description is omitted here, the detection signal of the current transformer 29 is used for detecting the degree of clogging of the filter 8.

The microcomputer 20 determines the amount of clothes in the rotary drum 7 based on signals from the pair of electrodes 18 (detection circuit 25) and controls the rotation of the clothes based on the software configuration. The drying degree of the clothes in the drum 7 is detected. That is, based on a change in resistance between the electrodes 18 when wet clothing contacts the pair of electrodes 18, the presence / absence of contact of the clothing with the electrodes 18 is detected by the detection circuit 25 using a Hi / Lo voltage signal (contact signal). ) And input to the microcomputer 20. At the same time, the resistance value between the electrodes 18 is determined by the detection circuit 2
5, the voltage signal is converted into a voltage signal having a level corresponding to the resistance value, and is input to the microcomputer 20.

Here, as the amount of clothes in the rotary drum 7 increases, the number of times of contact with the electrode 18 increases. Therefore, a contact signal is checked at, for example, every 10 ms during a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes). By counting (the number of times of Hi), the cloth amount can be determined.
In this case, as shown in FIG.
Judgment is made in four ranks of "medium", "small" and "extremely small", and the cloth amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (in this case, 8
(Less than 00g)
Is determined.

Further, when the wet clothing contacts so as to straddle between the electrodes 18, the resistance value of the electrode 18 becomes in accordance with the water content, and the degree of drying (drying rate) of the clothing is determined by the resistance value. It can be detected. Therefore,
The microcomputer 20 includes an electrode 18 and a detection circuit 25.
At the same time, it constitutes a cloth amount determining means and a dryness detecting means.

As will be described later in the description of the operation,
The microcomputer 20 performs the cloth amount determination at the beginning of the drying operation, and the result of the determination is “large”, “medium”,
When it is any of "small", the operation control is performed based on the detection of the degree of drying (drying rate). On the other hand, when the cloth amount determination result is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value, that is, a “minimal” rank, the remaining operation time is determined as needed (continuously) based on the operation elapsed time and the detection of the drying rate. Driving is performed. Therefore, the microcomputer 20 also functions as an operation time determination unit.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. To execute the drying operation, the user puts, for example, the washed clothes into the rotating drum 7 and then operates the key switch 5 on the operation panel.
To start a drying operation (for example, a normal course). Then, the microcomputer 20 executes the drying operation according to the control procedure shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 1 and 2. Although these flowcharts are originally one connected flowchart,
For convenience of space, it is divided into two figures.

That is, when the drying operation is started, first, in step S1, the motor 11 and the heater 16 are turned on, whereby the rotary drum 7 is driven to rotate, and
Hot air is circulated and supplied into the rotating drum 7 by the fan 10 and the heater 16. At the same time, counting of the current time (operating time up to the present) t is started in step S2. In the next steps S3 to S5, a cloth amount determination for determining the cloth amount of the clothes in the rotating drum 7 is executed.

This processing is performed, for example, for 10 ms as described above.
Each time, the contact signal of the electrode 18 is checked, and the number of times of contact (the number of times of Hi) is counted (step S4) continuously for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) (step S3), and the data of the count value Thus, the cloth quantity rank is determined using the table shown in FIG. 6 (step S5). With this, the amount of cloth is "large", "medium",
The rank is determined to be one of “small” and “minimal”. In the next step S6, it is determined whether or not the determined cloth amount rank is "minimal". The subsequent processing procedure differs between the case of "extremely small" and the case of any other (any of "large", "medium", and "small").

Here, the cloth amount is "large", "medium", "small".
(Step S)
6), the process proceeds to FIG. 2. First, in step S7, it is determined whether the drying rate has reached 95% by detecting the degree of drying. At this time, the minimum value of the drying rate detected within a predetermined time is detected as the drying rate at that time, and the detection is performed at intervals of, for example, 30 seconds.
% Is counted six times, it is determined that the drying rate has reached 95%. When the drying rate reaches 95% (Yes in step S7), the current temperature A detected by the temperature sensor 17 is saved in step S8.

In the next step S9, it is determined whether or not the drying rate has reached 99% or more. In this case, for example, when the minimum value of the drying rate detected in 2 minutes is 99% or more, it is determined that 99% or more has been reached when counting is performed twice. If the drying rate has reached 99% (Yes in step S9), the temperature B at that time detected by the temperature sensor 17 is saved in step S10.

In step S11, the temperature A
From the difference D (= BA) between the temperature and the temperature B and the cloth amount rank,
Based on the table shown in FIG. 7, the optimal finishing time thereafter is determined. If the finishing time elapses after the drying rate reaches 99% (Yes in step S12), the process returns to FIG. 1, and the heater 16 is turned off (step S21). (The driving of the rotary drum 7 and the fan 10 by the driving) (step S22), and the operation ends.

On the other hand, if the result of the cloth amount determination in step S5 is the rank of "extremely small" (less than 800 g) (Yes in step S6), first, in step S1.
At 3, the total operation time T is provisionally set to, for example, 25 minutes. Then, the drying operation is performed as it is until the operation time (current time t) reaches 15 minutes (step S1).
4). If the current time t has reached 15 minutes (Yes in step S14), the processing in steps S15 to S20, that is, correction of the entire operation time T based on the current time t and the detected drying rate F ( The determination of the remaining operation time) is repeated.

That is, in step S15, the degree of drying (drying rate F) is determined based on the above-described resistance level between the electrodes 18.
Is determined, and in step S16, it is determined whether or not the drying rate F is 99% or more. Here, when the drying rate F actually becomes 99% or more, or when the electrode 1
When the drying rate F is erroneously detected as 100% because there is no contact of the clothing with the clothing 8 (step S16)
, Yes), the process proceeds to step S20 without correcting the entire operation time T (step S17).

On the other hand, when the detected drying rate F is smaller than 99% (No in step S16), in the next step S18, the current time t and the drying rate F at that time are shown in FIG. The correction value C is obtained based on the table shown in FIG.
Is updated to the value obtained by adding the correction value C to. Then, in step S20, it is determined whether or not the current time t has reached the operating time T. If not (No in step S20), the processing from step S15 is repeated. When the current time t reaches the operation time T (Yes in step S20), the heater 16 is turned off as described above (step S21), and the air blowing operation is performed for 10 minutes (step S22). finish.

In this case, the fact that the drying rate F is smaller than 99% (No in step S16) means that the clothing actually came into contact with the electrode 18, and the drying rate F at that time.
Is a highly reliable value. In the table of FIG. 3, the drying rate F is less than 95%, 95 to 9
It is divided into three stages of 7% and 97-99%, and the correction value C differs depending on the current time t. Here, the lower the drying rate F, the larger the correction value C, and the longer the current time t, the larger the correction value C is set.

Therefore, for example, if the drying rate F has increased to about 98% at the current time t of 20 minutes, it can be determined that the progress of drying is high, the correction value C is reduced to 5 minutes, and the operation is started. Time T will be shortened to 25 minutes. Conversely, for example, if the drying rate F is still less than 95% even if the current time t is 30 minutes, it can be determined that the progress of drying is slow, the correction value C is increased, and the operation time is increased. T is determined to be long.

In the detection of the drying rate F at a certain time, the drying rate F is 100
%, But if the actual drying rate F is low, sometime (until at least 5 minutes have passed), the clothing comes into contact with the electrodes and the step S1 is performed.
8. The process proceeds to S19. If the drying rate F is 99% or more and continues without change, it can be determined that the drying rate F is the actual drying rate F. Since the drying rate F continues to be 99% or more, after a predetermined time, The current time t reaches the operation time T (Ye in step S20).
s).

As described above, by repeating the routine of steps S15 to S20, since the amount of clothes in the rotating drum 7 is small, even if the frequency of contact of the clothes with the electrode 18 is small, the contact is made. The operation time T is corrected by detecting the actual drying rate F at the time (the remaining operation time is determined).
You can do it. As a result, the drying operation can be performed for an appropriate time according to the actual drying rate F, and the clothes are not sufficiently dried based on the drying rate F that has been detected higher than the actual drying rate. The situation in which the drying operation is terminated can be prevented beforehand.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the amount of clothes contained in the rotating drum 7 is small ("very small" rank).
In the case of, the operation time T is updated at any time based on the current time (elapsed operation time) t and the detected drying rate F. Even if the situation is reduced, the drying operation can be performed while correcting the remaining operation time as needed, based on the drying rate F detected when the clothing actually contacts the electrode 18. As a result, it is possible to perform appropriate drying operation control even when the amount of cloth is small, unlike the conventional method in which the drying operation is terminated with insufficient drying of clothes. It has excellent effects.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment (corresponding to claim 3) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second to sixth embodiments described below can be said to be modifications of the first embodiment, and the hardware configuration of the clothes dryer 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, for the same parts as those in the first embodiment, new illustration and detailed description are omitted, and reference numerals are used in common.
Hereinafter, different points will be mainly described.

Although not shown in detail, in this embodiment,
When starting the drying operation, the microcomputer 20 detects the initial temperature in the rotating drum 7 by the temperature sensor 17 before turning on the motor 11 and the heater 16 (before step S1), and the detection result of the initial temperature , The operation time T when the cloth amount is the “minimal” rank is changed. Therefore, the temperature sensor 17 functions as an initial temperature detecting unit.

More specifically, the determined cloth amount is “extremely small”.
In the case of rank, similar to the first embodiment,
Update of the entire operation time T (determination of the remaining operation time) based on the current time t and the detected drying rate F is repeatedly performed as needed (Steps S15 to S20 in the flowchart of FIG. 1).
Processing). At this time, in step S18, the correction value C
When the initial temperature exceeds 5 ° C., a correction value C is calculated according to the table shown in FIG.
When the initial temperature is 5 ° C. or less, the correction value C is obtained according to the table shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, the correction value C is set larger (longer) as a whole than the correction value C of FIG. 3, and when the initial temperature is 5 ° C. or lower, the drying time is longer. Driving will be performed. In this case, when the temperature in the rotating drum 7 at the start of the operation is low, the appropriate drying time becomes long. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the drying operation can be performed in a more appropriate time. It is.

(3) Third Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment (corresponding to claim 4) of the present invention. In this embodiment, the microcomputer 20
Means that the value of the current flowing through the heater 16 is
, And the degree of clogging of the filter 8 is detected based on the fact that the current detection value is input via the current detection circuit 30. This utilizes the characteristic that when the clogging of the filter 8 proceeds, the amount of air flowing through the heater 16 gradually decreases, and the current flowing through the heater 16 also decreases.

Accordingly, the microcomputer 20 functions as clogging detecting means together with the current transformer 29 and the current detecting circuit 30. still. When the microcomputer 20 determines that the degree of clogging of the filter 8 has become large enough to necessitate cleaning (or replacement), the microcomputer 20 notifies the user of the fact by using the filter check lamp 28.

In this embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, when the determined amount of cloth is in the “minimal” rank, the current time t and the detected drying rate F The update of the entire operation time T based on the above is repeated at any time (the processing of steps S15 to S20 in the flowchart of FIG. 1).
However, at this time, in obtaining the correction value C in step S18, if the detected degree of clogging of the filter 8 is smaller than the determination reference value, the correction value C is obtained according to the table shown in FIG. If the value is equal to or larger than the reference value, the correction value C is obtained according to the table shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, the correction value C is set to be generally longer (longer) than the correction value C of FIG. 3, and when the degree of clogging of the filter 8 is equal to or more than the determination reference value, The drying operation for a longer time will be performed. In this case, if the clogging of the filter 8 increases, the amount of air blown decreases, the calorific value of the heater 16 decreases, and the time required for the drying operation becomes longer. However, according to this embodiment, Thus, the drying operation can be performed in a more appropriate time.

(4) Fourth Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment (corresponding to claim 5) of the present invention. In this embodiment, the microcomputer 2
In the case of 0, when the cloth amount is determined to be the "minimal" rank, the rotating drum 7 is reversed for a certain period of time, and then the cloth amount determination is performed again. The flowchart of FIG. 10 illustrates a portion that performs a different process from the flowchart of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

That is, after the start of the drying operation, the cloth amount rank is determined (step S5), and when the determined cloth amount rank is “minimal” (Yes in step S6), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped. Is performed (step S31), and then the motor 11 is driven in reverse (step S32). As a result, the rotating drum 7 is turned over. This inversion driving is performed for a fixed time (for example, 30 seconds) (step S).
33) If a certain time has elapsed (Y in step S33)
es), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped (step S3)
After 4), the rotation is switched to the normal rotation (step S35).

In the next steps S36 to S38, the cloth amount judgment for judging the cloth amount of the clothes in the rotating drum 7 is executed again. This processing is performed by, for example, 1
Checking the contact signal of the electrode 18 every 0 ms and counting the number of times of contact (the number of times Hi) (step S37) are continuously executed for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) (step S36), and The cloth quantity rank is determined from the data using the table shown in FIG. 6 (step S38).

The result of the second cloth amount determination is also that of the case of the minimum rank (Ye in step S39).
s) Then, the process proceeds from step S13. In the second cloth amount determination, when the cloth amount is determined to be one of the ranks of “large”, “medium”, and “small” (step S3).
No. 9), it is determined that the first cloth amount determination is an erroneous determination, and the process proceeds to step S7 as in the first embodiment.

Here, as described above, when the amount of clothes is determined based on the frequency of contact of the clothes with the electrodes 18, even if the amount of clothes is not originally determined to be the "minimal" rank, for example, the clothes are intertwined. In addition, there is a possibility that the frequency of contact with the electrode 18 becomes low, and thus it is erroneously determined as “minimal”.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the first cloth amount determination is “minimal”, the clothes are loosened by reversing the rotating drum 7 and the cloth amount determination is performed again. Thus, the amount of cloth can be determined.

(5) Fifth Embodiment FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment (corresponding to claim 6) of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, when the determined cloth amount is the “minimal” rank, the entire operation time is determined based on the current time t and the detection of the drying rate F, as in the first embodiment. Updating of T (determination of the remaining operation time) is repeated at any time. In this embodiment, the rotating drum 7 is inverted for a certain period of time when there is no change in the detected degree of drying F of 99% or more for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes). The flowchart of FIG. 11 differs from the flowchart of the first embodiment (FIG. 1) in that
The part that performs different processing is shown.

That is, when the detected dryness F is 99% or more (Yes in step S16), in the next step S41, is the dryness F changed for a predetermined time (two minutes in this case)? It is determined whether or not. When the degree of drying F (99% or more) does not change for 2 minutes (Yes in step S41), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped (step S42), and then the motor 11 is driven to reverse (step S43). This reversing drive is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) (step S44). After the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S44), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped (step S45), and then switched to the normal rotation. Is performed (step S46).

After that, the process proceeds to the step of detecting the drying rate F (step S15). Although not shown in detail, when the drying rate F changes from less than 99% to more than 99% due to the above processing, a two-minute timer set in the microcomputer 20 is started. When steps S42 to S46 are performed, the timer is reset for the two minutes. When the drying rate F changes from a state of 99% or more to a state of less than 99%, the two-minute timer is cleared.

According to this embodiment, for example, when the clothes are entangled and it is difficult to come into contact with the electrode 18, and the state continues for, for example, 2 minutes, the clothes can be loosened by reversing the rotating drum 7, It is possible to prevent a problem that the drying operation is terminated with insufficient drying of the clothes beforehand, and to more stably detect the drying rate F.

(6) Sixth Embodiment FIG. 12 shows a sixth embodiment (corresponding to claim 7) of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, when the determined cloth amount is the “minimal” rank, the entire operation time is determined based on the current time t and the detection of the drying rate F, as in the first embodiment. The update of T (determination of the remaining operation time) is repeated as needed. When the degree of change in the detected dryness F is equal to or more than a predetermined value, for example, when there is a negative change of 4% or more, the rotation drum 7 Is inverted for a certain period of time. The flowchart of FIG.
The flowchart (FIG. 1) of the embodiment (1) shows a portion that performs a different process.

That is, when the drying rate F is detected in step S15, it is determined in next step S51 whether the previously detected drying rate F has changed by a predetermined value (4% in this case) or more. Is determined. When there is a negative change equal to or more than the predetermined value (Yes in step S51), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped (step S5).
2) Then, the motor 11 is driven in reverse (Step S)
53). This reversing drive is performed for a fixed time (for example, 30 seconds) (step S54), and after the fixed time elapses (Yes in step S54), the motor 11 is temporarily stopped (step S55) and then switched to the normal rotation. Is performed (step S56). Thereafter, the process proceeds to the step of detecting the drying rate F (step S15).

According to this, for example, since there is little variation in the position of the garment in the rotating drum 7, when there is uneven drying of the garment and there is a dry portion and a wet portion, the rotating drum 7 The position of the clothes can be fluctuated (stirred) by reversing, and the effect of preventing uneven drying can be enhanced, and the problem that the drying operation is terminated with insufficient drying of some clothes can be prevented. Can be prevented.

(7) Seventh Embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment (corresponding to claim 2) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, when the determined cloth amount is the “minimum” rank, the operation elapsed time (current time t) is determined without detecting the drying rate of the unstable clothing using the electrode 18. , Temperature sensor 1
The drying operation is performed while the remaining operation time (entire operation time T) is determined as needed based on the detected temperature of the hot air at 7. In addition, cloth amount is "large",
When it is determined that the rank is “medium” or “small”, the same control as in the first embodiment is performed.

The flowchart of FIG. 13 shows a control procedure of the drying operation executed by the microcomputer 20, and the illustration of the same parts as those in the first embodiment is almost omitted. In this embodiment, the result of the determination of the amount of cloth in step S5 is the rank of "minimal" (less than 800 g).
Is satisfied (Yes in step S6), the entire operation time T is temporarily set to, for example, 25 minutes in step S13. Then, the drying operation is performed as it is until the operation time (current time t) reaches 15 minutes (step S14).

If the current time t has reached 15 minutes (Yes in step S14), temperature detection is performed in step S61. In the next step S62, it is determined whether or not the flag f for determining that the warm air temperature has reached 72 ° C. has become 1. If the flag f is 0 (No in Step S62), Step S6
At 3, check if the current temperature has reached 72 ° C (72 ° C
Or not) is determined. If the detected temperature is lower than 72 ° C. (No in step S63), step S
At 64, it is determined whether the detected temperature is less than 65 ° C.

When the detected temperature is lower than 72 ° C. and higher than 65 ° C. (No in step S64), the operation time T is not corrected (step S65), and the process proceeds to step S20. Also, in step S62, the flag f has already become 1
Is satisfied (Yes in step S62),
Without correcting the operation time T (step S65), the process proceeds to step S20, where it is determined whether or not the current time t has reached the operation time T.
No at 20), the processing from step S61 is repeated.

On the other hand, if the detected temperature has reached 72 ° C. (Yes in step S 63), step S 66
At step 1, the flag f is set to 1 and
At 67, a correction value C is obtained from the current time t at that time and the detected temperature (72 ° C. or higher) based on the table shown in FIG. Then, in step S68, the operation time T is set to a value obtained by adding the correction value C to the current time t. In this case, at this time, the flag f is set to 1
Therefore, the operation time T set in step S68 is not changed thereafter.

On the other hand, if the detected temperature is lower than 65 ° C. (Yes in step S64), in step S69,
From the current time t and the detected temperature (less than 65 ° C.) at that time, a correction value C is obtained based on the table shown in FIG. Then, in step S70, the operation time T becomes
It is updated to the value obtained by adding the correction value C to the current time t.

In this case, the detected temperature rises as the clothes dry, but if the rise is slow,
That is, when the detected temperature is lower than 65 ° C. forever, it can be determined that the cloth amount is relatively large or the type is hard to dry, and it is necessary to lengthen the operation time T accordingly. On the other hand, even if the drying has not progressed much, the warm air is discharged from the rotating drum 7 without passing through the clothes (without contributing to the drying of the clothes) because the amount of the cloth is too small. There may be a case where the detected temperature is significantly increased (to reach 72 ° C. or more). Therefore, even when the detected temperature reaches 72 ° C. or more too early, it is necessary to look at a certain drying time in order to perform sufficient drying.

According to the above-described control, when the cloth amount of the clothes stored in the rotating drum 7 is of the minimum rank, the degree of temperature rise of the circulating hot air with the operation elapsed time, in this case, the detected temperature becomes 72 ° C. Based on the time it took to reach,
The appropriate remaining operation time will be determined. As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the operation time can be determined without detecting the degree of drying of the clothes using the electrode 18, control based on the detection of the unstable degree of drying can be omitted, and the amount of cloth can be reduced. Has an excellent effect that appropriate drying operation control can be performed even when the amount is small.

(8) Eighth and Ninth Embodiments Finally, FIG. 15 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention. Since the eighth and ninth embodiments can be said to be so-called modifications of the seventh embodiment, only the differences from the seventh embodiment will be described below.

In the eighth embodiment, the cloth amount is "extremely small".
In the case of the rank, the operation time T is determined based on the current time t and the detected temperature after the drying operation has been performed, for example, for 25 minutes, as in the seventh embodiment. At this time, as in the second embodiment, the initial temperature in the rotating drum 7 is detected by the temperature sensor 17, and when the initial temperature is 5 ° C. or less, the correction value C is obtained according to the table shown in FIG. It is supposed to be.
If the initial temperature exceeds 5 ° C., the correction value table shown in FIG. 14 is used as in the seventh embodiment.

In FIG. 15, the setting of the current time t is shifted to the longer side as compared with FIG. 14, and when the initial temperature is 5 ° C. or lower, the longer time is set. Drying operation will be performed. in this case,
When the temperature inside the rotating drum 7 at the start of the operation is low, an appropriate drying time is long, and therefore, according to this embodiment, the drying operation can be performed in a more appropriate time.

In the ninth embodiment, when the determined amount of cloth is of the “extremely small” rank, after the drying operation has been performed, for example, for 20 minutes, the current time is changed in the same manner as in the seventh embodiment. The operation time T is determined based on the detected temperature t and the detected temperature. At this time, if the degree of clogging of the detected filter 8 is equal to or larger than the determination reference value as in the third embodiment. For example, according to the table shown in FIG.
Is required. Filter 8 detected
If the degree of clogging is smaller than the determination reference value,
Are used.

According to this embodiment, as in the third embodiment, when the clogging of the filter 8 becomes large, the amount of air to be blown is reduced and the amount of heat generated by the heater 16 is reduced. Thus, even if there is a problem that the time is long, the drying operation can be performed in an appropriate time.

In each of the above embodiments, the total operation time T
Is corrected (updated), but the remaining operation time may be directly determined (corrected). Further, the specific numerical values described in each embodiment are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, it is also possible to implement the present invention in a form in which a plurality of embodiments are combined. In addition, various modifications can be considered for the control of the drying operation when the cloth amount is other than the “minimal” rank, and the present invention may be configured such that the rotating drum and the fan may be rotated by separate motors. The present invention can be carried out with appropriate changes within a range not departing from the above. Further, the present invention may be applied to a washer / dryer that performs from washing to drying.

[0080]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the clothes dryer of the present invention, when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value, the operation elapsed time is reduced. Since the operating time determining means for determining the remaining operating time at any time based on the degree of drying detected by the drying degree detecting means or the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is provided, the amount of clothes stored in the rotary drum is provided. Has an excellent effect that appropriate drying operation control can be performed even when the amount is small.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a drying operation (part 1).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a drying operation control procedure (part 2).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a correction value table of an operation time.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a configuration of a clothes dryer.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cloth amount determination reference value table;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a finishing time table.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and shows a correction value table when the initial temperature is 5 ° C. or less.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a view showing a correction value table when the degree of clogging of the filter is large.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a main part of a control procedure.

FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a main part of a control procedure.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a main part of a control procedure according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a main part of a control procedure.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a correction value table of an operation time.

FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8, showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9 showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawing, 1 is a clothes dryer, 7 is a rotating drum, 8 is a filter, 10 is a fan, 11 is a motor, 16 is a heater, 17
Are temperature sensors (temperature detecting means, initial temperature detecting means), 1
8 is an electrode, 20 is a microcomputer (cloth amount determining means, control means, operating time determining means, clogging detecting means),
Reference numeral 25 denotes a detection circuit, 29 denotes a current transformer, and 30 denotes a current detection circuit.

Claims (7)

[Claims] A rotating drum for storing clothes; a heater for generating hot air; a fan for circulating and supplying hot air into the rotating drum; a motor for rotating the rotating drum; Cloth amount determining means for determining the amount of clothes in the drum; drying degree detecting means for detecting the degree of drying of the clothes by a resistance value between a pair of electrodes provided in the rotating drum; the motor and the heater Control means for performing a drying operation by controlling the amount of cloth determined by the cloth amount determination means is a small amount of less than a predetermined value based on the elapsed operation time and the degree of dryness detected by the degree of dryness detection means And a driving time determining means for determining a remaining driving time at any time. 2. A rotating drum for accommodating clothes, a heater for generating hot air, a fan for circulating and supplying hot air into the rotating drum, a motor for rotating and driving the rotating drum, A cloth amount determining means for determining a cloth amount of clothes in the drum; a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the circulating hot air; a control means for controlling the motor and the heater to execute a drying operation; Operating time determining means for determining the remaining operating time as needed based on the operating elapsed time and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means when the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value. Clothes dryer. 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an initial temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature in the rotating drum at the start of the operation, wherein the operating time determining means changes a remaining operating time in accordance with a detection result of the initial temperature detecting means. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. A clogging detecting means for detecting a degree of clogging of a lint trapping filter provided in a blowing path of a rotary drum, and an operation time determining means according to a detection result of the clogging detecting means. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the remaining operation time is changed. 5. The cloth amount determining means is configured to determine the cloth amount based on the frequency of contact of the clothes with a pair of electrodes provided in the rotating drum at the beginning of the drying operation, and the control means includes: When the cloth amount determined by the cloth amount determining means is a small amount equal to or less than a predetermined value, the rotating drum is reversed for a predetermined time, and then the cloth amount is determined by the cloth amount determining means again. The clothes dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein 6. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the controller reverses the rotating drum for a predetermined time when the degree of drying detected by the degree of drying detection does not change for a predetermined time. 7. The control means, when the dryness detected by the dryness detecting means changes by a predetermined value or more within a unit time,
7. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the rotating drum is inverted for a predetermined time.