Apparatus For Automatically Drying And Method For Controlling The Same

• US 20070271814A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bae, Sun, Son, Chang, Kim, Dae
• Granted Patent: US 7,900,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/524
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/34 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/44 Current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

An automatic drying apparatus and a method of controlling the same is disclosed, enabling exact drying by using a humidity sensor (37) provided at a location having a stabilized output characteristic for automatic drying, the automatic drying apparatus including a heating apparatus (31) for heating air supplied into a drum into which a drying object is introduced, a fan (32) for forcibly drawing air into the drum; and a humidity sensor (37) provided between the fan (32) and the heating apparatus (37) such that a sensing surface is positioned to be parallel to a flowing direction of air passed through the fan (32), for outputting a sensing voltage value for determining dryness of the drying object.

Claims

1. An automatic drying apparatus comprising:

a heating apparatus for heating air supplied into a drum into which a drying object is introduced;

a fan for forcibly drawing air into the drum; and

a humidity sensor provided between the fan and the heating apparatus such that a sensing surface is positioned to be parallel to a flowing direction of air passed through the fan, for outputting a sensing voltage value for determining dryness of the drying object.

2. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein humidity sensor is provided at a duct cover coupled with a back cover and providing a passage for circulating air, the back cover protecting the inside of the drying apparatus including the drum.

3. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein humidity sensor is provided at an air guide for guiding the air passed through the fan toward the heating apparatus.

4. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein humidity sensor is provided at a supporting plate being parallel to the back cover protecting the inside of the drying apparatus from the air guide guiding the air passed thorough the fan toward the heating apparatus, and elongated toward the inside of the duct.

5. An automatic drying apparatus provided at an outside of a back cover protecting and shielding the inside thereof and including a heating apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum for introducing drying object to be dried and a fan for blowing the air to the heating apparatus, comprising:

a duct cover provided with a duct coupled with the fan and the heating apparatus, and through which air flows; and

a humidity sensor for detecting humidity of air passed through the fan and having a sensing surface located in the duct cover and coupled with the duct cover so as t o be parallel to a proceeding direction of the air passed through the fan.

6. An automatic drying apparatus provided at an outside of a back cover protecting and shielding the inside thereof and including a heating apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum for introducing drying object to be dried and a fan for blowing the air to the heating apparatus, comprising:

an air guide provided at one side of the fan and extended from the fan toward the heating apparatus for a predetermined length and having an air guiding surface provided to be parallel to a surface of a back cover, for guiding the air blown by the fan toward the heating apparatus;

a duct cover provided with a duct through which air flows and being coupled with the back cover so as to tightly close the fan, the heating apparatus and the air guide; and

a humidity sensor coupled with one side of the air guide for detecting humidity of the air passed through the fan.

7. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensing surface of the humidity sensor is parallel to a proceeding direction of air passed through the fan.

8. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air guide comprises a first end formed close to an inlet of the heating apparatus and a second end extended along the shape of the duct to a parallel line on the basis of a central axis of the centrifugal fan 32.

9. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the heating apparatus comprises a heater housing having both sides opened, and a heater provided in the heater housing.

10. An automatic drying apparatus provided at an outside of a back cover protecting and shielding the inside thereof and including a heating apparatus for heating air supplied to a drum for introducing drying object to be dried and a fan for blowing the air to the heating apparatus, comprising:

a duct cover provided with a duct through which air flows and being coupled with the back cover so as to tightly close the fan, the heating apparatus and the air guide;

a supporting plate having a first end coupled with an inner structure of the duct, and both sides being separated from corresponding inner surfaces of the duct; and

a humidity sensor coupled with the supporting plate and having a sensing surface provide to be parallel to a side of the supporting plate and detecting humidity of the air passed through the fan.

11. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an air guide provided at one side of the fan and extended from the fan toward the heating apparatus for guiding the air blown by the fan toward the heating apparatus.

12. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 11, wherein the supporting plate is coupled with a first end of the air guide.

13. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 12, wherein the supporting plate is coupled with a part of the air guide, the part close to the heating apparatus on the basis of the center of the air guide.

14. The automatic drying apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensing surface of the humidity sensor is provided to be parallel to the proceeding direction of the air passed through the fan.

15. A controlling method of an automatic drying apparatus for controlling dryness by detecting humidity of a drying object, comprising the steps of:

detecting humidity of the drying object after drying process is started;

dividing the drying object on the basis of an output voltage value of the humidity sensor detecting humidity; and

determining dryness by applying a different dryness determination value according to division of the drying object even though a drying mode is the same.

16. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 15, wherein at the step of dividing the drying object, the drying object is divided on the basis of a time elapsed from a starting point of drying to a point that an output voltage value of the humidity sensor becomes a minimum value.

17. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 15, wherein at the step of dividing the drying object, the drying object is divided on the basis of a level of the minimum voltage value outputted from the humidity sensor after drying is started.

18. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 15, wherein at the step of dividing the drying object, the step of dividing the drying object on the basis of the time elapsed from a starting point of drying to a point that an output voltage value of the humidity sensor becomes a minimum value and the step of dividing the drying object on the basis of a level of the minimum voltage value outputted from the humidity sensor after drying is started are both applied.

19. A controlling method of an automatic drying apparatus for controlling dryness by detecting humidity of a drying object, comprising the steps of:

detecting a minimum voltage value (Vmin) of a humidity sensor detecting humidity of the drying object when drying is started;

dividing the drying object by comparing a time elapsed before a point of outputting the minimum voltage value and a standard time; and

determining dryness by comparing a voltage change amount (Δ

V) from the minimum voltage value with one of preset standard dryness determination value according to a result of the division.

20. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 19, wherein it is judged that a weight in case of detecting the minimum voltage value (Vmin) before the standard time is smaller than that in a case of detecting the minimum voltage value (Vmin) after the standard time.

21. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 19, wherein in a higher drying mode, a larger voltage change amount (Δ

V) is required for satisfying a dryness determination value.

22. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 21, wherein in the same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) for satisfying the dryness determination value is different.

23. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 21, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected before the standard time is larger than the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected after the standard time.

24. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 19, wherein a point of detecting the minimum voltage value is divided into a time before the standard time and a time after the standard time, and a first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected before the standard time and a second standard dryness determination value (Δ

V2) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected after the standard time.

25. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 24, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) satisfying the first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is larger than the voltage change amount (Δ

V) satisfying the second standard dryness determination value (Δ

V2).

26. A controlling method of an automatic drying apparatus for controlling dryness by detecting humidity of a drying object, comprising the steps of:

detecting a minimum voltage value (Vmin) of a humidity sensor detecting humidity of the drying object when drying is started;

dividing the drying object by comparing the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) with a preset standard voltage value; and

determining dryness by comparing a voltage change amount (Δ

V) from the minimum voltage value with one of preset standard dryness determination value according to a result of the division.

27. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein it is judged that a weight in case that the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is larger than the standard voltage value is larger than a weight in case that the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is smaller than the standard voltage value.

28. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein in a higher drying mode, a larger voltage change amount (Δ

V) is required for satisfying a dryness determination value.

29. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 28, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) for satisfying the dryness determination value is different.

30. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 28, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is larger than the standard voltage value is larger than the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is smaller than the standard voltage value.

31. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein a first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is larger than the standard voltage value, and a second standard dryness determination value (Δ

V2) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is smaller than the standard voltage value.

32. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 31, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) satisfying the first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is larger than the voltage change amount (Δ

V) satisfying the second standard dryness determination value (Δ

V2).

33. A controlling method of an automatic drying apparatus for controlling dryness by detecting humidity of a drying object, comprising the steps of:

detecting a minimum voltage value (Vmin) of a humidity sensor detecting humidity of the drying object when drying is started;

dividing the drying object by comparing a time elapsed before a point of outputting the minimum voltage value with a standard time;

dividing the drying object by comparing the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) with a preset standard voltage value when the time elapsed is larger; and

determining dryness by comparing a voltage change amount (Δ

V) from the minimum voltage value with one of preset standard dryness determination value according to a result of the division.

34. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 33, wherein it is judged that a weight in case of detecting the minimum voltage value (Vmin) before the standard time is smaller than that in a case of detecting the minimum voltage value (Vmin) after the standard time.

35. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 33, wherein it is judged that a weight in case that the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is larger than the standard voltage value is larger than a weight in case that the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) is smaller than the standard voltage value.

36. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 34, wherein even in case that the weigh of the minimum voltage value detected after the standard time is larger, the weight is judged to be small when the minimum voltage value is judged to be larger at the step of comparing the detected minimum voltage value (Vmin) with the preset standard voltage value.

37. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 33, wherein in a higher drying mode, a larger voltage change amount (Δ

V) is required for satisfying a dryness determination value.

38. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 37, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) for satisfying the dryness determination value is different.

39. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 38, wherein in a same drying mode, the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected before the standard time is larger than the voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected after the standard time.

40. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 38, wherein in a same drying mode, a voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the detected minimum voltage value is larger than the standard voltage value (Vmin) is larger than a voltage change amount (Δ

V) that is required when the detected minimum voltage value is smaller than the standard voltage value (Vmin).

41. The controlling method of the automatic drying apparatus of claim 33, wherein a point of detecting the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is divided into a time before the standard time and a time after the standard time, and a first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected before the standard time, and a second standard dryness determination value (Δ

V2) is applied when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is detected after the standard time and when the minimum voltage value (Vmin) is smaller than the standard voltage Value, or the first standard dryness determination value (Δ

V1) is applied.