DRYER WITH CLOGGING DETECTING FUNCTION

• US 20080078100A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Yang-hwan, KIM, Ju-hyun, Bae, Sun-cheol, Min, Ju-young, Kim, Kyung-hun, Hu, Jin-seok, Koo, Ja-in
• Granted Patent: US 7,926,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/524
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/56 related to air ducts, e.g. position of flow diverters
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/34 Filtering, e.g. control of lint removal devices
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/08 Control circuits or arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/20 Parameters relating to constructional components, e.g. door sensors
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens

Abstract

The present invention discloses a clogging detecting apparatus for a dryer which can check and display a clogging degree of an air passage. The clogging detecting apparatus for the dryer includes a judgment unit for judging the clogging degree of the air passage, a storing unit for storing the clogging degree of the air passage, and a display unit for displaying the clogging degree to the user. The clogging detecting apparatus for the dryer does not only notify clogging of the air passage but also provides information on the clogging degree, so that the user can precisely check the state of the air passage.

Claims

1. A dryer with a clogging detection function, comprising:

a judgment unit for judging a clogging degree of an air passage;

a storing unit for storing the clogging degree of the air passage; and

a display unit for displaying the clogging degree to a user.

2. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the clogging degree by at least two steps.

3. The dryer of claim 2, wherein, when the clogging degree is over a critical step, the display unit displays a warning message.

4. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the display unit visibly or audibly displays the clogging degree.

5. The dryer of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a clogging degree of a lint filter and a clogging degree of an exhaust duct.

6. The dryer of claim 1, comprising an input unit for starting the judging operation of the judgment unit according to a judgment command from the user.

7. The dryer of claim 1, comprising:

an operation unit for performing a drying operation on the air passage; and

a stopping unit for stopping the drying operation of the operation unit.

8. The dryer of claim 7, wherein the stopping unit intercepts power supply to the operation unit, and the judgment unit comprises a detection unit for detecting on/off of the drying operation by the stopping unit, and a control unit for deciding the clogging degree of the air passage according to the on/off of the drying operation detected by the detection unit.

9. The dryer of claim 8, comprising a connection line for connecting the detection unit to the operation unit or the stopping unit.

10. The dryer of claim 8, wherein the judgment unit checks the clogging degree of the air passage by computing an on/off duty ratio of the drying operation.

11. The dryer of claim 7, wherein the stopping unit transmits an off control command to the operation unit according to a temperature of the air passage, and the judgment unit judges the clogging degree of the air passage according to the on/off of the drying operation by the stopping unit.

12. The dryer of claim 11, wherein the judgment unit checks the clogging degree of the air passage by computing an on/off duty ratio of the drying operation.

13. The dryer of claim 8, wherein the control unit decides the clogging degree of the air passage according to a first off time point of the drying operation by the stopping unit.

14. The dryer of claim 1, comprising an operation unit for performing the drying operation on the air passage, wherein the judgment unit comprises a temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of the air passage, and a control unit for deciding the clogging degree of the air passage according to a temperature variation sensed by the temperature sensing unit.

15. The dryer of claim 1, further comprising a comparison unit for comparing the judged clogging degree with at least one prestored clogging degree of the air passage, wherein the display unit displays the comparison result.

16. The dryer of claim 15, comprising an initial state setting unit for setting the judged clogging degree as an initial clogging degree, when a difference value between the judged clogging degree and the initial clogging degree of the prestored clogging degrees does not correspond to an initial difference value reference range as the comparison result of the comparison unit.

17. The dryer of claim 1, comprising an initial state setting unit for setting the judged clogging degree as an initial clogging degree, when the prestored clogging degree does not exist.

19. The dryer of claim 15, comprising a setting unit for setting a comparison result of the comparison unit between the judged clogging degree and the latest stored clogging degree as the clogging degree or clogging progressive degree of the lint filter.

20. The clogging detecting apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a first comparison unit for comparing the judged clogging degree with a clogging reference of the exhaust duct; and

a second comparison unit for comparing a difference value between the prestored clogging degree and the judged clogging degree with a clogging reference of the lint filter.

21. The clogging detecting apparatus of claim 20, comprising a display unit for displaying clogging of the exhaust duct or clogging of the lint filter according to the comparison result of the first comparison unit or the second comparison unit.

18. The dryer of claim 18, wherein the initial clogging degree is the clogging degree of the exhaust duct.

22. A control panel for a dryer, comprising:

an input unit for acquiring a judgment request for a clogging degree of an air passage from the user; and

a display unit for displaying the clogging degree of the air passage according to the judgment request.

23. The control panel of claim 22, wherein the display unit visibly or audibly displays the clogging degree.

24. The control panel of claim 22, wherein the display unit displays the clogging degree by at least two steps.

25. The control panel of claim 24, wherein, when the clogging degree is over a critical step, the display unit displays a warning message.

26. The control panel of claim 22, wherein the display unit displays a clogging degree of a lint filter and a clogging degree of an exhaust duct.

27. A clogging detecting method for a dryer, comprising:

a step to judge a clogging degree of an air passage;

when an initial clogging degree has been prestored, a step to compare the judged clogging degree with the initial clogging degree, and when a difference value between the judged clogging degree and the initial clogging degree does not correspond to an initial difference value reference range as the comparison result, a first storing step to store the judged clogging degree as a new initial clogging degree; and

when the initial clogging degree has not been stored, a second storing step to store the judged clogging degree as the initial clogging degree.

28. The clogging detecting method of claim 27, comprising a step to display the initial clogging degree.

29. The clogging detecting method of claim 27, wherein the initial clogging degree is a clogging degree of an exhaust duct, and the difference value is a clogging progressive degree of the exhaust duct.

30. The clogging detecting method of claim 27, comprising a third storing step to store the judged clogging degree, when the difference value between the judged clogging degree and the initial clogging degree corresponds to the initial difference value reference range as the comparison result.

31. The clogging detecting method of claim 27, comprising a step to display the difference value, when the difference value between the judged clogging degree and the initial clogging degree corresponds to the initial difference value reference range as the comparison result.

32. The clogging detecting method of claim 31, wherein the difference value is a clogging progressive degree of a lint filter, and the sum of the difference values is a clogging degree of the lint filter.

33. A clogging detecting method for a dryer, comprising:

a step to judge a clogging degree of an air passage;

a step to compare the clogging degree with a prestored clogging reference of an exhaust duct; and

when the clogging degree corresponds to the clogging reference of the exhaust duct in the comparison step, a step to display clogging of the exhaust duct.

34. The clogging detecting method of claim 33, comprising:

when the clogging degree does not correspond to the clogging reference of the exhaust duct in the comparison step, a second comparison step to compare a difference value between the judged clogging degree and the latest stored clogging degree with a clogging reference of a lint filter; and

when the difference value corresponds to the clogging reference of the lint filter in the second comparison step, a step to display clogging of the lint filter.

35. The clogging detecting method of claim 34, comprising a step to store the judged clogging degree, when the difference value does not correspond to the clogging reference of the lint filter in the second comparison step.