Heating system, drying machine having the heating system, and method of controlling the heating system

• US 8,042,284 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoo, Hea Kyung, Go, Seog Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/869,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20080210769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 344/13, 344/97, 346/01, 346/02, 345/95, 346/06, 34/90, 34/58, 68/20, 68/18, 208/176, 219/480, 318/60, 534/40, 535/63, 399/18, 399/86
• US Class Current: 34/601
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature

Abstract

A heating system and a method of controlling the heating system are provided. When a heating unit and a switch are turned on and off repeatedly by the predetermined number of times or more, only some of heaters of the heating unit are turned on, thereby increasing service life of the heating unit and the switch.

Claims

1. A heating system for a drying machine, the heating system comprising:

a heating unit having a plurality of heaters for heating air flowing into a drum;

a key input unit configured to input a drying condition of the drying machine, the drying condition including at least one of an amount of laundry and a kind of the laundry;

switching units for turning on and off the respective heaters; and

a control unit for turning on only some of the heaters when it is determined that the heating unit is turned on and off repeatedly by predetermined number of times or more,

wherein said some of the heaters configured to be maintained in the on-state are determined in accordance with at least one of the amount of the laundry and the kind of the laundry.

2. The heating system according to claim 1, wherein the heaters of the heating unit have different heat generation capacities and the heaters include a first heater and a second heater having a smaller heat generation capacity than that of the first heater.

3. The heating system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit turns on only the first heater according to an inputted condition through the key input when it is determined that at least one of the first and second heater is turned on and off repeatedly by the predetermined number of times or more, the inputted condition being one of that the amount of laundry is more than a predetermined amount or that the kind of the laundry is set as a high temperature drying cloth mode.

4. The heating system according to claim 2, wherein, when it is determined that the first and second heaters are turned on and off repeatedly by less than the predetermined number of times, the control unit maintains a predetermined temperature range while turning on and off repeatedly all of the heaters.

5. The heating system for a drying machine according to claim 2, wherein the control unit turns on only the second heater according to an inputted condition through the key input unit when it is determined that at least one of the first heater and second heater is turned on and off repeatedly by the predetermined number of times or more, the inputted condition being one of that the amount of the laundry is less than predetermined amount or that the kind of the laundry is set as a low temperature drying cloth mode.