Dryer and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10470623-B2
Application number	US-201715680306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2017
Priority date	Aug 25, 2016
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates a dyer that includes a front case including a first opening surrounded by an air guide that protrudes forward and a plurality of exhaust holes formed around the first opening, a rear case coupled to the front case and including a second opening surrounded by a housing guide protrudes backward, the second opening overlapping the first opening, a fan housing that is coupled to the first and second openings, is moveable in forward and backward directions along the air guide and the housing guide, and includes a blast fan therein, and a heater that is formed on the fan housing and heats and ejects wind generated by the blast fan, and a direction of the wind ejected from the heater is changed depending on forward and backward movement of the fan housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dryer comprising:
a front case including:
a first opening, and
an air guide positioned around the first opening and protruding forward from the front case;

a rear case coupled to the front case and including:
a second opening, the second opening overlapping the first opening, and
a housing guide positioned around the second opening and protruding backward from the rear case, wherein an internal space is formed between the front case and the rear case;

a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the front case around the first opening; a blocking projection in the internal space, the blocking projection connecting the front case and the rear case and being positioned farther from the air guide than the plurality of exhaust holes, wherein when a proceeding path of heated air flow outputted from the heater overlaps the internal space, the heated air flow outputted from the heater is directed into the internal space and is discharged from the front case through the plurality of exhaust holes;
a fan housing enclosing a fan and being received in a passage defined by the air guide and the housing guide; and
a heater coupled to the fan housing, the heater being configured to receive an air flow generated by the fan, to heat the air flow, and to output the heated air flow,
wherein a direction of the heated air flow outputted from the heater is changed depending on a movement of the fan housing within the passage.

2. The dryer of claim 1 , further comprising:
an input device configured to receive a user input and to forward information associated with the user input; and
a controller configured to:
receive the information associate with the user input from the input device, and
control one or more of the movement of the fan housing within the passage or a rotational speed of the fan based on the received information associated with the user input.

3. The dryer of claim 1 , wherein, when the fan housing is moved in the passage such that a proceeding path of the heated air flow outputted from the heater does not intersect an inner surface of the air guide, the heated air flow continues along the proceeding path in one or more diagonal directions.

4. The dryer of claim 1 , wherein, when the fan housing is moved in the passage such that a proceeding path of the heated air flow outputted from the heater intersects an interior surface of the air guide, the interior surface of the air guide redirects the heated air flow from a direction associated with the proceeding path to a forward axial direction associated with the air guide.

5. The dyer of claim 1 , further comprising a cover formed on the fan housing and configured to cover the heater, wherein the cover includes an outlet through which the heated air flow outputted from the heater passes.

6. The dyer of claim 1 , further comprising an ionizer provided at one side of an internal space formed between the front case and the rear case, wherein the one side of the internal space is positioned farther from the housing guide than another side of the internal space.

7. The dyer of claim 6 , wherein the front case further includes an ion outlet at a region of the front case that overlaps the ionizer; and
wherein the ionizer externally discharges ions through the ion outlet.

8. The dryer of claim 6 , wherein the air guide includes an exhaust vent formed in an end of the air guide that is proximate to a front surface of the front case.

9. The dyer of claim 8 , wherein, when a proceeding path of the heated air flow outputted from the heater intersects the exhaust vent, the heated air flow passes through the exhaust vent, moves along the front surface of the front case, and receives the ions discharged from the ionizer.

10. A method of controlling a dryer, the method comprising:
providing a dryer comprising:
a front case including:
a first opening, and
an air guide positioned around the first opening and protruding forward from the front case;

a rear case coupled to the front case and including:
a second opening, the second opening overlapping the first opening, and a housing guide positioned around the second opening and protruding backward from the rear case, wherein an internal space is formed between the front case and the rear case;
a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the front case around the first opening; a blocking projection in the internal space, the blocking projection connecting the front case and the rear case and being positioned farther from the air guide than the plurality of exhaust holes, wherein when a proceeding path of heated air flow outputted from the heater overlaps the internal space, the heated air flow outputted from the heater is directed into the internal space and is discharged from the front case through the plurality of exhaust holes;
a fan housing enclosing a fan and being received in a passage defined by the air guide and the housing guide; and
a heater coupled to the fan housing, the heater being configured to receive an air flow generated by the fan, to heat the air flow, and to output the heated air flow,

wherein a direction of the heated air flow outputted from the heater is changed depending on a movement of the fan housing within the passage;
receiving an input identifying one of a plurality of air flow modes;
identifying one of a plurality of positions for a fan housing within the dryer based on the identified air flow mode;
moving the fan housing to the identified position within the dryer; and
driving a fan provided in the fan housing to generate a heated air flow associated with the identified air flow mode.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising identifying one or more of an air volume or a static pressure for the heated air flow associated with the identified air flow mode,
wherein the position for the fan housing is further determined based on the identified one or more of the air volume or the static pressure for the heated air flow associated with the identified air flow mode.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising selectively driving an ionizer to output ions into the heated air flow based on the received input, wherein the ionizer is driven to output the ions when moving the fan housing to the identified position within the dryer causes a proceeding path of the heated air flow to intersects the outputted ions.

13. A dryer comprising:
a case formed from a front case and a rear case and including:
an air guide protruding forward from the case, and
a housing guide protruding backward from the case;

a fan housing enclosing a fan, the fan housing being received in a passage defined by the air guide and the housing guide,
wherein the case includes a front case from which the air guide protrudes, and a rear case from the which the casing guide protrudes, an internal space is formed between the front case and the rear case, and a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the front case around the air guide; and
a heater coupled to the fan housing, the heater being configured to receive an air flow generated by the fan, to heat the air flow, and to output the heated air flow,
wherein, when the fan housing is moved in the passage to a first location such that a proceeding path of the heated air flow outputted from the heater does not intersect an inner surface of a distal end of the air guide, the heated air flow continues along the proceeding path in one or more diagonal directions, and
wherein, when the fan housing is moved in the passage to a second location such that the proceeding path of the heated air flow outputted from the heater intersects the interior surface of the air guide, the interior

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Daeyun
• Kim Jong Seok

Classifications

• F24F11/56

  Remote control · CPC title

• A47K10/48 Primary

  Drying by means of hot air · CPC title

• F24F11/74

  for controlling air flow rate or air velocity · CPC title

• F24F11/65

  for selecting an operating mode · CPC title

• F26B9/003

  Small self-contained devices, e.g. portable · CPC title