Clothes dryer and method for performing sterilization course thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10731289-B2
Application number	US-201816154070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2018
Priority date	Oct 26, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A clothes dryer includes a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried; a first sensor configured to sense a dry state of the object to be dried accommodated in the drum; a heating unit configured to heat air supplied into the drum; a blower including a fan configured to generate a flow of the air passing through the inside of the drum; a second sensor configured to sense a temperature of the air discharged from the drum; and a processor configured to control a rotation speed of the drum, a temperature of the air discharged from the drum, and a rotation speed of the fan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes dryer comprising:
a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried;
a first sensor configured to sense a dry state of the object to be dried accommodated in the drum;
a heating unit configured to heat air supplied into the drum;
a blower comprising a fan configured to generate a flow of the air passing through an inside of the drum;
a second sensor configured to sense a temperature of air discharged from the drum; and
a processor configured to:
control a rotation speed of the drum,
control a temperature of the air discharged from the drum, and
control a rotation speed of the fan,

wherein the clothes dryer performs:
a first course comprising control of the heating unit and the blower, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a first temperature while the rotation speed of the fan is maintained at a first speed;
a second course comprising control of the heating unit and the blower, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a second temperature while the rotation speed of the fan is maintained at a second speed; and
a third course comprising control of the heating unit and the blower, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a third temperature while the rotation speed of the fan is maintained at a third speed,

wherein the processor is configured to control the clothes dryer to either (i) perform the second course after performing the first course or (ii) perform the third course without performing the first course and the second course based on the dry state of the object to be dried sensed by the first sensor,
wherein the first speed is greater than the second speed and the third speed, and
wherein the third temperature is higher than the first temperature and the second temperature.

2. The clothes dryer of claim 1 , further comprising a flow path that is a circulation path of the air discharged from the drum and flowing into the drum,
wherein the heating unit comprises a compressor connected to the flow path and configured to cool and heat the air circulating through the flow path.

3. The clothes dryer of claim 2 , wherein:
when data sensed by the first sensor is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor is configured to start the third course to drive the compressor at a predetermined operation frequency and drive the fan at a predetermined rotation speed, and
when the data sensed by the second sensor reaches a first threshold value, the processor is configured to maintain a temperature of the drum at the third temperature or higher for a predetermined time.

4. The clothes dryer of claim 3 , wherein:
when the data sensed by the first sensor is greater than the predetermined value, the processor is configured to perform the first course,
when the data sensed by the first sensor is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the processor is configured to start the second course to drive the fan at the predetermined rotation speed, and
the processor is further configured to drive the compressor according to the predetermined operation frequency in the first course, drive the fan at the predetermined rotation speed, start the second course when a drying process ends, and reduce the rotation speed of the fan.

5. The clothes dryer of claim 3 , wherein,
when the data sensed by the first sensor is greater than the predetermined value, the processor is configured to perform the first course,
when the data sensed by the first sensor is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the processor is configured to start the second course to drive the fan at the predetermined rotation speed, and
when the data sensed by the second sensor reaches a second threshold value after the second course is started, the processor is further configured to maintain the temperature of the drum at the second temperature or higher for a predetermined time.

6. The clothes dryer of claim 1 , further comprising a flow path that is a circulation path of the air discharged from the drum and flowing into the drum,
wherein the heating unit comprises:
a compressor connected to the flow path and configured to cool and heat the air circulating through the flow path; and
a heater configured to heat the air flowing into the drum through the flow path.

7. The clothes dryer of claim 6 , wherein:
when data sensed by the first sensor is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor is configured to start the third course to drive the heater, turn off the compressor, and drive the fan at a predetermined rotation speed, and
when the data sensed by the second sensor reaches a first threshold value, the processor is configured to perform a course for sterilization of the object to be dried and to maintain a temperature of the drum at the third temperature or higher for a predetermined time through control of the heater.

8. The clothes dryer of claim 7 , wherein:
when the data sensed by the first sensor is greater than the predetermined value, the processor is configured to perform the first course on the object to be dried, and
when the data sensed by the first sensor is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the processor is configured to start the second course,
the processor is configured to:
drive the compressor according to a predetermined operation frequency in the first course,
drive the fan at the predetermined rotation speed, and
when the first course ends, start the second course, wherein starting the second course comprises driving the heater, turning off the compressor, and driving the fan at the predetermined rotation speed, and

when the data sensed by the second sensor reaches a second threshold value after starting the second course, the processor is further configured to maintain the temperature of the drum at the second temperature or higher for a predetermined time through control of the heater.

9. The clothes dryer of claim 1 , wherein:
the processor is configured to perform a cooling process when at least one of the second course or the third course ends.

10. The clothes dryer of claim 9 , wherein a rotation speed of the fan in the cooling process is higher than a rotation speed of the fan in the second course and the third course.

11. A clothes dryer comprising:
a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried;
a first sensor configured to sense a dry state of the object to be dried accommodated in the drum;
a heating unit configured to heat air supplied into the drum;
a blower configured to generate a flow of the air passing through an inside of the drum;
a second sensor configured to sense a temperature of air discharged from the drum; and
a processor configured to:
control a rotation speed of the drum, and
control a temperature of the air discharged from the drum,

wherein the clothes dryer performs:
a first course comprising control of the drum and the heating unit, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a first temperature while the rotation speed of the drum is maintained at a first speed;
a second course comprising control of the drum and the heating unit, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a second temperature while the rotation speed of the drum is maintained at a second speed; and
a third course comprising control of the drum and the heating unit, wherein the air discharged from the drum has at least a third temperature while the rotation speed of the drum is maintained at a third speed,

wherein the processor is configured to control the clothes dryer to either (i) perform the second course after performing the first course or (ii) perform the third course without performing the

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Do-Haeng
• Seok Hye-Joon
• Yoo Sang-Oh
• Choi Young-Min
• Kim Ju-Dai
• Jang Yong-Joon
• Oak Seong-Min
• Lee Hyung-Woo

Classifications

• D06F58/45 Primary

  Cleaning or disinfection of machine parts, e.g. of heat exchangers or filters · CPC title

• D06F58/44

  of conditioning or finishing, e.g. for smoothing or removing creases · CPC title

• D06F2105/52

  Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps · CPC title

• D06F2105/30

  Blowers · CPC title

• D06F2103/32

  Temperature · CPC title