Clothes dryer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879372-B2
Application number	US-201414307785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2014
Priority date	Jun 18, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A clothes dryer configured to cause air to flow through a drying chamber, an exhaust passage (an air passage) 103 and a filter by a blower to dry clothes includes a heat pump installed in the exhaust passage ( 103 ) and having a heat exchanger ( 122 ) including a refrigerant pipe ( 132 ) and a pin, and a flow velocity sensor ( 107 ) of airflow having a hot thermistor (a heat generating body) 107 a and a temperature compensation thermistor (a temperature detecting body) 107 b and installed downstream from the heat exchanger ( 122 ), wherein the thermistors ( 107 a and 107 b ) are disposed at a refrigerant pipe ( 132 ) of the heat exchanger ( 122 ) in parallel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes dryer comprising:
a suction flow path configured to suction air into a drum of the clothes dryer;
an exhaust flow path configured to exhaust the suctioned air in the drum;
a heat pump circuit comprising a heat exchanger provided in at least one of the suction flow path and the exhaust flow path, and a refrigerant pipe; and
a flow velocity sensor comprising a hot thermistor and a temperature compensation thermistor, the hot thermistor and the temperature compensation thermistor at a substantially same height to each other, in parallel to a surface of the refrigerant pipe, and installed within a cylindrical protection ring downstream from the heat exchanger to detect a flow velocity of the exhausted air.

2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the hot thermistor and the temperature compensation thermistor are provided such that a height position error (T) is ½ or less of a pitch (A) of the refrigerant pipe.

3. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , further comprising a detection unit configured to detect clogging of a filter based on the detected flow velocity of the exhausted air.

4. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the heat pump circuit further comprises a compressor and a decompressor, and
the heat exchanger comprises a first evaporator provided at the exhaust flow path, and a second evaporator and a condenser provided at the suction flow path.

5. The clothes dryer according to claim 4 , wherein the heat pump circuit comprises a main circuit to which the compressor, the condenser, the decompressor and the first evaporator are serially connected in sequence, and a sub-circuit comprising a second evaporator connected to the first evaporator in parallel.

6. The clothes dryer according to claim 5 , wherein the sub-circuit is branched off between the first evaporator and the compressor of the main circuit to provide the second evaporator, and joins the first evaporator and the decompressor, and
the sub-circuit further comprises a refrigerant flow rate regulator provided upstream from the second evaporator.

7. The clothes dryer according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense a pressure and a temperature of the refrigerant downstream from the compressor; and
a control unit configured to control at least one of the refrigerant flow rate regulator and the circuit switching device and increase an amount of the refrigerant introduced into the second evaporator when the sensed pressure and temperature of the refrigerant is a predetermined level or less.

8. The clothes dryer according to claim 5 , wherein the sub-circuit is branched off between the first evaporator and the decompressor of the main circuit to provide the second evaporator, and joins the intersection and the decompressor, and
the sub-circuit further comprises a circuit switching device provided at the intersection and configured to branch off the sub-circuit from the main circuit.

9. The clothes dryer according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense a pressure and a temperature of the refrigerant downstream from the compressor; and
a control unit configured to control at least one of the refrigerant flow rate regulator and the circuit switching device and increase an amount of the refrigerant introduced into the second evaporator when the sensed pressure and temperature of the refrigerant is a predetermined level or less.

10. The clothes dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the heat pump circuit further comprises a compressor and a decompressor, and
the heat exchanger comprises a first condenser and a second evaporator provided at the suction flow path, and a second condenser and a first evaporator provided at the exhaust flow path.

11. A clothes dryer comprising:
a suction flow path configured to suction air into a drum of the clothes dryer;
an exhaust flow path configured to exhaust the suctioned air in the drum;
a heat pump circuit comprising a heat exchanger provided in at least one of the suction flow path and the exhaust flow path, and a refrigerant pipe; and
a flow velocity sensor comprising a hot thermistor and a temperature compensation thermistor provided that are in parallel to a surface of the refrigerant pipe and installed downstream from the heat exchanger to detect a flow velocity of the exhausted air,
wherein the flow velocity sensor comprises a cylindrical rectification unit, a sensor unit protruding toward an inside of the cylindrical rectification unit, and a slit formed in the cylindrical rectification unit in a direction of flow of the exhausted air to divide the rectification unit.

12. The clothes dryer according to claim 11 , wherein the flow velocity sensor further comprises a base section configured to support the cylindrical rectification unit and the sensor unit and formed at a position opposite to the slit.

13. The clothes dryer according to claim 12 , wherein a periphery of an upwind side of the cylindrical rectification unit is inclined toward a downwind side from the base section to the slit.

14. The clothes dryer according to claim 12 , wherein the sensor unit is inclined toward a downwind side from a portion in contact with the base section to a protrusion end.

15. The clothes dryer according to claim 12 , wherein the base section comprises a guide surface inclined toward the downwind side from a mounting portion of the upwind side of the base section to the rectification unit.

16. The clothes dryer according to claim 11 , wherein a width of the slit is reduced from an upwind side toward a downwind side.

17. A clothes dryer comprising:
a suction flow path configured to suction air into a drum of the clothes dryer;
an exhaust flow path configured to exhaust the suctioned air in the drum;
a heat pump circuit comprising a heat exchanger provided in at least one of the suction flow path and the exhaust flow path, and a refrigerant pipe; and
a flow velocity sensor comprising a hot thermistor and a temperature compensation thermistor that are provided in parallel to a side surface of the refrigerant pipe and installed downstream from the heat exchanger to detect a flow velocity of the exhausted air,
wherein the heat pump circuit further comprises a compressor and a decompressor, and
the heat exchanger comprises a first condenser provided at the suction flow path, and a second condenser and an evaporator provided at the exhaust flow path.

18. The clothes dryer according to claim 17 , wherein the heat pump circuit comprises a main circuit to which the compressor, the first condenser, the decompressor and the evaporator are serially connected in sequence, and a sub-circuit comprising a second condenser connected to the first condenser in parallel.

19. The clothes dryer according to claim 18 , wherein the sub-circuit is branched off between the first condenser and the compressor of the main circuit to provide the second condenser, and joins the first condenser and the decompressor, and
the sub-circuit further comprises a refrigerant flow rate regulator provided upstream from the second condenser.

20. The clothes dryer according to claim 19 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense a pressure and a temperature of the refrigerant between the decompressor and the compressor; and
a control unit configured to control at least one of the refrigerant flow rate regulator and the circuit switching device and increase an amount of the refrigerant introduced into the second condenser wh

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wakizaka Eiji
• Ajiki Tomohito
• Eifuku Yuji

Classifications

• D06F2103/36

  Flow or velocity · CPC title

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F2103/50

  related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate · CPC title

• D06F2105/24

  Flow or velocity · CPC title

• D06F58/206 Primary

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title