WO2016108792A1

WO2016108792A1 - A laundry dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2016108792A1
Application number: PCT/TR2015/050212
Authority: WO
Inventors: Musa ÖZDEMIR; Koray Kazim MENEVŞE; Erkan ÖZTÜRK; Şuayip SARAY
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2014-12-30
Filing date: 2015-11-30
Publication date: 2016-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2017-06-30
Also published as: EP3240928B1; EP3240928A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry dryer (1) comprising a body (2), a tub (3) that is disposed in the body (2), wherein the drying process is performed, an opening (4) providing access into the tub, a door (5) covering the opening (4), and a door housing (6) that is disposed on the front wall of the body (2) which surrounds the opening (4) and upon which a portion of the inner surface of the door bears. The laundry dryer (1) further comprises at least one detection means (7) that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6) and that provides the measurement of the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6), and a control unit (8) that compares the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) measured by the detection means (7) with a first limit distance value (Dl) predetermined by the producer and corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is completely closed, and that controls the openness status of the door (5) according to the result of the comparison.

Description

DESCRIPTION

A LAUNDRY DRYER

The present invention relates to a laundry dryer, the drying performance of which is increased. In laundry dryers, the door that separates the tub wherein the drying process is performed from the outer environment cannot be locked not like in the washing machines and the door must be opened by and over a certain force in compliance with the safety standards. The reason for this is that there is a risk of a live being, such as small children or pets, entering into the tub in the dryers that has a larger tub and door than the washing machines, and therefore, it is desired that the door can be opened from inside the tub by pushing during the drying process. Moreover, the door may be opened due to the laundry, that gets stuck between the cover and the cover housing during the loading of the laundry into the tub by the user and is twisted during the drying process, or the laundry, that swells towards the end of the drying process with the overloading of the tub, applying force onto the door, and consequently the drying process is paused. When the user checks the dryer in order to unload the laundry at the time the drying process should be finished, he/she sees that the door is open and the laundry is not completely dried. This situation adversely affects the user satisfaction.

In the state of the art International Patent Application No. WO2008082228, a laundry dryer is disclosed, wherein the door is prevented from opening/closing accidentally during the drying step.

In the state of the art Japanese Patent Application No. JP2013056047, a laundry dryer is disclosed, having sensors that detect if the door is open or closed.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a laundry dryer wherein the door is prevented from opening before the drying process is completed without the intention of the user during the drying process.

The laundry dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises at least one detection means that is disposed on the door or the door housing and that provides the measurement of the distance between the door and the door housing, and a control unit that compares the data received from the detection means with a first limit distance value prerecorded in its memory and corresponding to the position wherein the door is completely closed and that determines the openness status of the door according to the result of the comparison. In the laundry dryer of the present invention, the detection means enables the distance between the door and the door housing to be measured directly or indirectly. The control unit continuously measures the distance between the door and the door housing by using the data received from the detection means. During the drying step, the control unit continuously compares the said distance with the distance between the door and the door housing that is recorded in its memory and that corresponds to the position wherein the door is completely closed. The control unit determines if the door is open or closed according to the equality between the said distance and the first limit distance value. Thus, it is determined if the door is completely closed or not and the control unit provides the realization of the drying process according to the result thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit provides the measurement of the distance between the door and the door housing at the moment the user starts the drying process and before the tub starts rotating, and warns the user if the distance between the door and the door housing is not equal to the first limit distance value. In other words, the control unit detects if the door is completely closed at the start of the drying step and warns the user if the door is not completely closed. Thus, the user is enabled to place the laundry, if any, stuck between the door and the door housing into the tub or to completely close the door, thus the risk of the door opening due to the laundry getting twisted during the drying process is eliminated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit provides the measurement of the distance between the door and the door housing during the drying process and after the tub starts rotating, and warns the user if the distance between the door and the door housing is equal to a second limit distance value predetermined by the user and corresponding to the position wherein the door is open. The distance detected by the detection means when the door is opened is equal to or larger than the second limit distance value. In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit changes the rotation direction of the tub, thus making the laundry upside down upon detecting that the distance between the door and the door housing is between the first limit distance value and the second limit distance value. Thus, the door is prevented from opening with the pressure of the laundry.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit tries to prevent the door from opening by changing the rotation direction of the tub upon detecting that the distance between the door and the door housing detected by the detection means is larger than the first limit distance value and tends to increase, in other words that the measurement value is larger than the previous measurement values. By changing the rotation direction of the tub, the twisted laundry is enabled to be unfolded or the laundry swelling and applying pressure onto the door is enabled to be made upside down, thus the risk of the laundry opening the door is decreased.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means that provides the measurement of the distance between the door and the door housing is a pressure sensor that measures the pressure applied by the door to the door housing. The control unit determines the openness status of the door according to the correlation between the pressure value pre-calibrated by the producer and the distance between the door and the door housing. In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means is composed of two metal plates positioned on the door and the door housing so as to face each other and the control unit determines the distance between the door and the door housing according to the capacitance value between the two metal plates.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means is composed of a reed switch, that is disposed on the door or the door housing, and a magnet, that is disposed on the door housing or the door so as to be opposite to the reed switch, and the control unit determines the openness status of the door according to the data received from the reed switch. In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means is an inductive distance sensor that is composed of a conductive plate, that is disposed on the door or the door housing, and an inductance, that is disposed on the door housing or the door so as to be opposite to the conductive plate. The distance is measured according to the value of the current inducted by the conductive plate on the inductance depending on the distance between the door and the door housing.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means is composed of a magnet, that is disposed on the door or the door housing, and a Hall sensor, that is disposed on the door housing or the door so as to be opposite to the magnet. The magnetic field created by the magnet on the Hall sensor changes depending on the distance between the door and the door housing and thus, the voltage generated by the Hall sensor and the distance measurement can be performed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the dryer is at the same time a washing machine, and the laundry is first washed, and then dried. In the laundry dryer of the present invention, the door is prevented from opening accidentally due to the force applied by the laundry. Thus, the drying process can be completed without any errors and the user is prevented from losing time.

The laundry dryer realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where: Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a laundry dryer.

Figure 2 - is the front view of the laundry dryer relating to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the laundry dryer relating to an embodiment of the present invention. The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Laundry dryer

2. Body

3. Tub 4. Opening

5. Door

6. Door housing

7. Detection means 8. Control unit

The laundry dryer (1) comprises a body (2), a tub (3) that is disposed in the body (2), wherein the drying process is performed, an opening (4) providing access into the tub, a door (5) covering the opening (4) and a door housing (6) that is disposed on the front wall of the body (2), that surrounds the opening (4) and upon which a portion of the inner surface of the door (5) bears.

In the laundry dryer (1), the laundry is loaded into the tub (3) through the opening (4) and the opening (4) is covered by closing the door (5) so that a portion of the inner surface thereof bears against the door housing (6), thus the user can start the drying process.

The laundry dryer (1) of the present invention comprises at least one detection means (7) that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6) and that provides the measurement of the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6), and a control unit (8) that compares the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) measured by the detection means (7) with a first limit distance value (Dl) predetermined by the producer and corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is completely closed, and that controls the openness status of the door (5) according to the result of the comparison. During the drying process, the control unit (8) monitors the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6), that is the openness status of the door (5) by the data instantaneously received from the detection means (7). When the door (5) is completely closed, the distance measured by the detection means (7) is equal to the first limit distance value (Dl). The control unit (8) determines the openness status of the door (5) by comparing the data received from the detection means (7) with the first limit distance value (Dl) recorded in its memory. For example, the control unit (8) decides that the door (5) is completely closed upon detecting that the distance measured by the detection means (7) during the drying process is equal to the first limit distance value (Dl).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (8) warns the user that the door (5) is not completely closed if the distance measured by the detection means (7) at the start of the drying process is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl). When the user loads the laundry into the tub (3), the laundry may protrude towards the outside of the body so as to hang out from the opening (4). If the user closes the door (5) without realizing this situation, the laundry hanging out may get stuck between the door (5) and the door housing (6). In this case, the distance measured by the detection means (7) is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl) corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is completely closed at the region where the laundry get stuck. During the drying process, the laundry stuck between the door (5) and the door housing (6) is twisted due to the rotation of the tub (3) and may cause the door (5) to open. The control unit (8) enables the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) to be measured by the detection means at more than one point at the start of the drying process and before the tub (3) starts rotating and informs the user that the door (5) is not completely closed if the distance measured by the detection means (7) is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (8) warns the user that the door (5) is opened if the distance measured by the detection means (7) during the drying process reaches a second limit distance value (D2) predetermined by the producer and corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is open. The distance measured by the detection means (7) can be different from the first limit distance value (Dl) due to the pressure applied by the laundry in the tub (3) to the door (5) during the drying process. When the pressure applied by the laundry increases, the distance measured by the detection means (7) reaches the second limit distance value (D2) corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is open. When the door (5) is open, the drying process is paused. The control unit (8) enables the user to intervene early by warning the user when the distance measured by the detection means (7) reaches the second limit distance value (D2). In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (8) warns the user if the distance measured by the detection means (7) reaches the second limit distance value (D2) from the first limit distance value (Dl) in a duration longer than a duration predetermined by the producer. By means of this embodiment, the user is warned if the door (5) is opened due to the pressure applied by the laundry inside the tub (3) and no warning is given if the door (5) is opened with the intervention of the user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (8) enables the tub (3) to be rotated in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction if the distance measured by the detection means (7) is between the first limit distance value (Dl) and the second limit distance value (D2). If the distance measured by the detection means (7) during the drying process moves away from the first limit distance value (Dl) but the door (5) is not yet open, in other words the said distance is smaller than the second limit distance value (D2), the control unit (8) rotates the tub (3) in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction in order to eliminate the risk of the door (5) opening at a later time. Thus, the laundry inside the tub (3) is made upside down and the pressure applied thereby onto the door (5) decreases.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (8) enables the tub (3) to be rotated in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction if the distance measured by the detection means (7) is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl) and tends to increase for a duration predetermined by the producer. The pressure applied by the laundry inside the tub (3) onto the door (5) increases, the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) slowly increases. The control unit (8) determines that the said distance tends to increase in the course of time when the successive distance measurements conducted by the detection means (7) are larger than the first limit distance value (Dl) and the measurement value is larger than the preceding measurement value. The control unit (8) starts rotating the tub (3) in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction in order to decrease the pressure applied by the laundry onto the door (5). Thus, the laundry inside the tub (3) gets upside down or the twisted laundry, if any, is enabled to be unfolded and the door (5) is prevented from opening due to the pressure of the laundry. In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means (7) is a pressure gauge that measures the pressure applied by the door (5) to the door housing (6). As the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) increases, the pressure applied by the door (5) onto the door housing (6) decreases. Thus, distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) and the pressure applied by the door (5) onto the door housing (6) can be correlated. The pressure value in the case when the door (5) is completely closed is matched with the first limit distance value (Dl) and the pressure value in the case when the door (5) is open with the second limit distance value (D2), and both are recorded into the memory of the control unit (8) by the producer. In this embodiment, the detection means (7) enables the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) to be measured indirectly.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means (7) comprises one conductive plate oppositely on each of the door (5) and the door housing (6). The control unit (8) determines the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) according to the capacitance data received from the detection means (7), that depends on the distance between the conductive plates. The capacitance between the two conductive plates is inversely proportional to the distance between the conductive plates. Thus, it is determined that the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) increases with the capacitance value decreasing. In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means (7) comprises a magnet, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and a reed switch, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the magnet. When the door (5) is completely closed, in other words the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) is equal to the first limit distance value (Dl), the magnet enables the reed switch to be open. When the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) is equal to the second limit distance value (D2) corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is open, the reed switch changes to the closed position and the control unit (8) decides that the door (5) is open as no signal is received from the reed switch.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means (7) comprises a conductive plate, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and an inductive distance meter, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the conductive plate. As the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) changes, the conductive plate inducts current on the coil disposed on the inductive distance meter. As the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) increases, the inducted current decreases and thus the control unit (8) detects the openness status of the door (5).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the detection means (7) comprises a magnet, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and a Hall sensor, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the magnet. The Hall sensor operates by the principle of the Hall Effect and the output voltage thereof changes depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field therearound. When the door (5) is closed, the Hall sensor interacting with the magnet disposed opposite thereto generates an output voltage depending on the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6). The control unit (8) determines the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) according to the output voltage of the Hall sensor.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the laundry dryer (1) has the function of washing laundry.

In the laundry dryer (1) of the present invention, the openness status of the door (5) is instantaneously monitored by means of the detection means (7) and the control unit (8). During the drying process, the control unit (8) prevents the door (5) from opening accidentally without the user intervention by taking precautions such as rotating the tub (3) in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction.

Claims

1 - A laundry dryer (1) comprising a body (2), a tub (3) that is disposed in the body (2), wherein the drying process is performed, an opening (4) providing access into the tub, a door (5) covering the opening (4) and a door housing (6) that is disposed on the front wall of the body (2), that surrounds the opening (4) and upon which a portion of the inner surface of the door (5) bears, characterized by at least one detection means (7) that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6) and that provides the measurement of the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6), and a control unit (8) that compares the distance between the door (5) and the door housing (6) measured by the detection means (7) with a first limit distance value (Dl) predetermined by the producer and corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is completely closed, and that controls the openness status of the door (5) according to the result of the comparison.

2 - A laundry dryer (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (8) that warns the user that the door (5) is not completely closed if the distance measured by the detection means (7) at the start of the drying process is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl).

3 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the control unit (8) that warns the user if the distance measured by the detection means (7) during the drying process reaches a second limit distance value (D2) predetermined by the producer and corresponding to the position wherein the door (5) is open.

4 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the control unit (8) that enables the tub (3) to be rotated in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction if the distance measured by the detection means (7) is between the first limit distance value (Dl) and the second limit distance value (D2). 5 - A laundry dryer (1) as in Claim 5, characterized by the control unit (8) that enables the tub (3) to be rotated in a direction opposite to the previous rotation direction if the distance measured by the detection means (7) is larger than the first limit distance value (Dl) and tends to increase for a duration predetermined by the producer. 6 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the detection means (7) that is a pressure gauge measuring the pressure applied by the door (5) onto the door housing (6).

7 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized by the detection means (7) that has one conductive plate oppositely on each of the door (5) and the door housing (6).

8 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized by the detection means (7) that has a magnet, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and a reed switch, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the magnet.

9 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized by the detection means (7) that has a conductive plate, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and an inductive distance meter, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the inductive plate. 10 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized by the detection means (7) that has a magnet, that is disposed on the door (5) or the door housing (6), and a Hall sensor, that is disposed on the door housing (6) or the door (5) so as to be opposite to the magnet.

11 - A laundry dryer (1) as in any one of the above claims, that has the function of washing laundry.