EP3239387A1 - Verfahren zum betreiben einer wäschetrocknervorrichtung und wäschetrocknervorrichtung - Google Patents

Verfahren zum betreiben einer wäschetrocknervorrichtung und wäschetrocknervorrichtung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3239387A1
EP3239387A1 EP16166996.5A EP16166996A EP3239387A1 EP 3239387 A1 EP3239387 A1 EP 3239387A1 EP 16166996 A EP16166996 A EP 16166996A EP 3239387 A1 EP3239387 A1 EP 3239387A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
compressor
fan
drying
performance
phase
Prior art date
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Granted
Application number
EP16166996.5A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP3239387B1 (de
Inventor
Alessandro DALLA ROSA
Filippo BELLOMARE
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Electrolux Appliances AB
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Electrolux Appliances AB
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Priority to EP16166996.5A priority Critical patent/EP3239387B1/de
Priority to CN201710282842.4A priority patent/CN107313228B/zh
Publication of EP3239387A1 publication Critical patent/EP3239387A1/de
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/32—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/34—Control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers  characterised by the purpose or target of the control
    • D06F58/36—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
    • D06F58/38—Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2101/00—User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2101/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2101/00—User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2101/14—Time settings
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/04—Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/08—Humidity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/28—Air properties
    • D06F2103/34—Humidity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/28—Air properties
    • D06F2103/36—Flow or velocity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/38—Time, e.g. duration
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/44—Current or voltage
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/50—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/16—Air properties
    • D06F2105/24—Flow or velocity
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/26—Heat pumps
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/32—Air flow control means
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/46—Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/52—Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F25/00—Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air 
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/02—Domestic laundry dryers having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
    • D06F58/20—General details of domestic laundry dryers 
    • D06F58/206—Heat pump arrangements

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for operating a laundry drying apparatus comprising a heat pump system during a drying program, and to a laundry drying apparatus, in particular a laundry dryer or a washer-dryer.
  • WO 2014/067797 A2 discloses a method for operating a laundry dryer comprising a heat pump system. To prevent an overheating of a compressor of the heat pump system, a process air fan performance is increased in dependency of a temperature of the heat pump system. Thereby the operation of the heat pump system does not have to be adjusted.
  • AU 2011/244860 A1 discloses a method for operating a laundry dryer comprising a heat pump system.
  • the air flow of drying air in the laundry dryer is reduced as the drying process proceeds, such that the drying air has enough time to take up a large amount of water from the laundry and it remains possible to efficiently extract water therefrom.
  • the power of a heat pump in the device can be adjusted depending on air flow.
  • the laundry drying apparatus in particular a laundry dryer or a washer-dryer, comprises a drum adapted to receive laundry for drying the laundry using drying air, a drying air fan adapted to convey the drying air through the drum, a motor adapted to drive the drying air fan and a heat-pump system.
  • the heat pump system comprises a first heat exchanger (e.g. a condenser) adapted to heat the drying air, a second heat exchanger (e.g. an evaporator) adapted to cool the drying air for humidity condensation, and a compressor adapted to circulate refrigerant through the first and second heat exchangers.
  • the compressor is a variable speed compressor and additionally or alternatively a variable power compressor.
  • the variable speed and/or variable power compressor is a compressor driven by a compressor motor, wherein the compressor motor is a variable speed and/or variable power motor.
  • the method for operating the laundry drying apparatus comprises the following steps:
  • performance may be taken as a performance value, wherein the attribute or label "higher/lower” with respect to the first/second compressor performance and first/second fan performance relates to the same type of compressor performance and fan performance, respectively.
  • first and second compressor performance relates to compressor speed
  • first and second fan performance relates to fan speed.
  • the (first) compressor speed in the first phase is higher than the (second) compressor speed in the second phase, wherein the (first) fan speed in the first phase is lower than the (second) fan speed in the second phase.
  • the change of performances of the compressor and the fan is controlled by a control unit of the laundry drying apparatus.
  • the energy consumption of the compressor is higher than energy consumption of the process air fan.
  • energy consumption of the process air fan is higher than energy consumption of the process air fan.
  • the flexible control of both, the compressor and the process air fan increases the flexibility and the adaptability of the drying apparatus, so that the working conditions may be kept close to optimum in every circumstance and throughout the whole cycle.
  • the overall performance of the laundry drying apparatus may be improved in terms of energy saving, cycle time reduction and enhanced fabric care.
  • the first/second fan performance may be a first/second fan speed, such that a first/second process air flow rate is provided.
  • the second fan speed is higher than the first fan speed and additionally or alternatively the second flow rate is higher than the first flow rate.
  • the fan may be operated at a constant first/second fan speed (first fan speed lower than second fan speed), while the generated air flow rate decreases due to the increasing air resistance of the gradually drying laundry (higher volume expansion of the dryer laundry and/or increase of fluff collection at fluff filter(s)).
  • the first/second fan performance which is controlled by a control unit of the drying apparatus may be the process air flow rate of the drying air fan.
  • the fan speed may be adjusted such that a constant or substantially constant air flow rate is provided.
  • the first/second compressor performance may be a first/second compressor speed and additionally or alternatively a first/second compressor power.
  • the second compressor speed is lower than the first compressor speed and additionally or alternatively the second compressor power is lower than the first compressor power.
  • energy consumption of the compressor decreases in the second phase when compared to the first phase.
  • the (drying air fan and/or compressor) performance may be an average value over time within the (overall) period of the first phase and/or second phase.
  • the fan rotation and drying air flow rate may be interrupted when the drum rotation is stopped.
  • the fan rotation may be temporally reverted for laundry redistribution and/or slackening of the laundry.
  • fan rotation interruptions or stops or reversals are not meant with reduced/increased fan performance, but the average is meant thereby.
  • the fan and/or compressor performance is considered for a time average over at least 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 minutes or an average taken in a period of 1 to 5 min, 3 to 8 min or 7 to 15 min.
  • the second phase may directly follow at the end of the first phase, but it does not necessarily follow directly at the end of the first phase.
  • an intermediate phase may be provided between the first and second phase.
  • the compressor performance e.g. compressor speed and/or power
  • the fan performance e.g. fan speed and/or flow rate
  • the compressor performance and the fan performance may be reduced/increased concurrently during an intermediate phase.
  • the compressor performance is one or more of:
  • first and second compressor performance relate to the above mentioned first and second compressor performance.
  • first and second performance represent the same type of performance or the same group of performance parameters (as listed immediately before).
  • the compressor performance may be adjusted by adjusting or controlling the outlet pressure or flow rate of the refrigerant.
  • an adjustable capillary or expansion valve may be used downstream the second heat exchanger (condenser).
  • compressor performance is constant or essentially constant during the first phase and/or the second phase - at least after an initial transition time e.g. for accelerating/decelerating the compressor speed.
  • the consumed compressor electrical power increases over time in the first phase, while it decreases over time during the second phase, when the compressor speed is kept constant.
  • the compressor speed relates to compressor motor speed.
  • the compressor performance may be adapted by one or more of the following:
  • the drying air fan performance may be one or more of:
  • fan speed means relates to a driving motor speed of the fan motor or is proportional thereto.
  • the fan speed is a fan rotation speed which in turn is equal to or is proportional to a fan motor speed.
  • An air flow rate relates to a total or overall flow rate, wherein the flow rate is the flow rate of drying air.
  • the fan speed and the fan flow rate are not necessarily proportional to each other as the flow rate depends on the air resistance of the laundry to be dried, e.g. the type, humidity and amount of laundry in the drum.
  • drying air fan performance is adapted by one or more of the following:
  • the method may further comprise the following steps:
  • a drying cycle of a heat pump dryer may be split in two main phases.
  • first phase temperatures and compressor power consumption increases.
  • condensation and evaporation pressure increases as well.
  • the heat pump system may be stabilized ("balanced") by cooling the compressor, e.g. by means of a compressor cooling fan.
  • condensation and evaporation rates do not continue to increase when the above mentioned optimum temperature levels of the process air and/or refrigerant are achieved.
  • the change from first to second phase is defined by starting/activating a compressor cooling phase (as begin of second phase).
  • the change to a second phase or the ending of the first phase and starting the second phase may be controlled in dependency of a temperature of the heat-pump system.
  • the fan performance and/or the compressor performance may be changed from first to second phase in dependency of the refrigerant temperature.
  • the detected operational parameter of the heat pump system may be the refrigerant temperature out from the first heat exchanger (condenser).
  • the temperature may be measured by a NTC (negative temperature coefficient) sensor to split the drying cycle in two parts or phases.
  • the performance of the compressor may be adapted by reducing the compressor speed.
  • starting the second phase preferably means ending or terminating the first phase.
  • the performance of the fan is increased in reaction to reducing the compressor speed in the second phase.
  • the performance of the compressor is reduced.
  • the performance of the compressor is reduced and the performance of the fan is increased simultaneously in reaction of detecting the refrigerant being at a temperature threshold.
  • the operational parameter has reached a predetermined state or level, the change from the first to the second phase is initiated or is initiated after a predetermined delay.
  • the predetermined delay time may be dependent on one or more of the following: a user selection, a laundry load, the laundry humidity.
  • the laundry humidity may relate to a current or actual humidity level and/or to the decrease of laundry humidity over time.
  • An operational parameter of the heat-pump system may be one or more of the following:
  • the detected operational parameter of the heat pump system is the temperature of the refrigerant at the compressor outlet or the condenser outlet.
  • a detected refrigerant temperature at the condenser outlet being in the range of 45-55°C or 55-65°C could be used as a threshold value or threshold range to initiate or start the second phase of the drying cycle.
  • the second phase is started or reached when the detected refrigerant temperature remains in the range between 45-55°C or 55-65°C.
  • the motor for driving the drying air fan is a variable speed motor.
  • the motor driving the fan may also drive the drum.
  • the drum speed is also varied when the fan speed or air flow rate is varied or vice versa. Providing only one motor to drive the fan and the drum is a cost-efficient solution.
  • the drum may be driven by a drum drive motor independent of a motor driving the fan.
  • the fan performance may be adapted to the specific requirements of the drying operation independently from drum rotation.
  • the flexibility and available speed ranges for the fan are even larger.
  • the drum and fan are driven by the same motor, wherein a clutch element and additionally or alternatively a gear device is provided between the motor and the drying air fan.
  • the clutch element and/or gear device is adapted to drive the drying air fan at least temporarily at different speeds.
  • the clutch element and/or gear device splits the drum speed and the fan speed, such that they may be individually adapted to the requirements of the drying cycle.
  • the air flow resistance increases, e.g. due to the dry laundry occupying more volume in the drum and a fluff filter being increasingly clogged.
  • the fan speed may be gradually increased to provide a constant or substantially constant air flow rate, which is higher than the flow rate in the first phase.
  • the fan rotation speed is constant or essentially constant during the first phase, during the second phase, or during the first and second phase of a drying cycle.
  • the drying air fan may be designed such that at same rotation speeds of the fan driving motor in the main rotation direction and in the counter rotation direction the respective flow rate or conveyance rate of the drying air fan is different. Thereby a change of flow rate can be achieved at the same rotation speed of the motor by rotating the fan or fan motor in different directions.
  • the main (forward) rotation direction results in a higher flow rate than in the counter (backward) rotation direction.
  • an axial fan, a centrifugal fan or a radial blowing fan may be used which have an optimized flow rate for one rotation direction, while the flow rate for other rotation direction is (significantly) lower.
  • drying operation parameters Preferably one or more of the following drying operation parameters:
  • the ambient temperature is the temperature corresponding to or indicating the temperature at the outside of a cabinet of the laundry drying apparatus.
  • the ambient temperature is detected at the start of the drying program, more preferably the ambient temperature detected at the first time of operating the apparatus after an extended period (e.g. apparatus was not used for one or more hours and has cooled down).
  • a parameter of the compressor motor may be one or more of: the power, the torque, the current, the voltage, and the frequency.
  • the laundry drying apparatus further comprises a laundry load indicating or detecting unit adapted to provide a laundry load parameter.
  • the laundry load indicating or detecting unit may be a control unit of the apparatus (in which the method is implemented) with a memory for storing a user input for laundry load.
  • a laundry load indicating or detecting unit may include a load detector for example as disclosed in EP 1 413 664 B1 and EP 1 988 209 A2 . Load signals from the load detector may be subsequently stored in a or the control unit with a memory for storing load values during a running drying program, wherein the laundry load value corresponds to the laundry load parameter.
  • the laundry load parameter includes at least a laundry load value (or laundry weight value) which indicates the weight of the laundry, wherein the laundry weight value may be a relative value which e.g. is proportional to the actual physical weight of the laundry.
  • the noise of the conductivity sensor and/or one or more parameters of the drum motor and/or the condensation rate are parameters which are used for example for estimating the laundry load of the laundry loaded into the drum.
  • the laundry load indicating or detecting unit comprises the conductivity sensor for determining the laundry load as follows:
  • the amount of load may be estimated by measuring the electric resistance and/or conductivity of the wet laundry.
  • the amount of load in the laundry drum may be detected by using e.g. two electrodes associated to the laundry drum as the conductivity sensor.
  • the electrodes are advantageously parts of the laundry load indicating or detecting unit which may be provided for detecting both the dryness degree of the laundry inside the drum and for estimating the amount of load in the laundry drum. For this purpose a level of electrical noise and/or fluctuation during the first minutes of a drying cycle is used.
  • the wet load can connect electrically the first electrode to the second electrode, when a part of the wet load touches simultaneously the first electrode and the second electrode.
  • the conductivity sensor If the wet load in the laundry drum does not touch simultaneously the first electrode and the second electrode, then a peak is detected by the conductivity sensor. It has been found that there is a correlation between the number or frequency of peaks of the electric signal and the amount of load in the laundry drum. The smaller the load inside the laundry drum, the higher the number or frequency of the detected peaks, and the higher is an electrical noise measured by the laundry load indicating or detecting unit. Further, it has been found that the area subtended by peaks of an electric signal corresponding to the detected electric resistance and/or conductivity increases with a decreasing amount of load in said laundry drum and similarly the value of peaks of an electric signal corresponding to the detected electric resistance and/or conductivity increases with a decreasing amount of load in said laundry drum.
  • the laundry load indicating or detecting unit determines or estimates the amount of load by measuring and evaluating the electrical and/or magnetic parameters of the electric drum motor, like the torque, the electric current, the voltage, the power supplied to the motor, the motor current and/or voltage, the magnetic flux or moment, and/or the induction.
  • the electrical current through the electric drum motor is at least approximately proportional to the torque of the electric drum motor.
  • the electric current measured gives a measure of the torque of the electric drum motor and from the torque the amount of load is determined.
  • the torque in turn depends on the drum dimension and the weight of the laundry placed in the drum.
  • the electrical and/or parameter by which the load is estimated/determined includes phases of drum acceleration and/or deceleration and/or of constant drum rotation.
  • the condensation rate during a drying cycle may be determined by monitoring one or more of the following:
  • the third phase is a phase following the second phase.
  • the second phase however is not a short transition phase, but a 'main drying phase' that is executed when e.g. the heat pump system has achieved its 'operation' temperature (see above) after a warmup during the first phase.
  • the third phase may for example be a cooling-down phase after having dried the laundry essentially to the intended final humidity and/or may be started before an estimated total drying duration is finished.
  • a laundry drying apparatus in particular a laundry dryer or a washer-dryer, as described above is provided, wherein the apparatus comprises a control unit for controlling the execution of a drying program.
  • the control unit is adapted to execute the drying program by:
  • each isolated feature of the claims or description can be added or any arbitrary combination of isolated or individual features can be added to or provided in the claims.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematically depicted laundry dryer 2, which is not drawn to scale and is provided for illustrative purposes.
  • the dryer 2 comprises a control unit 44 ( Fig. 2 ) for controlling and monitoring the overall operation of the dryer 2 and its components.
  • Fig. 2 shows a block diagram to illustrate the control of some components of the laundry dryer 2 of Fig. 1 as described in detail below.
  • a heat pump system 4 is arranged in a housing 3 or cabinet of the dryer 2.
  • the heat pump system 4 includes a closed refrigerant loop 6 which comprises in the following order of refrigerant flow B: a first heat exchanger 10 acting as condenser for cooling the refrigerant and heating the process air, an expansion device 14, a second heat exchanger 12, acting as evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant and cooling process air, and a compressor 16 from where the refrigerant is returned to the first heat exchanger 10.
  • the compressor 16 is a variable speed and additionally or alternatively a variable power compressor. Together with the refrigerant pipes connecting the components of the heat pump system 4 in series, the heat pump system 4 forms the refrigerant loop 6 through which the refrigerant is circulated by the compressor 16 as indicated by arrow B.
  • the process air flow A within the dryer 2 is guided through a laundry storing compartment 17 of the dryer 2, i.e. through a compartment for receiving articles to be treated, e.g. a drum 18.
  • the drum 18 may be driven by drum drive motor 50 ( Fig. 2 ) controlled by the control unit 44.
  • the articles to be treated are textiles, laundry 19, clothes, shoes or the like.
  • the process air flow is indicated by arrows A in Fig. 1 and is driven by a process air blower or drying air fan 8.
  • a motor 46 ( Fig. 2 ) for driving the drying air fan 8 may be a variable speed motor 46 controlled by the control unit 44, such that fan speed may be easily adjusted.
  • the motor 46 driving the fan 8 may also drive the drum 18 (as indicated with dashed arrow in Fig. 2 ), wherein in this case the drum motor 50 could be omitted.
  • a clutch element or a gear device (not depicted) may be provided to split and separate the drive of the drum and the fan.
  • the control unit is adapted to drive the drying air fan 8 at least temporarily at different speeds such that fan speed and air flow rate may be varied.
  • the process air channel 20 guides the process air flow A outside the drum 18 and includes different sections, including the section forming the battery channel 20a in which the first and second heat exchangers 10, 12 are arranged.
  • the (heated) process air exiting the first heat exchanger 10 flows into a rear channel 20b in which the drying air fan 8 is arranged.
  • the air conveyed by fan 8 is guided upward in a rising channel 20c to the backside of the drum 18.
  • the air exiting the drum 18 through the drum outlet may be filtered by a fluff filter 22 arranged close to the drum outlet in or at the channel 20.
  • the optional fluff filter 22 is arranged in a front channel 20d forming another section of channel 20 which is arranged behind and adjacent the front cover of the dryer 2.
  • Condensate formed at the second heat exchanger 12 is collected and guided to the condensate collector 30.
  • the condensate collector 30 may be connected via a drain conduit 36, a drain pump 32 and a drawer pipe 38 to an extractable condensate drawer 34. I.e. the collected condensate can be pumped from the collector 30 to the drawer 36 which may be arranged at an upper portion of the dryer 2 from where it can be comfortably withdrawn and emptied by a user.
  • An input panel 48 is provided preferably at the front upper section of the housing 3.
  • the input panel 48 allows a user to input/select a program and program option selections and also indicates program status information and/or program and option selection choices and parameters.
  • control unit controls components of the exemplary dryer 2 (or washer-dryer) by one or more of the following:
  • the process air fan motor 46 and/or the compressor motor and/or the drum motor 50 are variable speed motors.
  • inverters controlled by the control unit 44 are provided which provide power to the motors to set the target speed and/or power.
  • Figs. 2 to 4 show exemplary diagrams of operational parameters of the laundry dryer 2 during a drying operation to illustrate the background or basis for the preferred embodiments for operating the laundry dryer 2 as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 .
  • Fig. 3 shows an exemplary diagram illustrating the progress of the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the condenser 10 over time during a drying cycle.
  • the temperature may be detected by means of a temperature sensor 42a at the condenser outlet, e.g. by means of a NTC sensor.
  • a temperature sensor 42b at the compressor outlet for detecting the refrigerant temperature at the compressor outlet may be provided.
  • thermodynamic cycle or drying cycle in a heat pump dryer both with regard to the refrigerant side and the process-air side can be split in two main phases (Phase 1 / Phase 2).
  • Phase 1 / Phase 2 in the first phase the condensation and evaporation temperatures of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser 10 increase.
  • the condensation and evaporation rates increase as well.
  • the process air temperature and refrigerant temperature reach an optimum temperature level that is a good compromise between efficiency and effectiveness of the drying process, the system is artificially stabilized ("balanced") by the use of a cooling fan 40 that is acting on the shell of the compressor 16 with an on/off control strategy.
  • Cooling fan 40 conveys cooling air taken from the outside of the housing or cabinet 3 over the compressor thereby cooling it and removing heat from the heat pump system.
  • Other ways of removing heat from the heat pump system may be implemented (e.g. by using an auxiliary condenser that radiates heat to ambient air).
  • By stabilizing the heat pump system at the optimum temperature level also energy consumption of the compressor 16 is stabilized. Examples for above optimum temperature levels are: an air temperature at drum inlet between 55°C and 65°C and/or a refrigerant temperature at condenser 10 outlet between 45°C and 55°C.
  • the first phase ends and the second phase begins.
  • the second phase is the phase during which the heat pump system 4 is stabilized or balanced as described above.
  • the transition between the first and second phase of the drying cycle may be determined by detecting a temperature of the refrigerant (e.g. at the outlet of the condenser 10 or at the compressor outlet).
  • a temperature of the refrigerant e.g. at the outlet of the condenser 10 or at the compressor outlet.
  • the start of the second phase or the end of the first phase may be determined by other operational parameters of the heat-pump system 4, like a temperature of the compressor 16, a temperature representative for a temperature of the heat-pump system 4 and/or a refrigerant pressure of the heat-pump system 4.
  • the condition for starting the second phase is detection of a temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature level (e.g. the optimum temperature level).
  • the temperature may be detected using an NTC temperature sensor as mentioned above and/or may be detected using sensor 42b or preferably 42a at the outlet of the condenser 10 (which may be an NTC temperature sensor).
  • the second phase is started when the predetermined temperature level is exceeded, independent whether the compressor cooling fan 40 is operating or activated or not before, at and/or after the transition from the first to the second phase.
  • the second phase is started and the (average) speed of the process air fan 8 is increased and/or its conveyance rate is increased while with the transition to the second phase the compressor cooling fan 40 must not be activated as part of the second phase.
  • the compressor cooling fan 40 is activated (for example the first time) when starting the second phase.
  • the 'first time' activating the compressor cooling fan means the first time when it is activated for actually cooling the heated compressor.
  • operating the compressor cooling fan during an initialization or start-up phase does mean operating the fan the first time for cooling the compressor.
  • the compressor cooling fan 40 may be repeatedly being switched on and off (e.g. for keeping the compressor temperature below a predetermined compressor threshold temperature).
  • the compressor cooling fan 40 is started the first time when the temperature threshold for reducing the compressor performance and increasing the drying air fan performance is initiated.
  • all three parameters are triggered by the same condition.
  • Fig. 4 shows an exemplary diagram illustrating the temporal course of the compressor power consumption and the condensation rate during a drying cycle having a first and second phase as described above. The transition between first and second phase is indicated by a vertical line.
  • the dotted line illustrates the compressor power consumption and the continuous line illustrates the condensation rate during the first and second phase.
  • the condensation rate does not continue to increase when the optimum temperature is achieved and the heat pump system is stabilized during the second phase. Different thereto, the condensation rate decreases during the second phase of the drying cycle.
  • Fig. 5 shows an exemplary diagram of evaporation rate over time for two different process air flow rates (generated by fan 8) during a drying cycle.
  • the dotted line shows the evaporation rate for a first air flow rate (a) and the continuous line shows the evaporation rate for a second air flow rate (b), which is higher than the first air flow rate (a).
  • a high evaporation rate is achieved in the first phase by means of the first (lower) air flow rate (a) and in the second phase by means of the second (higher) air flow rate (b).
  • Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 show schematic diagrams to illustrate methods for operating a heat pump laundry dryer 2 of Fig. 1 according to preferred embodiments.
  • the compressor performance is reduced in the second phase of the drying cycle, wherein the compressor performance may be one or more of a motor speed of a motor driving the compressor 16, an electrical power supplied to the compressor 16, the frequency of the voltage and/or current applied to the motor of the compressor 16, and the refrigerant conveyance rate of the compressor 16.
  • the compressor speed is reduced in the second phase.
  • a second compressor speed (during the second phase) is lower than a first compressor speed (during the first phase) by at least 10%, 20%, 25%, 30% or 40% and(or the second compressor speed is in the range of 85-95%, 75-90%, or 50-75% of the first compressor speed.
  • Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method for operating a heat pump laundry dryer as shown in Fig. 1 according to a first embodiment.
  • two optimal air flow rate values can be identified for each phase of the drying cycle. Consequently the fan speed is controlled by the control unit 44 in order to maintain these two air flow rate values during each of the two phases, i.e. a lower air flow rate is applied during the first phase and a higher air flow rate is applied during the second phase.
  • the second drying air flow rate (during the second phase) may be higher than the first drying air flow rate (during the first phase) by at least 10%, 20%, 25%, 30% or 50% and/or the second drying air flow rate may be in the range of 110-140%, 130-160%, or 150-200% of the first drying air flow rate.
  • Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method for operating a heat pump laundry dryer as shown in Fig. 1 according to a second embodiment. Unless otherwise mentioned, the same features and steps of the method according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6 are applied in the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 7 .
  • the fan speed is controlled by the control unit 44 to maintain a constant or substantially constant fan speed level during the first phase (low fan speed level) and the second phase (high fan speed level).
  • the air flow rate decreases over time due to an increased air resistance of the laundry/filter.
  • the fan speed levels are selected such that despite this increased air resistance the resulting air flow rate during the second phase is higher than the resulting air flow rate during the first phase.
  • the air flow rates in the first/second phase are in the range of the desired optimal air flow rates as illustrated in Fig. 5 .
  • the evaporation rate is optimized for each phase of a drying cycle of the laundry dryer 2. Furthermore, as the energy consumption of the compressor 16 is higher than the energy consumption of the fan 8, the total energy consumption during a drying cycle or drying operation is reduced due to the reduced compressor performance and increased fan performance.
  • Figs. 8 and 9 show modification of the control sequences shown in Figs. 6 and 7 .
  • Fig. 8 exemplifies a modification of Fig. 6 in that the increase in the speed or air flow rate of the cooling fan 40 is applied with a predetermined delay d1 with respect to the reduction of the compressor speed.
  • the compressor speed is for example reduced when a temperature threshold for the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat pump system 4 is exceeded.
  • the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the condenser 10 exceeds a predefined threshold.
  • the second phase starts (the first phase ends) when the fan speed is increased.
  • the second phase starts when the compressor speed is reduced, while the delayed fan speed increase is part of the initial period of the second phase.
  • Fig. 9 depicts a modification of Fig. 7 in which the reduction of the compressor speed is delayed by a predetermined delay time or period d2 with respect to the increase of the fan rotation speed or air flow rate.
  • the second phase starts with the reduction of the compressor speed.
  • the second phase starts when fan speed or flow rate is increased or a transition period of duration d2 is interleaved between the end of the first period and the start of the second period.
  • the cooling air fan speed is increased when a temperature threshold for the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat pump system 4 is exceeded.
  • Fig. 10 exemplifies another embodiment similar to the one of Fig. 7 , where however the fan speed of the process air fan 8 has a more moderate increase from the first to the second phase. As can be seen the speed was increased from the first to the second phase. While at the transition from the first to the second phase the conveyance or air flow rate also increases, due to the above mentioned clogging of the fluff filter 22, the air flow rate (further) decreases over time and during the second phase it may even fall below the highest value of the air flow rate at the beginning of the first phase. Again in this case the average of the air flow rate before the transition from the first to the second phase is lower than the average of the air flow rate after the transition.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
EP16166996.5A 2016-04-26 2016-04-26 Verfahren zum betreiben einer wäschetrocknervorrichtung und wäschetrocknervorrichtung Active EP3239387B1 (de)

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CN201710282842.4A CN107313228B (zh) 2016-04-26 2017-04-26 用于操作衣物干燥装置的方法以及衣物干燥装置

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CN112176679A (zh) * 2019-06-13 2021-01-05 宁波吉德电器有限公司 一种衣物处理装置及其控制方法
US20210404108A1 (en) * 2020-06-24 2021-12-30 Lg Electronics Inc. Laundry treating apparatus
EP4268699A1 (de) * 2022-04-28 2023-11-01 Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag Haushaltsgerät mit wärmepumpenanordnung und verfahren zum betrieb des haushaltgerätes

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CN110878471B (zh) * 2018-08-27 2022-07-19 合肥美的洗衣机有限公司 衣物处理装置的控制方法、装置和衣物处理装置
CN110965297B (zh) * 2018-09-27 2022-07-08 合肥美的洗衣机有限公司 衣物处理设备的控制方法
CN110965298B (zh) * 2018-09-27 2022-07-08 合肥美的洗衣机有限公司 衣物处理设备的控制方法
CN111286920A (zh) * 2018-11-21 2020-06-16 青岛海尔滚筒洗衣机有限公司 一种洗衣机的控制方法及洗衣机
CN111207570A (zh) * 2020-03-31 2020-05-29 郑州轻工业大学 一种节能型热泵干燥***及其控制方法
CN115968418A (zh) * 2020-06-24 2023-04-14 Lg电子株式会社 衣物处理设备

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EP4268699A1 (de) * 2022-04-28 2023-11-01 Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag Haushaltsgerät mit wärmepumpenanordnung und verfahren zum betrieb des haushaltgerätes

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