KR101728756B1 - Clothes dryer and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A drum provided inside the cabinet to provide a receiving space for drying clothes; A heat pump cycle having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an inflator, for applying heat to air circulating through the drum to dry the clothes; And an auxiliary heat source for supplying a heat transfer fluid to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator or the evaporator, thereby increasing the amount of heat absorbed by the evaporator.

Description

CLOTHES DRYER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME [0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer having a hybrid heat pump capable of greatly reducing drying time by using steam and hot water, and a control method thereof.

Generally, a clothes dryer is a device for drying laundry by blowing hot air generated by a heater into a drum to evaporate moisture contained in the laundry.

A clothes dryer can be classified into an exhaust type clothes dryer and a condensation type clothes dryer depending on the treatment method of the humid air discharged from the drum after the laundry is dried by hot air.

The exhaust type clothes dryer uses a heater or the like to heat new air introduced from the outside of the dryer and supply the drum with the high temperature and high humidity air discharged from the drum to the outside of the dryer.

The condensing clothes dryer dries the high temperature and high humidity air discharged from the drum to a temperature below the dew point temperature in the condenser without exhausting it to the outside of the dryer, condenses moisture contained in the humid air and reheats the air passing through the condenser by a heater And then circulated to the rear drum.

Here, in the case of the exhaust type dryer, since the humidity of the air discharged from the drum decreases as the drying time elapses, the amount of thermal energy loss of the air discharged to the outside increases, not used for drying.

Also, in the case of a condensable clothes dryer, heat energy is lost due to the air discharged from the drum during the condensation of the humid air, and the heat is re-heated by reheating the air through a separate heater or the like for drying.

Therefore, recently, a heat pump dryer having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve, and recovering energy of air discharged from the drum to heat energy supplied to the drum to increase energy efficiency has been developed.

However, the heat pump dryer is superior in energy efficiency to a general electric dryer (a dryer that heats air by an electric heater to supply hot air), but has a disadvantage of a long operating time.

1 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer 10 (see Patent No. 0830514) provided with a conventional steam generator 1.

According to the steam generator 1 shown in Fig. 1, the water supplied to the steam generator 1 is heated, and steam is generated. Then, the steam is injected into the drum through the nozzle 3 through the steam hose 2.

As a result, wrinkling or wrinkling of the dried clothes can be effectively prevented or eliminated, and the smell of clothes can be deodorized.

However, since the steam injected through the nozzle 3 shown in FIG. 1 is used only for a clothes care function, such as wrinkle removal and deodorization of clothes, the steam generator 1, (3) and the steam hose (2) have a limitation in shortening the drying time.

2 is a schematic view showing a hybrid heat pump dryer 20 (see US 8353114 B2) using a conventional heater as an auxiliary heat source.

According to the hybrid heat pump dryer 20 shown in Fig. 2, when it is determined that an additional heat source is required for the heat pump cycle during drying, the two auxiliary heaters 21 and 22 are operated. One of the auxiliary heaters 21 (hereinafter referred to as a first auxiliary heater) is located in the supply duct 25 on the rear surface of the drum 24 and the other auxiliary heater 22 is located in front of the evaporator 23 .

The heat quantity of the first and second auxiliary heaters 21 and 22 is ultimately absorbed by the evaporator 23 and is used as an additional heat source of the heat pump cycle so that the heat pump cycle contributes to the optimum performance.

When the first auxiliary heater 21 is operated before the air is introduced into the drum 23, the amount of heat of the air heated by the first auxiliary heater 21 is mostly absorbed by the fabric in the drum 23, Heat is absorbed in the evaporator in the form of latent heat (humidifier).

When the second auxiliary heater 22 is operated after the air is discharged from the drum 23, the amount of heat of the air heated by the second auxiliary heater 22 is absorbed in the evaporator 23 in the form of sensible heat.

However, when the auxiliary heaters 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 2 are positioned in the duct for inducing the flow of air, the amount of air flowing into the evaporator due to an increase in the flow path resistance is reduced. This reduces the heat amount of the heat pump Resulting in a longer drying time.

Although a lint such as a lint generated in the process of tumbling the fabric is mostly filtered in a lint filter located at the outlet of the drum, a portion of the lint that has passed through the lint filter passes through the auxiliary heaters 21, 22), it is possible to provide a cause of fire due to ignition of the lint.

D1: Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0830514 (registered on May 13, 2008) D2: US8353114 B2

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clothes dryer and a control method thereof that can shorten the drying time by using steam and hot water heated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes dryer and its control method which can minimize the increase of the flow path resistance and prevent the possibility of ignition of the lint.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothes dryer comprising: a drum provided in a cabinet for providing a space for drying clothing; A heat pump cycle having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an inflator, for applying heat to air circulating through the drum to dry the clothes; And an auxiliary heat source for supplying a heat transfer fluid to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator or the evaporator, thereby increasing the heat absorbed by the evaporator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a control unit for selectively operating and controlling the auxiliary heat source unit according to at least one of a temperature of the air passing through the condenser, a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser, and a refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor, . ≪ / RTI >

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when at least one of the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser, and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor is lower than a preset temperature, .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a first temperature sensor installed in an air flow path extending from the condenser to the drum and sensing a temperature of air passing through the condenser may be included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a second temperature sensor installed in a refrigerant pipe of the condenser and sensing a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser may be included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a third temperature sensor installed at an outlet of the compressor for sensing a refrigerant outlet temperature in the compressor may be included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary heat source can control the supply amount of the heat transfer fluid by using the flow rate control means.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat transfer fluid may be steam or heated hot water.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat transfer fluid may be supplied at a higher temperature than the refrigerant passing through the evaporator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air flow path through which the heat transfer fluid is supplied may be an air duct extending from the outlet of the drum to the inlet of the evaporator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary heat source includes a heat pump-dedicated steam generator separately provided in the cabinet for securing the performance of the heat pump cycle. A first steam tube for transmitting steam generated in the steam generator for the heat pump to the air passage; A flow control valve installed in the first steam tube for controlling an amount of steam flowing into the evaporator; And a first steam nozzle provided in the first steam tube and communicating with the interior of the air passage, the first steam nozzle injecting steam into the air passage.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary heat source includes a second steam tube connected to a steam generator applied to a dryer for clothes care, and delivering steam generated in the steam generator to the air flow channel; A control valve installed at a connecting portion of a second steam tube connected to the steam generator for clothes care, for controlling an amount of steam flowing into the evaporator; And a second steam nozzle provided in the second steam tube and communicating with the inside of the air passage, for spraying the steam into the air passage.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary heat source includes a hot water tube connected to a hot water supply line for supplying hot water from the outside of the cabinet, and transferring the hot water to the air passage; A third flow control valve installed in the hot water tube for regulating a flow rate of the hot water; And a hot water nozzle provided in the hot water tube and communicating with the inside of the air passage for spraying the hot water into the air passage.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat transfer fluid can be sprayed directly onto the evaporator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat transfer fluid may be re-supplied using the condensed water generated in the evaporator.

The clothes dryer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in order to supply hot air to a space for accommodating the object to be dried by using a heat pump cycle, the heat pump cycle viewed from a refrigerant flow flow includes an auxiliary heat source unit ; An evaporator for exchanging heat between the air discharged from the space for accommodating the object to be dried and the heat transfer fluid and the refrigerant provided from the auxiliary heat source to increase the amount of heat absorbed into the refrigerant; A compressor for compressing the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator; A condenser for exchanging heat between the refrigerant compressed in the compressor and the air introduced into the space for accommodating the object to be dried to increase the heating amount of the air; And an expansion valve for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant condensed in the condenser.

A method of controlling a clothes dryer according to the present invention includes driving a heat pump cycle by turning on a power supply of a compressor to supply hot air to a drum using a heat pump cycle including an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve ; At least one heat transfer fluid of steam and hot water is selectively supplied to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator according to the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser, and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor step; And transferring the amount of heat of the heat transfer fluid to the air flowing into the drum through the refrigerant in the condenser to generate hot air.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the control method of the clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention, the heat transfer fluid is supplied to the compressor when the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor are less than a predetermined temperature Can be provided.

According to the present invention configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

First, an additional amount of heat is applied to the heat pump in the early stage of the operation of the heat pump, and the drying time can be shortened as soon as the optimum condition of the heat pump cycle is reached.

Second, it can contribute to optimizing the state of the heat pump cycle even when the state of the heat pump cycle is not optimal during drying.

Third, since the heater is not exposed on the air flow path, the risk of fire can be eliminated.

Fourthly, since only the nozzles are exposed on the air flow path, the increase of the flow path resistance can be minimized.

Fifth, when applying the technique of the present invention to a clothes dryer to which a steam generator is applied for use such as wrinkle and wrinkle removal, if a steam generator is commonly used, only components such as a steam tube, a steam nozzle, It is possible to reduce costs.

Sixth, since the hot water supplied from outside the dryer can be used without the steam generator, the increase in cost can be minimized.

Seventh, since the temperature of the heat transfer fluid such as steam may be higher than the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the evaporator, the steam need not be at a high temperature, thereby reducing power consumption for generating steam.

1 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer having a conventional steam generator.
2 is a schematic view showing a hybrid heat pump dryer using a conventional heater as an auxiliary heat source.
3 is a schematic view showing a heat pump clothes dryer to which an auxiliary heat source unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
4 is a schematic view of a heat pump module.
5 is a schematic view showing a state in which steam according to the present invention is sprayed or sprayed through a nozzle.
6 is a block diagram showing an input unit and a control unit for controlling the auxiliary heat source unit of the present invention.
7 is a graph showing Ph diagrams of the heat pump cycle.
8 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer to which a supplementary heat source unit according to another embodiment of the present invention is added in a dryer to which a steam device for clothes care is applied.
9 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer to which an auxiliary heat source unit according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.
10 is a schematic view showing a state in which hot water according to the present invention is supplied through a nozzle.
11 is a flowchart showing a control method of a heat pump clothes dryer using steam as an auxiliary heat source according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a graph showing values obtained by measuring the difference in calorific value between a condenser, an evaporator and a compressor according to whether the steam application of the present invention is applied in a heat pump dryer in real time.

Hereinafter, a clothes dryer and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present invention relates to a heat pump clothes dryer (100) using steam or heated hot water as an auxiliary heat source.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a heat pump clothes dryer 100 to which an auxiliary heat source unit 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a heat pump module.

The clothes dryer 100 according to the present invention includes a cabinet, a drum 100, a driving unit, a blower fan 112, and the like as basic components, and provides a heat pump cycle 130 for providing a main heat source and an auxiliary heat source The auxiliary heat source unit 120 is further provided to supply hot air to the drum 100 in order to dry the cloth introduced into the drum 100.

The cabinet forms the outline of the product, for example, the overall shape may be a rectangular parallelepiped.

A drum (100) is provided in the cabinet for accommodating a drying object.

The drum 100 has a hollow cylindrical shape and provides a receiving space for loading and drying clothes, which are objects to be dried. An opening is formed in the front face of the drum 100, a slot is formed in the front face of the cabinet, and the opening and the slot are communicated with each other, so that the clothes can be inserted into the drum 100. The door may be hinged to the cabinet for opening and closing the inlet.

In order to efficiently dry clothes to be dried, the drum 100 is rotatably installed, and a lifter is provided inside the drum 100, so that the clothes can be tumbled by the lifter.

The driving unit may be implemented by a motor or the like and the output shaft of the motor and the drum 100 are connected to each other by a power transmitting means such as a belt or the like so that the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the drum 100 to rotate the drum 100 have.

The air blowing fan 112 is installed in an air flow path 111 for introducing air into the drum 100. The air blowing fan 112 applies power to the air to pass through the inside of the drum 100, (100).

The air passage 111 is connected to the drum 100 to form a closed loop for air circulation. For example, the air passage 111 may be provided with an air duct. A drum outlet for discharging air is formed in the front lower portion of the drum 100 and a drum inlet for introducing air into the drum 100 is formed and the air duct 111 is communicated with the drum outlet and inlet , The air circulation can be induced.

A lint filter is installed at the drum outlet so that the lint contained in the air can be collected as the air discharged from the drum 100 passes through the lint filter.

The clothes (also referred to as "clothes") housed in the drum 100 receive heat from the supplied hot air to evaporate the moisture contained in the clothes. When the air passes through the drum 100, And discharged from the drum outlet. The high temperature and high humidity air discharged from the drum 100 travels along the air flow path 111, receives heat from the heat pump cycle 130, and is heated and circulated to the drum 100.

The heat pump cycle 130 comprises an evaporator 131, a compressor 132, a condenser 133 and an expansion valve 134. The heat pump cycle 130 may use refrigerant as the working fluid. The refrigerant moves along the refrigerant pipe 135, and the refrigerant pipe 135 forms a closed loop for circulation of the refrigerant. The evaporator 131, the compressor 132, the condenser 133 and the expansion valve 134 are connected by the refrigerant pipe 135 so that the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 131, the compressor 132, the condenser 133, (134).

The evaporator 131 is installed in the air passage 111 to communicate with the drum outlet and exchanges heat between the air discharged from the drum outlet and the refrigerant so that the amount of heat of the air discharged from the drum 100 is not discharged to the outside of the dryer 100 Recovering heat exchanger.

The condenser 133 is installed in the air passage 111 to communicate with the drum inlet and exchanges the refrigerant with the air that has passed through the evaporator 131. The heat of the refrigerant absorbed by the evaporator 131 is introduced into the drum 100 It is a heat exchanger that radiates heat to the air.

The evaporator 131 and the condenser 133 may be installed inside the air duct. The evaporator 131 may be connected to the drum outlet, and the condenser 133 may be connected to the drum inlet.

The evaporator 131 and the condenser 133 may be fin-and-tube type heat exchangers. The pin-and-tube type is a type in which a plate-shaped pin is attached to a hollow tube. As the refrigerant flows along the inside of the tube and the air passes over the tube outer surface, the refrigerant and the air exchange heat with each other. The fins are used to expand the heat exchange area between the air and the refrigerant.

The hot and humid air discharged from the drum 100 is higher in temperature than the refrigerant of the evaporator 131 and therefore the refrigerant of the evaporator 131 is taken into the refrigerant of the evaporator 131 while passing through the evaporator 131, do. Accordingly, the hot and humid air is dehumidified (the moisture is removed) by the evaporator 131, and the condensed condensed water can be collected and discharged to the sump provided at the lower part of the evaporator 131.

The air that has passed through the evaporator 131 flows into the condenser 133 and passes through the condenser 133 to receive the heat radiated from the refrigerant of the condenser 133 to be heated and then flows into the drum 100.

The heat pump cycle 130 recovers the heat amount of the heat absorbed by the evaporator 131 and moves the condensed water to the condenser 133. The condenser 133 reheats the air to heat the air, The hot air can be supplied.

The heat source of the heat absorbed in the evaporator 131 is transferred to the condenser 133 via the refrigerant and is supplied to the evaporator 131 (the heat source) to move the heat source from the evaporator 131 And the condenser 133. The condenser 133 is connected to the condenser 133 via a pipe 132. [

The compressor (132) compresses the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator (131) in order to provide power to the refrigerant, converts the refrigerant into a high temperature and a high pressure, and transfers it to the condenser (133). To this end, the compressor 132 is installed in the refrigerant pipe 135 extending from the evaporator 131 to the condenser 133. The compressor 132 may be an inverter type compressor 132 capable of varying the frequency to control the discharge amount of the refrigerant.

The expansion valve 134 expands the condensed refrigerant in the condenser 133 to a low temperature and a low pressure, and transfers the refrigerant to the evaporator 131. To this end, the expansion valve 134 is installed in the refrigerant pipe 135 extending from the condenser 133 to the evaporator 131.

The heat pump cycle 130 that conveys the heat source from the low-temperature heat source unit to the high-temperature heat source unit repeatedly circulates the refrigerant in the following order.

The refrigerant flows into the evaporator 131, and the heat source of the high temperature and high humidity air discharged from the drum 100 is received in the evaporator 131 and evaporated. At this time, the heat source of air is transferred to the refrigerant in the form of latent heat, and the refrigerant is changed from liquid to vapor.

Subsequently, the refrigerant is discharged from the evaporator 131 and flows into the compressor 132. As the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 132, the gaseous refrigerant is brought into a high-temperature and high-pressure state.

Subsequently, the refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 132 and flows into the condenser 133. As the refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 133, the gaseous refrigerant in the high temperature and high pressure is changed into the liquid phase. At this time, the amount of heat of the refrigerant is transferred to the air in a latent heat mode.

Next, the refrigerant is discharged from the condenser 133, flows into the expansion valve 134, and is changed to a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant as the pressure of the refrigerant is reduced by the diaphragm action of the expansion valve 134 (or capillary tube or the like).

Finally, the refrigerant is discharged from the expansion valve 134 and flows into the evaporator 131 again, so that the refrigerant is repeated in one cycle.

Here, the present invention provides the auxiliary heat source unit 120 so that the heat pump can exhibit the optimum performance early in the early transient period, that is, the early transient period can be shortened and the optimal period can be reached early.

Further, the auxiliary heat source unit 120 is provided to maintain the optimal state when the heat pump does not achieve a sufficient amount of heat to be absorbed by the evaporator 131 during the drying.

The auxiliary heat source unit 120 further provides an auxiliary heat source to the evaporator 131 so as to increase the amount of heat absorbed in the evaporator 131 when it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is not optimal during the drying.

A heat transfer fluid is provided as an auxiliary heat source, and the heat transfer fluid may be steam or heated hot water. The heat transfer fluid is at least higher in temperature than the refrigerant of the evaporator 131. [ This is because the heat of the heat transfer fluid is transferred to the refrigerant of the evaporator 131.

The heat transfer fluid may be supplied directly to the evaporator 131 to transfer heat to the refrigerant of the evaporator 131 or may be mixed with the air flowing into the evaporator 131 and supplied to the evaporator 131.

The heat transfer fluid supplied from the auxiliary heat source unit 120 may be supplied to the evaporator 131 by being controlled by a flow rate control means such as a flow rate control valve 123 or the like.

The position where the heat transfer fluid is supplied is a section of the air passage 111 extending from the drum outlet to the evaporator 131. For example, the heat transfer fluid may be in the interior of the air duct adjacent to the drum outlet, in the middle of the air duct connecting the drum outlet and evaporator 131, or in the interior of the air duct located close to the inlet of the evaporator 131 .

In addition, the heat transfer fluid can be sprayed directly onto the evaporator 131. For example, the heat transfer fluid may be evenly sprayed on the inlet side front surface of the evaporator 131 into which the air flows.

According to the auxiliary heat source unit 120 shown in FIG. 3, the air introduced into the evaporator 131 is mixed with steam, which is a heat transfer fluid, to provide an additional heat amount of the heat transfer fluid to the evaporator 131.

3, the auxiliary heat source unit 120 includes a steam generator 121, a first steam tube 122, and a first steam nozzle 124.

The steam generator 121 shown in FIG. 3 is provided inside the cabinet separately from the steam generator 121 for clothes care applied to the dryer 100 for the purpose of heat pump exclusive use, that is, to remove wrinkles and wrinkles, And is used to exert the optimum performance of the pump cycle 130. The steam generator 121 generates steam. Steam can be produced by heating water. For example, the steam generator 121 may be constituted by a water tank for storing water and a heater installed inside or outside the water tank. Since the steam generator 121 may include heating means capable of heating and evaporating water or the like, the heating means is not limited to an electric heater or the like.

The first steam tube 122 extends from the steam generator 121 to an arbitrary point in the air passage 111 and connects the steam generator 121 and the air passage 111 in a communicative manner to connect the steam to the air passage 111, .

The steam generator 121 of the auxiliary heat source unit 120 may be replaced by a momentary steam heater capable of simultaneously performing the tube operation with the steam generator 121. [ In this case, the tube may be omitted.

The instantaneous heating can be composed of a heating tube through which water flows, and a heater coiled around the heating tube. When the electric power is applied to the instantaneous heating heater, the water flowing along the heating pipe is heated to generate steam. At this time, since a tube is not separately required and the heating tube is directly connected to the air flow passage 111, the heating tube can serve as a tube of the steam generator 121. However, instantaneous heating can be performed by any of a direct type that is connected to an external water tap in such a manner that water is supplied to a heating pipe, a storage type in which water is supplied by providing a separate water tank in the cabinet, Can be selectively applied.

5 is a schematic view showing a state in which steam according to the present invention is sprayed or sprayed through a nozzle.

The first steam nozzle 124 is installed at an end of the first steam tube 122 and a part of the nozzle is installed inside the air passage 111 for introducing air into the evaporator 131, Steam can be sprayed.

The first steam nozzles 124 shown in FIG. 5 may be installed as many as necessary.

It is preferable that the first steam nozzle 124 protrudes at least to the upper portion of the flow path in order to minimize the flow path resistance.

The first steam nozzle 124 is directed upward and downward and the steam is directed toward the evaporator 131 so that the steam can be uniformly sprayed on the front surface of the evaporator 131, It is preferable to be inclined.

A flow control valve 123 is provided in the first steam tube 122 to adjust the steam supply amount.

3, the flow control valve 123 may be omitted when a pump for delivering steam is installed in the steam generator.

6 is a block diagram showing an input unit and a control unit 140 for controlling the auxiliary heat source unit 120 of the present invention and FIG. 7 is a graph showing a P-h line diagram of the heat pump cycle 130. Referring to FIG.

The present invention may further include an input unit for determining whether the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state, a control unit 140, and an output unit. The control unit 140 senses whether the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state and sends an output signal to the auxiliary heat source unit 120 when it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is not optimal to selectively operate the auxiliary heat source unit 120 As this is controlled, an additional auxiliary heat source is provided.

The input unit senses a control factor for determining whether the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state, and inputs the sensed information to the control unit 140. [

The determination of whether or not the heat pump cycle 130 is in the optimum state is made by confirming the pressure (P _High ) in the ①-② section of the Ph diagram. The confirmation of P _High can be replaced by checking the following three.

First, it is the temperature of the air passing through the condenser 133. Which is sensed by the first temperature sensor 141. The first temperature sensor 141 is installed in the air passage 111 extending from the condenser 133 to the drum inlet. If the temperature of the air passing through the condenser 133 is above a predetermined temperature, the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state.

Second, it is the refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser 133. The refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser 133 means the temperature in the liquid / vapor phase mixing region of the refrigerant. Which is sensed by the second temperature sensor 142. To this end, the second temperature sensor 142 may be installed at the return bend of the condenser 133.

Third, it is the refrigerant discharge temperature of the compressor 132. The temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 132 is sensed by the third temperature sensor 143. To this end, the third temperature sensor 143 may be installed at the discharge port of the compressor 132.

The control unit 140 determines whether the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state as the sensing value of at least one of the three is input to the controller 140.

For example, when the temperature passing through the condenser 133 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is in an optimal state, and it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is not optimal when the temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature may be variously set according to the drying mode.

Accordingly, when the temperature sensing value sensed by the temperature sensor of at least one of the first temperature sensor 141 to the third temperature sensor 143 is less than a preset temperature, the auxiliary heat source unit 120 is operated.

The control unit 140 receives the sensing signal from the input unit and outputs a control signal to the auxiliary heat source unit 120 when it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is not optimal.

The steam generator 121 which is the auxiliary heat source unit 120 receives the control signal and the flow control valve 123 is opened. The steam generated in the steam generator 121 moves along the first steam tube 122 and is injected into the air passage 111 through the first steam nozzle 124. The injected steam mixes with the air discharged from the drum 100 and flows into the evaporator 131, thereby acting as an additional heat source for the steam in the heat pump cycle 130.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the amount of heat absorbed by the evaporator 131 increases and the amount of heat dissipated from the condenser 133 increases, so that the heat pump cycle 130 can exhibit the optimum performance early, Can be maintained. This shortens the drying time.

In addition, since only the nozzles protrude from the air flow path 111 of the present invention, they have little influence on the flow of air, so that the flow resistance is not increased, the nozzles are not easily structured to accumulate lint, , There is no possibility that the flow resistance increases or the lint is ignited at all.

8 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer 200 to which a supplementary heat source unit 220 according to another embodiment of the present invention is added in a dryer 200 to which a steam device for clothes care is applied.

The steam device for garment care includes a steam generator 221, a steam tube 221a and a steam nozzle 221b. The steam nozzle 221b is installed to communicate with the inside of the drum 100, Steam is injected. The other constitution is similar to that of a conventional steam system for care of garments, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The auxiliary heat source unit 120 shown in FIG. 8 includes a second steam tube 222, a control valve 223 and a second steam nozzle 224, and shares the steam generator 121 for clothes care, It can be used as an auxiliary heat source.

The second steam tube 222 is connected to the steam tube 221a of the clothes generator steam generator 121 and the control valve 223 is installed at the inlet of the second steam tube 222 to be used as an auxiliary heat source The supply amount of steam can be controlled. The control valve 223 is disposed between the auxiliary heat source unit 120 and the clothes-care steam generator 221 so that when the steam generator 221 is implemented as a three-way valve, To the second steam tube 222 of the auxiliary heat source unit 120 or to the clothes care steam tube 221a. Or the directional valve may be configured separately from the flow control valve 223 when the control valve 223 is implemented to perform only the flow control function.

Other configurations are similar to those shown in FIG. 3, and therefore, will be omitted for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a clothes dryer 300 to which an auxiliary heat source unit 320 according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a mode in which hot water according to the present invention is supplied through a nozzle.

The auxiliary heat source 320 shown in FIG. 9 uses hot water as an auxiliary heat source.

Here, the hot water means water having a temperature higher than the refrigerant temperature of the evaporator 131.

In addition, the condition that the temperature of the heat transfer fluid should be higher than that of the refrigerant of the evaporator 131 must be satisfied, so that water of normal tap water can be used instead of steam or hot water.

The hot water may be supplied from the outside of the dryer 300 or may be supplied by heating the water inside the cabinet of the dryer 300. The auxiliary heat source unit 320 shown in FIG. 9 supplies hot water heated outside the cabinet of the dryer 300. For example, hot water can be supplied after heating water using a boiler installed in a house or the like.

The auxiliary heat source unit 320 shown in FIG. 9 includes a hot water valve 323, a hot water tube 322, and a hot water nozzle 324.

The hot water valve 323 is configured to connect the hot water line 321 connected to the outside of the cabinet of the dryer 300 and the hot water tube 322 to adjust the hot water supply amount.

The hot water tube 322 extends from the hot water valve 323 to the air passage 111 and can transfer hot water to the evaporator 131.

The hot water nozzle 324 shown in FIG. 9 can spray hot water into the air passage 111 in the form of mist to be mixed with the air in the air passage 111 evenly.

The hot water nozzle 324 shown in FIG. 10 preferably has a top-down spray direction and protrudes at least over the flow path to minimize the flow path resistance.

The hot water nozzle 324 may be formed long in the width direction of the evaporator 131. Also, considering the effect of the air flow, the hot water should be designed to be uniformly sprayed on the entire surface of the evaporator 131.

11 is a flowchart showing a control method of the heat pump clothes dryer 100 using steam as an auxiliary heat source according to the present invention.

First, it is determined whether the heat pump cycle 130 is in operation (S100). The heat pump cycle 130 is operated by circulating the refrigerant as power is applied to the compressor 132 to apply power to the refrigerant.

When the compressor 132 is turned on (S100), it is determined whether the heat pump cycle 130 has not reached the optimum state (S200). The optimal state of the heat pump may be determined by comparing the sensed temperature of at least one of the first to third temperature sensors 141 to 143 with a predetermined temperature.

For example, when the air temperature passing through the condenser 133 is 10 ° C and the predetermined temperature is 60 ° C, the air temperature passing through the condenser 133 is smaller than the predetermined temperature, so that the heat pump cycle 130 ) Is not the optimal state.

In the early stage of drying, it takes a long time to warm up the air duct, the evaporator 131 of the heat pump cycle 130, and the condenser 133. Therefore, in order to shorten the drying time, 130) to be able to exhibit the optimum performance early is very important.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the heat pump cycle 130 is not optimal for shortening the drying time, the auxiliary heat source unit 120 is operated, that is, the steam generator 121 is turned on (S300), and steam is generated by the steam generator 121 as an auxiliary heat source.

Next, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the steam, which is heat transfer fluid, is higher than the refrigerant temperature of the evaporator 131 before opening the flow control valve 123 (S400). If the temperature is higher than the refrigerant temperature, The first steam tube 122 and the first steam nozzle 124 to supply steam to the flow path section between the drum outlet of the air flow path 111 and the evaporator 131. The temperature of the _steam (T _steam ) is higher than the refrigerant temperature (T _ref.eva. ) Of the evaporator 131. When the temperature of the steam is lower than or equal to the refrigerant temperature, the valve is closed (S510).

The steam supplied to the passage section between the drum outlet and the evaporator 131 is mixed with the air flowing along the air passage 111 and the mixed steam is discharged from the drum 100 through the heat pump cycle 130, respectively.

If the temperature of the air passing through the condenser 133 rises above a predetermined temperature, the steam generator 121 is turned off and the first steam valve is turned off (S310).

Accordingly, the heat pump cycle 130 receives an additional auxiliary heat source from the steam generator 121 in the evaporator 131, dissipates heat to the air supplied to the drum 100 from the condenser 133, The pump cycle 130 can exhibit optimum performance early.

12 is a graph showing values obtained by measuring the difference in calorific value between the condenser 133, the evaporator 131 and the compressor 132 according to whether the steam application of the present invention is applied in the heat pump dryer 100 in real time.

The measured value shown in Fig. 12 is a value obtained by measuring at room temperature.

According to the present invention in which steam is provided as an auxiliary heat source in the heat pump cycle 130 as compared to a conventional heat pump dryer 100 in which steam is not provided as an auxiliary heat source in the heat pump cycle 130, The heat pump dryer 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shortened the time period of the heat pump cycle 130 by about 10 minutes and shortened the drying time by 10 minutes when the present invention was applied.

The clothes dryer 100 and its control method described above are not limited to the configurations and the methods of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined .

100, 200, 300: dryer
110: Drums
111: air flow
112: blowing fan
120, 220, 320:
121: Steam generator
122: first steam tube
123: Flow control valve
124: first steam nozzle
221a: steam tube
221b: steam nozzle
222: the second steam tube
223: Control valve
224: second steam nozzle
321: Hot water line
322: Hot Water Tube
323: Hot water valve
324: hot water nozzle
130: Heat pump cycle
131: Evaporator
132: compressor
133: condenser
134: expansion valve
135: Refrigerant piping
140:
141: first temperature sensor
142: second temperature sensor
143: third temperature sensor

Claims (18)

A drum provided inside the cabinet to provide a receiving space for drying clothes;
A heat pump cycle having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an inflator, for applying heat to air circulating through the drum to dry the clothes; And
An auxiliary heat source unit for supplying a heat transfer fluid to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator or the evaporator and increasing an amount of heat absorbed by the evaporator;
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is supplied at a higher temperature than the refrigerant passing through the evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
And a control unit for selectively operating and controlling the auxiliary heat source unit according to at least one of a temperature of the air passing through the condenser, a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser, and a refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor. . A drum provided inside the cabinet to provide a receiving space for drying clothes;
A heat pump cycle having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an inflator, for applying heat to air circulating through the drum to dry the clothes;
An auxiliary heat source unit for supplying a heat transfer fluid to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator or the evaporator and increasing an amount of heat absorbed by the evaporator; And
And a control unit for selectively operating and controlling the auxiliary heat source unit according to at least one of a temperature of the air passing through the condenser, a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser, and a refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor,
Wherein the auxiliary heat source section operates when at least one of a temperature of the air passing through the condenser, a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser, and a refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor is less than a preset temperature. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a first temperature sensor installed in an air flow path extending from the condenser to the drum and detecting a temperature of air passing through the condenser. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a second temperature sensor installed in the refrigerant pipe of the condenser for sensing a refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a third temperature sensor installed at an outlet of the compressor for sensing a refrigerant outlet temperature of the compressor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the auxiliary heat source unit regulates a supply amount of the heat transfer fluid by using a flow rate control means. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is steam or heated hot water. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the air flow path through which the heat transfer fluid is supplied is an air duct extending from the outlet of the drum to the inlet of the evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
The auxiliary heat source unit
A steam generator dedicated to the heat pump provided separately in the cabinet for securing the performance of the heat pump cycle;
A first steam tube for transmitting steam generated in the steam generator for the heat pump to the air passage;
A flow control valve installed in the first steam tube for controlling an amount of steam flowing into the evaporator; And
A first steam nozzle provided in the first steam tube and communicating with the inside of the air flow path, and spraying steam to the air flow path;
The clothes dryer comprising: The method according to claim 1,
The auxiliary heat source unit
A second steam tube connected to a steam generator applied to a dryer for garment care and delivering steam generated from the steam generator to the air flow path;
A control valve installed at a connecting portion of a second steam tube connected to the steam generator for clothes care, for controlling an amount of steam flowing into the evaporator; And
A second steam nozzle provided in the second steam tube and communicating with the inside of the air flow path to inject the steam into the air flow path;
And a drying unit for drying the clothes dryer. The method according to claim 1,
The auxiliary heat source unit
A hot water tube connected to a hot water supply line for supplying hot water from the outside of the cabinet to transfer the hot water to the air passage;
A third flow control valve installed in the hot water tube for regulating a flow rate of the hot water; And
A hot water nozzle provided in the hot water tube and communicating with the inside of the air passage for spraying the hot water into the air passage;
And a drying unit for drying the clothes dryer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is sprayed directly onto the evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is supplied again using condensed water generated in the evaporator. A clothes dryer for supplying hot air to a drying object accommodating space using a heat pump cycle,
In the heat pump cycle,
An auxiliary heat source unit for providing at least one heat transfer fluid of steam and hot water;
An evaporator for exchanging heat between the air discharged from the space for accommodating the object to be dried and the heat transfer fluid and the refrigerant provided from the auxiliary heat source to increase the amount of heat absorbed into the refrigerant;
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator;
A condenser for exchanging heat between the refrigerant compressed in the compressor and the air introduced into the space for accommodating the object to be dried to increase the heating amount of the air; And
An expansion valve for decompressing the refrigerant condensed in the condenser;
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is supplied at a higher temperature than the refrigerant passing through the evaporator. A control method of a clothes dryer for supplying hot air to a drum using a heat pump cycle including an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve,
Turning on the compressor to drive the heat pump cycle;
At least one heat transfer fluid of steam and hot water is selectively supplied to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator according to the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser, and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor step;
Transferring the amount of heat of the heat transfer fluid to the air flowing into the drum through the refrigerant in the condenser to generate hot air;
Wherein the heat transfer fluid is supplied at a higher temperature than the refrigerant passing through the evaporator. A control method of a clothes dryer for supplying hot air to a drum using a heat pump cycle including an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve,
Turning on the compressor to drive the heat pump cycle;
At least one heat transfer fluid of steam and hot water is selectively supplied to an air flow path for introducing air into the evaporator according to the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser, and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor step;
Transferring the amount of heat of the heat transfer fluid to the air flowing into the drum through the refrigerant in the condenser to generate hot air;
Lt; / RTI >
The heat transfer fluid,
Wherein the controller is provided when the temperature of the air passing through the condenser, the refrigerant condensation temperature in the condenser, and the refrigerant discharge temperature in the compressor are less than a preset temperature.

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