US-20260125840-A1 - DRYER AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

US20260125840A1US 20260125840 A1US20260125840 A1US 20260125840A1US-20260125840-A1

Abstract

A dryer is provided. The dryer includes an alternating current (AC) power supply configured to supply an input voltage, a rectifier configured to rectify the supplied input voltage, a power amplifier configured to amplify the rectified input voltage to provide an output voltage, a plurality of electrodes to which the output voltage is applied, a matching circuit, connected between the power amplifier and the plurality of electrodes, configured to correct a waveform of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier, memory storing instructions, and at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to obtain a magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier, and detect a power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage, based on the magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage.

Inventors

Kyungmin Lee
Jihoon Kim
Seogyong JEONG

Assignees

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251218
Priority Date: 20230703

Claims (20)

1 . A dryer, comprising: an alternating current (AC) power supply configured to supply an input voltage; a rectifier configured to rectify the supplied input voltage; a power amplifier configured to amplify the rectified input voltage to provide an output voltage; a plurality of electrodes to which the output voltage is applied; a matching circuit, connected between the power amplifier and the plurality of electrodes, configured to correct a waveform of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier; memory storing instructions; and at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: obtain a magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier, and detect a power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage, based on the magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage.
2 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier being greater than the defined reference voltage.
3 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: control the matching circuit to correct the waveform of the output voltage based on the detected power value.
4 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than a first voltage value, in response to a magnitude of supply power being greater than a preset first power value.
5 . The dryer of claim 4 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: in response to the magnitude of the supply power being greater than the preset first power value, control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than the first voltage value, and control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than a second voltage value in an arbitrary time period, and wherein the second voltage value is greater than the first voltage value.
6 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: in response to a magnitude of supply power being less than a preset second power value, control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than a second voltage value, and wherein the preset second power value is less than a preset first power value.
7 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: determine a third voltage value that is greater than or equal to a first voltage value and less than or equal to a second voltage value, based on a magnitude of supply power, in response to the magnitude of the supply power being less than or equal to a preset first power value and greater than or equal to a preset second power value, and control the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to the plurality of electrodes, based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than or equal to the determined third voltage value, and wherein the preset second power value is less than the preset first power value, and the second voltage value is greater than the first voltage value.
8 . The dryer of claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: identify whether a previously detected power value exists based on the magnitude of the output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage; in response to identifying that the previously detected power value exists, control the matching circuit to correct the waveform of the output voltage based on the previously detected power value; and in response to identifying that the previously detected power value does not exist, detect the power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage.
9 . The dryer of claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: obtain a first operation time during which the output voltage is applied.
10 . The dryer of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: decrease the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained first operation time being less than a time required to apply an output voltage corresponding to a magnitude of supply power, and increase the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained first operation time exceeding the time required to apply the output voltage corresponding to the magnitude of the supply power.
11 . The dryer of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: determine a magnitude by which the defined reference voltage is increased or decreased, based on a difference between the obtained first operation time and the time required to apply the output voltage corresponding to the magnitude of the supply power.
12 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: obtain a second operation time during which the power value is detected.
13 . The dryer of claim 12 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: increase the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained second operation time being less than a time required to detect the power value, and decrease the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained second operation time exceeding the time required to detect the power value.
14 . The dryer of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: determine a magnitude by which the defined reference voltage is increased or decreased, based on a difference between the obtained second operation time and the time required to detect the power value.
15 . The dryer of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: obtain a third operation time during which the waveform of the output voltage is corrected.
16 . The dryer of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: increase the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained third operation time being less than a time required to correct the waveform of the output voltage, and decrease the defined reference voltage, based on the obtained third operation time exceeding the time required to correct the waveform of the output voltage.
17 . The dryer of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: determine a magnitude by which the defined reference voltage is increased or decreased, based on a difference between the obtained third operation time and the time required to correct the waveform of the output voltage.
18 . The dryer of claim 1 , wherein the input voltage includes a U-phase input voltage, a V-phase input voltage, and a W-phase input voltage, wherein the power amplifier includes: a first power amplifier configured to amplify the U-phase input voltage to provide a U-phase output voltage, a second power amplifier configured to amplify the V-phase input voltage to provide a V-phase output voltage, and a third power amplifier configured to amplify the W-phase input voltage to provide a W-phase output voltage, wherein the plurality of electrodes includes: a first electrode to which the U-phase output voltage is applied, a second electrode to which the V-phase output voltage is applied, and a third electrode to which the W-phase output voltage is applied, wherein the matching circuit may include: a first matching circuit, connected between the first power amplifier and the first electrode, configured to correct a waveform of the U-phase output voltage provided from the first power amplifier, a second matching circuit, connected between the second power amplifier and the second electrode, configured to correct a waveform of the V-phase output voltage provided from the second power amplifier, and a third matching circuit, connected between the third power amplifier and the third electrode, configured to correct a waveform of the W-phase output voltage provided from the third power amplifier, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: select one of the U-phase input voltage, the V-phase input voltage, or the W-phase input voltage, when the U-phase input voltage is selected, detect a power value corresponding to rectified U-phase input voltage based on the magnitude of the U-phase output voltage being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage, when the V-phase input voltage is selected, detect a power value corresponding to rectified V-phase input voltage based on the magnitude of the V-phase output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage, and when the W-phase input voltage is selected, detect a power value corresponding to rectified W-phase output voltage based on the magnitude of the W-phase output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage.
19 . The dryer of claim 18 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the dryer to: select one of the U-phase output voltage, the V-phase output voltage, or the W-phase output voltage, when the U-phase output voltage is selected, control the first matching circuit to correct the waveform of the amplified U-phase output voltage using the power value corresponding to the rectified U-phase input voltage, based on the magnitude of the U-phase output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage, when the V-phase output voltage is selected, control the second matching circuit to correct the waveform of the amplified V-phase output voltage using the power value corresponding to the rectified V-phase input voltage, based on the magnitude of the V-phase output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage, and when the W-phase output voltage is selected, control the third matching circuit to correct the waveform of the amplified W-phase output voltage using the power value corresponding to the rectified W-phase input voltage, based on the magnitude of the W-phase output voltage being less than or equal to the defined reference voltage.
20 . A method performed by a dryer, the method comprising: supplying an input voltage through an alternating current (AC) power supply; rectifying the supplied input voltage through a rectifier; amplifying the rectified input voltage to provide an output voltage through a power amplifier; detecting a power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage based on a magnitude of the output voltage being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage; controlling a matching circuit to correct a waveform of the output voltage based on the detected power value; and controlling the power amplifier to apply the output voltage to a plurality of electrodes based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than the defined reference voltage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2024/006451, filed on May 13, 2024, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Korean patent application number 10-2023-0086115, filed on Jul. 3, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korean patent application number 10-2023-0119933, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure relates to a dryer and a method for controlling the same. 2. Description of Related Art Existing dryers operate by heating an object to be dried at high temperatures. However, high-temperature drying may cause damage and shrinkage of the object to be dried. As a result, a method capable of drying at low temperatures without causing damage is required. A dryer using dielectric heating may dry at a low temperature. Dielectric heating is a phenomenon in which, when an insulating material is placed in a high-frequency electric field, heat is generated in the insulating material itself due to friction between molecules. Accordingly, by applying a voltage with an object to be dried between the electrodes, the object to be dried may be dried by the dielectric heating phenomenon. The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure. SUMMARY Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, the disclosure is to provide a dryer capable of drying an object to be dried using dielectric heating, and a method for controlling the same. Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments. In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a dryer is provided. The dryer includes an alternating current (AC) power supply 100 configured to supply an input voltage, a rectifier 200 configured to rectify the supplied input voltage, a power amplifier 300 configured to amplify the rectified input voltage to provide an output voltage, a plurality of electrodes 500 to which the output voltage is applied, a matching circuit, 400 connected between the power amplifier 300 and the plurality of electrodes 500, configured to correct a waveform of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier 300, memory storing instructions, and at least one processor 601, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor 601 individually or collectively, cause the dryer to obtain a magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier, and detect a power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage, based on the magnitude of the output voltage provided from the power amplifier 300 being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage Vr. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method performed by a dryer 1 is provided. The method includes supplying an input voltage through an AC power supply 100, rectifying the supplied input voltage through a rectifier 200, amplifying the rectified input voltage to provide an output voltage through a power amplifier 300, detecting a power value corresponding to the rectified input voltage based on a magnitude of the output voltage being less than or equal to a defined reference voltage Vr, controlling a matching circuit 400 to correct a waveform of the output voltage based on the detected power value, and controlling the power amplifier 300 to apply the output voltage to a plurality of electrodes 500 based on the magnitude of the output voltage being greater than the defined reference voltage Vr. According to the disclosure, circuit elements such as sensors operates normally, while driving a circuit of a dryer 1 using dielectric heating which is driven by high output and high voltage. In addition, by optimizing and operating a power supply time period and a power value detection time period based on a magnitude of output voltage, a noise occurring when driven by high frequency and high output is prevented, and power is efficiently supplied. Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAW