Clothing dryer and method of controlling the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a dryer which includes a drum for accommodating an object to be dried, a combustion device for combusting gas to heat air, a blowing device for transferring the heated air into the drum, and a valve assembly for controlling a gas discharge amount supplied to the combustion device, wherein the valve assembly may operate in one mode among a high heating power mode which maximizes the gas discharge amount, a low heating power mode which generates 50% or less heating power compared to the high heating power mode, and a standby mode which blocks the gas discharge.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A clothing dryer comprising:
 a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried;   a combustion device configured to combust gas to heat air;   a blowing device configured to transfer the heated air into the drum; and   a valve assembly configured to control a gas discharge amount supplied to the combustion device, wherein the valve assembly is configured to operate in one mode among a high heating power mode that maximizes the gas discharge amount, a low heating power mode that generates 50% or less heating power compared to the high heating power mode, and a standby mode that blocks the gas discharge.   
     
     
         2 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises an output control valve configured to close a gas flow passage to decrease an open rate. 
     
     
         3 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a dryness sensor configured to detect a dryness level of an object to be dried; and   a controller configured to compare the dryness level detected from the dryness sensor to a reference dryness level in order to control the valve assembly such that the operation mode of the valve assembly is changed.   
     
     
         4 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the low heating power mode is configured to generate 30% heating power compared to the high heating power mode. 
     
     
         5 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of air that flows into the drum; and   a controller configured to compare the temperature measured from the temperature sensor to a reference temperature in order to control the valve assembly such that the operation mode of the valve assembly is changed.   
     
     
         6 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the valve assembly to operate alternately between the high heating power mode and the low heating power mode. 
     
     
         7 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to control the valve assembly to operate alternately between the high heating power mode and the low heating power mode. 
     
     
         8 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the clothing dryer further comprises a dryness sensor configured to detect a dryness level of an object to be dried, and determine a maintenance time of the high heating power mode based on the dryness level change rate detected from the dryness sensor. 
     
     
         9 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the combustion device further comprises an igniter configured to ignite gas, and a controller configured to control the valve assembly to operate in the high heating power mode when the igniter operates. 
     
     
         10 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 9 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises a safety valve configured to determine whether to discharge gas or not. 
     
     
         11 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to control the safety valve to be open when the temperature of the igniter reaches an ignition point of the gas. 
     
     
         12 . A clothing dryer comprising:
 a controller configured to control an operation;   a drum configured to accommodate an object to be dried;   a valve assembly configured to control heating power by controlling a gas discharge amount;   a combustion device configured to combust the gas discharged from the valve assembly to generate hot air; and   a blowing device configured to transfer the hot air into the drum, wherein the valve assembly further comprises an output control valve configured to decrease an open rate of the valve assembly to a predetermined open rate in order to control the gas discharge amount.   
     
     
         13 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 the clothing dryer further comprises a dryness level measurement device configured to measure a dryness level of the object to be dried; and   the output control valve is configured to decrease the open rate of the valve assembly to be low until the dryness level of the object to be dried reaches a preset reference dryness level.   
     
     
         14 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 12 , wherein the output control valve is configured to decrease the open rate of the valve assembly for a reference time in which a dryness level of the object to be dried is preset. 
     
     
         15 . The clothing dryer according to  claim 12 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises a safety valve configured to determine whether to discharge gas or not. 
     
     
         16 . A method of controlling a clothing dryer that includes a combustion device in which heating power is controlled by a valve assembly that controls a gas discharge amount in accordance with a plurality of predetermined open rates, the method comprising:
 controlling the valve assembly to a low open rate among the plurality of open rates to dry an object to be dried in a low heating power mode; and   when the dryness level of the object to be dried reaches a preset reference dryness level, controlling the valve assembly to a high open rate among the plurality of open rates to dry an object to be dried in a high heating power mode.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein controlling valve assembly further comprises closing a gas flow passage to decrease an open rate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 detecting a dryness level of the object to be dried; and   comparing the dryness level detected from the dryness sensor to a reference dryness level in order to control the valve assembly such that an operation mode of the valve assembly is changed.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the low heating power mode generates 30% heating power compared to the high heating power mode. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 measuring a temperature of air that flows into a drum; and   comparing the temperature measured from the temperature sensor to a reference temperature in order to control the valve assembly such that the operation mode of the valve assembly is changed.