Dryer accessory and dryer

Abstract

Abstract: A dryer accessory comprising: a housing including a sensor hole; a sensor module located inside the sensor hole of the housing and measuring at least one of temperature or humidity; an energy harvesting module located inside the housing and generating a current according to the movement of the housing; a wireless communication module for transmitting the at least one of temperature or humidity measured by the sensor module; and a control unit for controlling the sensor module and the wireless communication module using the energy generated by the energy harvesting module. The dryer accessory can directly contact pieces of laundry to accurately measure the temperature and humidity of the pieces of laundry.

1 . A dryer accessory comprising:
 a housing including a sensor hole;   a sensor module located inside the sensor hole of the housing and configured to measure at least one of temperature and humidity;   an energy harvesting module located inside the housing and configured to generate current based on a movement of the housing;   a wireless communication module configured to transmit the at least one of the temperature and the humidity measured by the sensor module; and   a controller configured to control the sensor module and the wireless communication module using energy generated by the energy harvesting module.   
     
     
         2 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the energy harvesting module includes:
 a pipe extending in one direction;   a magnet positioned inside the pipe; and   a coil wound on an outer surface of the pipe,   wherein when the magnet moves in the extension direction of the pipe as the housing moves, the current is generated in the coil.   
     
     
         3 . The dryer accessory of  claim 2 , wherein the magnet has a cylindrical shape with a diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the pipe. 
     
     
         4 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the energy harvesting module includes:
 a pipe extending in one direction;   a weight positioned inside the pipe; and   a piezo disk positioned at an end of the pipe,   wherein when the weight collides with the piezo disk, the current is generated in the piezo disk.   
     
     
         5 . The dryer accessory of  claim 4 , wherein the controller includes a main board located inside the housing, wherein the pipe extends through the main board. 
     
     
         6 . The dryer accessory of  claim 5 , wherein the pipe extends vertically to the main board, wherein the pipe includes a plurality of pipes arranged along a circumference of the main board. 
     
     
         7 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the controller includes:
 a rectifier configured to convert AC power generated from the energy harvesting module into DC power;   a capacitor configured to store energy converted into the DC power; and   an analog-to-digital converter configured to deactivate the sensor module and the wireless communication module until an amount of the energy converted into DC power becomes sufficient to operate the sensor module and the wireless communication module.   
     
     
         8 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cylindrical rubber plug positioned between the sensor module and the sensor hole; and   a waterproof filter formed at a location of the rubber plug adjacent to the sensor hole, wherein the waterproof filter does not allow liquid to pass therethrough.   
     
     
         9 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor hole and the sensor module respectively include a pair of sensor holes and a pair of sensor modules disposed at opposite sides of the housing. 
     
     
         10 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the housing contains an elastic material. 
     
     
         11 . The dryer accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the housing has a spherical shape. 
     
     
         12 . A dryer for drying laundry, the dryer comprising:
 a cabinet forming an outer appearance of the dryer;   a drum rotatably disposed in the cabinet to accommodate the laundry therein;   a driver configured to rotate the drum;   a hot air supply in communication with the drum and configured to supply high-temperature air into the drum;   a collector in communication with the hot air supply to collect water formed by condensation of moisture discharged from the drum;   a wireless communication module configured to transmit and receive state information of the dryer; and   a controller configured to control the driver, the hot air supply, and the wireless communication module,   wherein the wireless communication module is configured to receive at least one of humidity information and temperature information provided by a dryer accessory inserted into the drum,   wherein the controller is configured to control the driver and the hot air supply using the at least one of the humidity information and the temperature information.   
     
     
         13 . The dryer of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to terminate operations of the driver and the hot air supply when the temperature information and the humidity information reach a reference value. 
     
     
         14 . The dryer of  claim 12 , further comprising at least one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor located inside the cabinet,
 wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the at least one of the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor when there is the temperature information or the humidity information received from the dryer accessory.