阅读说明：本技术 一种衣物除湿方法、装置及洗衣机 (Clothes dehumidifying method and device and washing machine ) 是由 潘光辉 林帆 韦皓 黄承勇 于 2020-11-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种衣物除湿方法,其包括：在除湿过程中,持续获取除湿温度；在所述除湿温度在加热器作用下达到第一温度阈值时,开启冷却水阀；根据所述除湿温度及加热温度阈值控制所述加热器的关闭与开启,将所述除湿温度控制在包含所述第一温度阈值的温度区间内,直至满足除湿结束条件。本发明还提供了一种衣物除湿装置及洗衣机,能方便、高效的自动完成衣物除湿。(The present invention provides a clothes dehumidifying method, which includes: continuously acquiring the dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process; when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater, a cooling water valve is opened; and controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold, and controlling the dehumidification temperature within a temperature interval containing the first temperature threshold until a dehumidification finishing condition is met. The invention also provides a clothes dehumidifying device and a washing machine, which can conveniently and efficiently automatically dehumidify clothes.)

1. A method of dehumidifying a garment, the method comprising:

starting a dehumidification heater and acquiring dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process at any time;

in the dehumidification process, when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold under the action of the dehumidification heater, a cooling water valve is opened;

and controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold value so as to control the dehumidification temperature within a temperature interval containing the first temperature threshold value until a dehumidification finishing condition is met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining a dehumidification temperature comprises:

the temperature of the air outlet of the clothes drum is collected through a temperature sensing device arranged at the air outlet of the clothes drum to serve as the dehumidification temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and in the dehumidification process, controlling the clothes drum to run at a dehumidification rotating speed and a dehumidification time sequence until the dehumidification ending condition is met.

4. The method of claim 3,

the dehumidification time sequence meets any one or more than one of the following conditions:

the forward and reverse rotations within the same group are of the same duration,

the time intervals between adjacent different groups are the same;

the dehumidifying rotating speed meets any one or more than one of the following conditions:

the forward and reverse rotation speeds in the same group are the same,

the rotating speed of positive rotation increases gradually and then decreases gradually between different groups,

in different groups, the rotating speed of the positive rotation is increased progressively in an arithmetic progression mode and then decreased progressively in an arithmetic progression mode;

wherein, one positive rotation and the other negative rotation are a group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first temperature threshold is 60 ℃ ± 2 ℃ and the flow rate of the cooling water valve is 0.2-0.5L/MIN.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the heater to turn off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold comprises:

turning off the heater when the dehumidification temperature increases to or above a second temperature threshold;

turning on the heater when the dehumidification temperature decreases to or below a third temperature threshold;

wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold, and the third temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first temperature threshold is 59-61 ℃, the second temperature threshold is 62-65 ℃, and the third temperature threshold is 55-58 ℃.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dehumidification end condition comprises: a total time period of the dehumidifying process determined at least according to the weight of the laundry.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and after the dehumidification process is finished, controlling the clothes drum to operate in a cooling mode, and closing the cooling water valve after the cooling is finished.

10. A clothes dehumidifying device, characterized in that the device comprises:

the temperature acquisition module is used for continuously acquiring the dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process;

the cooling water valve control module is used for opening a cooling water valve when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater;

and the heater control module is used for controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold value so as to control the dehumidification temperature within a temperature interval containing the first temperature threshold value until a dehumidification finishing condition is met.

11. The apparatus of claim 10,

the temperature acquisition module acquires the temperature of the air outlet as the dehumidification temperature through a temperature sensing device arranged at the air outlet of the clothes drum; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the first temperature threshold is 60 +/-2 ℃, and the cooling water valve control module controls the water flow to be 0.2-0.5L/MIN; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the heater control module turns off the heater when the dehumidification temperature rises to or above a second temperature threshold, and turns on the heater when the dehumidification temperature falls to or below a third temperature threshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold, and the third temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the dehumidification end condition includes: a total time period of the dehumidifying process determined at least according to the weight of the laundry.

12. An electronic device for controlling dehumidification of clothing, the electronic device comprising:

a memory storing one or more computer instructions;

a processor for retrieving and executing said computer instructions from said memory to implement a laundry dehumidifying method according to any one of claims 1-9.

13. A laundry dehumidifying method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or a laundry dehumidifying apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 11, or a washing machine comprising an electronic device according to claim 12.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of washing machines, in particular to a clothes dehumidifying method and device and a washing machine.

Background

When the air humidity is high, the dry clothes are easy to become damp, and the damp clothes are uncomfortable to wear.

One traditional solution to the problem of moisture in the clothes is to remove moisture by natural means such as drying, ventilating, etc. In addition, there is also a preventive method for reducing the damp rate of the clothes by placing a dehumidifier, a desiccant, etc. in a wardrobe. The former method has low efficiency and long time; the latter method cannot protect the clothes from being wetted, and once the clothes are wetted, the former method still needs to be adopted for solving the problem, which is inconvenient.

A fast and efficient treatment is needed for e.g. situations where the humidity of the air is high, which results in a wet dry garment.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving the problems associated with the prior art described above. The invention provides a clothes dehumidifying method, a clothes dehumidifying method and a clothes dehumidifying device, provides electronic equipment and a washing machine. By the scheme provided by the invention, the problem of low clothes dehumidifying efficiency can be solved.

The invention provides a method for dehumidifying clothes of a component model, which comprises the following steps:

continuously acquiring the dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process;

when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater, a cooling water valve is opened;

and controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold value so as to control the dehumidification temperature within a temperature interval containing the first temperature threshold value until a dehumidification finishing condition is met.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the obtaining the dehumidification temperature includes: the temperature of the air outlet is collected as the dehumidification temperature through a temperature sensing device arranged at the air outlet of the clothes washing machine.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: and in the dehumidification process, controlling the motor to operate at a dehumidification rotating speed time sequence until the dehumidification finishing condition is met. Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the dehumidification time sequence meets any one or more than one of the following conditions:

the forward and reverse rotations within the same group are of the same duration,

the time intervals between adjacent different groups are the same;

the dehumidifying rotating speed meets any one or more than one of the following conditions:

the forward and reverse rotation speeds in the same group are the same,

the rotating speed of positive rotation increases gradually and then decreases gradually between different groups,

in different groups, the rotating speed of the positive rotation is increased progressively in an arithmetic progression mode and then decreased progressively in an arithmetic progression mode;

wherein, one positive rotation and the other negative rotation are a group.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the first temperature threshold is 60 ℃ ± 2 ℃, and the flow rate of the cooling water valve is 0.2-0.5L/MIN.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controlling of the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature includes:

turning off the heater when the dehumidification temperature increases to or above a second temperature threshold;

turning on the heater when the dehumidification temperature decreases to or below a third temperature threshold;

wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold, and the third temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the first temperature threshold is 59 ℃ to 61 ℃, the second temperature threshold is 62 ℃ to 65 ℃, and the third temperature threshold is 55 ℃ to 58 ℃.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dehumidification end condition includes: a total time period of the dehumidifying process determined at least according to the weight of the laundry.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: and after the dehumidification process is finished, controlling the clothes drum to operate in a cooling mode, and closing the cooling water valve after the cooling is finished.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a clothes dehumidifying apparatus comprising:

the temperature acquisition module is used for continuously acquiring the dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process;

the cooling water valve control module is used for opening a cooling water valve when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater;

and the heater control module is used for controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold until the dehumidification ending condition is met.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the temperature acquisition module acquires the temperature of the air outlet as the dehumidification temperature through a temperature sensing device arranged at the air outlet of the clothes drum; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the first temperature threshold is 60 +/-2 ℃, and the cooling water valve control module controls the water flow to be 0.2-0.5L/MIN; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the heater control module turns off the heater when the dehumidification temperature rises to or above a second temperature threshold, and turns on the heater when the dehumidification temperature falls to or below a third temperature threshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold, and the third temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the dehumidification end condition includes: a total time period of the dehumidifying process determined at least according to the weight of the laundry.

A third aspect of the present invention provides an electronic apparatus for controlling dehumidification of laundry, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a memory storing one or more computer instructions;

a processor for calling and executing the computer instructions from the memory to implement any of the aforementioned clothes dehumidifying methods.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a laundry washing machine employing the laundry dehumidifying method according to the first aspect of the present invention or the embodiment thereof, or comprising the laundry dehumidifying apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention or the embodiment thereof, or comprising the electronic device according to the third aspect of the present invention or the embodiment thereof.

With the embodiment of the present invention, there are provided the effects of the invention including: the clothes dehumidification is conveniently, efficiently and automatically completed, and the user experience is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dehumidifying laundry according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dehumidifying laundry according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a laundry dehumidifying apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an example embodiment of the invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic position diagram of a temperature sensing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

As used herein, the terms "first," "second," and the like may be used to describe elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, and the inherent features or order of the corresponding elements and the like are not limited by the terms. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, are to be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their context in the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods of the present invention described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and that the scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims. Features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, a detailed description of related known functions or configurations is omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the technical points of the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals refer to the same circuits, modules or units throughout the description, and repeated descriptions of the same circuits, modules or units are omitted for brevity.

Further, it should be understood that one or more of the following methods or aspects thereof may be performed by at least one control unit or controller. The term "control unit" or "controller" may refer to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store program instructions, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the program instructions to perform one or more processes that will be described further below. Moreover, it is to be understood that the following method may be performed by an apparatus comprising a control unit in combination with one or more other components, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dehumidifying laundry according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the laundry dehumidifying method includes:

100: and in the dehumidification process, the dehumidification temperature is continuously acquired. Wherein, the dehumidification temperature is used for reflecting the temperature of a laundry drum (e.g. a washing drum, a drying tub) in which the laundry is located when dehumidifying. For example, the dehumidification temperature may be a temperature of an outlet of a laundry drum. Of course, other possibilities are not excluded in other embodiments, such as a comprehensive determination of the dehumidification temperature from the outlet temperature and the inlet temperature.

102: and when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater, starting a cooling water valve. Namely, the heater for dehumidification is turned on in the dehumidification process, the dehumidification temperature is increased along with the action of the heater, and the opening of the cooling water valve is triggered.

104: and controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold until the dehumidification ending condition is met. In other words, the dehumidification temperature is controlled within a certain temperature range, for example, within a temperature range including the first temperature threshold, by turning off and on the heater during the dehumidification process, so as to achieve the effect of dehumidifying the laundry.

By adopting the dehumidification method provided by the embodiment of the invention, the dehumidification temperature is controlled by temperature detection and heater control, so that the convenient and efficient dehumidification effect is achieved.

Optionally, in one implementation manner of the present embodiment, a temperature sensing device (e.g., a temperature sensor) is disposed at the drum air outlet (e.g., in the vicinity of the drum air outlet of the drum washing machine in the drum side view shown in fig. 5). The above processing 100 specifically collects the temperature of the air outlet as the dehumidification temperature in real time or periodically by the temperature sensing device, thereby realizing continuous collection of the dehumidification temperature.

Optionally, in one implementation manner of this embodiment, during the dehumidification process, the laundry drum (i.e., the container when the laundry to be dehumidified is dehumidified, such as the drying drum, the washing drum, etc.) is also controlled to operate at the dehumidification rotation speed and in a time sequence until the dehumidification end condition is satisfied.

For example, the dehumidification timing may satisfy any one or more of the following: the forward and reverse rotations within the same group are of the same duration, and the time intervals between adjacent different groups are the same (where one forward rotation and one subsequent reverse rotation are one group). Illustratively, the forward rotation time is A-B-C-D-C-B-A, the reverse rotation time is A-B-C-D-C-B-A, and the intermittent rest time of forward and reverse rotation is E seconds. Namely, forward rotation is carried out for A seconds, stop is carried out for E seconds, and reverse rotation is carried out for A seconds; then, rotating forwards for B seconds, stopping for E seconds and rotating backwards for B seconds; then, rotating forwards for C seconds, stopping for E seconds and rotating backwards for C seconds; and so on and repeat. Like this, through the rotation control to a clothing section of thick bamboo at the dehumidification in-process, be favorable to realizing the abundant stirring of clothing, the effect of reunion heater can be faster realize the dehumidification and ensure dehumidification effect.

For another example, the dehumidification rotation speed satisfies any one or more of the following conditions: the forward rotation speed and the reverse rotation speed in the same group are the same; the rotating speed of positive rotation is increased gradually and then decreased gradually among different groups; in different groups, the rotating speed of positive rotation is increased in an arithmetic progression mode and then decreased in an arithmetic progression mode. Wherein, one positive rotation and the other negative rotation are a group. Illustratively, the forward rotation rate is A '-B' -C '-D' -C '-B' -A 'and the reverse rotation rate is A' -B '-C' -D '-C' -B '-A'. Wherein, B '-a' -C '-B' -D '-C'. Like this, through the rotation control to a clothing section of thick bamboo at the dehumidification in-process, be favorable to realizing the abundant stirring of clothing, the effect of reunion heater can be faster realize the dehumidification and ensure dehumidification effect.

Optionally, in an implementation manner of this embodiment, the first temperature threshold is 60 ℃ ± 2 ℃, and the flow rate of the cooling water valve is 0.2-0.5L/MIN. By controlling the opening time of the cooling water valve and the flow of the cooling liquid, the cooling effect can be properly realized, and the damage of high temperature to clothes can be reduced or avoided.

Optionally, in an implementation manner of the present embodiment, in 104, the heater is controlled to be turned off and on in the following manner: turning off the heater when the dehumidification temperature increases to or above a second temperature threshold; turning on the heater when the dehumidification temperature decreases to or below a third temperature threshold; wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold, and the third temperature threshold is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold. Like this, realize temperature control through the control to the heater to with dehumidification temperature control in certain temperature range, with the guarantee dehumidification effect. Illustratively, the first temperature threshold is 59 ℃ -61 ℃, the second temperature threshold is 62 ℃ -65 ℃, and the third temperature threshold is 55 ℃ -58 ℃. For example, the first temperature threshold is 60 ℃, the second temperature threshold is 62 ℃, and the third temperature threshold is 58 ℃.

Optionally, in one implementation of the embodiment, the dehumidification ending condition includes a total dehumidification process time length determined at least according to the weight of the laundry. For example, the dehumidifying laundry weight is determined by weighing before the dehumidifying stage starts, and the total dehumidifying time period is determined according to the correspondence between the weight and the total dehumidifying time period. For another example, the total dehumidification time is determined according to the corresponding relationship between the weight, the material of the clothes and the total dehumidification time. Based on the disclosure of the present invention, those skilled in the art should understand that the foregoing corresponding relationship can be obtained by experiments, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Optionally, in one implementation of this embodiment, after the dehumidification process is finished, the laundry drum is controlled to operate in a cooling mode suitable for cooling the laundry, and the cooling water valve is closed after the cooling is finished.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for dehumidifying laundry according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 2, the method includes:

200: the operation proceeds to the dehumidification function.

201: the weight of the laundry is acquired and the time required for the dehumidifying process is determined. For example, the weight of the laundry is obtained by weighing, and the time required for the dehumidifying process is determined based on the weight of the laundry and the relationship between the weight and the time.

202: and controlling the motor to operate at the rotating speed and time sequence of the dehumidification stage.

203: the heater is turned on to perform heating.

204: the dehumidification temperature is continuously detected.

205: when the dehumidification temperature reaches the opening temperature (first temperature threshold) of the cooling water valve, the cooling water valve is opened to dehumidify.

206: when the dehumidification temperature reaches the heater-off temperature (second temperature threshold), the heater is turned off.

207: and judging whether the time required by the dehumidification process is reached. If so, execution 208 proceeds, and if not and the dehumidification temperature falls to or below the heater turn-on temperature (third temperature threshold), a jump is made to 203.

208: the motor is controlled to run at the cooling phase speed, time sequence, until the cooling phase is over (e.g., for a set time).

209: the cooling water valve is closed. The flow ends.

The method for dehumidifying the clothes provided by the embodiment has the advantages of the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a laundry dehumidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 3, the laundry dehumidifying apparatus includes a temperature acquisition module, a cooling water valve control module, and a heater control module. The details will be described below.

In this embodiment, the temperature obtaining module is used for continuously obtaining the dehumidification temperature in the dehumidification process. For example, the temperature of the air outlet is collected as the dehumidification temperature by a temperature sensing device arranged at the air outlet of the clothes drum.

And the cooling water valve control module is used for opening the cooling water valve when the dehumidification temperature reaches a first temperature threshold value under the action of the heater. Illustratively, the first temperature threshold is 60 ℃ ± 2 ℃, and the flow rate of the cooling water valve is 0.2-0.5L/MIN.

And the heater control module is used for controlling the heater to be turned off and on according to the dehumidification temperature and the heating temperature threshold value so as to control the dehumidification temperature within a temperature interval containing the first temperature threshold value until a dehumidification finishing condition is met. For example, the heater may be turned off when the dehumidification temperature increases to or above a second temperature threshold, which is greater than the first temperature threshold, and turned on when the dehumidification temperature decreases to or below a third temperature threshold, which is less than the first temperature threshold. Illustratively, the first temperature threshold is 59 ℃ -61 ℃, the second temperature threshold is 62 ℃ -65 ℃, and the third temperature threshold is 55 ℃ -58 ℃. Wherein the dehumidification ending condition includes: a total time period of the dehumidifying process determined at least according to the weight of the laundry.

Optionally, in one implementation manner of this embodiment, the clothes dehumidifying apparatus further includes a motor control module for controlling the motor to rotate in corresponding modes (rotation speed and time sequence) during the dehumidifying phase and the cooling phase.

Fig. 4 is an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes at least a processor and a memory, and may further include a communication component, a sensor component, a power component, a multimedia component, and an input/output interface according to actual needs. The memory, the communication component, the sensor component, the power supply component, the multimedia component and the input/output interface are all connected with the processor. The memory may be a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, etc., and the processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip, etc. Other communication components, sensor components, power components, multimedia components, etc. may be implemented using common components and are not specifically described herein.

In this embodiment, the electronic device includes: a memory for storing computer instructions; a processor for reading and executing computer instructions from the memory to implement the laundry dehumidification control logic. Please refer to the foregoing (for example, the description in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2) for a specific clothes dehumidifying control logic, which is not described herein again.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer instructions or a computer program are stored, and when executed, the computer instructions or the computer program implement the clothes dehumidifying method provided by the foregoing embodiments or implementations of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a washing machine, which adopts or provides the clothes dehumidifying method provided by the foregoing embodiment or implementation manner of the present invention for clothes dehumidification, or has the clothes dehumidifying apparatus or the electronic device provided by the foregoing embodiment or implementation manner of the present invention.

The invention also provides a clothes dehumidification reminding method which can be combined with the clothes dehumidification method. The clothes dehumidifying reminding method comprises the following steps: the ambient air humidity value is obtained, for example, after the washing machine is turned on, by detecting the obtained humidity by a humidity detecting device (e.g., a hygrometer) on the laundry treating device (e.g., a drying drum). Whether the humidity value of the ambient air reaches a set threshold value, for example, 80% or 90% or other threshold values set as required is judged, and if the humidity value reaches the threshold value, a dehumidification function of dry clothes (for example, clothes dried before or clothes stored in a wardrobe and the like) is pushed (for example, pushed by an APP, reminded by a washing machine interface, reminded by voice and the like) to a user and waits for confirmation of the user. After the user confirms, the dehumidification process is entered (step 201 shown in fig. 2). If the ambient air humidity value does not reach the threshold or the user does not select, then the user is waited for other operations or the process to end.

By adopting the clothes dehumidification reminding method, the user can be reminded in time according to the ambient air humidity, the clothes dehumidification operation flow is triggered according to the confirmation of the user, and the user experience is improved.

The drawings referred to above and the detailed description of the invention, which are exemplary of the invention, serve to explain the invention without limiting the meaning or scope of the invention as described in the claims. Accordingly, modifications may be readily made by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Further, those skilled in the art may delete some of the constituent elements described herein without deteriorating the performance, or may add other constituent elements to improve the performance. Further, the order of the steps of the methods described herein may be varied by one skilled in the art depending on the environment of the process or apparatus. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by the embodiments described above but by the claims and their equivalents.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.