Method Of Detection For An Over-Loaded Drying Capacity In A Clothes Dryer Or A Combo Washer-Dryer Dryer
A method of controlling load volume in a laundry drying appliance where a load of wet laundry is place in a drum of the laundry drying appliance and the load volume of the wet laundry is sensed or determined according to the method. A condition of the drum of the laundry drying appliance is actively monitored and a determination is made if a proper load volume is present in laundry drying appliance.
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This Application Claims the Benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/274,987, filed on Nov. 3, 2021. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a device and method of controlling load volume in a laundry appliance such as dryer or combination washer/dryer appliance.
BACKGROUNDWhen washing and drying clothes in either a washer/dryer pair or a single combination washer/dryer appliance, it is desirable to have the clothes as wrinkle fee as possible after drying has taken place. The biggest problem with drying clothes is the size of the wet load volume, added to the dryer. If a proper amount of wet clothes is added into the dryer, drying will occur, with the clothes experiencing a limited amount of wrinkles. If the dryer is overloaded with wet clothing, the clothing, after drying, ends up very wrinkled. Especially in a washer/dryer combination, where only one drum exists, it is particularly important to ensure that the wet clothes volume load is proper.
Generally, in a washer/dryer pair, the dryer capacity is larger than the washer capacity. This is an attempt to provide a wet clothes load volume that is proper to add into the dryer. During drying, the clothes are tumbled. As the clothes dry, they expand in the drum. This reduces the airflow in the drum which, in turn, reduces performance. Accordingly, if the dryer is overloaded with a wet load volume, the clothing will end up very wrinkled.
In a washer/dryer combo, only one drum is present. Thus, it is of utmost importance that the drum is not overloaded during the washing cycle. Thus, proper airflow can be achieved and moved through the drum to provide optimum drying performance. Thus, it is important for the drum to be loaded at 50-60% capacity in order to provide a proper drying without the clothes ending up wrinkled.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. The present disclosure provides a device and method of controlling the load volume of items or clothes loaded into a drying appliance. Specifically, the west load volume positioned within the drum of the drying appliance is monitored.
SUMMARYAccording to an object of the present disclosure, a method of controlling a wet load volume loaded into a drying appliance comprises determining a volume of wet items to be positioned into the drying appliance. The wet items are positioned into the drying appliance. The volume of wet items in the drying appliance are sensed. The volume of wet items in the drying appliance is determined. A condition of the drum of the drying appliance is actively monitored. A proper volume of clothes is determined to be present in the drum of the drying appliance. The drying cycle is terminated if a proper volume of items in the drum is exceeded. Airflow, pressure drop or evaporation rate may be monitored in the drum during operation to determine if a proper load volume is present in the drum. Power draw on a fan motor associated with providing airflow to the drum during operation may be monitored to determine the proper load volume. Additionally, monitoring of sound within the drum to detect sound variation of the volume of items in the drum during operation may occur. Motor torque signal monitoring of the drum motor may occur during operation to determine the volume of items within the drum.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of controlling a load volume of laundry in a laundry drying appliance is provided. The method includes the steps of: sensing a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance by receiving and processing one or more electrical signals from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the laundry drying appliance; determining the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume; and determining if the load volume of laundry present in the laundry drying appliance exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for a particular drying cycle of the laundry drying appliance.
The displacement of the drum during loading may be monitored to determine the load volume added into the drum. Image sensing of the items position into the drying appliance may be utilized to determine the load volume in the drum. A basket volume with items, may be sensed outside of the drum to estimate the load volume prior to entering the drum. A basket with a proper load volume may be provided within the drum.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a drying appliance comprises a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet. A door is coupled with the cabinet. The door covers the opening. A heating unit is provided inside of the cabinet and a drum receives items to be dried in the drying appliance. The drum is expandable and retractable to provide a desired volume in the drum. The drying appliance is a combination washing/drying machine. The drum has a smaller volume during washing and expands to have a larger volume during drying.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a laundry drying appliance is provided, comprising: a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet; a door coupled with the cabinet, the door covering the opening; a heating unit configured to heat air inside of the cabinet; a drum configured to receive laundry to be dried in the drying appliance; a control panel with a user interface that is configured to permit user selection of a desired drying cycle; and a controller integrated with or arranged in electronic communication with the control panel.
The controller is programmed to: (1) process one or more electrical signals that are received from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the cabinet to detect a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, (2) determine the load volume of laundry in the drum based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, and (3) determine if the load volume of laundry present in the drum exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for the desired drying cycle.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a drying appliance comprises a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet. A door is coupled with the cabinet to cover the opening. A heating unit provides heat inside of the cabinet and a drum receives items to be dried in the drying appliance. A basket is in the drum for receiving a load volume of items. The basket is removable from the drum. The basket provides a proper amount of items, load volume, to be dried by the drying appliance. The basket can be rigid or flexible. The drying appliance is a combination washer/dryer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a washer/dryer combination appliance is provided, comprising: a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet; a door coupled with the cabinet, the door covering the opening; a heating unit configured heat air inside of the cabinet; a tub suspended within the cabinet; a drum rotatably supported within the tub, the drum configured to receive laundry to be washed and dried in the washer/dryer combination appliance; a control panel with a user interface that is configured to permit user selection of a desired drying cycle; and a controller integrated with or arranged in electronic communication with the control panel.
The controller is programmed to: (1) process one or more electrical signals that are received from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the cabinet to detect a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, (2) determine the load volume of laundry in the drum based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, and (3) determine if the load volume of laundry present in the drum exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for the desired drying cycle.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Turning to the figures, a laundry drying appliance is illustrated and designated with the reference numeral 10. The laundry drying appliance 10 includes a cabinet 12 and a door 14 to enable access inside the cabinet 12. A control panel 16 is present on the cabinet 12 for providing a user interface. A drum 20 is positioned inside of the cabinet 12 to receive a load volume of laundry to be dried. The laundry drying appliance 10 that is illustrated in
With reference to
Various types of sensors 40a-40i may be positioned throughout the laundry drying appliance 10 to monitor the load volume of wet laundry positioned in the drum 20. The sensors 40a-40i are electronically coupled with the controller 22 to enable the determination that a proper load volume of wet laundry is positioned in the drum 20. The sensors 40a-40i actively monitor the condition of the laundry drying appliance 10 before and during operation. Sensors 40c, 40f, 40g may detect the airflow, pressure drop or evaporation rate of the airflow within the drum 20 during operation to, in turn, determine proper load volume. Additionally, the sensor 40c may monitor the power draw of the fan 36 associated with the exhaust system 30 during operation to, in turn, determine proper load volume. The sensor 40a may monitor the sound within the drum 20 to detect sound variation of the load volume of laundry tumbling within the drum 20 during operation to, in turn, determine the proper load volume. For example, the sound of laundry tumbling within the drum 20 may have a higher frequency when the drum 20 is has a large load volume compared to a small load volume, such that the frequency of the sound coming from the drum 20 can be processed to estimate the load size. Additionally, the sensor 40b may monitor the motor torque signal of the drum motor 28 during operation to, in turn, determine proper load volume. Further, sensors 40h, 40i may monitor the displacement of the drum 20 during loading of the drum 20 with the load volume of laundry to, in turn, determine proper load volume.
Additionally, an image sensor 50 may be present in the laundry appliance 10. The image sensor 50 may sense individual items of laundry as they are added into the drum 20. As shown in
Additionally, a basket 52 having a proper load volume for laundry to be positioned within the laundry drying appliance 10 may be included with and removable from the laundry drying appliance 10. The amount of laundry would be first placed into the basket 52 and then into the drum 20 to provide the proper volume load in the drum 20.
Additionally, sensors 40d, 40e may be present in the baffle or lifter 26 to determine the amount of force exerted on the baffle or lifter 26 during operation to, in turn, determine the proper load volume.
The laundry drying appliance illustrated in
The washer/dryer combination appliance 10′ includes a tub 60 that is positioned about the drum 20. The tub 60 is suspended inside the cabinet 12. The drum 20 rotates within the tub 60, but the tub 60 does not rotate within the cabinet 12. A pump 62 is positioned inside the cabinet 12 below the drum 20 and is configured to recycle/recirculate water within the tub 60 and, in turn, drum 20. Sensors 40a-40i and image sensor 50 are contained within the washer/dryer combination appliance 10′ like in the laundry drying appliance 10 as previously discussed.
Optionally, a basket 70 may be positioned within the washer/dryer combination appliance 10′. The basket 70 may be secured with the lifters 26 on the drum 20. The basket 70 may be flexible or rigid. Thus, a load volume of laundry would be placed in the basket 70. The laundry would be washed and dried in a single cycle. Additionally, the image sensor 50 could be utilized to sense that the basket 70 is full with a proper load volume. An interface with the user, via the control panel, would indicate that a proper load volume is ready to be positioned into the drum 20.
The laundry drying appliance illustrated in
The washer/dryer combination appliance 10″ includes a tub 60 that is positioned about the drum 20. The tub 60 is suspended inside the cabinet 12 by a combination of biasing members 72 (e.g., springs) and dampers 74. The tub 60, biasing members 72, and dampers 74 form a spring-mass-damper system that permits the tub 60 to move and oscillate to a limited degree within the cabinet 12. Thus, the drum 20 rotates within the tub 60, but the tub 60 does not rotate within the cabinet 12. A pump 62 is positioned inside the cabinet 12 below the drum 20 and is configured to recycle/recirculate water within the tub 60 and, in turn, drum 20. Sensors 40a-l and image sensor 50 are contained within the washer/dryer combination appliance 10″ like in the combination washer/dryer appliance 10′ as previously discussed. However, the washer/dryer combination appliance 10″ illustrated in
The image sensor 50 may detect the number or size of the items of laundry positioned in the drum 20 and provide a user with a signal that the drum 20 was at a proper load volume level or is overloaded. Alternatively, the image sensor 50 could view the basket 52 and indicate that the basket 52 is at a proper load volume for the drum and/or has oversized dimensions.
The volume of wet laundry in the drum 20 may be actively monitored during operation of the laundry appliance 10. Sensors 40c, 40f, 40g may continuously or periodically monitor the airflow, pressure drop, and/or evaporation rate in the drum 20 and any or all of this information may be utilized to determine if a proper load volume is present in the drum 20. If a proper load is not present, then the user would be notified, via a user interface on the control panel 16, to choose another cycle or to remove some of the laundry from the drum 20. Thus, the user would be going through a learned behavior as to the proper amount of laundry to be added into the laundry appliance 10 to provide optimal drying of the items with minimal wrinkling.
Additionally, sensor 40c could monitor the power draw of the fan motor to determine the load volume. Likewise, sensors 40a could monitor the sound within the drum 20 to detect sound variation of the load volume to determine if a proper load is present.
Sensors 40b could monitor the motor torque signal of the drum motor 28 during operation to determine if a proper load is positioned within the drum 20. Additionally, drum displacement could be monitored during loading by sensors 40h and 40i, which could be optical sensors or nearfield magnetic sensors configured to measure the position of the drum 20 or may be displacement sensors mounted in or on the dampers 74. The displacement of the drum 20 would determine if a proper load volume is present and if this amount is exceeded, a signal would be transmitted to the user.
Thus, various sensed characteristics prior to the operation of the drying appliance as well as actively monitoring characteristics during operation can be utilized to determine if a proper load volume has been positioned within the drum 20. Thus, the operation of the laundry appliance 10 is carried out with the goal of providing optimal clothes drying as well as the least amount of wrinkling during the drying process.
The present disclosure provides several exemplary methods of controlling the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliances 10, 10′, 10″ described above. All of these exemplary methods generally follow the following steps or routine. The routine begins with the step of sensing a condition of the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ that is indicative of the load volume of laundry in the drum 20, 20′ of the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ by receiving and processing one or more electrical signals from one or more sensors 40, 50 or electrical components, such as the drum motor 28 or fan 36, which are all positioned within the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″. The method proceeds with the step of determining the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ that is indicative of load volume. The method then performs the step of determining if the load volume of laundry present in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for a particular drying cycle of the laundry drying appliance. The pre-determined maximum load volume may be stored in memory, such as the memory of the control panel 16 or separate controller 22, and the particular drying cycle that is considered may be any one of the drying cycles programmed into the memory of the control panel 16 or controller 22, and the particular drying cycle that has been selected by a user via the control panel 16.
One exemplary method of controlling the load volume of laundry in the drum 20 of a laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
An exemplary testing process for determining the motor torque benchmark values Tq0-Tq3 by drying/testing various pre-weighed loads in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
Another exemplary method of controlling the load volume of laundry in the drum 20 of a laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
An exemplary testing process for determining the weight/displacement benchmark values W1-W3 by drying/testing various pre-weighed loads in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
Another exemplary method of controlling the load volume of laundry in the drum 20 of a laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
An exemplary testing process for determining the exhaust temperature benchmark values T1-T4 by drying/testing various pre-weighed loads in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
Another exemplary method of controlling the load volume of laundry in the drum 20 of a laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
An exemplary testing process for determining the evaporation rate benchmark values g_dot1-g_dot3 by drying/testing various pre-weighed loads in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
Another exemplary method of controlling the load volume of laundry in the drum 20 of a laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
An exemplary testing process for determining the benchmark force values F1-F4 by drying/testing various pre-weighed loads in the laundry drying appliance 10, 10′, 10″ is shown in
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A method of controlling a load volume of laundry in a laundry drying appliance, the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance by receiving and processing one or more electrical signals from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the laundry drying appliance;
- determining the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume; and
- determining if the load volume of laundry present in the laundry drying appliance exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for a particular drying cycle of the laundry drying appliance.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
- displaying an overload warning on a control panel of the laundry drying appliance if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
- highlighting and enabling a recommended cycle setting on a control panel of the laundry drying appliance if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
- terminating the drying cycle if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
- autonomously changing the drying cycle to a different drying cycle if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- processing one or more signals indicative of drum motor current draw to obtain a measured motor torque value; and
- comparing the measured motor torque value to one or more motor torque benchmark values.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:
- determining whether the measured motor torque value is greater than the one or more motor torque benchmark values to determine whether the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance corresponds to a large load, a medium load, or a small load, or an overloaded condition.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- processing one or more signals indicative of loaded drum weight or displacement to obtain a measured weight/displacement value; and
- comparing the measured weight/displacement value to one or more weight/displacement benchmark values.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:
- determining whether the measured weight/displacement value is greater than the one or more weight/displacement benchmark values to determine whether the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance corresponds to a large load, a medium load, or a small load.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- processing one or more signals indicative of exhaust temperature to obtain a measured exhaust temperature value; and
- comparing the measured exhaust temperature value to one or more exhaust temperature benchmark values.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:
- determining whether the measured exhaust temperature value is greater than the one or more exhaust temperature benchmark values to determine whether the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance corresponds to a large load, a medium load, or a small load, or an overloaded condition.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- processing one or more signals indicative of exhaust temperature and relative humidity to obtain a measured exhaust temperature value and a measured humidity value;
- calculating a calculated evaporation rate value from the measured exhaust temperature value and the measured humidity value; and
- comparing the calculated evaporation rate value to one or more evaporation rate benchmark values.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:
- determining whether the calculated evaporation rate value is greater than the one or more evaporation rate benchmark values to determine whether the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance corresponds to a large load, a medium load, or a small load.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- processing one or more signals indicative of a force on a drum component to obtain a measured force value; and
- comparing the measured force value to one or more benchmark force values.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:
- determining whether the measured force value is greater than the one or more benchmark force values to determine whether the load volume of laundry in the laundry drying appliance corresponds to a large load, a medium load, or a small load, or an overloaded condition.
16. A laundry drying appliance, comprising:
- a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet;
- a door coupled with the cabinet, the door covering the opening;
- a heating unit configured to heat air inside of the cabinet;
- a drum configured to receive laundry to be dried in the drying appliance;
- a control panel with a user interface that is configured to permit user selection of a desired drying cycle; and
- a controller integrated with or arranged in electronic communication with the control panel,
- wherein the controller is programmed to process one or more electrical signals that are received from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the cabinet to detect a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume,
- wherein the controller is programmed to determine the load volume of laundry in the drum based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, and
- wherein the controller is programmed to determine if the load volume of laundry present in the drum exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for the desired drying cycle.
17. The laundry drying appliance of claim 16, wherein the control panel is configured to display an overload warning if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
18. The laundry drying appliance of claim 16, wherein the control panel is configured to highlight a recommended cycle setting if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
19. A washer/dryer combination appliance, comprising:
- a cabinet with an opening enabling access inside the cabinet;
- a door coupled with the cabinet, the door covering the opening;
- a heating unit configured heat air inside of the cabinet;
- a tub suspended within the cabinet;
- a drum rotatably supported within the tub, the drum configured to receive laundry to be washed and dried in the washer/dryer combination appliance;
- a control panel with a user interface that is configured to permit user selection of a desired drying cycle; and
- a controller integrated with or arranged in electronic communication with the control panel,
- wherein the controller is programmed to process one or more electrical signals that are received from one or more sensors or electrical components positioned within the cabinet to detect a condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume,
- wherein the controller is programmed to determine the load volume of laundry in the drum based on the condition of the laundry drying appliance that is indicative of load volume, and
- wherein the controller is programmed to determine if the load volume of laundry present in the drum exceeds a pre-determined maximum load volume value for the desired drying cycle.
20. The washer/dryer combination appliance of claim 19, wherein the control panel is configured to display an overload warning or highlight a recommended cycle setting if the pre-determined maximum load volume value is exceeded.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 3, 2022
Publication Date: May 4, 2023
Applicant: Whirlpool Corporation (Benton Harbor, MI)
Inventors: Roy E. MASTERS, JR. (St. Joseph, MI), Arun RAJENDRAN (St. Joseph, MI)
Application Number: 17/980,170