PEACE OF MIND DRYER

Abstract

A vent system for a dryer, may include an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer; a sensor within the conduit and configured to measure the airstream; and a controller configured to receive sensor data from the sensor and determine an airflow. A method for detecting a variation in airflow through a vent of a dryer may include receiving sensor data from at least one sensor in an air conduit of a clothes dryer; determining an estimated airflow based on the sensor data; comparing the estimated airflow to a predetermined expected airflow; and adjusting the estimated airflow in response to the estimated airflow not being within a predefined margin of the predetermined expected airflow.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/304,277 filed on Jan. 28, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated therein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Disclosed herein are approaches for detecting obstructions in an exhaust air conduit of dryer laundry appliances.

BACKGROUND

Laundry treating appliances, such as clothes washers, clothes dryers, and refreshers, for example, may have a configuration based on a rotating drum that defines a treating chamber in which laundry items are placed for treating according to a cycle of operation. The laundry treating appliance may have a controller that implements a number of pre-programmed cycles of operation having one or more operating parameters. The cycle of operation may be selected manually by the user or automatically based on one or more conditions determined by the controller. In some laundry appliances, such as a dryer, air may be vented out of the drum. However, the vent may become obstructed with lint, objects, etc.

SUMMARY

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the method may include receiving sensor data from at least one sensor within a dryer, establishing a relationship between an exhaust restriction and the sensor data, and creating an empirical model based on the relationship.

A system for detecting obstructions in an exhaust air conduit of a dryer, may include a first temperature sensor arranged at an entrance of the exhaust air conduit, a second temperature sensor arranged at an exit of the exhaust air conduit, and a controller coupled to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor and configured to receive a first temperature and second temperature, respectively, the controller programmed to determine whether a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature exceeds a predefined margin.

In at least one other embodiment, the controller may receive the first temperature and the second temperature in response to a dryer heater being turned off and a dryer blower continuing to run.

A system for detecting obstructions in an exhaust air conduit of a dryer may include a lint filter attached to a vent; and a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure at the vent to detect a blockage in the vent in response to a drop in the detected pressure.

A method for detecting a variation in airflow through a vent of a dryer, the method may include receiving sensed motor data from at least one sensor associated with a motor of the dryer, receiving baseline motor data from the motor, and identifying a variation in the airflow of the vent of the dryer based on a difference between the baseline motor data and the sensed motor data.

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the method may include receiving load data indicating at least one of a load size and fabric type of a load within a drum of an appliance, generating an expected airflow based on the load data, receiving sensor data indicative of an actual airflow of a dryer vent, and recognizing a vent issue in response to the actual airflow differing by a predefined margin from the expected airflow.

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the method may include receiving sensor data indicating an initial airflow of a dryer vent, comparing the initial airflow to an expected predetermined airflow, and issuing an alert to a user indicating a venting issue in response to the initial airflow and the expected predetermined airflow differing by a predefined margin.

In another example embodiment, the method may include determining whether a predefined amount of time has passed, and receiving, in response to the predefined amount of time passing, subsequent sensor data indicative of subsequent airflow of the dryer vent.

A vent system for a dryer, may include an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer, a flap arranged within the air conduit and configured to adjust an angular orientation of the flap with respect to an airflow direction within the conduit based on the airstream, and a controller configured to receive the angular orientation of the flap and determine an airflow.

In another example embodiment, the system may include an accelerometer configured to measure airflow speed of the airstream.

A vent system for a dryer may include an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer, and a damper arranged within the air conduit and configured to dynamically adjust the airstream in response to a command from a controller.

A vent system for a dryer may include an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer, a sensor within the conduit and configured to measure the airstream, a controller configured to receive sensor data from the sensor and determine an airflow.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a pressure sensor.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a velocity sensor.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a hot wire anemometer configured to detect a temperature of a wire heated by a dryer heater.

In another example, the sensor is a whistle sensor configured to make audible sounds outside of human audible range to provide a continuous airflow reading based on a switching of the whistle sensor.

In another example, the sensor is a camera sensor configured to monitor particles within a dryer vent receiving the airstream from the conduit.

An off-board dryer vent testing apparatus, may include at least one sensor configured to sense airflow of a dryer vent, at least one controller configured to receive the sensed airflow, and at least one display configured to present an airflow level based on the sensed airflow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary arrangements of the present disclosure will now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a clothes dryer, wherein the clothes dryer may be controlled based on a method according to aspects of the present disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a front schematic view of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a controller for controlling the operation of one or more components of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an airflow model for use in determining an estimated airflow,

FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum of a dryer,

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an airflow measure system having a lint filter and a vent,

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial perspective view of the motor and coupled belt,

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow chart for the process of the system of FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 illustrates an example washer and dryer appliances connected to a user device where data such as the load size and fabric type are inputted into the airflow model,

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow chart for a process for verifying vent functionality upon installation of the dryer as well as after a predefined amount of time,

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit,

FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit,

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow chart for a process for detecting a delta pressure of an airstream within the exhaust air conduit of a dryer,

FIG. 14 illustrates a back view of a dryer cabinet having a sensor,

FIG. 15 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet having a sensor,

FIG. 16 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet having a sensor,

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a portable vent testing apparatus for testing a dryer vent condition, and

FIG. 18 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum of a dryer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a laundry treating appliance in the form of a clothes dryer 10 according to aspects of the present disclosure. While the laundry treating appliance is illustrated as a front-loading dryer, the laundry treating appliance according to aspects of the present disclosure may be another appliance which performs a cycle of operation on laundry, non-limiting examples of which include a top-loading dryer, a combination washing machine and dryer; a tumbling or stationary refreshing/revitalizing machine; an extractor; a non-aqueous washing apparatus; and a revitalizing machine.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the clothes dryer 10 may include a cabinet 12 in which is provided a controller 14 that may receive input from a user through a user interface 16 for selecting a cycle of operation and controlling the operation of the clothes dryer 10 to implement the selected cycle of operation. The clothes dryer 10 will offer the user a number of pre-programmed cycles of operation to choose from, and each pre-programmed cycle of operation may have any number of adjustable cycle modifiers. Examples of such modifiers include, but are not limited to chemistry dispensing, load size, a load color, and/or a load type.

The controller 14 may have a processor for controlling certain cycles, components, etc. The controller 14 may be electrically connected to signaling interfaces of other components of the dryer 10, thereby allowing the processor of the controller 14 to manipulate the functions of the dryer 10. For example, the controller 14 may be configured to receive user input from the user interface 16, such as requests to initiate a laundry cycle. The controller 14 may also be configured to control communication to devices external to the dryer 10. The processor may include one or more microprocessors, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, central processing units (CPU), graphical processing units (GPU), tensor processing units (TPU), field programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, or any other devices that manipulate signals (analog or digital) based on computer-executable instructions residing in a memory 70.

The cabinet 12 may be defined by a chassis or frame supporting a front wall 18, a rear wall 20, and a pair of side walls 22 supporting a top wall 24. A door 26 may be hingedly mounted to the front wall 18 and may be selectively moveable between opened and closed positions to close an opening in the front wall 18, which provides access to the interior of the cabinet 12.

A rotatable drum 28 may be disposed within the interior of the cabinet 12 between opposing front and rear bulkheads 30 and 32, which collectively define a treating chamber 34 having an open face that may be selectively closed by the door 26. The drum 28 may include at least one baffle or lifter 36. In most clothes dryers 10, there are multiple lifters 36. The lifters 36 may be located along the inner surface of the drum 28 defining an interior circumference of the drum 28. The lifters 36 may facilitate movement of laundry within the drum 28 as the drum 28 rotates.

Referring to FIG. 2, an air flow system for the clothes dryer 10 is schematically illustrated and supplies air to the treating chamber 34 and then exhausts air from the treating chamber 34. The air flow system may have an air supply portion that may be formed in part by a supply air conduit 38, which has one end open to the ambient air and another end fluidly coupled to the treating chamber 34. Specifically, the supply air conduit 38 may couple with the treating chamber 34 through an inlet grill (not shown) formed in the rear bulkhead 32. A fan 40 and a heater 42 may lie within the supply air conduit 38 and may be operably coupled to and controlled by the controller 14. If the heater 42 is cycled on, the supplied air will be heated prior to entering the drum 28. The air supply system may further include an air exhaust portion that may be formed in part by an exhaust air conduit 44. Operation of the fan 40 draws air into the treating chamber 34 by the supply air conduit 38 and exhausts air from the treating chamber 34 through the exhaust air conduit 44. The exhaust air conduit 44 may be fluidly coupled with a household exhaust duct (not shown) for exhausting the air from the treating chamber 34 to the outside environment. However, other air flow systems are possible as well as other arrangements of the fan 40 and heater 42. For example, the fan 40 may be located in the exhaust air conduit 44 instead of the supply air conduit 38.

The clothes dryer 10 may be provided with a temperature sensor 50 to determine the temperature of the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. One example of a temperature sensor 50 is a thermocouple. The temperature sensor 50 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 such that the controller 14 receives output from the temperature sensor 50. The temperature sensor 50 may be mounted at any location in or near the exhaust air conduit 44 of the clothes dryer 10 such that the temperature sensor 50 may be able to accurately sense the temperature of the exhaust air flow. For example, the temperature sensor 50 may be coupled the cabinet 12 in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

The drum 28 may be rotated by a suitable drive mechanism, which is illustrated as a motor 46 and a coupled belt 48. The motor 46 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 to control the rotation of the drum 28 to complete a cycle of operation. Other drive mechanisms, such as direct drive, may also be used.

The clothes dryer 10 may also have a dispensing system (not shown) for dispensing treating chemistries into the treating chamber 34. The dispensing system may introduce treating chemistry into the drum 28 in any suitable manner, such as by spraying, dripping, or providing a steady flow of the treating chemistry. The treating chemistry may be in a form of gas, liquid, solid or any combination thereof and may have any chemical composition enabling refreshment, disinfection, whitening, brightening, increased softness, reduced odor, reduced wrinkling, stain repellency or any other desired treatment of the laundry. Water is one example of a suitable treating chemistry. Other non-limiting examples of suitable treating chemistries are chromophore chemistry, softening chemistry, and stain-repellency chemistry. In all cases, the treating chemistries may be composed of a single chemical, a mixture of chemicals, or a solution of water and one or more chemicals.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the controller 14 may be provided with a memory 70 and a CPU 72. The memory 70 may be used for storing the control software that may be executed by the CPU 72 in completing a cycle of operation using the clothes dryer 10 and any additional software. The memory 70 may also be used to store information, such as a database or table, and to store data received from the one or more components of the clothes dryer 10 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 14.

The memory 70 may include a single memory device or a number of memory devices including, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory, or any other device capable of storing information. The non-volatile storage may include one or more persistent data storage devices such as a hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid-state device, cloud storage or any other device capable of persistently storing information. The memory 70 may maintain data to be displayed on the user interface 16. This data may be updated, as is described herein.

The dryer 10 may have a wireless transceiver (not shown) configured to transmit and receive digital signals. The dryer 10 may communicate with a cloud system (not shown) configured to maintain information and communication with the dryer 10 as well as with other devices such as a user’s mobile device. The cloud system includes a cloud server or computing device configured to maintain information and communicate with the dryer 10.

The controller 14 may be operably coupled with one or more components of the clothes dryer 10 for communicating with and/or controlling the operation of the component to complete a cycle of operation. For example, the controller 14 may be coupled with the fan 40 and the heater 42 for controlling the temperature and flow rate of the air flow through the treating chamber 34; the motor 46 for controlling the direction and speed of rotation of the drum 28; the temperature sensor 50 for receiving information about the temperature of the exhaust air flow; and the user interface 16 for receiving user selected inputs and communicating information to the user. The controller 14 may also receive input from various additional sensors 52, which are known in the art and not shown for simplicity. Non-limiting examples of additional sensors 52 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 14 include: a treating chamber 34, a temperature sensor 50, a supply air flow temperature sensor 50, a moisture sensor, an air flow rate sensor, a weight sensor, and a motor torque sensor.

Generally, in normal operation of the clothes dryer 10, a user first selects a cycle of operation via the user interface 16. The user may also select one or more cycle modifiers. In accordance with the user-selected cycle and cycle modifiers, the controller 14 may control the operation of the rotatable drum 28, the fan 40 and the heater 42, to implement the cycle of operation to dry the laundry. When instructed by the controller 14, the motor 46 rotates the drum 28 via the belt 48. The fan 40 draws air through the supply air conduit 38 and into the treating chamber 34, as illustrated by the flow vectors. The air may be heated by the heater 42. Air may be vented through the exhaust air conduit 44 to remove moisture from the treating chamber 34. During the cycle, treating chemistry may be dispensed into the treating chamber 34. Also during the cycle, output generated by the temperature sensor 50 and any additional sensors 52 may be utilized to generate digital data corresponding to sensed operational conditions inside the treating chamber 34. The output may be sent to the controller 14 for use in calculating operational conditions inside the treating chamber 34, or the output may be indicative of the operational condition. Once the output is received, the controller 14 processes the output for storage in the memory 70. The controller 14 may convert the output during processing such that it may be properly stored in the memory 70 as digital data. The stored digital data may be processed in a buffer memory, and used, along with pre-selected coefficients, in algorithms to electronically calculate various operational conditions, such as a degree of wetness or moisture content of the laundry. The controller 14 may use both the cycle modifiers specified by the user and the additional information obtained by the sensors 50, 52 to carry out the desired cycle of operation.

The previously described clothes dryer 10 provides the structure for the implementation of aspects of the present disclosure. Several embodiments of the method will now be described in terms of the operation of the clothes dryer 10. The embodiments of the method function to ensure proper drying of a load of laundry.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example 400 of an airflow model 402 for use in determining an estimated airflow 404. The airflow model 402 may be configured to receive inputs such as load mass 406, temperature 408, voltage 410, and additional sensor data 412. Based on the inputs, the airflow model 402 may be configured to infer an estimated airflow 404 in the exhaust air conduit 44. This estimated airflow 404 may be used to determine whether there is a venting issue with the clothes dryer 10. For example, the estimated airflow 404 may be compared to a baseline airflow or an expected, normal airflow to determine if the difference between the two values exceeds a predetermined threshold and thus indicates a possible venting issue.

The load mass 406 may include information indicative of the quantity of laundry in the drum 28. In an example, the load mass 406 may include sensor data from a weight sensor configured to measure the weight of the contents of the drum 28. In another example, the load mass 406 may be inferred from the selected cycle of operation (e.g., towel dry, delicates, etc.). In yet another example, the load mass 406 may be inferred by torque required from the motor 46 to rotate the drum 28 (e.g., the greater the torque, the greater the load mass 406). The torque may be estimated from the current draw of the motor 46, as the torque may be directly proportional to the current.

The temperature 408 may include information indicative of the heat level in the exhaust air conduit 44. In an example, the temperature 408 may be received from the temperature sensor 50 configured for receiving information about the heat level of the exhaust air flow. In some examples, the temperature 408 include additional or alternate temperature data may be available, such as sensor data indicative of the temperature of or in the drum 28, and/or ambient temperature outside the clothes dryer 10.

The voltage 410 may include information indicative of the electric potential being provided to the clothes dryer 10 and/or to the motor 46. In an example, the voltage 410 may be used to infer the current and/or motor torque along with the current in the power line driving the motor 46.

The additional sensor data 412 may include other sources of data that may be useful in inferring the estimated airflow 404. Examples of the additional sensor data 412 may include, as some possibilities: tumble pattern of the selected cycle, gas pressure, gas type (natural gas, propane, etc.), etc.

The airflow model 402 may be any of various types of machine-learning models that are trained on data having ground truth information. For instance, the airflow model 402 may be trained on a dataset of load mass 406, temperature 408, voltage 410, additional sensor data 412, and/or machine age 414 with actual measured airflows. The airflow model 402 may utilize various techniques, such as linear regression, polynomial regression, decision trees, random forests, and neural networks, as some nonlimiting examples. The airflow model 402 may then be used and to infer results based on inputs at runtime. For example, the airflow model 402 may receive the load mass 406, temperature 408, voltage 410, additional sensor data 412, inputs at runtime to infer the estimated airflow 404.

In one example, the additional sensor data 412 may include another temperature sensor located upstream or downstream from the temperature sensor 50. A difference in the temperatures may indicate a restriction created in the airflow. The airflow model 402 may indicate a relationship between exhaust restriction and critical factors such as load size, environment conditions, etc. Further, feedback information about the load cycle selection, moisture strip, etc., may also aid to distinguish an airflow threshold. For example, the example 400 may include a method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the method including receiving sensor data from at least one sensor within the dryer 10, establishing a relationship between an exhaust restriction and the sensor data, and creating an empirical model based on the relationship.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum 28 of a dryer 10. As explained above with respect to FIG. 2, the clothes dryer 10 may be provided with a first temperature sensor 50 to determine the temperature of the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be mounted at any location in or near the exhaust air conduit 44 of the clothes dryer 10 such that the first temperature sensor 50 may be able to accurately sense the temperature of the exhaust air flow. For example, the first temperature sensor 50 may be coupled the cabinet 12 in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

A second temperature sensor 51 may also be arranged within the exhaust air conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be arranged at one end, or the beginning of the exhaust air conduit 44, while the second temperature sensor 51 may be arranged downstream of the first temperature sensor 50. That is, the first temperature sensor 50 may be at the entrance of the exhaust air conduit 44 and the second temperature sensor 51 may be at the exit of the exhaust air conduit 44. One example of a temperature sensor is a thermocouple. The temperature sensors 50, 51 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 (as shown in FIG. 2) such that the controller 14 receives output from the temperature sensors 50, 51.

The temperatures outputted by the temperature sensors 50, 51 may include a first temperature and a second temperature, respectively. In the event that the temperatures differ by a predetermined margin, the controller 14 may determine that the exhaust air conduit 44 may be obstructed or clogged. In one example, the predetermined margin or predetermined difference may be 5° C. The controller 14 may then be configured to transmit a signal to a user device, display, etc., indicating the vent issue.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an airflow measure system 600 having a lint filter 602 and a vent 604. The vent 604 may connect to the lint filter 602 and be configured to vent air to an exterior wall 610 from an interior wall interface 612. The vent 604 may include various bends, etc., and may be formed from heat resistant but tolerable material. The lint filter 602 may include a filter and blower, as well as a lint chute.

A pressure sensor 620 may be arranged at the vent’s connection with the lint filter 602. At this location, the load noise may not be critical. The controller 14 may receive an indication that the lint filter is clean. This indication may be assumed, or may be input, by the user. A delta in the airflow measured may indicate if there is a blockage somewhere, preventing airflow through the vent 604. The pressure sensor 620 at the exit point of the dryer 10 may detect a drop in pressure, thus indicating a blockage or restriction. In some examples, a second pressure sensor may be detected downstream of the other pressure sensor 620 in order to detect a difference in pressure that may indicate a restriction in the airflow through the vent 604.

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial perspective view of the motor 46 and coupled belt 48. As explained above, these components may create the drive mechanism to rotate the drum 28. The motor 46 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 to control the rotation of the drum 28 to complete a cycle of operation. Other drive mechanisms, such as direct drive, may also be used. The motor 46 may supply feedback information to the controller 14 such as a motor current, torque, and/or temperature. This may require an additional sensor, or may come from sensors integrated in the motor 46. This feedback may be provided to the airflow model 402 for comparison to baseline values and determining whether a vent

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 800 of the system of FIG. 7. In this example, the controller 14 may receive a motor speed at block 802. A second sensed function, such as a torque and/or current, may be received at block 804. At block 806, these sensed inputs may be used to identify variation in the airflow when compared to a baseline. That is, if the motor speed is not as expected, or the relationship of the motor speed and the torque is not as expected, the controller 14 may determine that the airflow is not as it should be due to an obstruction, or other issue. That is, the controller 14 may detect a variation in airflow through the dryer vent 604 by receiving sensed motor data from at least one sensor associated with a motor 46 of the dryer 10 and receiving baseline motor data from the motor 46. The controller may then compare the sensed data with the baseline data and identify a variation in the airflow of a vent of the dryer 10 based on a difference between the baseline motor data and the sensed motor data.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example washer and dryer appliances 900 connected to a user device 902 where data such as the load size and fabric type are inputted into the airflow model 402. These inputs may be received by the controller 14 directly from the washer or dryer. Additionally or alternatively, the inputs may be received from a remote device, such as the user device 902, via an application run thereon.

The user device 902 may wirelessly communicate with the appliances via a WiFi connection, BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, IrDA, a radio frequency identification (RFID), etc. The user device is configured to include and to communicate with compatible wireless transceivers of various user devices, including a cloud network (not shown.) Via the application on the user device 902, the user may indicate the load fabric, as well as the amount of linens within the appliances. The fabric type may include cotton, linen, lose woven, close woven, silk, heavy duty, whites, etc. The size of the load may include small, medium, and large, for example.

The controller 14 may determine an expected airflow based on the received data relating to the load size and fabric type. Should a pressure or temperature sensor such as the pressure sensor 620 or temperature sensors 50, 51 described herein, indicate a value that indicates an airflow that differs by a predetermined margin from the expected airflow, then a vent issue may be identified.

As described herein, the user device 902 may also be configured to present information to the user such as issued detected with the airflow, alerts, etc.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 1000 for verifying vent 604 functionality upon installation of the dryer 10 as well as after a predefined amount of time. At block 1005, after installation, the controller 14 may send commands for instructions to be presented via the user device 902 instructing the user to tare airflow of the dryer 10. This may include running a test cycle of the dryer 10 so that air may flow through the exhaust air conduit 44. At block 1010, the controller 14 may receive sensor data indicating the airflow. This sensor data may include temperature, velocity, pressure etc., and may be transmitted from the sensors discussed herein, (e.g., the pressure sensor 620 or temperature sensors 50, 51). The sensor data may indicate the airflow.

At block 1015, the controller 14 may compare the sensed airflow to an expected airflow. The expected airflow may be preloaded and predetermined to be the airflow that the dryer is expected to operate at. The expected airflow may be maintained in the memory 70. At block 1020 the controller 14 may determine whether the sense airflow is within a predefined margin of the expected airflow. For example, the controller 14 may determine whether the temperature readings are withing a predefined margin of an expected temperature reading, e.g., within 2° F. If so, the process 1000 proceeds to block 1025. If not, the process 1000 proceeds to block 1040. In other examples, the predefined margin may be a not to exceed margin such as a predetermined threshold. Other measurements such as pressure, volume, velocity, etc., may be considered. In one instance, the predetermined margin of an expected pressure may be considered, such as 0.2 inches of water column (wci) with an expected airflow of 0.4 wci. In another example,

At block 1025, the controller 14 may then determine whether a predetermined amount of time has passed. For example, the predetermined amount of time may be six months, enough time that it may make sense to check the vent health. If the time has passed, the process 1000 proceeds to block 1030. If not, the process 1000 returns at block 1025 until the predetermined amount of time has lapsed.

At block 1030, the controller 14 may receive sensor data indicating the airflow, similar to block 1010. The sensor data may include temperature, velocity, pressure etc., and may be transmitted from the sensors discussed herein, (e.g., the pressure sensor 620 or temperature sensors 50, 51). The sensor data may indicate the airflow.

At block 1035, the controller 14 may compare the airflow to the previously sensed airflow in block 1010. The previously sensed airflow may be maintained in the memory 70. Although not shown, the controller 14 may compare the new airflow to the previously sensed airflow and determine if there is a change in the airflow and thus if there is an obstruction or other issue with the exhaust air conduit 44.

Referring back to FIGS. 7 and 8, the controller 14 may be configured to detect airflow based on motor speed and torque/current. As explained, this may be achieved via the motor 46 itself, or additional sensors. In one example, the motor 46 may be a BPM (brushless permanent magnet). In the example of additional sensors, external sensors may be used such as ferrite sensors and/or printed circuit board (PCB) mounted sensors.

The controller 14 may be configured to adjust the motor speed in order to control the airflow. Calibration and baseline capabilities to normalize the unit during installation may also be achieved. Further, the user may be informed when it is time to clean the dryer duct based on the airflow detection.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit 44. In this example, the exhaust air conduit 44 is configured to provide an airstream within the dryer 10, and a flap 1102 is arranged within the duct and including a sensor 1104 configured to measure the airflow through the exhaust air conduit 44. The sensor 1104 may be configured to measure the airflow such as rotary/angle sensor and/or an accelerometer. The sensor 1104 may be configured to provide an angle that corresponds to an airflow. For example, the speed of the airflow may correspond to the angle. In the example of an accelerometer, the accelerometer may itself provide the airflow speed to the controller 14. The controller 14 may thus evaluate the airflow in view of a baseline or expected airflow in accordance with the examples described herein.

FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit 44. In this example, the exhaust air conduit 44 is configured to provide an airstream within the dryer 10, and a damper 1202 is arranged within the duct and configured to change the airstream during a calibration mode, or during a dryer cycle to put the dryer 10 in a known state. The damper 1202 may be driven by a motor (not shown). The motor may be controlled by the controller 14 and configured to dynamically change the airflow by moving the damper 1202 to a predefined position. The damper 1202 may be used to put the dryer 10 in a known state or known airflow for airflow estimation, diagnostics, etc.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 1300 for detecting a delta pressure of an airstream within the exhaust air conduit 44. The system may include a direct pressure measurement. The controller 14 may generate an airflow estimation, either from the methods described herein, or by looking up an expected airflow in the memory 70 at block 1302. The system may also include a pressure sensor, as describe herein, that may receive a delta pressure measurement at block 1304. The controller 14 may then compare the two value at block 1306 to identify a variation in the airflow. The variation may be the difference in the two values.

The pressure sensor may provide a continuous airflow reading throughout a dryer cycle. Thus, the controller 14 may monitor the airflow or delta pressure during operation of the dryer 10.

FIG. 14 illustrates a back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having a sensor 1402. The sensor 1402 in this example may be configured to sense the airglow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. The sensor 1402 may be a form of velocity sensor. In an example, this velocity sensor may be a moving vane anemometer. The sensor 1402, in another example, may be a paddle wheel sensor.

The controller 14 may receive the sensor data from the sensor 1402 and may convert the velocity to volumetric or mass flow and provides a continuous airflow reading throughout a dryer cycle.

In another example, the sensor 1402 may include a hot wire anemometer, including a wire heated by the dryer heater and sensor configured to detect the temperature of the wire, where the amount of heat required to maintain the temperature of the wire is indicative of the airflow. The controller 14 may receive the temperature readings and correlate the temperature readings with relationships with the airflow. This may be done by using a look-up table or other data set or points.

Additionally or alternatively, the amount of current needed to maintain a given temperature may also be correlated to airflow. The wire may be heated by the existing heater or a portion of it. The existing thermal estimators may be replaced with direction measurement of a hot wire anemometer. Further, the system may also include a damper, as discussed above. The damper could be controlled by a wax motor, that allows the system to adjust the airflow dynamically. This could be done in the calibration mode, or even during a cycle to put the system in a known state and help identify system dynamics and airflow estimation. The controlled damper could adjust the airflow until the element or hot wire anemometer maintains a target temperature for a certain amount of time. In one example, the damper may be adjusted iteratively until the target temperature is maintained for a predefined amount of time.

FIG. 15 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having a sensor 1502. The sensor 1502 in this example may be configured to sense the airflow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. The sensor 1502 may be a whistle sensor configured to detect sounds outside of the human audible range to provide a continuous airflow reading based on a switching of the whistle sensor. The whistle sensor may include a diaphragm configured to flutter in response to sound waves within the air conduit 44 creating sine waves, which may be transformed into square waves. The frequency of the square wave may then be calculated and the sound signals in the air conduit 44 may be determined. This data from the sensor 1502 may provide an additional source of airflow information for the airflow estimations and determinations described herein.

FIG. 16 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having a sensor 1602. The sensor 1602 in this example may be configured to sense the airglow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. The sensor 1602 may be a visible light and/or infrared (IR) camera to monitor particles within the airflow to provide a continuous airflow reading based on a switching of the whistle sensor. The sensor 1602 may also be a “flap” type, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 11. The sensor 1602 may also be a temperature sensor configured to measure air temperature at a particular area of the exhaust air conduit 44. The controller 14 may use the sensor data to replace (or augment) current airflow estimations. The sensor 1602 may be arranged at various location and therefor may also be used for other diagnostics other than airflow determinations.

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a portable vent testing apparatus 1700 for testing a dryer vent condition. The testing apparatus 1700 is configured to assess the vent condition independent of the dryer 10 itself. The testing apparatus may be portable and may be used by technicians and/or consumers. The testing apparatus 1700 may communication with the user device 902 and/or an human machine interface (HMI) of the dryer 10.

The testing apparatus 1700 may include a fan 1704, motor (not shown), and at least one sensor 1702. The sensor 1702 may be any one of a pressure sensor, temperature sensor, etc., or other sensor discussed herein. The controller 14 may provide instructions to the HMI and/or user device 902. The testing apparatus 1700 measures airflow leaving the exhaust air conduit 44 at the exterior of the dryer 10. The testing apparatus 1700 may be connected at the dryer side, or at the house exit side of the exhaust air conduit 44 to allow for flexibility and convenience. That is, the testing apparatus 1700 could be placed at the most accessible point for ease of use. The apparatus 1700 could create airflow via the motor and the fan and utilize build-in sensors to self calibrate when disconnected from the vent. Such calibration could then be used to quantify the vent restriction when connected at either end of the vent during testing. The customer, installer, builder, etc. may then use this information to determine the extent, if any, of the vent restriction and identify a proper dryer model that is suitable for the operating environment.

The testing apparatus 1700 may output an airflow or backpressure reading. The testing apparatus 1700 could also output a level of the vent condition, such as great, good, poor, etc., based on the sensed data. This could be used by the customer, technician, etc., to aid in proper part selection. For example, the reading on the testing apparatus 1700 could allow the user to select various products, such as a standard air vented dryer, long vent dryer, ventless, etc. The testing apparatus 1700 could be an after-market device. The testing apparatus 1700 may communicate with the user device 902 and provide the results to the user device 902. The controller 14 may also be configured to provide vent status information and/or product suggestions to the user via the HMI based on the measured airflow. The testing apparatus 1700 may have its own display configured to present the testing results in response to the detected airflow.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum 28. As explained above with respect to FIG. 5, the clothes dryer 10 may be provided with a first temperature sensor 50 to determine the temperature of the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be mounted at any location in or near the exhaust air conduit 44 of the clothes dryer 10 such that the first temperature sensor 50 may be able to accurately sense the temperature of the exhaust air flow. For example, the first temperature sensor 50 may be coupled the cabinet 12 in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

A second temperature sensor 51 may also be arranged within the exhaust air conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be arranged at one end, or the beginning of the exhaust air conduit 44, while the second temperature sensor 51 may be arranged downstream of the first temperature sensor 50. That is, the first temperature sensor 50 may be at the entrance of the exhaust air conduit 44 and the second temperature sensor 51 may be at the exit of the exhaust air conduit 44. One example of a temperature sensor 50, 51 is a thermocouple. The temperature sensors 50, 51 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 (as shown in FIG. 2) such that the controller 14 receives output from the temperature sensors 50, 51. The first temperature sensor 50 may be adjacent the blower 45 (or fan 40).

The temperatures outputted by the temperature sensors 50, 51 may include a first temperature and a second temperature, respectively. In the event that the temperatures differ by a predetermined margin, the controller 14 may determine that the exhaust air conduit 44 may be obstructed or clogged. In one example, the predetermined margin or predetermined difference may be 5° C.

However, during the final drying process, the temperature values may be relatively close. When turning off the heater 42, the blower may continue to run for a period of time. Both the temperatures will drop in value. During this time, the controller 14 may evaluate the output from the temperature sensors. For example, the longer the temperature drop in the first temperature sensor 50, the greater the restriction in the exhaust air conduit 44. The controller 14 may thus evaluate the behavior of the temperature sensors, including when the dryer heater 42 is turned off and the dryer blower continues to run. The controller 14 may continually receive temperature values from each of at least two temperature sensors, and determine a level of conduit 44 or vent restriction within the dryer based on the temperature values over time.

While the examples described herein generally relate to airflow for the exhaust air conduit 44, the same principals and concepts may be applied to other dryer airflows, including the supply air conduit 38, among others. Further, the term “vent” is used herein to include conduits capable of carrying airflow and may be interchangeable with the exhaust air conduit 44.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the device as oriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood that the device may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a RAM, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or Flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Claims

1. A vent system for a dryer, comprising:

an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer;

a sensor within the conduit and configured to measure the airstream; and

a controller configured to receive sensor data from the sensor and determine an airflow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a velocity sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a hot wire anemometer configured to detect a temperature of a wire heated by a dryer heater.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the temperature corresponds to an amount of heat of the airflow.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a damper arranged in the air conduit and configured to adjust the airflow within the conduit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the damper based on the temperature of the wire to adjust the airflow.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the position of the damper until a predefined temperature is exceeded.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the position of the damper until a predefined time is exceeded.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a whistle sensor configured to detect sounds outside of human audible range to provide a continuous airflow reading based on the detected sounds.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a camera sensor configured to monitor particles within a dryer vent receiving the airstream from the conduit.

12. A method for detecting a variation in airflow through a vent of a dryer, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data from at least one sensor in an air conduit of a clothes dryer;

determining an estimated airflow based on the sensor data;

comparing the estimated airflow to a predetermined expected airflow; and

adjusting the estimated airflow in response to the estimated airflow not being within a predefined margin of the predetermined expected airflow.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor is a hot wire anemometer configured to detect a temperature of a wire heated by a dryer heater.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the temperature corresponds to an amount of heat of the estimated airflow and the estimated airflow is determined based on the temperature.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting of the estimated airflow includes instructing an adjustment of a damper arranged in the air conduit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting of the estimated airflow includes instructing an adjustment of the damper until a predefined temperature is exceeded.

18. A vent system for a dryer, comprising:

an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer;

a sensor within the conduit and configured to measure the airstream, wherein the sensor is a whistle sensor configured to detect sounds within the conduit outside of human audible range to provide a continuous airflow reading based on the detected sounds; and

a controller configured to receive sensor data from the whistle sensor indicative of airflow of the airstream.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a damper arranged in the air conduit and configured to adjust the airflow within the conduit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the damper based on the sensor data.