Whirlpool Corporation

Andrew Leitert

Karl David McAllister

Daniel C Conrad

Dennis L Kehl

Tremitchell L Wright

Joel Adam Luckman

Lonnie J Richman

Barbara A Balinski

James Andrew Oskins

Yingqin Yuan

Jason Lawrence Barr

Jamal O Wilson

Amy L Rapson

Matthew J Quock

Kaustav Ghosh

Richard A Sunshine

Michael T Dalton

Jon D Strait

Hirak Chanda

Brooke Lindsay-Steel Lau

Kurt A Estes

Mark Bradley Kovich

Timothy Nicholas Aykroyd

David P Goshgarian

Stephen David Krefman

Vicki Lyn Wyatt-Smith

Christopher C Deboer

Cinnamon S Brown-Green

Holli Krumbein

Kenyata Joi Maki

Karl David Mcallister

Method of determining a laundry load size in a laundry treating appliance comprising a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, an imaging device, and a controller having a processor, the method includes generating an image, detecting markings in the generated image, and determining, by the controller, a load size based thereon.

Method of determining a load size in a laundry treating appliance

A method of operating and a laundry treating appliance, including a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber into which laundry may be placed for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a processor programmed to at least as the laundry is being placed in the treating chamber, at least one of measure, sense, analytically determine, estimate, or receive as an input used to determined a load size. A laundry fill indicator indicates information related to the determined load size.

Method for real time determination during loading of volumetric load size in a laundry treating appliance

A laundry treating appliance comprising a treating chamber for holding clothes for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a treating chemistry dispenser that forms a housing with a first chamber with a port and a deflector and the dispenser is fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and an air supply that has an inlet and outlet fluidly coupled to the treating chamber. A liquid bath is defined by a portion of the housing and a retaining wall in the treating chemistry dispenser. A free surface of the bath forms a gap with an edge of the deflector. Air supplied from the treating chamber is exhausted through the port into the first chamber of the treating chemistry dispenser and impinged upon the deflector which deflects the exhausted air through the gap between the bath and the deflector, where the bath removes lint contained within the exhausted air.

Laundry treating appliance lint filter

A method of operating and a laundry treating appliance, including a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber into which laundry may be placed for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a processor programmed to at least as the laundry is being placed in the treating chamber, at least one of measure, sense, analytically determine, estimate, or receive as an input a first load size of the laundry in the treating chamber to define a determined first load size and select at least one of a color or an intensity corresponding to the determined first load size to define a first light setting.

A method of removing lint from drying air in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for holding clothes for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a treating chemistry dispenser fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and an air supply having an inlet and outlet fluidly coupled to the treating chamber is disclosed. The method includes a laundry treating phase including supplying treating chemistry from the treating chemistry dispenser to the treating chamber and leaving a portion of the treating chemistry within the treating chamber to form a bath of treating chemistry, a laundry drying phase including supplying air to the treating chamber through the inlet and exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber.

Methods of determining a laundry load size in a laundry treating appliance comprising a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, at least one imaging device, and a controller having a processor, the method includes generating multiple images and determining, by the controller, a load size based on the multiple images.

Methods of determining a load size in a laundry treating appliance

Disclosed is a method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber that receives a laundry load for treatment according to a cycle of operation. The method includes determining the size of the laundry load in the treating chamber; supplying a predetermined amount of liquid to the treating chamber based on the determined load size; applying mechanical energy to the laundry treating chamber by driving a clothes mover with an electric motor; determining a difference between an in-rush current to the electric motor and a steady-state current of the electric motor during the applying of the mechanical energy; and determining a laundry load type of the laundry load based on the determined difference.

Method to determine fabric type in a laundry treating appliance using motor current signature during agitation

A method of removing lint from drying air in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for holding clothes for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a treating chemistry dispenser fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and an air supply having an inlet and outlet fluidly coupled to the treating chamber is disclosed. The method comprises a laundry treating phase comprising supplying treating chemistry from the treating chemistry dispenser to the treating chamber and leaving a portion of the treating chemistry within the treating chamber to form a bath of treating chemistry, a laundry drying phase comprising supplying air to the treating chamber through the inlet and exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber.

A method of determining load type in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry, a rotatable laundry mover, and a motor operably coupled to the rotatable laundry mover includes steps to apply a perturbation force to the laundry in the treating chamber by rotating the laundry mover with the motor; determine the response of the motor torque to the perturbation force during the rotating of the laundry mover; and determine a load type based on the determined response.

Method to detect the type of a load in a laundry treating appliance

Methods and apparatus for operating a laundry treating appliance to indicate an amount of laundry in a treating chamber are disclosed. An example method includes as laundry is being placed in the treating chamber, illuminating the treating chamber with light, and as the laundry is being placed in the treating chamber, repeatedly adjusting at least one or a color and/or an intensity of the light based on an amount of laundry in the treating chamber.

Method for real-time indication of load size during loading of a laundry treating appliance

Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention provide for improved cleaning while minimizing mechanical damage to clothes in automatic washer cycles using time-varying wash chamber oscillations. An automatic washer has a wash chamber with a central axis and is rotatable about the central axis. Items are loaded into the wash chamber. Wash liquid is supplied into the wash chamber. The wash chamber is oscillated about the central axis by time-varying oscillations.

Growing community of inventors

Eau Claire, MI, United States of America

Andrew Leitert