Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Brad Herschler

Tomas Garces

Eric Gerard Johnson

Alexis Christina Taylor

Alex Gottsov

A washing machine appliance may include a tub, a basket, and a retractable agitation element. The basket may be rotatably positioned within the tub. The retractable agitation element may be positioned within the basket. The retractable agitation element may define a rotation axis. The retractable agitation element may include a lower shaft, an upper shaft, and a resilient fin. The upper shaft may be slidably mounted on lower shaft in telescoping cooperation to move axially along the rotation axis. The resilient fin may be movably attached to the lower shaft apart from the upper shaft.

Washing machine appliance having a retractable agitation element

A dryer appliance including a slide bearing assembly mounted to a top bearing for supporting a rotating drum and including a wear indication device is provided. The slide bearing assembly includes a contact circuit including two electrical leads positioned on a top bearing of the dryer appliance. A slide bearing is positioned over the contact circuit for supporting a drum during rotation and maintaining an open circuit between the two electrical leads. A controller monitors the resistance across the two electrical leads, determines that a slide bearing failure has occurred when the resistance drops (e.g., due to worn slide bearings), and notifies the user accordingly.

Dryer appliance with slide bearing assemblies including wear detection features

A dryer appliance and sensor assembly are provided. The sensor assembly may include a sensor housing, an appliance sensor, a wireless transmission tag, and a wireless tag reader. The sensor housing may extend within a drum and define a compartment proximate a space for the receipt of clothes. The appliance sensor may be positioned on the sensor housing. The wireless transmission tag may be positioned within the compartment. The wireless transmission tag may be in communication with the appliance sensor. The wireless tag reader may be in operable communication with the wireless transmission tag.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Brad Herschler