Whirlpool Corporation

Christopher J Woerdehoff

Ryan Robert Bellinger

Andrew Charles Reck

David John Kmet

David M Williams

Joshua Paul Carroll

Mark Eugene Glotzbach

James Phillips Carow

Patrick J Glotzbach

Joseph M Szynal

Fredrick E Chernetski

Michele A Paustian

Shawn Richard Oltz

Jason P Kachorek

Beth A Maddix

Steven D Ficke

Jason W Parker

James Frederick Swanson

Andrew E Spangler

A method for controlling a clothes dryer based on a characteristic of the load determined by temperatures provided by an infrared sensor.

Method for operating a clothes dryer using load temperature determined by an infrared sensor

A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber for receiving laundry to be dried according to a predetermined cycle of operation and determining when the laundry is dry.

End of cycle detection for a laundry treating appliance

An apparatus and method of drying laundry in a treating chamber with a partially dry laundry load determination.

Apparatus and method of drying laundry with drying uniformity determination

A method for determining an empty load in a clothes dryer having a drying chamber with an air inlet, an air outlet and operable according to a predetermined cycle of operation.

Method to detect an empty load in a clothes dryer

A method for determining an end of cycle in a clothes dryer having a drying chamber with an air inlet, an air outlet and operable according to a predetermined cycle of operation.

Method to detect an end of cycle in a clothes dryer

A method of determining a voltage and phase across an electric heating element in a laundry treating appliance, such as a clothes dryer.

Laundry treating appliance with voltage detection

A household appliance functions according to multiple operating cycles, wherein each operating cycle comprises at least one step characterized by a parameter having a factory-set default value. A user can access a controller of the household appliance through a user interface to simultaneously set new default values for a parameter common to at least two of the multiple operating cycles.

Household appliance with user selected default settings

A method of drying clothes in a clothes dryer comprising a clothes chamber for receiving clothes, an air supply system for directing air through the clothes chamber, and a heater for heating the air supplied by the air supply system. The method comprises cycling the heater between an ON state by energizing the heater until a heater trip condition is met and an OFF state by deenergizing the heater until a heater reset condition is met, determining a heater off time by determining the time between the heater trip condition and the heater reset condition, and determining a drying time based on the heater off time.

Drying mode for automatic clothes dryer

A clothes dryer has a system for regulating the inlet air temperature. The system includes a first sensor located in an inlet of the dryer and including a thermistor and a thermostat, a heat source located in a heater box adjacent the first sensor, and a second sensor located in an exhaust of the dryer. The thermistor measures the inlet air temperature of the dryer and cooperates with the controller to prevent the thermostat from reaching its trip temperature and turning off the heat source. Thus, damage due to excessive air temperatures in the dryer is prevented.

Combined temperature sensor for clothes dryer

A method and apparatus for controlling the drying cycle of a dryer by utilizing fuzzy logic control. Control is accomplished by first monitoring the moisture level of a clothes load in the dryer. From the monitored moisture information, variables such as the elapsed time from the start of the drying cycle to a point when no significant moisture is detected for a specified time period and the number of times higher moisture registrations occur during another specified time period are determined. Based on the determined variables, fuzzy logic is used to determine characteristics particular to the clothes load being dried, such as size of the load. Using the determined characteristics in conjunction with user settings more accurate control of the time of drying heat application, reduced drying heat application and cool down time can be accomplished.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Joseph, MI, United States of America

Christopher J Woerdehoff