Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Jivko Ognianov Djerekarov

David Scott Dunn

Brian Michael Schork

Ionelia Silvia Prajescu

Daniele Martinello

Sarah Heiniger

James Quentin Pollett

Stephanos Kyriacou

Jianwu Li

Dimitar Tcholakov

Wayne E Lawson

Gabriel Neculai Prajescu

Katherine Ashley De Arazoza

A laundry treatment appliance includes a tub; a laundry basket rotatably mounted within the tub; a sensor positioned within the laundry basket; and a controller operably coupled to the sensor and configured to perform an operation. The operation includes detecting a load size of the laundry load at a completion of a recently performed washing cycle; obtaining a plurality of operational parameters from the recently performed washing cycle; determining a maximum drying cycle length of time for the laundry load based on the detected load size and the plurality of operational parameters; detecting a failure of the sensor; and directing a drying cycle according to the maximum drying cycle length of time in response to detecting the failure of the sensor.

Laundry treatment appliance and method of estimating drying time based on laundry load size

A method includes characterizing, by a laundry appliance, a first dry load size estimation of a load of articles in the laundry appliance, washing the load of articles in the laundry appliance, characterizing, by the laundry appliance, a wet load size estimation of the load of articles in the combination laundry appliance, determining a drying time for a drying operation of the laundry appliance for the load of articles based on the wet load size estimation and the first dry load size estimation of the load of articles, and drying the load of articles in the laundry appliance.

Optimized drying cycle in laundry appliances

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet defining an interior volume with a housing mounted within the interior volume of the cabinet. An air filter is positioned in the housing. The air filter may be positioned upstream of a heating system of the laundry appliance. The laundry appliance also includes a drain path extending through the housing.

Laundry appliance drainage

A dryer appliance, a controller, and a method for operation are provided. The controller is configured to execute steps of a method including receiving an input indicative of a drying cycle end time; determining a moisture extraction rate based at least in part on the received input indicative of drying cycle end time, the moisture extraction rate indicative of a rate at which moisture is removed from articles within a chamber of the dryer appliance; determining a rate of change of moisture extraction rate corresponding to the drying cycle end time; and adjusting a condensation rate based at least on the rate of change of moisture extraction rate and the received input indicative of the drying cycle end time.

Dryer appliance and method for operation

A laundry appliance uses a determination of a frequency of compressor temperature response, refrigerant mass flow rate, or both to determine accumulation of lint in a filter. Based on the determination, various corrective actions can be taken including notifying the user, shutting off the appliance, initiating an automatic cleaning sequence for one or more lint filters, and combinations thereof.

Lint filter clogging detection in a dryer appliance using compressor temperature and referigerant mass flow

A laundry appliance uses a determination of volumetric airflow rate after a steady state condition is reached to determine the accumulation of lint in filter. Based on the determination, various actions can be taken including notifying the user, shutting off the appliance, initiating an automatic cleaning sequence for one or more lint filters, and combinations thereof. One or more temperature sensors, relative humidity sensors, and weight sensors are used to provide measurements for determining the volumetric airflow rate.

Lint filter clogging detection in a dryer appliance based on airflow

A method of operating a laundry appliance in a drying cycle includes motivating a flow of process air from a drum of the laundry appliance across an evaporator of a sealed system. Refrigerant in the evaporator of the sealed system absorbs heat from the flow of process air and the refrigerant circulates through the sealed system. The method also includes receiving, by a controller of the laundry appliance, an input indicative of a characteristic of the sealed system. The method further includes determining, by the controller, a dryness level of articles in the drum of the laundry appliance based on the received input indicative of the characteristic of the sealed system.

Detecting degree of dryness in a heat pump laundry appliance

A dryer appliance includes a cabinet. A drum is disposed within the cabinet. The drum is mounted such that the drum is fixed relative to the cabinet. The drum defines a length between a first end portion of the drum and a second end portion of the drum. The dryer appliance also includes an air duct and a fan. The air duct is coupled to the fan. The air duct has an outlet positioned at a bottom portion of the drum. The fan is operable to urge a flow of air through the air duct and into the drum at the outlet of the air duct.

Vortex dryer appliance

A dryer appliance and a method of operating the same are provided. In one aspect, the dryer appliance includes a drum rotatably mounted within a cabinet. The drum defines a chamber that is in fluid communication with a conditioning system of the dryer appliance. The conditioning system heats air circulating therethrough and removes water from the process air. A collection tank collects the water and a drain pump removes water from the collection tank intermittently when the water reaches a predetermined level. The frequency at which the drain pump removes water from the collection tank is utilized to determine the moisture extraction rate indicative of the rate at which moisture is removed from the clothes. The moisture extraction rate is utilized to control the mass flow rate of refrigerant in a heat pump sealed system or the process air flow rate through the closed loop air circuit.

Controlling refrigerant and air mass flow rate based on moisture extraction rate in a dryer appliance

A dryer appliance and a method of operating the same are provided. In one aspect, the dryer appliance includes a drum rotatably mounted within a cabinet. The drum defines a chamber that is in fluid communication with a conditioning system of the dryer appliance. The conditioning system heats air circulating therethrough. A variable speed blower fan is provided to circulate air between the conditioning system and the chamber. A sensor is positioned at or proximate a drum exit of the drum. A controller of the dryer appliance receives an input indicative of the relative humidity of the air at the drum exit. Based on the received input, the controller determines a control command. The control command can be routed to a blower fan motor operable to drive the blower fan. The blower fan motor receives the control command and adjusts a flow rate of the air exiting the drum exit.

Dryer appliance and method of operating the same based on the relative humidity of drum exit air

A dryer appliance and a method of operating the same are provided. In one aspect, the dryer appliance includes a drum rotatably mounted within a cabinet. The cabinet defines an interior volume and a vent. The dryer appliance includes a closed loop airflow circuit along which process air is moved. The drum defines a chamber positioned along the closed loop airflow circuit. A conditioning system of the dryer appliance is also positioned along the closed loop airflow circuit and is operable to heat the process air flowing along the circuit. The dryer appliance includes a vent fan operable to move cabinet air disposed within the interior volume and not within the airflow circuit through the vent of the cabinet. The cabinet air can be vented to an outdoor space or other suitable space.

Vented cabinet closed loop airflow circuit dryer appliance

A refrigerator appliance having a temperature controlled drawer with improved temperature control is provided. A sealed system including a compressor, an evaporator, and an evaporator fan may be configured for cooling the fresh food chamber. A controller is configured to operate the evaporator fan when the compressor is off in order to increase the temperature of the temperature controlled drawer. Additionally, or alternatively, a secondary fan may be attached to the temperature controlled drawer and may be selectively operated by the controller to circulate air from the chilled chamber through the temperature controlled drawer. In this manner, the temperature of the temperature controlled drawer may be more precisely controlled regardless of whether the compressor is running.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Jivko Ognianov Djerekarov