Heating circuit with monitoring arrangement for a household appliance

Abstract

A washing and/or drying appliance includes a heating circuit () for heating a washing liquid and/or a drying air flow. The heating circuit is connected to voltage distribution lines () distributing power inside the appliance and includes at least one heating resistor () in series to switch means () controlled by an appliance control unit () for selectively energizing the heating resistor when required. The switch means of the heating circuit includes first and second switches () in series to the heating resistor, the heating resistor being interposed between the first and second switch. A monitoring circuit arrangement is associated with the heating circuit. The monitoring circuit arrangement includes a resistive network including a first resistor (R) connected to the heating circuit so as to be bypassed when the first switch is closed, the heating resistor, and a second resistor (R) connected to the heating circuit so as to be bypassed when the second switch is closed. The monitoring circuit arrangement further includes a current sensor () arranged to measure a current flowing through the resistive network and to feed an indication of the measured current to the control unit. The monitoring unit is configured for assessing possible faults of the heating circuit based on the indication of the measured current.