Dishwasher with controlled dry cycle

• US 10,506,907 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Bertsch, Roger J., Kabala, Keeley M., Melo, Rafael C., Vallejo, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gravini, Stephen M
• Application Number:
  US15/892,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 34443
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0034 Drying phases, including dripping-off phases
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/483 by using condensers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/18 Air temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/19 Air humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/20 Time, e.g. elapsed operating time
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/10 Air circulation, e.g. air intake or venting arrangements

Abstract

A dishwasher configured for drying dishes with the dishwasher having a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber and a closed loop condensation system for extracting liquid from air within a treating chamber of the dishwasher and a controller configured to control the dry cycle for drying of the dishes in the treating chamber of the dishwasher.

Claims

1. A dishwasher, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber;

a closed loop condensation system including a dry air conduit having a portion in overlying relationship with a portion of a moist air conduit and where the dry air conduit is fluidly separate from the treating chamber and the moist air conduit, and where the moist air conduit is fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and where overlying portions of the moist air conduit and the dry air conduit are configured to form a heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is configured to precipitate moisture from treating chamber air in the moist air conduit;

a first temperature sensor within the dry air conduit of the closed loop condensation system upstream of the heat exchanger or operably coupled to the portion of the dry air conduit that is in overlying relationship with the portion of the moist air conduit and outputting a signal indicative of an external air temperature value;

a second temperature sensor outputting a signal indicative of a temperature of the treating chamber air to define a treating chamber air temperature;

a fan having a first stage fluidly coupled to the moist air conduit and configured to pull moist air from the treating chamber into the moist air conduit to define a circulation; and

a controller operably coupled to the first temperature sensor, second temperature sensor, and the fan, the controller configured to receive the signal indicative of an external air temperature value, receive the signal indicative of the treating chamber air temperature, determine a difference value indicative of a temperature difference between the external air temperature value and the treating chamber air temperature, set a circulating time based on the difference value and operate the fan to circulate the treating chamber air through the moist air conduit and the heat exchanger and back through the treating chamber in the closed loop condensation system for the circulating time while supplying external air over the heat exchanger while the heat exchanger removes liquid from the circulating treating chamber air.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the fan further comprises a second stage fluidly coupled to the dry air conduit.

3. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein the controller is operably coupled to the fan and the controller is further configured to supply air external to the treating chamber through the dry air conduit and over the heat exchanger.

4. The dishwasher of claim 3 wherein the air external to the treating chamber comprises ambient air surrounding the dishwasher.

5. The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a motor compartment separated from the treating chamber via at least one wall.

6. The dishwasher of claim 5, further comprising at least one heat-emitting component located within the motor compartment.

7. The dishwasher of claim 6 where the moist air conduit includes a warm air inlet selectively fluidly coupled to warm air within the motor compartment.

8. The dishwasher of claim 7, further comprising a controllable gate operably coupled with the warm air inlet and operably coupled to the controller and wherein the controller is configured to control a position of the controllable gate.

9. The dishwasher of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to re-determine the difference value after introducing the warm air and resetting the circulating time based on the re-determined difference value.

10. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to determine an absolute humidity of the treating chamber air and setting the circulating time based on the determined absolute humidity and the difference value.

11. The dishwasher of claim 10 wherein the controller setting the circulating time based on the determined absolute humidity and the difference value comprises resetting the circulating time.

12. The dishwasher of claim 10 wherein the controller determining the absolute humidity comprises at least one of anecdotally determining the absolute humidity, estimating the absolute humidity, and sensing the absolute humidity.

13. The dishwasher of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to determine a moisture removal value indicative of a rate of moisture removed by the closed loop condensation system for the determined difference value, and using the moisture removal value and the determined absolute humidity to set the circulating time.

14. The dishwasher of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to determine an ending absolute humidity value indicative of the dishes being dried and setting the circulating time based on the time it takes to reduce the determined absolute humidity to the ending absolute humidity value for the determined moisture removal value.

15. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to cease the circulating upon passing of the circulating time.

16. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to re-determine the difference value and correspondingly resetting the circulating time.

17. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the controller determining the difference value comprises determining a rate of change of the temperature difference between the external air and the treating chamber air.

18. A dishwasher, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber;

a closed loop condensation system including a dry air conduit having a portion in overlying relationship with a portion of a moist air conduit and where the dry air conduit is fluidly separate from the treating chamber and the moist air conduit, and where the moist air conduit is fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and where overlying portions of the moist air conduit and the dry air conduit are configured to form a heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is configured to precipitate moisture from treating chamber air in the moist air conduit;

a first temperature sensor within the dry air conduit of the closed loop condensation system upstream of the heat exchanger or operably coupled to the portion of the dry air conduit that is in overlying relationship with the portion of the moist air conduit and outputting a signal indicative of an external air temperature value;

a second temperature sensor outputting a signal indicative of a temperature of the treating chamber air to define a treating chamber air temperature;

a fan having a first stage fluidly coupled to the moist air conduit and configured to pull moist air from the treating chamber into the moist air conduit to define a circulation; and

a controller operably coupled to the first temperature sensor, second temperature sensor, and the fan, the controller configured to receive the signal indicative of an external air temperature value, receive the signal indicative of the treating chamber air temperature, determine an absolute humidity for air within the treating chamber, determine a difference value indicative of a temperature difference between the external air temperature value and the treating chamber air temperature, set a circulating time based on the determined absolute humidity and the difference value and operate the fan to circulate the treating chamber air through the moist air conduit and the heat exchanger and back through the treating chamber in the closed loop condensation system for the circulating time, and supply air external to the treating chamber through the dry air conduit including over the portion forming the heat exchanger during the circulating of the treating chamber air while the heat exchanger removes liquid from the circulating treating chamber air, and terminate the circulating upon passing of the circulating time.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18 wherein determining the absolute humidity comprises the controller being configured to at least one of anecdotally determining the absolute humidity, estimating the absolute humidity, and sensing the absolute humidity.

20. The dishwasher of claim 19 wherein the controller is further configured to determine an ending absolute humidity value indicative of the dishes being dried and setting the circulating time based on the time it takes to reduce the determined absolute humidity to the ending absolute humidity value.