Determination of dryness of textiles in a dryer

• US 20080072448A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: Popa, Mihnea A., Skaff, Stephen X., Maziarka, Russell D., Tindel-Koukal, Monica P., Hubig, Stephan M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,249,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/446
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0034 Drying phases, including dripping-off phases
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/46 Devices for the automatic control of the different phases of cleaning ; Controlling devices A47L15/449 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/18 Air temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/19 Air humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/265 about the number of remaining operation cycles or the remaining operation time
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/34 Change machine operation from normal operational mode into special mode, e.g. service mode, resin regeneration mode, sterilizing mode, steam mode, odour eliminating mode or special cleaning mode to clean the hydraulic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/34 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/56 Remaining operation time; Remaining operational cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/62 Stopping or disabling machine operation
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity

Abstract

A dryer monitor detects when textiles in a dryer are dry, detects when textiles in a dryer are overdry, and/or may count dryer cycles. The dryer monitor includes a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a controller and various status indicators. The humidity and temperature sensors may be located outside the drying compartment of the dryer. In the case of a clothes dryer, the humidity and temperature sensors may be located outside the drum of the dryer and may be located, for example, in the exhaust compartment of the dryer. The dryer monitor determines dryness of items in the dryer, and may also determine whether the items are overdry, based on humidity information received from the humidity sensor. The dryer monitor counts dryer cycles based on temperature information received from the temperature sensor.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a humidity sensor positioned outside a drying compartment of a dryer that senses humidity information concerning humidity levels associated with the dryer; and

a controller that determines dryness of items in the dryer based on the sensed humidity information.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the dryer is one of a clothes dryer, a dishwasher, a warewasher or a car wash.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the items are textiles.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the humidity sensor is one of a relative humidity sensor or an absolute humidity sensor.

5. The device of claim 1, where the dryer is a clothes dryer and the humidity sensor is positioned to sense humidity of exhaust air of the clothes dryer.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the dryer is a clothes dryer and the humidity sensor is positioned in the lint compartment of a clothes dryer.

7. The device of claim 1, where the controller compares the sensed humidity level with a dry set point to determine the dryness of the items in the dryer.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the dry set point is equal to or less than 13% relative humidity of exhaust air of the dryer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller further determines whether the items in the dryer are overdry.

10. The device of claim 8, where the controller determines that the items in the dryer are overdry a defined period of time after the controller determines that the items in the dryer are dry.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller further tracks an amount of time the dryer continues to run after the items in the dryer are determined to be overdry.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller further counts dryer cycles of the dryer.

13. The device of claim 1, further including a temperature sensor that senses temperature information associated with the dryer, and wherein the controller counts dryer cycles based on the sensed temperature information.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the controller further:

compares the temperature information with a predefined start temperature to detect a start of a dryer cycle; and

increments a cycle count after detecting the start of the dryer cycle.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the controller further detects start of a dryer cycle when the temperature information indicates that a temperature associated with the dryer remains at least as high as a threshold start temperature for at least a defined start period of time.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the controller further:

compares the temperature information with a predefined start temperature to detect a start of a dryer cycle;

compares the temperature information with a predefined stop temperature to detect a stop of a dryer cycle; and

increments a cycle count after detecting the stop of the dryer cycle.

17. A method comprising:

receiving humidity information associated with a dryer; and

determining dryness of items in the dryer based on the received humidity information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising comparing the received humidity information with a dry set point to determine dryness of the items in the dryer.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining whether the items in the dryer are overdry.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining that the items in the dryer are overdry a defined period of time after the controller determines that the items in the dryer are dry.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising tracking an amount of time the dryer continues to run after the items in the dryer are determined to be overdry.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising activating a status indicator when the items in the dryer are overdry.

23. The method of claim 17 counting dryer cycles of the dryer.

24. The method of claim 23 further including displaying the counted number of dryer cycles.

25. The method of claim 23 further including displaying a difference between the counted number of dryer cycles and a maximum cycle count.

26. The method of claim 17 further including sensing temperature information associated with the dryer.

27. The method of claim 26 further including counting dryer cycles based on the temperature information.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the controller further:

comparing the temperature information with a predefined start temperature to detect a start of a dryer cycle; and

incrementing a cycle count after detecting the start of the dryer cycle.

29. The method of claim 26 further including detecting a start of a dryer cycle when the temperature information indicates that a temperature associated with the dryer remains at least as high as a threshold start temperature for at least a defined start period of time.

30. The method of claim 26, further including:

comparing the temperature information with a predefined start temperature to detect a start of a dryer cycle;

comparing the temperature information with a predefined stop temperature to detect a stop of a dryer cycle; and

incrementing a cycle count after detecting the stop of the dryer cycle.

31. The method of claim 17 further including providing a humidity sensor in the exhaust compartment of the dryer to sense the humidity information.

32. The method of claim 31 further including providing one of relative humidity sensor or an absolute humidity sensor.

33. A device comprising:

a temperature sensor that senses temperature information concerning a temperature associated with a dryer; and

a controller that counts dryer cycles of the dryer based on the received temperature information.

34. A method comprising:

sensing temperature information associated with the dryer; and

counting dryer cycles based on the temperature information.

35. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

receive humidity information associated with a dryer; and

determine dryness of items in the dryer based on the received humidity information.

36. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

receive temperature information associated with the dryer; and

count dryer cycles based on the temperature information.