FAILURE MODE DETECTION IN AN APPLIANCE DISPENSING SYSTEM

• US 20090272003A1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: MCALLISTER, KARL D., CHERNETSKI, FREDRICK E., DALTON, MICHAEL T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/329
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/18 Washing liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/50 related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/38 Conditioning or finishing, e.g. control of perfume injection
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/60 Audible signals
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/57 of metering of detergents or additives

Abstract

An appliance having a dispensing system and a detection system for detecting failure modes related to the dispensing system.

Claims

1. An appliance having a treatment chamber comprising:

a dispensing system comprising;

a dispenser fluidly coupled to the treatment chamber;

a reservoir fluidly coupled to the dispenser;

a delivery apparatus operably coupled with the reservoir and delivering a fabric-conditioning substance from the reservoir to the dispenser; and

a detection system operably coupled with the dispensing system to detect at least one failure mode related to the dispensing system.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the appliance is a clothes dryer having a rotating drum forming the treatment chamber.

3. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a first conduit connecting the dispenser and delivery apparatus and a second conduit connecting the delivery apparatus and the reservoir.

4. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the detecting system further comprising a sensing device to sense an operating parameter of the appliance to aid in the detecting of the failure mode.

5. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the sensing device is configured to measure a parameter of the delivery apparatus to detect at least one of the following failure modes:

a dispenser that is at least partially clogged, an outlet of the reservoir that is at least partially clogged, a conduit that is at least partially clogged, an empty reservoir, a leak in the dispensing system, and lack of a dispenser.

6. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the parameter of the delivery apparatus comprises at least one of the following:

electric current drawn, speed, power, voltage, and phase lag.

7. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the sensing device comprises a flowmeter adapted to measure a flowrate of the fabric-conditioning substance through at least a portion of the dispensing system.

8. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the sensing device comprises a first electrode associated with the dispenser and a second electrode adapted to align and contact the first electrode when the dispenser is installed, thereby completing an electrical circuit to detect a presence of the dispenser.

9. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the sensing device comprises at least two electrodes adapted for contact with the fabric-conditioning substance, a first electrode associated with the dispenser, and a second electrode associated with the conduit to detect a presence of the fabric-conditioning substance.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensing device is adapted for measuring a machine parameter to detect whether an excess amount of fabric-conditioning substance has been dispensed.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the measured machine parameter includes at least one of the following:

drum torque, load weight, drum temperature, moisture level, sound level, and liquid level.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensing device includes a plurality of electrodes provided within the reservoir to measure a level of fabric-conditioning substance in the reservoir.

13. An apparatus for drying fabric articles having a dispensing system comprising:

a nozzle for dispensing a fabric-conditioning substance;

a supply of a fabric-conditioning substance coupled to the nozzle; and

a detection system for detecting a failure mode associated with the nozzle.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising an enclosure coupling the nozzle to the apparatus to facilitate mounting the nozzle in the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the detection system comprises a first electrode associated with the enclosure and a second electrode associated with the nozzle, the first electrode adapted for contact with the second electrode when the nozzle is coupled with the enclosure, thereby completing an electrical circuit to detect the coupling of the nozzle with the enclosure.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the detection system comprises at least two electrodes adapted for contact with the fabric-conditioning substance, a first electrode associated with the nozzle and a second electrode associated with the conduit, whereby contact of the first and second electrodes with the fabric-conditioning substance completes an electrical circuit to detect a presence of the fabric-conditioning substance in the nozzle.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the detection system measures time elapsed between the contact of the fabric-conditioning substance with the second nozzle, and completion of the electrical circuit.

18. A method of detecting failure modes in an appliance having a dispensing system, the method comprising the steps of:

determining an operating parameter of the appliance;

comparing the determined operating parameter with a pre-determined reference value; and

determining a failure mode based on the comparison.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of measuring an operating parameter includes measuring an operating parameter of the dispensing system.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the operating parameter comprises at least one of the following:

flow rate, electric current drawn, speed, power, voltage, and phase lag.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of alerting a user of the failure mode.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of modifying the duration of a fabric-conditioning substance dispensing time based on the failure mode detected.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of continuing operation of the appliance through the use of an alternate cycle when a failure mode is detected.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of measuring an operating parameter includes measuring the time required for the fabric-conditioning substance to reach the dispenser from the reservoir.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of initiating a cleaning cycle after a failure mode is detected to clean the dispensing system.