Air Flow Sensor

• US 20100045472A1
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: World Magnetics Company
• Original Assignee: World Magnetics Company
• Inventors: Siddall, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,786,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/626
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/00 Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/28 Air properties
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/30 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/36 Flow or velocity
• 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 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/50 Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of blowers

Abstract

A device for identifying the air flow condition within a clothes dryer having a lint filter, an exhaust passage, and a blower is disclosed. The device includes a sensor, an input having a first end connected to the sensor and a free second end, wherein the free second end is adapted to be disposed within the clothes dryer, upstream from a filter, and wherein the sensor detects a differential between an operating pressure at the free second end of input versus a reference pressure to thereby determine whether a sufficient vacuum is present within the clothes dryer, and an output that provides an output characteristic based on the differential, wherein the output characteristic changes from a first characteristic to a second characteristic when the differential surpasses a differential threshold.

Claims

1. A device for identifying the air flow condition within a clothes dryer, the clothes dryer having a lint filter, an exhaust passage, and a blower, the device comprising:

a sensor;

an input having a first end connected to the sensor and a free second end, wherein the free second end is adapted to be disposed within the clothes dryer, upstream from a filter, and wherein the sensor detects a differential between an operating pressure at the free second end of input versus a reference pressure to thereby determine whether a sufficient vacuum is present within the clothes dryer; and

an output that provides an output characteristic based on the differential, wherein the output characteristic changes from a first characteristic to a second characteristic when the differential surpasses a differential threshold.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing, wherein the sensor is disposed within the housing, and wherein the input is a tubular member and the second end of the tubular member extends outside of the housing.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the tubular member is retractable such that second end of tubular member extends between a first operating position and a second non-operating position.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a device selected from the group consisting of a transducer and a normally open pressure vacuum differential switch.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes two or more pressure vacuum differential switches to identify more than one vacuum conditions within the clothes dryer.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the output includes one or more light emitting diodes.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the output further includes an alarm that activates when the output characteristic is the second characteristic.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the alarm is selected from the group consisting of a smoke alarm, a fire alarm, a carbon monoxide detector and any combination thereof.

9. The air flow sensor according to claim 7, wherein the alarm is communicatively attached to a receiver of a third party service provider.

10. The air flow sensor according to claim 1, wherein the reference pressure is the environmental pressure outside of the clothes dryer.

11. A method of detecting an air flow condition in a clothes dryer, the clothes dryer having a clothes drying area, a lint trap, an exhaust passage and a blower that is adapted to evacuate air from the drying area through the exhaust passage and outside of the unit, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

providing an air flow detection device having an air flow sensor, an input having a first end connected to the air flow sensor and a free second end extending from the first end and an output;

inserting the free second end of the input into the clothes drying area, upstream from the lint trap, the exhaust passage and the blower;

closing the clothes dryer such that the free second end remains within the unit;

turning the clothes dryer into an on condition;

comparing the internal pressure within the clothes dryer against an environmental pressure outside of the clothes dryer to identify whether a sufficient vacuum is present within the clothes dryer;

determining an output characteristic based on the comparison of internal pressure and the environmental pressure; and

providing the output characteristic.

12. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 11, wherein the output characteristic identifies an abnormal condition when the difference between the pressure outside of the clothes dryer and the pressure in the clothes drying area is at or substantially around a pre-defined threshold difference.

13. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 12, wherein the output includes an alarm, and further comprising the steps of:

activating the alarm when the output characteristic identifies an abnormal condition.

14. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 13, wherein the step of activating an alarm further comprises the sub-step of:

sounding an audible alarm.

15. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 13, wherein the step of activating an alarm further comprises the sub-step of:

sending a communication that signifies the output characteristic.

16. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 15, wherein the communication is sent to a third party service provider.

17. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 15, wherein the communication is sent to a consumer communication device.

18. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 11, wherein the air flow detection device includes one or more light emitting diodes and wherein the output characteristic of a normal condition and the output characteristic of an abnormal condition are differentiated by an activation of the one or more light emitting diodes.

19. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 11, wherein the sensor of the air flow detection device is disposed within a housing and the input comprises a tubular member, and wherein the tubular member is retractably connected to the housing.

20. The method of detecting an airflow condition in a clothes dryer according to claim 11, wherein the detection occurs without modification of the dryer.