Automatic clothes dryer
First Claim
1. A method of determining an air flow rate in an air flow system of a clothes dryer comprising a rotating drum defining a clothes drying chamber, with the air flow system supplying and exhausting air from the clothes drying chamber, and a heater to heat the air in the air flow system, the method comprising:
- supplying air through the air flow system to define a supply air flow;
determining a temperature of the supply air flow to define a supply air temperature;
determining an air flow rate value indicative of the volumetric flow rate of supply air flowing through the air flow system from the supply air temperature; and
comparing the air flow rate value to a predetermined air flow rate value to determine a condition of the air flow through the air flow system.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic clothes dryer comprises a cabinet defining an interior space in which is rotatably mounted a drum that defines a drying chamber, a heater assembly having a heating element for heating air, and a motor for rotating the drum. A blower is mounted within the interior space and is fluidly coupled to the drying chamber for moving heated air through the drying chamber. A first temperature sensor is mounted upstream of the heating element. A second temperature sensor is mounted downstream of the blower. Outputs from the temperature sensors are utilized with one or more methods to determine the air flow characteristics through the dryer.
446 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method of determining an air flow rate in an air flow system of a clothes dryer comprising a rotating drum defining a clothes drying chamber, with the air flow system supplying and exhausting air from the clothes drying chamber, and a heater to heat the air in the air flow system, the method comprising:
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supplying air through the air flow system to define a supply air flow; determining a temperature of the supply air flow to define a supply air temperature; determining an air flow rate value indicative of the volumetric flow rate of supply air flowing through the air flow system from the supply air temperature; and comparing the air flow rate value to a predetermined air flow rate value to determine a condition of the air flow through the air flow system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of operating a clothes dryer comprising a rotating drum defining a clothes drying chamber, an air flow system that supplies air to the clothes drying chamber and exhausting air from the clothes drying chamber, a motorized blower that moves air from an inlet to the drying chamber, through the clothes drying chamber, and through an exhaust inlet, and a heater to heat the air, the method comprising:
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supplying air through the air flow system to the clothes drying chamber to define a supply air flow; exhausting air through the air flow system from the clothes drying chamber to define an exhaust air flow; determining a supply air flow rate value indicative of the volumetric air flow of the supply air flow from a supply air flow temperature; determining an exhaust air flow rate value indicative of the volumetric air flow of the exhaust air flow from an exhaust air flow temperature; and determining a condition of the air flow through the air flow system based on the supply air flow rate value and the exhaust air flow rate value. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of determining an air flow rate in an air flow system of a clothes dryer comprising a rotating drum defining a clothes drying chamber, with the air flow system supplying and exhausting air from the clothes drying chamber, and a heater to heat the air in the air flow system, the method comprising:
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supplying air through the air flow system to define a supply air flow; determining a temperature of the supply air flow to define a supply air temperature; determining an air flow rate value indicative of the volumetric flow rate of supply air flowing through the air flow system from the supply air temperature; comparing the air flow rate value to a predetermined air flow rate value to determine a condition of the air flow through the air flow system; and determining the presence of a flow restriction in the air flow system based on the condition.
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Specification