Laundry treating appliance with drying rack detection based on imaging data

• US 8,528,228 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ashrafzadeh, Farhad, Carow, James P., Kanchanavally, Shreecharan, Sundaram, Sathish Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORMACK, JOHN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/388,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 344/45, 345/24, 345/29, 344/49, 34/88, 345/60, 341/30, 813/7, 356/914, 73/15.6, 382/107, 382/111, 725/12, 700/259, 700/275, 116/213
• US Class Current: 34/529
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• 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 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/06 Type or material
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/34 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/36 Flow or velocity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/52 related to electric heating means, e.g. temperature or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/60 related to auxiliary conditioning or finishing agents, e.g. filling level of perfume tanks
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/20 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/24 Flow or velocity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/38 Conditioning or finishing, e.g. control of perfume injection
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/46 Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/36 Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of determining the presence of a drying rack based on image data of the laundry located in a treating chamber of a laundry treating appliance.

Claims

1. A method for operating a clothes dryer having a rotating drum defining a drying chamber, the method comprising:

imaging at least a portion of the drying chamber with an imaging device outputting image data representative of the drying chamber;

determining a presence of a stationary drying rack in the drying chamber by processing the image data with computer software stored in a controller; and

controlling the operation of the clothes dryer based on the presence of the drying rack.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a still image or a moving image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the imaging comprises taking multiple still images.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises determining a cycle of operation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the determining the cycle of operation comprises selecting a cycle of operation specific to drying on a stationary drying rack.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises determining an operating characteristic of the dryer based on the presence of the drying rack.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the determining the operating characteristic comprises not rotating the drum.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying an article on the drying rack based on the imaging and determining an operating characteristic specific to the identified article.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises determining at least one of:

a drying temperature;

an actuation of a heating element that heats air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rate of air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rotation of the drum;

a rotational speed of the drum;

a direction of rotation of the drum;

a type of chemistry to dispense;

or

an amount of chemistry to dispense.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an article on the drying rack based on the imaging.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the identifying is a category identification of the article.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the identifying is an identification of at least one physical characteristic of the article.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the presence of the stationary drying rack comprises detecting a physical characteristic of the drying rack from the imaging.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the detecting a physical characteristic of the drying rack comprises detecting an edge of the drying rack.

16. A method for operating a clothes dryer having a rotating drum defining a drying chamber and a stationary drying rack located within the drying chamber, the method comprising:

imaging at least a portion of the drying chamber with an imaging device outputting image data representative of the drying chamber;

determining a presence of an article on the stationary drying rack by processing the image data with computer software stored in a controller; and

controlling the operation of the clothes dryer based on the presence of the article on the drying rack.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a still image or a moving image.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises determining an operating characteristic based on the presence of the drying rack.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising identifying the article on the drying rack based on the imaging and determining an operating characteristic specific to the identified article.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises setting at least one of:

a drying temperature;

an actuation of a heating element that heats air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rate of air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rotation of the drum;

a rotational speed of the drum;

a direction of rotation of the drum;

a type of chemistry to dispense;

or

an amount of chemistry to dispense.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising identifying an article on the drying rack based on the imaging.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the identifying is a category identification of the article.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the identifying is an identification of at least one physical characteristic of the article.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the determining the presence of the stationary drying rack comprises detecting a physical characteristic of the drying rack from the imaging.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the detecting a physical characteristic of the drying rack comprises detecting an edge of the drying rack.

27. A method for operating a clothes dryer having a rotating drum defining a drying chamber and a stationary drying rack located within the drying chamber, with an article on the stationary rack, the method comprising:

imaging at least a portion of the drying chamber with an imaging device outputting image data representative of the drying chamber;

identifying an article on the stationary drying rack by processing the image data with computer software stored in a controller; and

controlling the operation of the clothes dryer based on the identification of the article on the drying rack.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a still image or a moving image.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises determining an operating characteristic based on the identified article.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the controlling the operation of the clothes dryer comprises setting at least one of:

a drying temperature;

an actuation of a heating element that heats air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rate of air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rotation of the drum;

a rotational speed of the drum;

a direction of rotation of the drum;

a type of chemistry to dispense;

or

an amount of chemistry to dispense.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising identifying an article on the drying rack based on the imaging.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the identifying is a category identification of the article.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the identifying is an identification of at least one physical characteristic of the article.

35. An automatic clothes dryer for drying laundry according to a drying cycle of operation, comprising:

a rotatable drum defining a drying chamber;

an air supply system fluidly coupled to the drying chamber configured to supply air to and exhaust air from the drying chamber;

a heating system configured to heat the air supplied by the air supply system;

a dispensing system configured to dispense an amount and type of chemistry;

an image device configured to output imaging data representative of the drying chamber; and

a controller operably coupled to the air supply system, heating system, dispensing system and imaging device and configured to determine a presence of a stationary drying rack in the drying chamber by processing the image data with computer software stored in the controller and configured to control an operation of the dryer based on the presence of the stationary drying rack.

36. The automatic clothes dryer of claim 35 wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of:

the air supply system to control an amount of air supplied to the drying chamber;

the heating system to control a temperature of the air supplied to the drying chamber;

a rotation of the drum to control at least one of a duration, direction and speed of the drum;

or

a dispensing system to control at least one of a type and amount of chemistry to dispense.

37. The automatic clothes dryer of claim 35 wherein the controller is further configured to determine an operating characteristic based on the presence of the stationary drying rack.

38. The automatic clothes dryer of claim 35 further comprising at least one of the following sensors operably coupled to the controller and providing a corresponding input to the controller:

a treating chamber temperature sensor, an inlet air temperature sensor, an exhaust air temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, an air flow rate sensor, a weight sensor, or a motor torque sensor.

39. The automatic clothes dryer of claim 35 wherein the imaging device captures at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.