Dryer monitoring

• US 9,206,543 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morin, Victor N., Boehne, Beth V., Panama, Julio R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laux, David J
• Application Number:
  US13/273,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 344/91, 344/97, 345/72, 345/50, 345/24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/12 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity

Abstract

A dryer monitoring system receives dryer information from one or more sensors concerning operation of one or more dryers, such as clothes dryers. For example, the dryer monitoring system may receive temperature and/or humidity information from one or more dryers. The dryer monitor analyzes the dryer data to determine whether textiles in the dryer are dry. The dryer monitor may analyze one or more states and/or one or more indicators (patterns in the dryer data) during the dryness determination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving temperature information associated with a dryer cycle of a clothes dryer;

receiving humidity information associated with the dryer cycle;

determining, by a computing device, whether one or more of a plurality of states indicative of dryer conditions associated with dryness of textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information;

calculating, by the computing device, a global state score based on a number of states that are satisfied;

determining, by the computing device, whether one or more of a plurality of indicators indicative of patterns in the dryer conditions over time associated with dryness of the textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information;

calculating, by the computing device, a global indicator score equal to a number of indicators that are satisfied;

determining, by the computing device, that the textiles are dry if the global state score is greater than or equal to a first predetermined global state score and the global indicator score is greater than or equal a first predetermined global indicator score; and

in response to determining that the textiles are dry, at least one of;

generating a dryness indicator on a user interface of the clothes dryer and turning off the clothes dryer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the textiles are dry further includes determining that the textiles are dry when each of the plurality of states is satisfied.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the textiles are dry further includes determining that the textiles are dry when each of the plurality of indicators is satisfied.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the textiles are dry further includes determining that the textiles are dry when each of the plurality of states is satisfied and each of the plurality of indicators is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of states includes at least one of a minimum amount of time elapsed in the dryer cycle, a minimum temperature, a maximum relative humidity, a maximum absolute humidity, a maximum reference angle, an absolute humidity versus temperature centroid distance, a temperature phase space centroid distance, and an absolute humidity phase space centroid distance.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of indicators includes at least one of a determination of temperature steady, a determination of absolute humidity decreasing from a maximum absolute humidity experienced during the dryer cycle, a determination of absolutely humidity decreasing from recent absolute humidity values, a determination of relative humidity decreasing from a maximum relative humidity value, and a determination of reference angle decreasing.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the computing device, a plurality of individual state weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of states.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining a plurality of individual state weights further comprises:

determining a number of minutes that the global state score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global state score; and

for each of the plurality of states that are satisfied, determining the associated individual state weight based on the number of minutes that the global state score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global state score.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the computing device, a plurality of individual indicator weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of indicators.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein determining a plurality of individual indicator weights further comprises:

determining a number of minutes that the global indicator score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global indicator score; and

for each of the plurality of indicators that are satisfied, determining the associated individual state weight based on the number of minutes that the global indicator score is greater than or equal to the second predetermined global indicator score.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a plurality of individual state weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of states;

determining, by the computing device, a plurality of individual indicator weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of indicators;

calculating, by the computing device, a global state weight based on the sum of the individual state weights;

calculating, by the computing device, a global indicator weight based on the sum of the individual indicator weights; and

determining, by the computing device, that the textiles are dry if the global state score is equal to a first predetermined global state score, the global indicator score is equal a first predetermined global indicator score, the global state weight is greater than a first predetermined global state weight, and the global indicator weight is greater than a first predetermined global indicator weight.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein calculating the global state weight comprises calculating the global state weight based on the equation:

global state weight=√

(sum of the plurality of individual state weights).

13. The method of claim 11 wherein calculating the global indicator weight comprises calculating the global indicator weight based on the equation:

global indicator weight=√

(sum of the plurality of individual indicator weights).

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the computing device, whether the dryer cycle exhibits fast riser characteristics based on a number of cycle minutes at which the global state score satisfies a fast riser global state score threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising setting a fast riser status when the number of cycle minutes at which the global state score satisfies the fast riser global state score threshold is less than a predetermined fast riser minimum number of cycle minutes.

16. A dryer monitor comprising:

a temperature sensor that senses temperature information associated with a dryer cycle of a clothes dryer;

a humidity sensor that senses humidity information associated with the dryer cycle; and

a controller that determines whether one or more of a plurality of states indicative of dryer conditions associated with dryness of textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information, calculates a global state score based on a number of states that are satisfied, determines whether one or more of a plurality of indicators indicative of patterns in the dryer conditions over time associated with dryness of the textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information, calculates a global indicator score equal to a number of indicators that are satisfied, determines that the textiles are dry if the global state score is equal to a first predetermined global state score and the global indicator score is equal to a first predetermined global indicator score, and, in response to determining that the textiles are dry, at least one of;

generating a dryness indicator on a user interface of the clothes dryer and turning off the clothes dryer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein signaling that the textiles are dry further includes at least one of signaling that the textiles are dry when each of the plurality of states is satisfied and signaling that the textiles are dry when each of the plurality of indicators is satisfied.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of states includes at least one of a minimum amount of time elapsed in the dryer cycle, a minimum temperature, a maximum relative humidity, a maximum absolute humidity, a maximum reference angle, an absolute humidity versus temperature centroid distance, a temperature phase space centroid distance, and an absolute humidity phase space centroid distance.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of indicators includes at least one of a determination of temperature steady, a determination of absolute humidity decreasing from a maximum absolute humidity experienced during the dryer cycle, a determination of absolutely humidity decreasing from recent absolute humidity values, a determination of relative humidity decreasing from a maximum relative humidity value, and a determination of reference angle decreasing.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining a plurality of individual state weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of states, wherein determining a plurality of individual state weights further comprises:

determining a number of minutes that the global state score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global state score; and

for each of the plurality of states that are satisfied, determining the associated individual state weight based on the number of minutes that the global state score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global state score.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining a plurality of individual indicator weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of indicators, wherein determining a plurality of individual indicator weights further comprises:

determining a number of minutes that the global indicator score is greater than or equal to a second predetermined global indicator score; and

for each of the plurality of indicators that are satisfied, determining the associated individual state weight based on the number of minutes that the global indicator score is greater than or equal to the second predetermined global indicator score.

22. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining a plurality of individual state weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of states;

determining a plurality of individual indicator weights, each associated with a different one of the plurality of indicators;

calculating a global state weight based on the sum of the individual state weights;

calculating a global indicator weight based on the sum of the individual indicator weights; and

signaling that the textiles are dry if the global state score is equal to a first predetermined global state score, the global indicator score is equal a first predetermined global indicator score, the global state weight is greater than a first predetermined global state weight, and the global indicator weight is greater than a first predetermined global indicator weight.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions that cause one or more processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receive temperature information associated with a dryer cycle of a clothes dryer;

receive humidity information associated with the dryer cycle;

determine whether one or more of a plurality of states indicative of dryer conditions associated with dryness of textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information;

calculate a global state score based on a number of states that are satisfied;

determine whether one or more of a plurality of indicators indicative of patterns in the dryer conditions over time associated with dryness of the textiles in the dryer are satisfied based on the temperature information and the humidity information;

calculate a global indicator score equal to a number of indicators that are satisfied;

determine that the textiles are dry if the global state score is equal to a first predetermined global state score and the global indicator score is equal a first predetermined global indicator score; and

and, in response to determining that the textiles are dry, at least one of;

generating a dryness indicator on a user interface of the clothes dryer and turning off the clothes dryer.