Dryer appliance and sensor assembly thereof

• US 9,951,465 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Herschler, Brad, Gottsov, Alex, Garces, Tomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gravini, Stephen M
• Application Number:
  US15/331,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20180112349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 34528, 34610, 68 19, 68 20
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/10 expressed as capacitance or resistance
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/28 Air properties
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/62 Stopping or disabling machine operation
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/04 Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/06 Ribs, lifters, or rubbing means forming part of the receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity

Abstract

A dryer appliance and sensor assembly are provided. The sensor assembly may include a sensor housing, an appliance sensor, a wireless transmission tag, and a wireless tag reader. The sensor housing may extend within a drum and define a compartment proximate a space for the receipt of clothes. The appliance sensor may be positioned on the sensor housing. The wireless transmission tag may be positioned within the compartment. The wireless transmission tag may be in communication with the appliance sensor. The wireless tag reader may be in operable communication with the wireless transmission tag.

Claims

1. A sensor assembly to a dryer appliance, the sensor assembly comprising:

a baffle comprising a baffle body defining a lifting face and a non-lifting face, a compartment being defined within the baffle body between the lifting face and the non-lifting face;

an appliance sensor positioned on the baffle body;

a wireless transmission tag positioned within the compartment, the wireless transmission tag in communication with the appliance sensor; and

a wireless tag reader in operable communication with the wireless transmission tag.

2. The sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of additional baffles; and

a plurality of additional sensors, each additional sensor of the plurality of additional sensors disposed on a respective one of the plurality of additional baffles.

3. The sensor assembly of claim 2, further comprising an electrical harness electrically coupled to the wireless transmission tag and each of the plurality of additional sensors.

4. The sensor assembly of claim 2, further comprising multiple additional wireless transmission tags, wherein each additional wireless transmission tag is positioned within a discrete additional baffle, wherein each additional sensor is electrically coupled to a discrete wireless transmission tag, and wherein the wireless tag reader is in operable communication with each additional wireless transmission tag.

5. The sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a sealed container enclosing the wireless transmission tag within the compartment.

6. The sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission tag comprises a tag controller configured to convert an electrical signal received from the appliance sensor into digital condition data transmitted to the wireless tag reader.

7. The sensor assembly of claim 6, wherein the wireless transmission tag further comprises a power supply electrically coupled to the tag controller.

8. The sensor assembly of claim 6, wherein the appliance sensor includes a pair of conductive rods to detect moisture within a drum of the dryer appliance.

9. The sensor assembly of claim 6, wherein the wireless tag reader is in operable communication with an auxiliary control device, and wherein the wireless tag reader is configured to transmit the digital condition data to the auxiliary control device.

10. A dryer appliance comprising:

a cabinet;

a drum rotatably mounted within the cabinet, the drum defining a space for the receipt of clothes for drying;

a sensor housing extending within the drum, the sensor housing defining a compartment within the space for the receipt of clothes;

an appliance sensor positioned on the sensor housing;

a wireless transmission tag positioned within the compartment in communication with the appliance sensor; and

a wireless tag reader in operable communication with the wireless transmission tag.

11. The dryer appliance of claim 10, wherein the sensor housing is a baffle mounted to the drum, the baffle including a baffle body defining a lifting face and a non-lifting face, the compartment being defined within the baffle body between the lifting face and the non-lifting face.

12. The dryer appliance of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of additional baffles extending within the drum; and

a plurality of additional sensors, each additional sensor of the plurality of additional sensors disposed on a respective one of the plurality of additional baffles.

13. The dryer appliance of claim 12, further comprising an electrical harness electrically coupled to the wireless transmission tag and each of the plurality of additional sensors.

14. The dryer appliance of claim 12, further comprising multiple additional wireless transmission tags, wherein each additional wireless transmission tag is positioned within a discrete additional baffle, wherein each additional sensor is electrically coupled to a discrete wireless transmission tag, and wherein the wireless tag reader is in operable communication with each additional wireless transmission tag.

15. The dryer appliance of claim 12, further comprising a sealed container enclosing the wireless transmission tag within the compartment.

16. The dryer appliance of claim 10, wherein the wireless transmission tag comprises a tag controller configured to convert an electrical signal received from the appliance sensor into digital condition data transmitted to the wireless tag reader.

17. The dryer appliance of claim 16, wherein the wireless transmission tag further comprises a power supply electrically coupled to the tag controller.

18. The dryer appliance of claim 16, wherein the appliance sensor includes a pair of conductive rods to detect moisture within the drum.

19. The dryer appliance of claim 10, further comprising a main controller in operable communication with the wireless tag reader to receive condition data from the wireless transmission tag, wherein the main controller is configured to control operation of the dryer appliance based on the condition data received from the wireless transmission tag.

20. The dryer appliance of claim 16, wherein the wireless tag reader is in operable communication with an auxiliary control device, and wherein the wireless tag reader is configured to transmit the digital condition data to the auxiliary control device.