Heat pump laundry treatment apparatus and method of operating a heat pump laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10294605-B2
Application number	US-201314443163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2013
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A heat pump laundry dryer or a heat pump washing machine having a drying function, includes a control unit controlling an operation of the laundry treatment apparatus. A laundry treatment chamber treats laundry using process air circulated in a process air circuit. A heat pump system has a refrigerant loop in which refrigerant fluid is circulated through a first and a second heat exchanger. A compressor circulates the refrigerant fluid through the refrigerant loop, and a cooling fan unit cools the compressor. During the operation, a conveyance capacity of the cooling fan unit is varied. A detector unit detects an operation parameter indicating a state of at least one electronic board. A method of operation includes operating the cooling fan unit based upon the electronic board operation parameter, and controlling the compressor operation output based upon the electronic board operation parameter, wherein the compressor is a variable speed compressor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a heat pump laundry treatment apparatus, wherein the laundry treatment apparatus includes:
a control unit controlling an operation of the laundry treatment apparatus,
a laundry treatment chamber for treating laundry using process air,
a process air circuit for circulating the process air,
a heat pump system having a refrigerant loop in which refrigerant fluid is circulated through a first and a second heat exchanger,
a compressor for circulating the refrigerant fluid through the refrigerant loop,
a cooling fan unit for cooling the compressor, wherein during the operation a conveyance capacity of the cooling fan unit is varied, and
a detector unit for detecting an operation parameter indicating a state of at least one electronic board of the apparatus,

the method comprising:
operating the cooling fan unit based upon the electronic board operation parameter, and
controlling a compressor operation output based upon the electronic board operation parameter, wherein:
controlling the operation of the cooling fan unit includes adapting the conveyance capacity of the cooling fan unit based upon the electronic board operation parameter, and
the conveyance capacity of the cooling fan unit is defined by one or more of a duty cycle ratio of switching the cooling fan unit ON and OFF, and a conveyance rate of the cooling fan unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic board operation parameter is indicative of least one of:
an electronic board temperature,
a motor temperature detected via the electronic board, and
a current, delivered by the electronic board to a motor, exceeding one of a threshold value or a threshold averaged value.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detector unit comprises a temperature sensor configured to detect an electronic board temperature as the electronic board operation parameter.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electronic board comprises a first electronic board and a second electronic board, wherein each electronic board comprises a temperature sensor configured to detect a board temperature as the electronic board temperature.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance rate of the cooling fan unit is modified by modifying a motor speed or fan speed of the cooling fan unit.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an increase of the conveyance rate of the cooling fan unit is proportional to the electronic board operation parameter exceeding a threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, during the operation of the laundry treatment apparatus, additionally varying the conveyance capacity of the cooling fan unit based upon at least one of the following input variables:
a previous operation time of the laundry treatment apparatus,
a user selectable input variable,
a working parameter of a laundry drum,
a working parameter of a process air fan,
a working parameter of an electric driving motor,
a working parameter of the heat pump system,
a working parameter of the compressor,
a drying progress status parameter or a status parameter of laundry to be dried,
a power supply status of power supplied to the apparatus,
an environment parameter of an environment of the laundry treatment apparatus environment, and
a machine alarm status parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compressor is a variable speed compressor, the electronic board operation parameter is a temperature detected at the electronic board and the compressor output is decreased in response to an increase of the detected temperature.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the compressor operation output is reduced to no lower than a predefined lower output value.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling fan unit operates based upon the electronic board operation parameter, and the compressor operation output is increased during the operation.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising adding an electrical energy source to increase the compressor operation output, wherein the electrical energy source compensates for heat dissipated from the compressor by the cooling fan unit when operated based upon the electronic board operation parameter.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum conveyance capacity value of the cooling fan unit is reached during operation.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat pump laundry treatment apparatus is a heat pump laundry dryer or a heat pump washing machine having a drying function.

Assignees

• Electrolux Home Products Corp Nv

Inventors

• Cavarretta Francesco
• Ragogna Roberto
• Pasquotti Maura
• Zandona′ Stefano
• Pesavento Elena
• Montebello Christian

Classifications

• D06F2103/36

  Flow or velocity · CPC title

• D06F2103/00

  Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F2103/50

  related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate · CPC title

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F2103/34

  Humidity · CPC title