Laundry appliance utilizing a permanent split capacitor motor having a sensor for providing temperature control within the appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11773530-B2
Application number	US-202117314311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2021
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

A laundry appliance includes a blower that selectively delivers process air through an airflow path. A rotating drum defines a portion of the airflow path. The rotating drum is attached to a drive shaft that rotates the rotating drum about a rotational axis. The blower and the drive shaft are operated by a common motor. A heater selectively delivers heat to the airflow path. The heater defines an energizing state when a motor current delivered to the common motor is within a predetermined motor current range that is indicative of the common motor operating. The heater defines an idle state when the motor current is outside of the predetermined motor current range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An appliance comprising:
a drive shaft having a first end coupled to a blower that operates relative to an airflow path, the drive shaft including a second end coupled to a rotating drum that operates relative to the airflow path;
a permanent split capacitor motor that selectively activates to operate the drive shaft about a rotational axis for driving the blower and the rotating drum; and
a heater in communication with the airflow path that selectively delivers heat to the airflow path, wherein the heater defines an energizing state when the permanent split capacitor motor includes a motor current having a motor current level that is above a lower threshold current and below an upper threshold current, wherein the heater defines an idle state when the permanent split capacitor motor includes a motor current level that is outside of a current range defined between the lower threshold current and the upper threshold current, and wherein the motor current level outside of the current range is indicative of the permanent split capacitor motor, the rotating drum and the blower defining one of a stalled condition and an inactive condition.

2. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the drive shaft is coupled with the blower that operates to selectively deliver process air through the airflow path.

3. The appliance of claim 2 , wherein the second end of the drive shaft is coupled with the rotating drum, wherein the rotating drum defines a portion of the airflow path.

4. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the heater in the energizing state receives an activation signal for delivering heat to the airflow path.

5. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the heater in the idle state is deactivated.

6. The appliance of claim 3 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor is configured to contemporaneously operate the blower and the rotating drum.

7. The appliance of claim 3 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor is configured to operate the rotating drum in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction about the rotational axis of the drive shaft.

8. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor is coupled with a current sensor that detects a presence of the motor current and the motor current level.

9. The appliance of claim 8 , wherein the current sensor determines whether the motor current level is between the lower threshold current and the upper threshold current.

10. The appliance of claim 8 , wherein the heater includes a heater enable actuator that is coupled with the current sensor and a heater actuator that is coupled with a temperature sensor, wherein the heater is activated when each of the heater enable actuator and the heater actuator are closed.

11. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor includes a capacitor that is attached to a housing of the permanent split capacitor motor.

12. The appliance of claim 3 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor is configured to be installed to operate the blower and the drive shaft as an aftermarket component.

13. An appliance comprising:
a blower that selectively delivers process air through an airflow path;
a rotating drum that defines a portion of the airflow path, wherein rotation of the blower and the rotating drum are operated by a permanent split capacitor motor; and
a heater that selectively delivers heat to the airflow path, wherein the heater defines an energizing state when a motor current delivered to the permanent split capacitor motor is within a predetermined motor current range that is indicative of the permanent split capacitor motor operating, wherein the heater defines an idle state when the motor current is outside of the predetermined motor current range, wherein the motor current outside of the predetermined motor current range is indicative of the permanent split capacitor motor, the rotating drum and the blower defining one of a stalled condition and an inactive condition.

14. The appliance of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined motor current range includes a motor current that is above a first threshold current and below a second threshold current.

15. The appliance of claim 13 , wherein the permanent split capacitor motor includes a primary winding, an auxiliary winding and a capacitor that is coupled with the auxiliary winding.

16. The appliance of claim 13 , wherein the heater in the energizing state is configured to receive an activation signal that activates the heater to deliver heat to the airflow path.

17. The appliance of claim 13 , further comprising:
a current sensor that detects a presence of the motor current and detects a level of the motor current in relation to the predetermined motor current range.

18. The appliance of claim 15 , wherein the capacitor is attached to a housing of the permanent split capacitor motor.

19. A method for operating a heater for an appliance including steps of:
detecting a level of a motor current delivered to a permanent split capacitor motor that drives a drive shaft that is coupled with a blower and a rotating drum;
energizing the heater to define an energizing state when the level of the motor current is above a lower threshold current and below an upper threshold current, the lower threshold current being indicative of the permanent split capacitor motor operating and the upper threshold current being indicative of a stalled condition of the permanent split capacitor motor;
activating the heater when in the energizing state and when an activation signal is delivered to the heater; and
deactivating the heater when the level of the motor current is one of below the lower threshold current indicative of the permanent split capacitor motor being inactive and above the upper threshold current indicative of the permanent split capacitor being active and the rotating drum defining the stalled condition.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Galloway Beau D
• Lopez Eduardo Abraham
• Savage Jason R
• Landrey Jeffrey F

Classifications

• D06F58/30 Primary

  Drying processes  (controlling a series of operations in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) · CPC title

• H02K11/27

  Devices for sensing current, or actuated thereby (overcurrent protection responsive to temperature of the machines or parts thereof, e.g. windings, H02K11/25) · CPC title

• H02K17/08 Primary

  Motors with auxiliary phase obtained by externally fed auxiliary windings, e.g. capacitor motors · CPC title

• H02P25/04

  Single phase motors, e.g. capacitor motors · CPC title

• D06F2103/00

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