Method for drying laundry in a laundry treating appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016273151-A1
Application number	US-201514663791-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of drying laundry in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber in which the laundry is received for drying comprises moving the treating chamber to redistribute the laundry, supplying air to the treating chamber to define a supply air flow, exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber to define an exhaust air flow, heating the air supplied to the treating chamber by actuating a heater at full output to define a first heating phase and then cycling the heater ON/OFF to define a second heating phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of drying laundry in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber in which the laundry is received for drying, the method comprising:
moving the treating chamber to redistribute the laundry; supplying air to the treating chamber to define a supply air flow; exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber to define an exhaust air flow; and heating the air supplied to the treating chamber by actuating a heater at full output until a maximum evaporation rate is met to define a first phase, and then cycling the heater ON/OFF to maintain the maximum evaporation rate to define a second phase.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein actuating the heater at full output until a maximum evaporation rate is met comprises actuating the heater at full output until a maximum evaporation threshold value is satisfied.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the maximum evaporation threshold value is satisfied when a temperature of the exhaust air flow levels off.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the temperature of the exhaust air flow levels off when a time rate of change of the exhaust air flow drops below a predetermined rate.

5 . The method of claim 2 wherein the maximum evaporation threshold value is satisfied upon the passing of a predetermined time experimentally determined to provide the maximum evaporation rate for a given load of the laundry and the full output of the heater.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the cycling the heater ON/OFF comprises cycling the heater OFF when the temperature of the exhaust air flow reaches a predetermined temperature.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the cycling the heater ON/OFF comprises cycling the heater ON after the passing of a predetermined time from the heater being cycled OFF.

8 . The method of claim 1 further comprising cycling the heater OFF between the first and second phases.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the heater is cycled OFF between the first and second phases for a predetermined time.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the actuating a heater at full output comprises actuating a heater having multiple output levels at one of the output levels.

11 . A method of drying laundry in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber in which the laundry is received for drying, the method comprising:
moving the treating chamber to redistribute the laundry; supply air to the treating chamber to define a supply air flow; exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber to define an exhaust air flow; receiving an input indicative of at least one characteristic of the laundry in the treating chamber; and heating the air supplied to the treating chamber by actuating a heater at full output for a predetermined time, which is experimentally determined to provide a maximum evaporation rate for laundry having the at least one characteristic to define a first phase, and then cycling the heater ON/OFF to maintain the maximum evaporation rate to define a second phase.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least one of size or type.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one characteristic comprise both of size and type.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the cycling the heater OFF during the second phase comprises cycling the heater OFF when a temperature of the exhaust air flow reaches a predetermined temperature set according to the at least one characteristic.

15 . The method of claim 14 wherein the cycling the heater ON during the second phase comprises cycling the heater ON after the passing of a predetermined time, set according to the at least one characteristic, from the cycling the heater OFF.

16 . The method of claim 11 further comprising cycling the heater OFF between the first and second phases.

17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the heater is cycled OFF between the first and second phases for a predetermined time, which is set according to the at least one characteristic.

18 . A laundry treating appliance for drying laundry according to a cycle of operation, comprising:
a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber; a supply air conduit fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; an exhaust air conduit fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; a fan fluidly coupled to the supply air conduit, treating chamber, and exhaust air conduit to pass air from the supply air, into the treating chamber, where it is exhausted through the exhaust air conduit; a heater thermally coupled to the supply air conduit to heat the air in the supply air conduit; and a controller operably coupled to the heater and the fan and programmed to supply air to the treating chamber and heat the supplied air by actuating the heater at full output until a maximum evaporation rate is met to define a first phase, and then cycling the heater ON/OFF to maintain the maximum evaporation rate to define a second phase.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein actuating the heater at full output until a maximum evaporation rate is met comprises actuating the heater at fully output until a maximum evaporation threshold value is satisfied.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the maximum evaporation threshold value is satisfied when a) a time rate of change of the exhaust air flow drops below a predetermined rate, or b) the passing of a predetermined time experimentally determined to provide the maximum evaporation rate for a given load of the laundry and the full output of the heater.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Carow James P
• Mukhtar Moeed
• Tamanna Sanjida

Classifications

• D06F2103/08

  Humidity · CPC title

• D06F2105/28

  Electric heating · CPC title

• D06F58/02 Primary

  having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F34/26 Primary

  Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature · CPC title

• D06F58/48

  Control of the energy consumption · CPC title