Patent Application
20070124953
This invention generally relates to consumer and commercial appliances, and more particularly to consumer and commercial clothes dryers.
Clothes dryers are a leading cause of residential fires in the United States. In 1998 alone, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported 15 thousand dryer fires in the United States, resulting in approximately 300 injuries and over $75 million in direct property damage. The principal initial source of ignition for many of these fires is in the enclosed dryer vent stack. As such, traditional residential smoke alarms may not sound a warning until the fire is in an advanced state because the by-products of the combustion are vented outside the dwelling or structure.
There exists, therefore, a need in the art for a clothes dryer that can sense such a vent fire and provide adequate warning to the residents of the dwelling.
The invention provides such a clothes dryer. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.
In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention provide a new and improved consumer or commercial appliance that overcomes one or more of the problems existing in the art. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a new and improved clothes dryer that can detect the possibility and/or presence of a vent fire.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a Carbon Monoxide (CO) sensor is incorporated into the clothes dryer to monitor CO gas levels in the dryer vent. On electric heat clothes dryers the presence of CO in the dryer vent could be indicative of a dryer fire, possibly caused by a build-up of dust and/or lint. In gas-fired dryers, the presence of elevated CO levels in the dryer vent, beyond that associated with normal operating conditions, could be associated with a potential fire condition.
Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Referring to
In one embodiment the CO sensor is an electrochemical CO sensor 12. This CO sensor 12 is incorporated into the clothes dryer 10 near the exhaust vent that is coupled to the dryer vent 14. The CO sensor 12 continuously monitors the level of CO in the dryer vent 14, even when the dryer 10 is not in a drying mode of operation. When unusual levels of CO are detected that may indicate a problem condition, the sensor 12 can interrupt operation of the dryer 10. Typically, this would occur as a result of the CO sensor 12 sending a signal to the controller which, in turn, controls operation of the dryer 10.
On electric heat clothes dryers the presence of CO in the dryer vent could be indicative of a dryer fire, possibly caused by a build-up of dust and/or lint. In gas-fired dryers, the presence of elevated CO levels in the dryer vent, beyond that associated with normal operating conditions, could be associated with a potential fire condition. Therefore, for gas dryers, a threshold level is set above that which is expected during the drying operation that normally results from the burning of natural gas. In one embodiment, his threshold may be set to a level approximately ten percent about the normal amount expected during normal operation. Other embodiments may set the threshold higher to avoid false alarms that may result from less efficient, but still normal, burning of the gas, e.g. twenty percent, etc.
In one embodiment, the dryer 10 can sound a continuous or discontinuous audible warning to alert the homeowner to a potential problem. The alarm must be manually silenced in one embodiment. Additionally or alternatively, the dryer 10 may also enable a visual alarm indicator 16 (e.g. LED) to help the homeowner understand the nature of the alarm.
If the home is equipped with RF enabled smoke alarms 18, a signal is sent from the dryer 10 causing the alarms 18 to activate. If the home is equipped with a smart or connected home system, such as the Samsung Homevita system, a text message alerting the homeowner to the condition may also be sent over the gateway.
The dryer 10 preferably would incorporate a long-life CO sensor 12, such as a sensor that utilizes the Invensys Monox™ self-test technology, and would preferably be field serviceable. In the event the sensor 12 is not functioning, a visual and/or audible signal would alert the homeowner to replace the sensor. The dryer would continue to function normally in this condition in one embodiment, and would be disabled in an alternate embodiment.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/741,938, filed Dec. 2, 2005, the teachings and disclosure of which are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60741938 | Dec 2005 | US |
