Patent Application
20230323589
The present subject matter relates generally to dryer appliances, or more specifically, to systems for quickly sanitizing laundry in a dryer appliance using sanitizing fluids.
With the onset of COVID-19, consumer awareness of and demand for the ability to sanitize clothing has dramatically risen in recent years. Various sanitization treatments have become available, requiring manual application of the sanitizing treatment to saturate each individual article of clothing prior to or subsequent to washing or drying the clothing. This process is labor intensive, requiring a substantial amount of time, large quantities of the sanitizing agent, and necessarily resulting in inhalation and residue from the sprayed sanitizing agent.
Conventional dryer appliances generally include a cabinet having a rotating drum with a chamber therein to permit drying of articles of clothing and other laundry. Some conventional dryer appliances also include sanitization cycles that do not employ any sanitizing agent. Rather, such conventional dryer appliances employ heat or a combination of heat and steam to sanitize clothing loads. In either case, heat is the primary agent for sanitizing the clothing. To be effective, the dryer appliance must heat the dryer chamber to about 160 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain that temperature for extended period of time (about 90 minutes generally). While this provides adequate sanitization, the energy and time consumed by the process is undesirable. Furthermore, some items that one may wish to launder cannot be exposed to the heat or steam required for the sanitization process. For other items, such as shoes for example, it may be undesirable to introduce them into the tumbling typically used in such sanitization cycles.
Accordingly, a dryer appliance capable of more quickly sanitizing laundry, and thus saving time and limiting energy consumption of the dryer appliance, is desirable. Further, a laundry appliance that can operate with or without heat or tumbling of the drum is desirable. In particular, a laundry appliance for automatically and efficiently applying sanitizing fluids during a drying cycle is needed. It is further desirable that such an appliance would prevent spraying of said sanitizing fluid in open spaces where it could be inhaled by users or otherwise create residue.
Advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary embodiment, a dryer appliance is provided, including a cabinet having a front side, a rotatable drum within the cabinet defining a chamber for the receipt of articles for drying, a drawer on the front side of the cabinet, a pump, and a fluid distribution element for dispensing treatment materials into the chamber. The drawer may be slideable between a closed position and an open position and may include a compartment for holding treatment materials. The pump may be in fluid communication with the compartment of the drawer. The fluid distribution element may be in fluid communication with the pump.
In another exemplary embodiment, a dryer appliance is provided. The appliance includes a cabinet having a front side, a rotatable drum within the cabinet defining a chamber for the receipt of articles for drying, a fan for circulating air through the chamber; a drawer on the front side of the cabinet, one or more pumps, a fluid distribution element for dispensing treatment materials into the chamber, a first valve, a second valve, and a controller. The drawer may be slideable between a closed position and an open position and may include a first compartment and a second compartment for holding treatment materials. The one or more pumps may be in fluid communication with the first compartment and the second compartment of the drawer. The fluid distribution element may be in fluid communication with the one or more pumps. The first valve may be interposed between the first compartment and one of the one or more pumps for controlling the flow of treatment materials. The second valve may be interposed between the second compartment and one of the one or more pumps for controlling the flow of treatment materials. The controller may be in communication with the fan, the one or more pumps, the first valve, and the second valve. The controller may be configured, during a dryer cycle, to deactivate the fan, activate the pump, open the first valve after deactivating the fan, close the first valve, and open the second valve after closing the first valve.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Dryer appliance 10 defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T. The vertical direction V, lateral direction L, and transverse direction T are mutually perpendicular and form an orthogonal direction system. Cabinet 12 includes a front panel 14 and a rear panel 16 spaced apart along the transverse direction T, a first side panel 18 and a second side panel 20 spaced apart along the lateral direction L, and a bottom panel 22 and a top surface or cover 24 spaced apart along the vertical direction V. Within cabinet 12 is a container or drum 26 which defines a chamber 28. Chamber 28 defines a front opening 29 for receipt of articles, e.g., clothing, linen, etc., for drying. Drum 26 extends between a front portion and a back portion, e.g., along the transverse direction T. In example embodiments, drum 26 is rotatable, e.g., about an axis that is parallel to the transverse direction T, within cabinet 12. Rotation of drum 26 is driven by drum motor 27. A door 30 is rotatably mounted to cabinet 12 for providing selective access to drum 26. Door 30 rotates between an open position and a closed position. When in the closed position, door 30 covers front opening 29.
As best shown in
Drum 26 may be configured to receive heated air that has been heated by a heating assembly 38 (
Within chamber 28, the heated air can remove moisture, e.g., from damp articles disposed within chamber 28. This internal air flows in turn from chamber 28 through an outlet assembly positioned within cabinet 12. The outlet assembly generally defines an air exhaust passage 36 and includes a trap duct 60, fan 32, and an exhaust conduit (not pictured) in fluid communication with trap duct 60 via fan 32. During a drying cycle, internal air flows from chamber 28 through trap duct 60 to fan 32, e.g., as an outlet flow portion of airflow. Air further flows through fan 32 and to the exhaust conduit.
The internal air is exhausted from dryer appliance 10 via the exhaust conduit. In some embodiments, an external duct is provided in fluid communication with the exhaust conduit. For instance, the external duct may be attached (e.g., directly or indirectly attached) to cabinet 12 at rear panel 16. Any suitable connector (e.g., collar, clamp, etc.) may join the external duct to the exhaust conduit. In residential environments, the external duct may be in fluid communication with an outdoor environment (e.g., outside of a home or building in which dryer appliance 10 is installed). During a dry cycle, internal air may thus flow from the exhaust conduit and through the external duct before being exhausted to the outdoor environment.
In exemplary embodiments, trap duct 60 may include a filter portion which includes a screen filter or other suitable device for removing lint and other particulates as internal air is drawn out of chamber 28. The internal air is drawn through the filter portion by fan 32 before being passed through the exhaust conduit. After the articles have been dried (or a drying cycle is otherwise completed), the articles are removed from drum 26, e.g., by accessing chamber 28 by opening door 30. The filter portion may further be removable such that a user may collect and dispose of collected lint between drying cycles.
One or more selector inputs 80, such as knobs, buttons, touchscreen interfaces, etc., may be provided on a front control panel 82 (or on a rear control panel on a top-loading dryer, in alternative embodiments) and may be in communication with a processing device or controller 84. Signals generated in controller 84 operate motor 27 and other system components in response to the position of selector inputs 80. Additionally, a display 86, such as an indicator light or a screen, may be provided on front control panel 82. Display 86 may be in communication with controller 84 and may display information in response to signals from controller 84.
As used herein, “processing device” or “controller” may refer to one or more microprocessors or semiconductor devices and is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The processing device can be programmed to operate dryer appliance 10. The processing device may include, or be associated with, one or more memory elements (e.g., non-transitory storage media). In some such embodiments, the memory elements include electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM). Generally, the memory elements can store information accessible processing device, including instructions that can be executed by processing device. Optionally, the instructions can be software or any set of instructions and/or data that when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations. For certain embodiments, the instructions include a software package configured to operate appliance 10 and execute certain cycles or operating modes.
In some embodiments, dryer appliance 10 also includes one or more sensors that may be used to facilitate improved operation of dryer appliance. For example, dryer appliance 10 may include one or more temperature sensors which are generally operable to measure internal temperatures in dryer appliance 10 and/or one or more airflow sensors which are generally operable to detect the velocity of air (e.g., as an air flow rate in meters per second, or as a volumetric velocity in cubic meters per second) as it flows through the appliance 10. In some embodiments, controller 84 is configured to vary operation profiles of dryer appliance 10 based on one or more temperatures detected by the temperature sensors or air flow measurements from the airflow sensors.
Referring now specifically to
Drawer 100 may reside in a housing 103. Housing 103 may be fixed within cabinet 12 and include rails (not pictured) along which drawer 100 may slide. Housing 103 may further include an open side aligned with front panel 14, thereby allowing drawer 100 to slide through the open side of housing 103 and move between a closed position, wherein drawer 100 is contained within cabinet 12, and an open position, wherein drawer 100 extends from front panel 14 of cabinet 12. When in the open position, the one or more compartments 101 of drawer 100 become accessible from the exterior of dryer appliance 10. Movable covers or doors may, in some embodiments, enclose compartments 101 and, by opening the covers or doors, enable compartments 101 to be filled with the appropriate treatment materials.
Each compartment 101 may have a separate inlet conduit attached for the transportation of the treatment materials therein. For example, in the embodiment of
In embodiments employing valves, the number of valves will typically be equal to the number of compartments 101 in drawer 100, but this is not necessarily required. Indeed, some embodiments of the present disclosure may contain no valves whatsoever, but rather rely on the action of pump 106. Although the present disclosure describes embodiments involving a diaphragm pump, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a wide variety of pumps could be used consistent with the disclosure herein, including but not limited to gear pumps, air pumps, peristaltic pumps, Venturi vacuums, and the like.
In the embodiments of
In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to dilute the treatment materials using water. In still other embodiments, pump 106 may be employed to circulate water alone. In the embodiment of
Still referring to the embodiments of
Although the embodiments of
Although dryer appliance 10 is described herein in the context of a front-loading dryer, this description is provided solely for illustrative purposes. According to the present disclosure, the described sanitization may be incorporated into a variety of dryer appliances. For instance, the present disclosure may be installed within a front-load dryer appliance, a top-load dryer appliance, or a combination washing machine and dryer. Advantageously, the features of the described sanitization system may significantly speed up the sanitization process (e.g., sanitization within 15 minutes as opposed to 90 minutes) with more efficient energy consumption than existing dryer sanitization cycles. However, additional uses will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art, such as the application of scents to laundered items, as discussed herein.
With the structure of various embodiments of dryer appliance 10 described above, embodiments describing the operation of dryer appliance 10 will now be addressed. Operation of laundry appliance 10 begins with the user selecting a cycle setting using selector input 80 of control panel 82. Dryer appliance 10 may include one or more cycle settings that seek to sanitize the articles of laundry. For example, dryer appliance 10 may include a cycle setting dedicated to performing sanitization. Additionally, or alternatively, dryer appliance 10 may include one or more cycle settings for which sanitization is only a portion of the intended functionality (e.g., a drying cycle followed by sanitization cycle). In still other embodiments, dryer appliance 10 may include one or more cycle settings that prompt the user whether a sanitization cycle is wanted at the end of another cycle.
Following selection of a cycle setting that includes sanitization, controller 84 initiates operation of the selected cycle. Controller 84, as previously discussed, controls operation and sequencing of the functionality of dryer appliance 10. Controller 84, for example, may be in communication with motor 27 for rotating drum 26, fan 32 for cycling air through chamber 28, heater 39 for heating such air, pump 106 for motivating treatment materials from drawer 100 to fluid distribution element 108, and water valve 118. Controller 84 may further be in communication with valves for controlling the flow of treatment materials from compartments 101 to pump 106, such as first valve 110 and second valve 112 in the embodiment of
Upon selection of a sanitization cycle (or reaching the sanitization portion of a cycle if combined with other functionality), controller 84 is configured to control these elements of dryer appliance 10, fundamentally, to introduce the contents of compartments 101 of drawer 100 into chamber 28. The elements activated, and the sequencing of such activations, depends on a number of factors, such as the cycle setting and/or a fan setting.
For example, in some embodiments, the cycle setting selected by the user may call for sanitization of articles of laundry after a drying cycle. As the drying cycle draws to a close, fan 32 may be running to circulate heated air through chamber 28. Fan 32 may have at least two fan settings: on or off. In other embodiments, additional fan settings are possible, such as operation of fan 32 at different speeds. Upon transitioning to a sanitization cycle, it may be preferable to switch the fan setting of fan 32 to off to encourage that a maximum of amount of treatment fluids to be introduced remain within chamber 28 during the application process. In this embodiment, at the initiation of the sanitization cycle, controller 84 would deactivate fan 32. Only after deactivating fan 32 would controller 84 open one or more valves controlling the flow of treatment materials from compartments 101. Controller 84 may also open water valve 118 and activate pump 106 enabling the flow of water and treatment materials from compartments 101 through pump 106 and into chamber 28 through fluid distribution element 108.
Considering an alternative embodiment, such as the embodiment of
The controller 84 would then open first valve 110 and water valve 118, as well as activate pump 106, causing the sanitizing agent in first compartment 102 to be discharged into chamber 28 by fluid distribution element 108. In this way, it will be apparent that opening of first valve 110 is based on both the fan setting (e.g., whether fan 32 is on or off) and the cycle setting (e.g., whether the cycle calls for operation of fan 32, heater 39, and/or tumbling of drum 26, as further discussed herein).
After closing first valve 110, indicating an end to the sanitization phase, controller 84 would then open second valve 112, causing the scenting agent in second compartment 104 to be discharged into chamber 28 by fluid distribution element 108. In alternative embodiments, the sanitizing agent may not be concentrated and opening of water valve 118, or even the presence of water valve 118, may be unnecessary in conjunction with opening of first valve 110. The opening of water valve 118 could also be omitted in certain embodiments involving the opening of second valve 112.
In still other embodiments, other cycle settings may call for activation or deactivation of additional elements of dryer appliance 10 in various sequences. For example, a cycle setting may exist for sanitization of dryer appliance 10 itself, rather than articles of laundry therein. With this cycle setting, it would be preferable to use an “on” fan setting of fan 32, causing treatment materials introduced into chamber 28 to circulate out of chamber 28 and through the exhaust portions of dryer appliance 10. In such embodiments, controller 84 would activate fan 32 prior to opening first valve 110.
In further embodiments, a cycle setting may exist to sanitize articles of laundry at high or low temperatures, for example, due to the types of articles of laundry being sanitized and their susceptibility to damage as a result of heat. In such embodiments, controller 84 would activate or deactivate, respectively, heater 39 prior to opening of first valve 110 may be necessary. In still other embodiments, a cycle setting may call for sanitization in combination with prevention of tumbling of the articles of laundry in drum 26. Such an embodiment may be useful with delicate and/or hard articles of laundry, such as shoes. In such embodiments, controller 84 would deactivate motor 27 prior to opening first valve 110, thereby ensuring that drum 26 did not rotate during the treatment process. One of ordinary skill will recognize that the above exemplary embodiments could be used in combination or independently to arrive at different embodiments, all of which are within the intended scope of the present disclosure.
The above disclosure addresses operations performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will understand that the operations discussed herein can be adapted, rearranged, expanded, omitted, or modified in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, although aspects of the operation of dryer appliance 10 are explained using the embodiment of
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
