Drying appliance that performs after-care cycle on a load of laundry after completion of a primary drying cycle and method for performing the after-care cycle
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsGianluca Benedetto, Giuseppina Pia Potena, Matthew D. Rhodes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for processing laundry after completion of a drying cycle includes maintaining residual fluid within an airflow path of the appliance, wherein the residual fluid results from a primary drying cycle. A heat pump system is activated and a blower delivers the residual fluid to the drum. A drum temperature is maintained within the drum at a predetermined temperature range during performance of the after-care cycle.
Claims20
A method for processing laundry after completion of a drying cycle, the method comprising steps of:
- maintaining residual fluid within an airflow path of an appliance, wherein the residual fluid results from a primary drying cycle;
- activating a heat pump system and a blower to deliver the residual fluid to a drum;
- maintaining a drum temperature within the drum at a predetermined temperature range during performance of an after-care cycle;
- cooperatively operating the heat pump system and the drum in an active state of the after-care cycle until process air leaving the drum has a drum temperature that is approximately equal to an upper temperature limit of the predetermined temperature range;
- and
- deactivating a compressor of the heat pump system in an idle state of the after-care cycle until the drum temperature of the process air leaving the drum is approximately equal to a lower temperature limit of the predetermined temperature range.
A method for processing laundry after completion of a drying cycle, the method comprising steps of:
- maintaining residual fluid at least within an airflow path that includes a drum for processing laundry;
- activating an after-care cycle that is configured to operate for a predetermined after-care time period;
- maintaining a drum temperature within the drum at a predetermined temperature range during performance of the after-care cycle;
- activating a heat pump system to define an active state of the after-care cycle when the drum temperature reaches a lower limit of the predetermined temperature range, wherein the residual fluid is delivered to the drum;
- deactivating the heat pump system to define an idle state of the after-care cycle when the drum temperature reaches an upper limit of the predetermined temperature range;
- repeating the active and idle states during the after-care cycle;
- and
- deactivating the after-care cycle at an earlier of a manual termination of the after-care cycle and an expiration of the predetermined after-care time period.
A laundry appliance comprising:
- a heat pump system having a compressor and a heat exchanger;
- a drum that is configured to process laundry;
- and
- a blower that delivers process air through an air flow path that includes the drum and the heat exchanger;
- wherein
- the compressor, the drum and the blower are configured to cooperatively operate to perform a drying cycle and an after-care cycle that is activated after completion of the drying cycle;
- the after-care cycle defines an active state wherein the compressor and the drum are configured to cooperatively operate until the process air leaving the drum has a drum temperature that is approximately equal to an upper temperature limit;
- the after-care cycle further defines an idle state wherein the compressor remains deactivated until the drum temperature of the process air leaving the drum is approximately equal to a lower temperature limit;
- and
- the after-care cycle is configured to operate for an after-care time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.