Apparatus and method for a clothing dryer having a fire protective system
AssigneeAmerican Dryer Corporation
InventorsMichael W. Confoey, Dennis Slutsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clothes dryer having a fire protection system. The clothes dryer chamber has an inlet which receives drying air and an exhaust for removing moisture laden air. The temperature within the drying chamber is monitored, and a determination is made from the dryer electronic controller whether or not a fire exists in the tumbler. The fire detection conditions are based on determining whether a certain temperature rise exists within the tumbler when the drying air ceases. The fire suppression system when activated will inject a fire suppressing substance into the tumbler for suppressing the fire.
Claims16
A clothes dryer having fire protection comprising:
- a drying chamber having an inlet for receiving heated air and an exhaust for removing moisture laden air;
- a tumbler supported for rotation in said drying chamber for receiving clothes to be dried;
- a sensor for monitoring the internal temperature of said drying chamber;
- a fire suppression system for suppressing a fire in said tumbler;
- and
- an electronic controller connected to said sensor and said fire suppression system, said controller having a processor program to:
- (a) determine the internal temperature of said tumbler;
- (b) determining whether the temperature is increasing over time;
- (c) determining, based upon a determined increase in temperature, whether a fire exists in said tumbler;
- and
- (d) activating said fire suppression system when a fire is detected and tumbling said clothes.
The clothes dryer according to claim 10 wherein said tumbler is activated for a predetermined period of time.
A clothes dryer having fire protection comprising:
- a drying chamber having an inlet for receiving heated air and an exhaust for removing moisture laden air;
- a tumbler supported for rotation in said drying chamber for receiving clothes to be dried;
- a first sensor for monitoring the internal temperature of said drying chamber;
- a fire suppression system for suppressing a fire in said tumbler;
- a second sensor for monitoring said exhaust air temperature;
- and
- an electronic controller connected to said sensor and said fire suppression system, said controller having a processor programmed to:
- (a) invoke a fire suppression routine when said exhaust air temperature exceeds a predefined temperature comprising:
- (b) determining the internal temperature of said tumbler;
- (c) determining whether the temperature is increasing over time;
- and
- (d) determining, based upon a determined increase in temperature, whether a fire exists in said tumbler;
- and
- (e) activating said fire suppression system when a fire is detected while tumbling said clothes.
- a fire suppression system for suppressing a fire in said tumbler;
- and
- an electronic controller connected to said first and second sensor and said fire suppression system, said electronic controller detecting from signals produced by said first and second sensors a fire in said tumbler and enabling said fire suppression system in response to said detection.
The clothes dryer according to claim 14 wherein said electronic controller is programmed to:
- successively measure the temperature of said chamber from said first temperature sensor;
- compare each measured temperature from said first sensor;
- determine for each of said measured temperatures whether said temperatures are rising with time;
- and
- activate said fire suppression system when a measured temperature rise exceeds a temperature threshold differential.
The clothes dryer according to claim 15 wherein said clothes dryer electronic controller is further programmed to:
- determine the minimum measured temperature of said chamber among said successive temperature measurements;
- when said successive temperature measurements are rising, determining whether said minimum measured temperature is greater than a first threshold temperature;
- and
- when said minimum successive temperature is greater than said first threshold temperature, and said measured temperature is greater than said threshold temperature, subtracting said minimum measured threshold temperature from said measured temperature to derive said measured temperature rise.
The clothes dryer according to claim 16 wherein said electronic controller is further programmed to:
- subtract said first reference value from said sensors temperature to derive said measured temperature rise when said minimum measured temperature is less than said threshold temperature, and said measured temperature is greater than said threshold temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.