Blockage detection in a dryer appliance
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsZhiquan Yu, Jeffrey Alan Kern
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dryer appliance and a method of operating the same to detect blockages are provided. The dryer appliance includes an exhaust conduit that defines a flow restriction and is in fluid communication with a drying chamber. A differential pressure sensor is operably coupled to the exhaust conduit at the flow restriction and a controller is configured for using a measured pressure differential to obtain an air flow rate and determine whether a blockage is present in the exhaust conduit, e.g., by comparing the measured flow rate to a baseline, zero-blockage flow rate.
Claims20
A dryer appliance comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a drum rotatably mounted within the cabinet, the drum defining a drying chamber for receipt of clothes for drying;
- an exhaust conduit defining an exhaust passage in fluid communication with the drying chamber, the exhaust conduit defining a flow restriction;
- an air handler operably coupled to the exhaust conduit for urging a flow of air through the exhaust passage;
- a differential pressure sensor operably coupled to the exhaust conduit, the differential pressure sensor comprising an upstream conduit fluidly coupled to the exhaust conduit upstream of the flow restriction and a downstream conduit fluidly coupled to the exhaust conduit proximate the flow restriction;
- and
- a controller operably coupled to the differential pressure sensor, the controller being configured for detecting a blockage within the exhaust passage.
A method of operating a dryer appliance, the dryer appliance comprising a drum defining a drying chamber, an exhaust conduit that defines a flow restriction in fluid communication with the drying chamber, and a differential pressure sensor operably coupled to the exhaust conduit at the flow restriction, the method comprising:
- urging a flow of air through the exhaust passage;
- measuring a pressure differential using the differential pressure sensor;
- and
- determining whether a blockage is present in the exhaust passage based on the measured pressure differential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.