Electronic control of clothes dryer
AssigneeWhite Consolidated Industries, Inc.
InventorsDan F. Joslin, Dan J. Ryherd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control system for a clothes dryer is disclosed. A microprocessor monitors the heated inlet air temperature and the exhaust temperature. If the inlet temperature exceeds a high limit value a given number of times, an air blockage indicator is activated. Degrees of dryness are measured by the number of times the inlet temperature has dropped below a threshold value while the heater is off because the exhaust temperature has exceeded a desired value. An estimated drying time is calculated and displayed to the user based on a linear function of the inlet and exhaust temperatures measured at the beginning of the cycle and again a short time later.
Claims3
A method for measuring dryness of a load in a dryer including a hater, an air inlet receiving air from said heater, a dryer drum which houses the load and receives air from said air inlet, an air inlet temperature being defined as a temperature of said air inlet between said heater and said dryer drum, and an air exhaust exhausting said air from said dryer drum and having a temperature, the method comprising the steps of:
- measuring the exhaust temperature;
- deactivating said heater when the exhaust temperature exceeds a predetermined maximum exhaust temperature;
- providing a measure of dryness by monitoring if the inlet temperature drops below a predetermined inlet temperature while the heater is deactivated;
- activating a dryness indicator in response to said dryness measure, said dryness indicator providing an indication of actual dryness of the load;
- and
- activating said heater when the exhaust temperature drops below a predetermined minimum exhaust temperature independently of whether said dryness indicator has been activated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.