Method for energy efficient control of a dryer of clothes
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsTimothy E. Heater, Shawn Richard Oltz, Gregory J. Markert, Mark F. Kendall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling the heat input of a dryer where the initial heat input to a clothes load is set at full power until a first predetermined temperature or time condition occurs. The heat input of the dryer is then reduced to in order to reduce power consumption while effectively removing moisture from the clothes load. When the moisture content of the clothes load falls below a predetermined amount, full heat input is once again applied to remove remaining moisture in the clothes load.
Claims12
A method for controlling heat input to a dryer comprising the steps of:
- setting the heat input to a first prescribed level at a start of a drying cycle;
- monitoring dryer temperature and dryer load moisture level;
- setting the heat input to a second prescribed level lower than the first prescribed level when the dryer temperature reaches a substantially non-varying temperature level;
- increasing the heat input to a third prescribed level when the dryer load moisture level falls below a predetermined dryer load moisture level;
- and
- terminating heat input to the dryer according to at least one a plurality of predetermined termination conditions.
A method for controlling heating in a clothes dryer comprising the steps of:
- selecting a drying level of the dryer according to at least one of a plurality of prescribed drying criteria at a start of a drying cycle;
- setting a dryer heating power level to a first prescribed power level during the start of the drying cycle;
- determining, according to the selected at least one of the plurality of prescribed drying criteria, when at least one of a temperature of the dryer reaches a substantially non-varying temperature level, an elapsed time from the start of the drying cycle exceeds a first predetermined time amount and the temperature of the dryer reaches a first predetermined temperature level;
- storing a current temperature of the dryer when at least one of the temperature of the dryer reaches the substantially non-varying temperature level, the elapsed time from the start of the drying cycle exceeds the first predetermined time amount and the temperature of the dryer reaches the first predetermined temperature level;
- terminating heat input when the temperature of the dryer reaches the first predetermined temperature level;
- setting the dryer heating power level to a second prescribed power level lower than the first prescribed power level when at least one of the temperature of the dryer reaches the substantially non-varying temperature level, the elapsed time from the start of the drying cycle exceeds the first predetermined time amount and the temperature of the dryer reduces to a second predetermined temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature when the heat input has been terminated due to the temperature of the dryer having reached the first predetermined temperature level;
- determining when a moisture level of the dryer falls below a prescribed moisture level;
- setting the dryer heating power level to the first prescribed power level when the moisture level of the dryer falls below the prescribed moisture level and establishing a second predetermined temperature level by at least one of setting the second predetermined temperature level equal to a pre-stored temperature value according to at least one of the plurality of prescribed drying criteria and setting the second predetermined temperature level equal to the sum of a predetermined addition value and the stored current temperature resulting in a second predetermined temperature level according to at least one other of the plurality of prescribed drying criteria;
- and
- terminating heat input to the dryer when the dryer temperature exceeds the second predetermined temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.