US 12,344,983 B2
Systems and methods for drain pump and humidity sensor operation verification
Wonmyung Seo, Seongnam (KR); Seong Hoon Ryu, Suwon (KR); and Taehyun Yoon, Gyeonggi (KR)
Assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/954,873.
Prior Publication US 2024/0102223 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. D06F 34/14 (2020.01); D06F 23/02 (2006.01); D06F 33/42 (2020.01); D06F 33/47 (2020.01); D06F 39/08 (2006.01); D06F 39/14 (2006.01); D06F 103/34 (2020.01); D06F 105/08 (2020.01); D06F 105/58 (2020.01); G01M 99/00 (2011.01); D06F 101/00 (2020.01)
CPC D06F 34/14 (2020.02) [D06F 23/02 (2013.01); D06F 33/42 (2020.02); D06F 33/47 (2020.02); D06F 39/085 (2013.01); D06F 39/14 (2013.01); G01M 99/005 (2013.01); D06F 2101/00 (2020.02); D06F 2103/34 (2020.02); D06F 2105/08 (2020.02); D06F 2105/58 (2020.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A washing machine appliance comprising:
a cabinet;
a wash tub positioned within the cabinet;
a wash basket rotatably mounted within the wash tub and accessible through an opening in the cabinet;
a door pivotably mounted to the cabinet whereby the door is pivotable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the door permits access to the wash basket through the opening when in the open position, and wherein an aperture in the cabinet is in fluid communication with an ambient environment external to the cabinet when the door is in the closed position;
a pump configured for removing liquid from the wash tub;
a vent line extending between the wash tub and the aperture on the cabinet, the vent line comprising a fan, and a first humidity sensor disposed in the vent line proximate the fan;
a damper fluidly coupled to the aperture in the cabinet, wherein a second humidity sensor is positioned at the damper; and
a controller positioned within the cabinet, the controller configured to:
activate the pump during a drain cycle of a wash cycle,
measure, via the first humidity sensor, a humidity during the drain cycle,
compare, across a set interval of time, the measured humidity within the washing machine appliance to a reference humidity value, the reference humidity value measured via the second humidity sensor at the damper;
detect the measured humidity from the first humidity sensor exceeding the reference humidity, and
detect a fault in the drain cycle in response to detecting the measured humidity from the first humidity sensor exceeding the reference humidity value.