US 12,404,618 B2
Combination washing and drying laundry appliance having a filter cleaning system for removing lint during a laundry cycle
Nilsu Altintas, Fabriano (IT); Marco Angelini, Folignano (IT); Mauro Mancini, Fabriano (IT); Simone Pistola, Esanatoglia (IT); Luca Sorana, Gualdo Tadino (IT); Stefano Turchi, Falconara Marittima (IT); and Paolo Volpolini, Sigillo (IT)
Assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed by WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/852,651.
Prior Publication US 2024/0003071 A1, Jan. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. D06F 33/69 (2020.01); D06F 58/22 (2006.01); D06F 25/00 (2006.01); D06F 33/63 (2020.01); D06F 33/74 (2020.01); D06F 105/52 (2020.01); D06F 105/54 (2020.01)
CPC D06F 33/69 (2020.02) [D06F 58/22 (2013.01); D06F 25/00 (2013.01); D06F 33/63 (2020.02); D06F 33/74 (2020.02); D06F 2105/52 (2020.02); D06F 2105/54 (2020.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A combination washing and drying appliance comprising:
a tub having a wall and positioned within an outer cabinet, the tub having an air outlet defined within an upper portion of the wall;
a drum that rotationally operates within the tub;
an air handling system attached to the wall of the tub and that draws process air from inside the tub and through the air outlet of the wall of the tub and to an airflow path;
a lint filter that is disposed within the air outlet and that filters particulate from the process air entering the airflow path;
a fluid delivery system having a valve attached to the tub and that operates to deliver wash fluid into the inside of the tub; and
a sump defined within a lower portion of the tub and below the drum, the sump having a drain that moves wash fluid from the inside of the tub to an external outlet, wherein:
during a filter cleaning phase of the appliance, the valve of the fluid delivery system delivers impulse amounts of the wash fluid to deliver the wash fluid to the sump by traveling along an inside surface of the tub by surface adhesion to maintain the wash fluid between an outer surface of the drum and the inside surface of the tub;
the drum operates to direct the wash fluid in the sump around the drum and along the inside surface of the tub and over an interior surface of the lint filter to remove particulate from the lint filter;
a fluid pump coupled with the sump directs the wash fluid and the particulate to the external outlet.