Method of operating a combination laundry appliance

Abstract

A laundry appliance includes a wash basket rotatably mounted within a cabinet, a conditioning system configured to heat and remove moisture from air flowing therethrough, the conditioning system comprising a compressor, an evaporator, and a condenser, a duct system for providing fluid communication between the chamber and the conditioning system, wherein the duct system, the conditioning system, and the wash basket define a process air flowpath, a blower fan operable to move a flow of process air through the process air flowpath, and a controller operably coupled to the conditioning system, and the blower fan. The controller being configured to rotate the wash basket at a final spin speed during a final spin of a wash cycle, operate the compressor during the final spin of the wash cycle, and lower an operating speed of the blower fan while maintaining the final spin speed of the wash basket.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laundry appliance comprising:
 a tub positioned within a cabinet;   a wash basket rotatably mounted within the tub, the wash basket defining a chamber for receipt of articles for washing and drying;   a conditioning system configured to heat and remove moisture from air flowing therethrough, the conditioning system comprising a compressor, an evaporator, and a condenser;   a duct system for providing fluid communication between the chamber and the conditioning system, wherein the duct system, the conditioning system, and the wash basket define a process air flowpath;   a blower fan operable to move a flow of process air through the process air flowpath; and   a controller operably coupled to the conditioning system, and the blower fan, the controller being configured to:
 rotate the wash basket at a final spin speed during a final spin of a wash cycle; 
 operate the compressor during the final spin of the wash cycle; and 
 lower an operating speed of the blower fan while maintaining the final spin speed of the wash basket. 
   
     
     
         2 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein operating the compressor during the final spin of the wash cycle comprises operating the compressor at a low speed. 
     
     
         3 . The laundry appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the low speed is less than 2500 revolutions per minute. 
     
     
         4 . The laundry appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the low speed is less than 1000 revolutions per minute. 
     
     
         5 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein lowering the operating speed of the blower fan comprises operating the blower fan at less than 40% rated capacity. 
     
     
         6 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein lowering the operating speed of the blower fan comprises operating the blower fan at less than 20% rated capacity. 
     
     
         7 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein lowering the operating speed of the blower fan comprises turning the blower fan off. 
     
     
         8 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine an appliance amperage threshold; and   adjust at least one of the compressor or the operating speed of the blower fan based at least in part on the appliance amperage threshold.   
     
     
         9 . The laundry appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the appliance amperage threshold is 15 amps. 
     
     
         10 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 rotate the wash basket at an elevated speed higher than the final spin speed during a final spin of a wash cycle.   
     
     
         11 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an air filter positioned within the duct system for filtering the flow of process air.   
     
     
         12 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the laundry appliance is a heat pump dryer appliance or a combination washer and heat pump dryer appliance. 
     
     
         13 . A method of operating a laundry appliance comprising, the laundry appliance comprising a wash basket rotatably mounted within a tub, a conditioning system configured to heat and remove moisture from air flowing therethrough, the conditioning system comprising a compressor, an evaporator, and a condenser, and a blower fan operable to move a flow of process air through a process air flowpath, the method comprising:
 rotating the wash basket at a final spin speed during a final spin of a wash cycle;   operating the compressor during the final spin of the wash cycle; and   lowering an operating speed of the blower fan while maintaining the final spin speed of the wash basket.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein operating the compressor during the final spin of the wash cycle comprises operating the compressor at a low speed. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the low speed is less than 2500 revolutions per minute. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the low speed is less than 1000 revolutions per minute. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein lowering the operating speed of the blower fan comprises operating the blower fan at less than 20% rated capacity. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein lowering the operating speed of the blower fan comprises turning the blower fan off. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 determining an appliance amperage threshold; and   adjusting at least one of the compressor or the operating speed of the blower fan based at least in part on the appliance amperage threshold.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 rotating the wash basket at an elevated speed higher than the final spin speed during a final spin of a wash cycle.