A method of operating a dryer appliance includes directing a flow of hot dry air into a chamber defined within a drum of the dryer appliance. The method also includes receiving a signal indicative of an atmospheric condition external to the dryer appliance and determining whether the indicated atmospheric condition is less than a threshold. The method may further include directing a flow of air from the chamber to an interior space when the indicated atmospheric condition external to the dryer is less than the threshold, and activating a component of an environmental control system in communication with the interior space when the indicated atmospheric condition of the ambient environment external to the dryer is less than the threshold.

A method for operating an appliance having a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet and movable in an opening direction from a closed position to an open position, and a handle connected to the door. The handle has a first side facing against the opening direction and forming a grasping surface, a second side facing along the opening direction, and an interface region having one or more input interfaces on the second side of the handle. The appliance has one or more shutoff sensors configured to disable at least one of the one or more input interfaces on the interface region when an object is detected adjacent the grasping surface.

Disclosed is a washing machine. The washing machine includes an image capturer, a storage, and a controller. When the washing machine is in a standby state, if photographed data is identified to be registered user data, the controller recognizes a photographed user as a registered user and performs control such that a door is opened. If the photographed data is identified to be child data, the controller performs control such that, when the door is in an open state, the door is not closed and such that, when the door is in a closed state, the door is not opened.

The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus, including a housing configured to supply laundry detergent to the tub and define an outer appearance; a storage container disposed to extend in a front-rear direction of the main body to store the laundry detergent, and mounted to the housing; a laundry detergent pump provided at a rear portion of the housing to define a movement of laundry detergent stored in the storage container; and a remaining amount sensing unit that applies a current toward an inside of the storage container to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container.

Hardware detection in a laundry treatment appliance is provided. Data is received from the sensor providing data in relation to presence or absence of a removable agitator within the laundry treatment appliance. A configuration of the removable agitator with respect to the laundry treatment appliance is identified based on the data from the sensor, the configuration indicating at least the presence or absence of the removable agitator. Settings of the laundry treatment appliance are updated in accordance with the identified configuration of the laundry treatment appliance.

A laundry appliance includes a basket that is rotatably mounted within a cabinet and that defines a chamber for receiving a load of clothes. A camera assembly is mounted within the cabinet for taking images of the chamber and a controller obtains an image of the chamber when the basket is empty and not rotating. The image is analyzed using an autoencoder neural network process to determine an image quality and a responsive action is implemented when an image quality drops below a quality threshold.

A laundry appliance includes a basket rotatably mounted within a cabinet and defining a chamber configured for receiving a load of clothes, and a camera assembly mounted within the cabinet in view of the chamber. A controller of the laundry appliance implements a method for improving appliance operation based on the load size, the method including obtaining one or more images of the chamber using the camera assembly, estimating a load size of the load of clothes based at least in part on the one or more images, obtaining a start size threshold, determining that the load size exceeds the start size threshold, and commencing an operating cycle in response to determining that the load size exceeds the start size threshold.

A laundry appliance includes a basket rotatably mounted within a cabinet and defining a chamber configured for receiving a load of clothes, a water supply valve for regulating a flow of water into the chamber, and a camera assembly mounted within the cabinet in view of the chamber. A controller is configured to determine that the water supply valve is open to permit the flow of water into the chamber, identify an anticipated fog condition within the chamber based at least in part on the water supply valve being open, obtaining one or more images of the chamber using the camera assembly, analyzing the one or more images of the chamber to determine an actual fog condition in the chamber, and implementing a responsive action if the actual fog condition is different than the anticipated fog condition, e.g., providing a user notification.

A method of operating a washing appliance includes obtaining images of a wash chamber using a camera assembly operating at a frame rate equivalent to the basket speed. The one or more images are analyzed, e.g., using a machine learning image recognition process, to determine a cloth coverage ratio of the load of clothes in the wash basket. The cloth coverage ratio is compared to a predetermined coverage threshold for reducing out of balance conditions. Specifically, if the cloth coverage area is greater than the threshold, the wash basket may be ramped up to a hold or plaster speed. By contrast, if the cloth coverage area is less than the threshold, the basket speed may be maintained or lowered to permit the clothes to redistribute before ramping to the hold or plaster speed.

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet and a control panel mounted on the cabinet, the control panel having a plurality of controls that each may be activated to permit manipulation by a user or deactivated to prevent manipulation by the user. A method of operating the laundry appliance includes obtaining a desired automation level, determining a set of active controls of the plurality of controls that are associated with the desired automation level, and activating the set of active controls on the control panel for manipulation by the user of the laundry appliance.