CN113057550A

CN113057550A - Control method and device for dish washing machine, dish washing machine and processor

Info

Publication number: CN113057550A
Application number: CN202110328028.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范志恒; 陈蔚; 魏中科; 全永兵; 王彩霞
Original assignee: Foshan Shunde Midea Washing Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Foshan Shunde Midea Washing Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-26
Filing date: 2021-03-26
Publication date: 2021-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 2041-03-26
Also published as: CN113057550B

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method for a dish washing machine, which is characterized in that the dish washing machine comprises a body and image acquisition equipment, wherein the body comprises a door body, a cleaning cavity is defined in the body, the image acquisition equipment comprises a rotatable camera, and the control method comprises the following steps: acquiring a first image in a cleaning containing cavity shot by a camera; determining that tableware to be cleaned exists in the cleaning containing cavity according to the first image; determining that the door body is in an open state; rotating the camera to photograph the outside of the dishwasher; acquiring a second image of the exterior of the dishwasher; determining that a human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image; determining that the door body is closed; and controlling the dish-washing machine to wash the tableware to be washed. The working state of the dish-washing machine is controlled by the image acquisition equipment, so that the automatic work of the dish-washing machine is realized, the control panel of the machine is simplified, and the operation of a user is more convenient.

Description

Control method and device for dish washing machine, dish washing machine and processor

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a control method and a control device for a dish washing machine, the dish washing machine, a processor, a storage medium and a computer program product.

Background

As the living standard is improved, the use of the dish washing machine is increased. The intelligent application is more and more extensive, and the corresponding demand for the dish washer is also higher and higher. In order to improve the working efficiency of the dishwasher, the increase of the camera is a trend. Most dish washing machines with cameras only shoot on a fixed single side, the problem that a user needs to operate after tableware is placed into the dish washing machine cannot be solved, and when the dish washing machine cannot automatically control the working state, the user needs to manually start a washing button, the operation is complex, meanwhile, the button is too many, the machine control panel is too complex, and the user cannot recognize the dish washing machine conveniently.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a control method for a dishwasher, a control device, a dishwasher, a processor, a storage medium, and a computer program product.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a dishwasher, the dishwasher including a body and an image acquisition device, the body including a door body, the body defining a cleaning cavity therein, the image acquisition device including a rotatable camera, the control method including: acquiring a first image in a cleaning containing cavity shot by a camera; determining that tableware to be cleaned exists in the cleaning containing cavity according to the first image; determining that the door body is in an open state; rotating the camera to photograph the outside of the dishwasher; acquiring a second image of the exterior of the dishwasher; determining that a human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image; determining that the door body is closed; and controlling the dish-washing machine to wash the tableware to be washed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes controlling the camera to periodically photograph the outside of the dishwasher in case it is determined that a human body exists outside the dishwasher based on the second image.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control method further comprises sending out a prompt indicating that the door body is in an open state under the condition that the second image is used for determining that no human body exists outside the dishwasher.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control method further includes, in a case where it is determined that the door body is closed, rotating the camera so that the camera returns to an initial position to photograph the cleaning cavity.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control method further comprises comparing the first image with a reference image in case of power-up of the dishwasher; and determining whether the camera is at the initial position according to the comparison result of the first image and the reference image.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes: determining that the washing of the dishwasher is finished; determining that the door body is opened; determining from the first image whether there is a change in the dishware within the cleaning chamber; and sending a prompt indicating that the door body is in an opening state under the condition that the tableware is determined not to be changed.

In the embodiment of the invention, the control method further comprises the steps of controlling the camera to periodically shoot in the cleaning cavity under the condition that the change of the tableware is determined;

under the condition that the tableware is determined to be not arranged in the cleaning cavity, rotating the camera to shoot the outside of the dishwasher so as to obtain a second image of the outside of the dishwasher;

and sending a prompt indicating that the door body is in an open state under the condition that the human body does not exist outside the dishwasher according to the second image.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a processor configured to perform the above-described control method for a dishwasher.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a control device for a dishwasher, comprising: the image acquisition equipment comprises a rotating mechanism and a camera, wherein the camera is arranged on the rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism is used for driving the camera to rotate; a sensor configured to detect an open/close state of a door of the dishwasher; and a processor configured to perform the above-described control method for the dishwasher.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control device further comprises a sensor configured to detect an open/close state of a door of the dishwasher.

In the embodiment of the invention, the image acquisition device is arranged at the top of the cleaning cavity of the dish washing machine or embedded into the door body of the dish washing machine.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a dishwasher, comprising: the cleaning device comprises a body, a cleaning device and a cleaning device, wherein the body comprises a door body and a cleaning cavity limited in the body; and the control device for the dishwasher.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to be configured to execute the above-described control method for a dishwasher.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a computer program product which, when executed by a processor, implements the control method for a dishwasher described above.

According to the technical scheme, the image information inside and outside the dish washing machine is obtained through the image obtaining device, the image information is compared with the reference image, the working state of the dish washing machine is controlled according to the comparison result, automatic work of the dish washing machine is achieved, a washing key does not need to be manually started by a user, the control panel of the machine is simplified, meanwhile, the user operation is more convenient, and the use experience of the user is improved.

Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the embodiments of the invention without limiting the embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A schematically shows a configuration diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a control method for the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied;

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a front view of the structure of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1C schematically illustrates a schematic structural view of a washing mechanism of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1D schematically illustrates a partial structural view of the purge mechanism of FIG. 1C;

FIG. 1E schematically illustrates an image capture device installation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1F schematically illustrates another image capture device mounting arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a flow chart of a control method for a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 schematically shows a flow chart of a control method for a dishwasher according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control apparatus for a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 schematically shows a block diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 schematically shows an internal structure diagram of a computer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

100. A dishwasher;

1. a housing; 2. cleaning mechanism

21. An image acquisition device; 22. A rack;

23. a drive motor; 24. A processing device;

25. a spray arm; 26. Mounting a bracket;

251. a water spray hole; 271. An image acquisition device;

272. image acquisition apparatus

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.

It should be noted that, if directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear … …) are referred to in the embodiments of the present application, the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship between the components, the movement situation, and the like in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indications are changed accordingly.

In addition, if there is a description of "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application, the description of "first", "second", etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but must be realized by a person skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be realized, such a combination should not be considered to exist, and is not within the protection scope of the present application.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "photographing" and "shooting" may be used interchangeably. The term "first image" may refer to an image taken by a camera of the inside of the dishwasher (inside the washing chamber) and the term "second image" may refer to an image taken by a camera of the outside of the dishwasher.

Fig. 1A schematically shows a configuration diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a control method for the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied. Fig. 1B schematically shows a front view of the structure of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate only one embodiment of the dishwasher 100 and are not intended to limit the shape, location, manner of installation and relationship of the parts of the dishwasher not relevant to the present invention;

as shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the dishwasher 100 may include a housing 1 and a washing mechanism 2 disposed inside the housing 1. The outer contour of the housing 1 may include, but is not limited to, a rectangular, cylindrical shape.

The washing mechanism 2 may include an image acquisition device 21, a rack 22, a processing device 24, and a spray arm.

A rack 22 (e.g., a basket) may be secured inside the dishwasher 100 for holding dishes and the image acquisition device 21 may include a camera or an image sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor). The image acquisition device 21 can be arranged in a variety of orientations within the dishwasher 100. The processing device 24 may be electrically connected to the image acquisition device 21.

The image acquisition device 21 may be used to acquire images within the dishwasher 100 and the processing device 24 may be used to process the acquired images.

For example, after the dishes are placed on the rack 22, the image capturing device 21 may capture an image of the dishes on the rack 22. The processing device 24 can acquire the image and determine characteristics of the dishes placed within the dishwasher 100 to control the spray arms to wash the dishes according to the characteristics of the dishes.

Examples of processing device 24 may include, but are not limited to, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of Integrated Circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like.

In one example, a spray arm may be disposed at the bottom of the dishwasher 100, and spray holes may be disposed on the spray arm, from which water may be sprayed upwards to provide a reaction force to rotate the spray arm while washing dishes. In another example, the spray arm may be disposed at the top within the dishwasher 100, or may include a top spray arm and a bottom spray arm.

In yet another example, the spray arm may take a rotatable form.

FIG. 1C schematically illustrates a schematic structural view of a washing mechanism of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1D schematically illustrates a partial structural view of the purge mechanism of FIG. 1C. Referring to FIGS. 1B-1D, the washing mechanism 2 may further include a drive motor 23, and the drive motor 23 may be disposed on the underside of the interior of the dishwasher 100, or may be disposed on the back of the dishwasher 100, i.e., the side away from which the dishes are placed by the user. The drive motor 23 may be coupled to the spray arm 25. The spray arm 25 is provided with water spray holes 251 communicated with the interior of the spray arm 25, and the water spray holes 251 can be arranged on the spray arm 25 at intervals so as to enable the spray arm 25 to spray a wider range. In one example, the spray arm 25 may be cylindrical, and the spray holes 251 are spaced and arrayed in the cross-section of the spray arm 25 such that the water sprayed from the spray holes 251 is emitted at an angle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher 100 may further include a water pressure transducer (not shown), a water heater (not shown), and a water valve (not shown). The water pressure transducer and the water heater can be electrically connected to the processing equipment 24, and the water pressure transducer, the water heater, and the water valve can be internally connected and in communication with the spray arm 25. The connection of the spray arm 25 with the water pressure transmitter, the water heater, the water valve, and the driving motor 23 may be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate member.

The water valve can be used for controlling the water yield of the sprayed water, the water pressure transmitter can be used for controlling the water outlet pressure, the water heater can be used for controlling the water outlet temperature, and the driving motor 23 can be used for driving the spray arm 25 to rotate. In one example, the spray arm 25 may be disposed at a central location within the dishwasher. The central position may be defined as a middle position of the plurality of racks 22 in the dishwasher 100 so as to cover dishes on the plurality of racks 22 when the spray arm 25 rotates, thereby saving space inside the dishwasher 100. Only need adopt single spray arm 25 can spray the tableware on a plurality of supporter 22, when saving the cost of design and material, bring bigger usage space.

The water valves, water pressure transducer, water heater, and drive motor 23 may be controlled by the processing device 24. For example, the area of the rack 22 for placing dishes can be divided into four quadrants, namely, the first, second, third and fourth quadrants. The processing device 24 can control the driving motor 23 to drive the spray arm 25 to rotate so that the spray holes 251 face any quadrant of the four quadrants. In addition, the treatment device 24 may also control a water valve to adjust the amount of water output (or stop the water output) from the water jet 251.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the driving motor 23 may also drive the spray arm 25 to translate. When the spray arm 25 is translatable, the dishwasher 100 may further include a conversion mechanism (not shown) coupled between the drive motor 23 and the spray arm 25 to convert rotation of the drive motor 23 into translation of the spray arm 25.

In the present embodiment, the shelf 22 may include one or more shelves, such as two shelves. In the example of a two-layer rack shown in the figures, the spray arm 25 may be located in the middle of the two racks 22 so that all dishes on the two racks 22 may be sprayed when the spray arm 25 is rotated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher 100 may further include a mounting bracket 26, and the spray arm 25 may be rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket 26. The mounting bracket 26 is fixed in position such that the spray arm 25 can rotate relative to the mounting bracket 26. the manner in which the mounting bracket 26 is fixed in position is not limited, as the mounting bracket 26 can be fixedly attached to the carrier 22 or elsewhere.

In embodiments of the present invention, the dishwasher 100 may further comprise an image acquisition device (e.g., comprising a camera). In one example, as shown in FIG. 1E, image acquisition device 271 can be disposed at the top of the wash chamber. In another example, as shown in FIG. 1F, the image capture device 272 may be embedded in the door of a dishwasher.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a flow chart of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, in an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a dishwasher, the dishwasher including a body and an image acquisition device, the body including a door body, the body defining a cleaning cavity therein, the control method including the steps of:

in step 201, it is determined that the door is opened.

Specifically, in one example, a switch, such as a mechanical switch, a proximity switch, or the like, may be provided at the door body. When the door body is opened, the switch can be triggered, correspondingly, a switch signal is generated and transmitted to a processor of the dishwasher, and the processor judges that the door body is opened.

In another example, in the overall structure of the dishwasher, including the dishwasher body and the image acquisition device, the image acquisition device may include a camera for taking a picture within the dishwasher. The door body can be judged to be opened through the image in the dish washer acquired by the camera.

In step 202, a placing action for placing the dish into the cleaning chamber is determined.

The dishwasher includes a washing chamber for receiving dishes to be washed. The putting-in action means that a user puts the dishware to be washed into the washing containing cavity when using the dishwasher, and judges whether the user is in the using process of the dishwasher or not by determining the putting-in action. When it is determined that the door body is opened, the image capturing device (camera) may be triggered to take a picture, whereby the putting action of the user to put dishes into the washing compartment may be recognized.

And step 203, acquiring images obtained by continuously taking pictures of the tableware putting process by the image acquisition equipment.

In the embodiment of the application, the image acquisition device (camera) can be arranged at the top of the cleaning cavity and/or embedded into the door body.

Generally, the tableware is placed into the washing cavity by a user, and the tableware is placed into a rack (or a bowl basket) in the washing cavity by one tableware, so that more accurate information of each tableware, such as the shape, type, placing position, pollutant conditions on different surfaces of the tableware, the degree of pollution and the like, can be obtained by photographing the process during the tableware placing process. And traditionally put into washing and take a picture in the washing container after holding the appearance chamber with the tableware, because the tableware is piled up and is put, can shelter from a part of back tableware for the tableware before the camera head rest, and this part of information (for example dirty degree) can not obtain through the camera. The scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can well solve the problem of shielding.

In a further embodiment, the frame rate of the image capturing device may be increased during the process of placing the dishes into the washing container to take a picture of the dish placing process. The effect of dynamic shooting can be achieved by increasing the shooting frame rate, enough picture information can be acquired through the high-frame-rate and high-resolution camera, and in the process of placing the tableware to be washed by a user, the camera after the shooting frame rate is increased can acquire a plurality of different clear images of the tableware to be washed. After the image acquisition equipment acquires enough picture information with different angles and dimensions, the tableware information can be determined more accurately. For example, the default photographing frame rate of the camera may be F, after the door body is opened, the image acquisition device determines a putting action of putting the dishes to be washed into the washing containing cavity, that is, when the user uses the dishwasher, the dishes to be washed are placed into the washing containing cavity, and when the putting action is determined by the image acquired by the camera, the photographing frame rate of the camera may be increased to Fmax (Fmax > F), and the camera enters a dynamic photographing state. The image capturing apparatus in the dynamic photographing state can maintain a fast photographing rate and a continuous photographing frequency during a movement in which a user places dishes.

For example, assume that the default frame rate of photographing of the camera is 24P, that is, the image capturing apparatus captures 24 images per second. The number of visual frames is 24 frames per second when the eyes of the user are comfortable and relaxed under the conventional condition, and the number of visual frames does not exceed 30 frames when the user is concentrated. The number of frames that can be captured at the moment when the user is in the eye-closed state with the eyes open is 30 frames or more, and thus the frame rate of the camera in the default operating state can be set to 24P, i.e., 24 frames/second. After the image acquisition equipment determines the putting action of putting the tableware to be washed into the washing containing cavity after the door body is opened, the putting action is determined to judge that the tableware is put into the user. At this time, the photographing frame rate of the camera can be increased to 60P, i.e., 60 frames/second, where a high frame rate of 60P is also commonly used for slow photographing, and the image acquisition apparatus acquires 60 images per second at this time. The 60P photographing frame rate enables the image acquisition equipment to slowly release the putting action of the user for putting the tableware to be washed into the washing containing cavity in the later tableware information identification, and further, the tableware image can be clearly and accurately acquired, and then the tableware information is determined.

At step 204, utensil information for the utensil is determined from the image.

The cutlery information may comprise at least one of: number of utensils, contamination on the utensils, placement of each utensil. The dishwasher may determine a washing pattern based on at least one of the dishware information, including, but not limited to, washing time, water temperature, water pressure, cycle number, etc. For example, the quantity of dishes obtained is a quantification of the information on the dishes, for example, when dishes are placed in the washing chamber, a specific quantity of dishes, for example, 5 dishes and 3 bowls, is obtained, so that the washing pattern can be performed for different types of dishes accordingly; the condition of acquiring the pollutants on the tableware is to determine the working part of the main body of the dishwasher, for example, when more pollutants are acquired at the edge of the tableware, the edge of the tableware is intensively cleaned when the dishwasher is in work; the position of obtaining every tableware can avoid the dish washer not placing the appearance chamber part empty washing of tableware, has improved dish washer's work efficiency, for example confirm wash hold the intracavity tableware most be located hold the chamber left side, the washing liquid of dish washer sprays and the washing part is mainly holding the intracavity left side so.

And step 205, controlling the dishwasher to wash the tableware according to the tableware information.

In one embodiment, controlling the dishwasher to wash the dishes according to the dish information includes: determining that the door body is closed; controlling the image acquisition equipment to photograph tableware in the cleaning cavity; acquiring an internal image obtained by photographing tableware in a cleaning container by using image acquisition equipment; the cleanliness of the dishes is determined from the internal image. When the door body of the dish washing machine is in a closed state, the placing of the tableware to be washed in the washing containing cavity in the dish washing machine is determined to be completed. Photographing the placed tableware to be washed through image acquisition equipment, processing the acquired image information, and determining tableware information, wherein the tableware information comprises at least one of the following items: number of utensils, contamination on the utensils, location of each utensil. Wherein the contamination condition includes at least one of a degree of cleanliness of the dishes, an amount of contamination, and a type of contamination, and the degree of cleanliness of the dishes is determined by the obtained image information.

In one embodiment, controlling the image acquisition device to take a picture of the dishware in the cleaning chamber includes: and reducing the photographing frame rate of the image acquisition equipment to photograph the tableware in the cleaning cavity.

Specifically, the door body of the dishwasher is in a closed state, and it is determined that the placing of the dishware to be washed in the washing cavity inside the dishwasher is completed at the moment, so that the photographing frame rate of the camera in the image acquisition device can be reduced, for example, from Fmax to a default F. Because the power consumption is increased simultaneously when the photographing frame rate of the image acquisition equipment is higher, and the camera is not required to be still in the working state of the high frame rate Fmax in the cleaning process, the energy-saving effect can be achieved by reducing the photographing frame rate of the image acquisition equipment. In one embodiment, the frame rate of the camera may be reduced from Fmax to a lower frame rate than the default frame rate F, such as Fmin. In one example, the lower frame rate Fmin may be, for example, 15P, i.e., 15 images per second, which may reduce the power consumption of the camera in the case of a low frame rate.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a flow diagram of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising the following steps:

step 301, acquiring a first image in the cleaning cavity shot by the camera.

Step 302, determining that the tableware to be cleaned exists in the cleaning cavity according to the first image.

Specifically, the dish washer can include body and image acquisition equipment, and the body can be including the door body, and the body is internal to be injectd and is washd the appearance chamber, and image acquisition equipment includes rotatable camera.

In one embodiment, after the dishwasher is powered up, it may be determined whether the camera is in an initial position (e.g., to photograph where the interior of the dishwasher is located). In one example, when the dishwasher is powered on, the processor may control the camera to take a picture, and determine whether the camera is in an initial position according to the picture obtained by taking the picture. For example, a reference image (standard image) may be stored in advance, and the reference image may be an image photographed when the camera is at an initial position. The reference image may include reference object information, such as a rack (or referred to as a basket) in the dishwasher, an inner wall of the dishwasher, etc. The image photographed by the camera can be compared with the reference image, so that whether the camera is at the initial position or not can be judged. In the case that the camera is not in the initial position, the processor may control the camera to rotate to the initial position.

The camera shoots the cleaning cavity to obtain a first image. The processor acquires the first image and can determine whether the dishware to be cleaned is present in the cleaning cavity based on the first image. If there is dishes to be washed in the washing compartment, it is possible to proceed to step 303, and if there are no dishes to be washed, the dishwasher may enter a standby mode.

And step 303, after the door body is determined to be in the opening state, the camera is rotated to shoot the outside of the dishwasher.

A second image of the exterior of the dishwasher is acquired, step 304.

And 305, determining that a human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image.

Specifically, the open-close state of the door body can be determined. In one example, a switch, such as a mechanical switch, a proximity switch, or the like, may be provided at the door body. When the door body is opened, the switch can be triggered, correspondingly, a switch signal is generated and transmitted to a processor of the dishwasher, and the processor judges that the door body is opened.

After determining that the door body is opened, the processor may control the camera to rotate to photograph the outside of the dishwasher. For example, the rotatable camera may include a rotating mechanism (e.g., including a motor) and a camera, the camera may be disposed on the rotating mechanism, and the processor may control the rotating mechanism to act to rotate the camera.

The processor can acquire a second image obtained by shooting the outside of the dishwasher by the camera, and determine whether a human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image. If it is determined that a person is present and that dishes to be washed are present in the washing chamber, at which time the user may be placing dishes to be washed into the washing chamber, the processor may control the camera to take pictures periodically (e.g., at time intervals T1). If it is determined that the door is open but no human body is present outside the dishwasher, the processor may perform a door open alert (e.g., by way of an audible/visual alarm to alert the user that the door is not closed).

In the embodiment of the application, the camera shoots the outside of the dishwasher except that whether a human body exists can be detected, the process of putting the tableware to be cleaned can be shot as in the embodiment of fig. 2, so that more accurate tableware information can be obtained, and the problem of shielding caused by shooting in a cleaning cavity is avoided. The specific scheme is similar to that described in the embodiment of fig. 2, and is not described herein again.

And step 306, determining that the door body is closed.

And 307, controlling the dishwasher to clean the tableware to be cleaned.

Specifically, upon determining that the door body is closed, the processor may control the camera to rotate back to the initial position to photograph the cleaning chamber. When the door body is in a closed state, the fact that a user outside the dish washing machine has finished placing the to-be-washed tableware is judged, then the camera is turned to the inside of the dish washing machine, shooting is conducted on the inside of the washing container (a first image is obtained), the processor can determine a washing mode according to the obtained first image, and whether washing is finished or not is judged. The determination of the purge mode and the purge control may be similar to those in the embodiment of fig. 2.

In one embodiment, the processor may determine whether there is a change in the dishes in the washing chamber based on the first image if it is determined that the door is opened after the dishwasher is washed, and issue a warning (e.g., by way of an audible/visual alarm) indicating that the door is in the open state if it is determined that there is no change in the dishes (e.g., there is a change in the position and/or quantity of the dishes). Specifically, when there is a change in the tableware, it is indicated that the user is performing an operation on the washed tableware, for example, placing or taking out the tableware, and when there is no change in the tableware and the door is in the open state, it may be determined that the user has forgotten to close the door. In order to prevent the electric appliance from using dangerously and wasting energy, the dish washing machine can send out the reminding that the door body is in an open state at the moment.

In one embodiment, the processor may control the camera to periodically (e.g., at intervals T2) take pictures of the cleaning chamber in the event that a change in the dishware is determined. If the processor determines from the image taken by the camera (first image) that no dishware is present in the washing chamber, the camera may be controlled to rotate to take a photograph of the exterior of the dishwasher. The processor acquires an image (second image) obtained by shooting the outside of the dishwasher by the camera, and if the processor determines that no human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the image, the processor can perform door opening reminding (for example, reminding a user that a door body is not closed in an acoustic/optical alarm mode). If the processor determines that the door body is closed, the camera can be controlled to rotate back to the initial position to monitor the inside of the dishwasher, and the dishwasher can enter a standby mode.

In one embodiment, in the standby mode, if the processor determines that the door body is opened, the camera may be controlled to rotate to photograph the outside of the dishwasher, and if the processor determines that the human body and the dishes exist according to the image (second image) photographed by the camera to the outside of the dishwasher, the camera may be controlled to photograph periodically (e.g., at an interval T3). If the processor determines that no human body exists according to the image, the processor can perform door opening reminding (for example, reminding the user that the door body is not closed in an acoustic/optical alarm mode). If the processor determines that the door is closed, the cleaning mode may be entered as described above.

Through the scheme, automatic work of the dish washing machine can be realized, a user does not need to manually start a washing key, the control panel of the machine is simplified, meanwhile, the user operation is more convenient, and the use experience of the user is improved.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, there is provided a control apparatus 400 for a dishwasher, comprising a sensor, an image acquisition device, and a processor, wherein:

a sensor 401 for detecting the open/close state of the door of the dishwasher;

the image acquisition device 402 comprises a rotating mechanism and a camera, wherein the camera is arranged on the rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism is used for driving the camera to rotate;

the processor 403 may be configured to perform the control method for the dishwasher described in the above embodiments.

In one embodiment, the image acquisition device is arranged at the top of a cleaning cavity of the dishwasher or embedded in a door body of the dishwasher. Particularly, the situation that a rotatable camera of a user is polluted by pollutants in the process of placing the tableware to be washed can be avoided when the image acquisition equipment is arranged at the top of the washing cavity. When the image acquisition equipment is set to be embedded into a door body of the dish washing machine, the maximum image visual angle can be acquired, and then the processor can determine the tableware information more accurately.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a dishwasher 500, including:

a body 501 including a door body; and

the control device 502 for a dishwasher described above.

The embodiment of the invention provides a processor, which is used for running a program, wherein the program executes the control method for the dishwasher when running.

The processor comprises a kernel, and the kernel calls the corresponding program unit from the memory. The kernel can be set to be one or more, and the control of the dishwasher is realized by adjusting the parameters of the kernel.

The memory may include volatile memory in a computer readable medium, Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM), and the memory includes at least one memory chip.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium having a program stored thereon, which when executed by a processor implements the above-described control method for a dishwasher.

In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, which may be a server, and its internal structure diagram may be as shown in fig. 6. The computer device includes a processor a01, a network interface a02, a memory (not shown), and a database (not shown) connected by a system bus. Wherein processor a01 of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device comprises an internal memory a03 and a non-volatile storage medium a 04. The non-volatile storage medium a04 stores an operating system B01, a computer program B02, and a database (not shown in the figure). The internal memory a03 provides an environment for the operation of the operating system B01 and the computer program B02 in the nonvolatile storage medium a 04. The database of the computer device is used for storing data. The network interface a02 of the computer device is used for communication with an external terminal through a network connection. The computer program B02 is executed by the processor a01 to implement a control method for a dishwasher.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the architecture shown in fig. 6 is merely a block diagram of some of the structures associated with the disclosed aspects and is not intended to limit the computing devices to which the disclosed aspects apply, as particular computing devices may include more or less components than those shown, or may combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

The embodiment of the invention provides equipment, which comprises a processor, a memory and a program which is stored on the memory and can run on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program and realizes the following steps: determining that the door body is opened; determining the putting action of putting the tableware into the cleaning cavity; acquiring an image obtained by continuously taking a picture of the tableware putting process by using the image acquisition equipment; determining tableware information of the tableware according to the image; and controlling the dish-washing machine to wash the tableware according to the tableware information.

In one embodiment, the cutlery information comprises at least one of: number of utensils, contamination on the utensils, location of each utensil.

In one embodiment, the frame rate of the image capture device is increased to take a picture of the dish placement process.

In one embodiment, controlling the dishwasher to wash the dishes according to the dish information includes: determining that the door body is closed; controlling the image acquisition equipment to photograph tableware in the cleaning cavity; acquiring an internal image obtained by photographing tableware in a cleaning container by using image acquisition equipment; the cleanliness of the dishes is determined from the internal image.

In one embodiment, controlling the dishwasher to wash dishes via the image acquisition device comprises: acquiring a first image in a cleaning containing cavity shot by a camera; determining that tableware to be cleaned exists in the cleaning containing cavity according to the first image; determining that the door body is in an open state; rotating the camera to photograph the outside of the dishwasher; acquiring a second image of the exterior of the dishwasher; determining that a human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image; determining that the door body is closed; and controlling the dish-washing machine to wash the tableware to be washed.

In one embodiment, the control camera periodically photographs the outside of the dishwasher in case it is determined that a human body exists outside the dishwasher based on the second image.

In one embodiment, when it is determined that no human body exists outside the dishwasher according to the second image, a reminder indicating that the door body is in the open state is issued.

In one embodiment, in the case that it is determined that the door body is closed, the camera is rotated so that the camera returns to an initial position to photograph the inside of the cleaning chamber.

In one embodiment, the first image is compared to a reference image upon power-up of the dishwasher; and determining whether the camera is at the initial position according to the comparison result of the first image and the reference image.

In one embodiment, the control method further comprises: determining that the washing of the dishwasher is finished; determining that the door body is opened; determining from the first image whether there is a change in the dishware within the cleaning chamber; and sending a prompt indicating that the door body is in an opening state under the condition that the tableware is determined not to be changed. And under the condition that the change of the tableware is determined, controlling the camera to periodically shoot in the cleaning cavity. Under the condition that the tableware is determined to be not arranged in the cleaning cavity, the camera is rotated to shoot the outside of the dish washing machine so as to obtain a second image of the outside of the dish washing machine; and sending a prompt indicating that the door body is in an open state under the condition that the human body does not exist outside the dishwasher according to the second image.

The present application further provides a computer program product adapted to perform a program for initializing the following method steps when executed on a data processing device: determining that the door body is opened; determining the putting action of putting the tableware into the cleaning cavity; acquiring an image obtained by continuously taking a picture of the tableware putting process by using the image acquisition equipment; determining tableware information of the tableware according to the image; and controlling the dish-washing machine to wash the tableware according to the tableware information.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input/output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

The memory may include forms of volatile memory in a computer readable medium, Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). The memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

Computer-readable media, including both non-transitory and non-transitory, removable and non-removable media, may implement information storage by any method or technology. The information may be computer readable instructions, data structures, modules of a program, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), other types of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, a computer readable medium does not include a transitory computer readable medium such as a modulated data signal and a carrier wave.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The above are merely examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for a dishwasher, the dishwasher comprising a body and an image acquisition device, the body comprising a door, the body defining a cleaning volume therein, the image acquisition device comprising a rotatable camera, the control method comprising:

acquiring a first image in the cleaning containing cavity shot by the camera;

determining that the tableware to be cleaned exists in the cleaning containing cavity according to the first image;

determining that the door body is in an opening state;

rotating the camera to photograph an exterior of the dishwasher;

acquiring a second image of the exterior of the dishwasher;

determining the presence of a human outside the dishwasher from the second image;

determining that the door body is closed; and

and controlling the dishwasher to wash the tableware to be washed.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

and controlling the camera to shoot the outside of the dishwasher periodically under the condition that the human body is determined to exist outside the dishwasher according to the second image.

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

4. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

and under the condition that the door body is determined to be closed, the camera is rotated to enable the camera to return to the initial position so as to shoot in the cleaning containing cavity.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

comparing the first image to a reference image if the dishwasher is powered up;

and determining whether the camera is at an initial position according to the comparison result of the first image and the reference image.

6. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

determining that the dishwasher is finished washing;

determining that the door body is opened;

determining from the first image whether there is a change in the dishes within the washing chamber;

and sending out a prompt indicating that the door body is in an opening state under the condition that the tableware is determined not to be changed.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized by further comprising:

under the condition that the tableware is determined to be changed, controlling the camera to shoot in the cleaning containing cavity periodically;

under the condition that the tableware is determined to be not arranged in the cleaning cavity, the camera is rotated to shoot the outside of the dishwasher so as to obtain a second image of the outside of the dishwasher;

8. A processor characterized by being configured to execute the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A control device for a dishwasher, comprising:

the image acquisition equipment comprises a rotating mechanism and a camera, wherein the camera is arranged on the rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism is used for driving the camera to rotate; and

the processor of claim 8.

10. The control device according to claim 9, characterized by further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect an open/close state of a door of the dishwasher.

11. The control device according to claim 9, wherein the image acquisition device is disposed at a top of a washing chamber of the dishwasher or embedded in a door of the dishwasher.

12. A dishwasher, comprising:

the cleaning device comprises a body, a cleaning device and a cleaning device, wherein the body comprises a door body and a cleaning cavity limited in the body; and

the control device for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a machine to perform the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that the computer program realizes the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when executed by a processor.