CN115029889A

CN115029889A - Automatic clothes treating apparatus having load height detecting member

Info

Publication number: CN115029889A
Application number: CN202210214903.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 库尔特·L·马肖韦基奥; 乔尔·M·塞尔斯; 乔尔·丹尼森; 卢克·保罗; 瑞安·约翰逊; 博尼·范沃尔金堡
Original assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Current assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Priority date: 2021-03-04
Filing date: 2022-03-04
Publication date: 2022-09-09
Also published as: US20220282417A1; EP4053321A1

Abstract

An automatic laundry treating apparatus is disclosed having at least one sensor configured to detect a height of laundry in a treating chamber of the automatic laundry treating apparatus. Based on the output of the sensor, a human perceptible signal is generated to indicate whether the laundry load is below, within, or above an optimal range of the laundry load. Further, the automatic laundry treating apparatus may communicate information regarding whether the amount of laundry treated during the drying function exceeds an upper limit of the optimal amount of laundry to the user after the drying function is completed based on the data acquired during the drying function.

Description

Automatic clothes treating apparatus having load height detecting member

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus having a sensor to detect a size of a laundry load.

Background

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

An automatic laundry treatment apparatus configured to wash and dry laundry items within the same chamber is referred to as a washer-dryer combination or washer/dryer combination. The amount of laundry treated by the washer/dryer combination greatly affects its performance. For example, if the laundry load size is too small (i.e., a small number of articles), the laundry articles may become very wrinkled during the treatment process. On the other hand, if the laundry load size is too large (i.e., a large number of articles), the washing process may not be as effective as desired.

Accordingly, the inventors have recognized a need for a reliable system to determine the size of a load of laundry when loaded into an automatic laundry treating apparatus and to guide a user to load an amount of laundry within an optimal range before the laundry treating process begins. Furthermore, the inventors have recognized a need to provide post-processing feedback to the user regarding load size optimization for future loads.

Disclosure of Invention

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

An automatic laundry treating apparatus, such as a washer/dryer combination, is disclosed. The automatic laundry treating apparatus includes a treating chamber located inside the cabinet 12, which is configured to receive laundry to be treated. The process chamber may be defined by the interior of a drum configured to rotate about a horizontal axis. In case that the automatic laundry treating apparatus is a washer/dryer combination, laundry may be washed and dried in the treating chamber.

The automatic laundry treating apparatus comprises at least one sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the height of laundry at a location within the treatment chamber. A plurality of sensors may be used to detect the height of the laundry at different positions within the processing chamber. The output of the sensor may be used to calculate a parameter indicative of the fill percentage of the process chamber. A communication device, such as a visual display or an auditory device, is configured to communicate to the user whether the fill percentage of the process chamber is below, within, or above the determined optimal range. In some embodiments, the communication occurs before initiating treatment of the laundry.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, data relating to the efficiency of the drying function of the automatic laundry treatment apparatus may be acquired during the drying function and used to provide feedback information to the user via the communication means and/or to adjust the determined optimal range.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a washer/dryer assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial front perspective view of a process chamber and sensors of the washer/dryer assembly of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sensor mounted within the tub of the washer/dryer assembly of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of components of the washer/dryer assembly of FIG. 1 relating to the determination of and communication of a laundry load size to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating functional aspects of an algorithm for determining the percentage of the drum that is filled by the laundry load.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 to 3 show a laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, which is a horizontal axis automatic washing and drying combined machine 10. Although much of the remainder of the present application will focus on embodiments of a horizontal-axis automatic washer-dryer combination 10 (also referred to as a "washer/dryer combination" or "washer/dryer combination"), other environments are contemplated by the present disclosure, including other horizontal-axis laundry treatment devices, such as a laundry washer and/or a laundry dryer.

The washer/dryer assembly 10 shares many of the features of a conventional washer/dryer assembly, which features will not be described in detail herein, except as necessary for a complete understanding of the illustrative embodiments according to the present disclosure. For purposes of this disclosure, a garment load is understood to include one or more items. Articles include, but are not limited to, hats, scarves, gloves, sweaters, jackets, shirts, shorts, dresses, socks and pants, shoes, undergarments, and jackets, as well as other items that are typically processed in automated garment processing equipment.

The washer/dryer assembly 10 includes a cabinet 12 defining an interior. The cabinet 12 may be a housing having a chassis and/or frame that defines an interior, enclosing components typically found in conventional washing machines, such as motors, pumps, fluid lines, controls, sensors, transducers, heating elements, and the like. These components will not be described further herein except as necessary for a complete understanding of the present disclosure.

The tub 14 is located within the interior of the cabinet 12. The drum 16 is positioned inside the tub 14 and rotatably mounted to the tub 14 or the cabinet 12. The drum 16 rotates about a substantially horizontal axis. The drum 16 defines a treatment chamber 18 for receiving laundry.

A door 22 is movably mounted to the cabinet 12 to selectively close the opening 22 to the processing chamber 18. The door 22 may have a handle 24 for pivotally opening the door about a hinge 26. A bellows 28 is positioned between the opening to the process chamber 18 and the drum 16. The laundry may be washed and dried in the treating chamber 18.

The washer/dryer assembly 10 includes one or

more sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B configured to detect the height of the laundry in the treatment chamber 18. As illustrated in fig. 1-3,

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B may be positioned within or near process chamber 18. The

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B may be mounted to a non-rotating part of the washer/dryer assembly 10, such as to the tub 14 or the bellows 28.

Preferably, each

sensor

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B is a time-of-flight ("TOF") sensor that emits light waves directed at the clothing. The light waves are reflected back through the clothing to the TOF sensor. The TOF sensor generates a signal indicative of the distance between the laundry and the sensor based on the amount of time it takes for the light waves to reach the laundry, reflect off of the laundry, and be received by the sensor. Preferably,

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B are positioned such that each sensor detects the height of the laundry at a different location within treatment chamber 18. The overall output of

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B may be used to estimate the total laundry load ("drum fill percentage") in treatment chamber 18. In one embodiment, the determined heights of the laundry at different locations within treatment chamber 18 are averaged together to estimate an average laundry height, which may be used to calculate a parameter indicative of the drum fill percentage.

Although fig. 1 to 3 illustrate the use of six

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B, any number of sensors may be used and the sensors may be installed in various manners and locations as long as the sensors can detect the height of laundry within the treating chamber 18. Furthermore, sensors other than TOF sensors may be used, including but not limited to ultrasound sensors, stereo cameras, and structured light cameras.

Fig. 4 illustrates a functional diagram of the components of the washer/dryer assembly 10 involved in determining the drum fill percentage and the actions taken in response to determining the drum fill percentage. The washer/dryer combination 10 includes a visual display 34, an audible device 32, and/or a controller 30 in communication with the

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B. The visual display 34 may be a display screen, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, or any other type of indicator visible to a user. The audible device may be a speaker, buzzer, bell or any other device capable of producing audible sound.

Fig. 5 illustrates the functionality of the system. In operation, each

sensor

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B generates an output signal at a given point in time indicative of the distance between the sensor and the height of the laundry at a particular location within treatment chamber 18. The outputs of the

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B over a given time are illustrated in FIG. 5 as a captured depth map 110. The output signal of the sensor is transmitted to the controller 30. The controller 30 uses the outputs of the

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B to calculate a parameter indicative of the percentage of drum fill, as described below. First, the controller 30 calculates the average laundry distance 120 by averaging the distances sensed by each of the

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B. Each sensor may be weighted in an equal or unequal manner in the averaging calculation. The calculated average laundry distance is buffered at 130. A number of calculated average laundry distances, for example 5 calculated average laundry distances, are saved for filtering to remove noise and detect activity. Next, at 140, an "activity" is detected, such as the user placing laundry into the drum, the result of which may be used as a criterion as to when to display the calculated drum fill percentage to the user. At 150, a low pass filter is used to remove spikes in the average distance data. Then, at 160, an average drum fill percentage is calculated from the average distance data received from the

sensors

25A, 25B, 26A, 26B and 27A, 27B using a parametric regression function. In one embodiment, an exponential function is used between approximately 0% fill percentage to 60% fill percentage, and a linear function is used between approximately 60% fill percentage to 100% fill percentage. If "active" is determined to be in the lower position (at 170), the percentage of the drum fill is displayed to the user on the visual display 34.

The controller 30 determines whether the drum fill percentage is within the determined optimal range. If so, the controller 30 may cause the visual display 34 and/or the audible device 32 to generate a visual and/or audible indicator that the garment load is within the optimal range. If not, the controller 30 determines whether the drum fill percentage is below the lower limit of the optimal range or above the upper limit of the optimal range. The lower and upper limits of the optimum range may be determined in a number of ways. For example, the lower and upper limits of the optimal range may be predetermined based on empirical data or otherwise. The lower and upper limits may also be determined or adjusted/modified based on feedback data acquired by various sensors within the washer/dryer assembly 10.

If the drum fill percentage is below the lower limit of the optimal range, the controller 30 may cause the visual display 34 and/or the audible device 32 to generate an indicator indicating that it is below the lower limit of the optimal range. Such indicators may also be provided via an application on a mobile electronic device, such as a smartphone. Similarly, if the percentage of roller fill is above the upper limit of the optimal range, the controller 30 may cause the visual display 34 and/or the audible device 32 (and/or the mobile electronic device) to generate an indicator that indicates that it is above the upper limit of the optimal range. The visual and/or audible indicators indicating that the laundry loading height is (i) within the optimal range, (ii) below the lower limit of the optimal range, and (iii) above the upper limit of the optimal range are preferably all different from each other. Preferably, the "below optimal range" indicator is configured to prompt a user to add additional laundry items to treatment chamber 18, and the "above optimal range" indicator is configured to prompt a user to remove laundry items from treatment chamber 18. One function of the system is to guide the user to place a quantity of laundry items into the treatment chamber 18 that falls within the determined optimal range before initiating treatment of the laundry items.

In addition to or in lieu of the above-described methods, the controller 30 may be configured to determine whether the load is within an optimal range upon completion of the drying function of the washer/dryer assembly 10 and provide post-completion visual or audible feedback to the user. For example, the controller 30 may be configured to monitor the elapsed time required to dry the load to a desired level. If the elapsed time exceeds a determined threshold, such as, for example, 1 hour, it may be determined that the load size exceeds the upper limit of the optimal load size. Other methods and/or sensors may be used to acquire data during or after the drying process to assess whether the actual load size is optimal for the drying function.

If it has been determined based on the acquired data that the actual load size exceeds the upper limit for the optimal load size, the user may be provided with post-completion feedback via the visual display 34 and/or the auditory device 32 or via other communication means, such as via an application on the mobile electronic device. Examples of post-completion feedback may include efficiency data for the drying function, potential energy/cost savings that may be realized via reduced load size, monthly reports of energy/cost savings, and various prompts and techniques and results for improving drying efficiency. Further, the determination of whether the amount of laundry exceeds the upper limit of the optimum amount of laundry for the drying function may be used by the controller 30 as feedback data to adjust the upper limit of the optimum range of laundry applied in the above method and in connection with fig. 5.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. This description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The various elements or features of a particular embodiment may also be varied in a number of ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. An automatic laundry treating apparatus comprising:

a cabinet body;

a treatment chamber located inside the cabinet, the treatment chamber configured to receive laundry;

at least one sensor mounted in the automatic laundry treating apparatus and configured to generate a signal indicative of a height of the laundry at a location within the treatment chamber; and

a communication device configured to communicate to a user whether the height of the laundry in the treatment chamber is below, within, or above a determined optimal range.

2. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is at least one of a visual display and an audible device.

3. The automatic laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor.

4. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a plurality of sensors.

5. The automatic laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is a plurality of time of flight (TOF) sensors.

6. The automatic laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication device is configured to communicate to a user whether an amount of laundry in said treatment chamber is below, within or above said determined optimal range before initiating treatment of said laundry.

7. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treating chamber is defined by a drum rotating about a horizontal axis.

8. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor is mounted to a non-rotating portion of the automatic laundry treating apparatus.

9. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a tub located within the cabinet, and wherein the at least one sensor is mounted to the tub.

10. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a bellows positioned between a tub in the automatic laundry treating apparatus and an opening configured to allow laundry to pass through, and wherein the last sensor is mounted to the bellows.

11. The automatic laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said automatic laundry treatment apparatus is configured to wash and dry laundry in said treatment chamber.

12. The automatic laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication means is further configured to communicate information regarding whether the amount of the laundry treated exceeds the optimum amount of the laundry to the user upon completion of the drying function based on the data acquired during the drying function.

13. The automatic laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said controller is configured to adjust said determined optimal range based on said data acquired during said drying function.

14. An automatic washer/dryer combination apparatus comprising:

a cabinet body;

a drum located inside the cabinet and configured to rotate about a horizontal axis;

a treatment chamber defined by an interior of the drum, the automatic washer/dryer assembly being configured to wash and dry laundry received in the treatment chamber;

a plurality of time-of-flight (TOF) sensors mounted on a non-rotating portion of the automatic washer/dryer combination apparatus and positioned to detect heights of laundry at different locations within the processing chamber; and

a communication device configured to generate a human-perceptible signal related to a load size of the laundry before initiating washing of the laundry.

15. A method of indicating a laundry load size in an automatic laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

determining a height of laundry in a treatment chamber of the automatic laundry treatment apparatus;

calculating a parameter representing a drum filling percentage from the height of the laundry;

determining whether the drum fill percentage is below, within, or above an optimal range;

generating a human perceptible signal indicative of whether the parameter indicative of drum fill percentage is below the optimal range, within the optimal range, or above the optimal range prior to treating the laundry.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the human perceptible signal is at least one of a visual signal and an audible signal.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the parameter indicative of drum fill percentage comprises calculating an average laundry height by averaging output signals of a plurality of sensors configured to determine a height of laundry at locations within the process chamber.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the parameter indicative of drum fill percentage further comprises applying a parametric regression function to the average laundry height.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor is a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of: communicating information regarding whether the processed laundry amount exceeds an optimal laundry amount to a user upon completion of the drying function based on data acquired during the drying function.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of: adjusting the determined optimal range based on the data acquired during the drying function.