EP2090689A1 - Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine - Google Patents

Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2090689A1
EP2090689A1 EP20080101718 EP08101718A EP2090689A1 EP 2090689 A1 EP2090689 A1 EP 2090689A1 EP 20080101718 EP20080101718 EP 20080101718 EP 08101718 A EP08101718 A EP 08101718A EP 2090689 A1 EP2090689 A1 EP 2090689A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
appliance
drum
washing
load
drying machine
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP20080101718
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP2090689B1 (de
Inventor
Thomas Tondorf
Volkart Kuerner
Stefanie Oberkirsch
Estewan Preissing
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Whirlpool Corp
Original Assignee
Whirlpool Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Whirlpool Corp filed Critical Whirlpool Corp
Priority to PL08101718T priority Critical patent/PL2090689T3/pl
Priority to EP08101718.8A priority patent/EP2090689B1/de
Publication of EP2090689A1 publication Critical patent/EP2090689A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP2090689B1 publication Critical patent/EP2090689B1/de
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F34/14—Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters
    • D06F34/18—Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/04—Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/02—Characteristics of laundry or load
    • D06F2103/06—Type or material
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/40—Opening or locking status of doors
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/46—Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/46—Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
    • D06F2105/48—Drum speed
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/56—Remaining operation time; Remaining operational cycles
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/58—Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a washing or drying machine comprising a cabinet and a tub supporting a rotatable drum.
  • the knowledge of the load movements in a washer is crucial to set the optimum cycle parameters.
  • the optimum drum rotation speed to clean a small load is different from that of a large load as the falling movement pattern depends on the load size.
  • most appliances treat the laundry at a preset speed assuming a full load. While in the usual tumbling movement of the laundry the items of a near-full load are lifted up to the top of the drum and fall into the wash liquor from high above as intended by the designer, the items of a small-volume load may either perform an undesired rolling movement in the lower part of the drum, or may cling to the drum wall and not perform a falling movement at all.
  • the load size can be estimated from the load soakability measured with a flow meter in combination with a level sensor, or from motor torque or other motor parameters.
  • the electronic control unit of the appliance comprises a device for generating and emitting an alternating electrical field in the area of the cabinet (i.e. towards the inside of the appliance) and a receiver adapted to detect changes of the alternating field transmission.
  • the alternating electrical field is preferably a quasistatic, very long-wave electric field at frequency close to 100 kHz, even if other kinds of electrical fields may be used as well.
  • the quasistatic, very long-wave electric field is disclosed in WO-A-2007/000353 .
  • This field is generated by a field emitter consisting of a current source, an oscillator and a modulator.
  • a coupling interface 10 ( figure 1 ), e.g. a plate made of copper or other metal, the maximum of the electric field strength is directed towards a particular space inside the appliance, as shown by dotted lines in figure 1 .
  • the capacitance within this space can be changed by:
  • a dynamic change of the capacitance will be initiated by:
  • the electric field generator G is placed inside the cabinet C of the appliance, e.g. inside a control part (main control board, user interface, or another control unit) of a domestic or commercial washer, laundry dryer, or washer-dryer.
  • the field maximum is directed towards the space inside the appliance cabinet, e.g. inside the drum or tub T of a laundering appliance A.
  • the static or dynamic capacitance can be measured by determining the change of the electric field transmission through a second coupling interface 14 ( figure 1 ) and the signal receiver 12.
  • detection of changes in the electric field can also be realized with remotely accessible data media, preferably in the form of zero power switches (ZPS), which can be mounted to the moving parts of the appliance to be investigated.
  • ZPS zero power switches
  • the electric field generator G is used as a ZPS server providing the field energy to operate a low-cost capacitive switch with very low, near-zero power take-up.
  • the zero power switch consists of a coupling interface and an oscillator with a constant frequency output in the range from 0 to 10 kHz. This constant frequency can be used as a signature for identifying the respective ZPS and distinguishing it from noise signals and/or from other ZPSs in the same machine or other machines situated nearby.
  • the ZPS When the ZPS is approaching an electrode, the ZPS will execute a switching process, whereupon it will couple an electromagnetic signal of its characteristic frequency back into the field.
  • the change in the electric field initiated by the ZPS switching can be detected by a signal receiver 12 and evaluated in a control.
  • a Fast Fourier Transform the frequency emitted by the ZPS can be identified.
  • a ZPS can function as a transducer which provides coupling interfaces to take up a field amplitude signal and pass the amplitude information on to the ZPS server.
  • a first coupling interface 10 ("2 nd electrode” in figure 4 ) of the ZPS is acting as a receiver.
  • a second coupling interface (“3 rd electrode” in figure 4 ) of the ZPS acts as an emitter that initiates a field modification the amplitude of which is a measure of the amplitude received.
  • the size and/or pattern of field modifications through this process can be detected by the signal receiver 12, passed on to the appliance control and compared to amplitudes and/or patterns stored in the appliance control (for instance as look up tables) for a selection of cases.
  • a preferred method makes use of zero power switches (ZPS) which can be mounted to the lifters of the drum or at other places inside drum to detect if laundry is sticking to the drum wall or falling in the desired manner.
  • ZPS zero power switches
  • the electric field generator is used as a ZPS server providing the field energy to operate a low-cost capacitive switch with very low, near-zero power take-up.
  • the zero power switch consists of a coupling interface and an oscillator with a fixed frequency output in the range from 0 to 10 kHz. This fixed frequency is functioning as an identification signature.
  • the ZPS will execute a switching process, whereupon it will couple an electromagnetic signal of its characteristic frequency back into the field.
  • the change in the electric field initiated by the ZPS switching can be detected by a signal receiver and evaluated in a control.
  • a Fast Fourier Transform the frequency emitted by the ZPS can be identified. If each lifter is equipped with one or two ZPSs, it can be detected after how long a laundry item resting on a lifter is leaving its place at the drum wall and starting to fall down.
  • the patterns of ZPS switching sequences for the following cases are stored in the appliance control:
  • the measured signal patterns are compared against stored patterns and the control unit of the appliance can react as follows:
  • a washing or drying machine according to the present invention can use the electrical field inside the cabinet C also for other purposes, which can be considered as advantageous side effects of the technical solution according to the invention.
  • the detection of bad levelling of the appliance is one of the most interesting.
  • the consumer When putting up a washer, dryer, or washer-dryer in a household, the consumer is expected to level the appliance by adjusting the height of the appliance feet. This is not always done successfully. Some consumers will not even attempt to level the appliance, either because they are not conscious that this is necessary, or because they forget it, or because they have difficulty in doing so. The adjusting of the appliance feet may be difficult if the appliance is heavy and/or it is put up in a narrow space.
  • Some consumers will attempt to level the appliance but not be wholly successful; there are cases known of consumers who are placing small supports of wood, metal, plastic or other unsuitable items under the appliance feet to level them, instead of actually changing the height of the feet. These items will break or slip from under the appliance feet e.g. when the appliance is spinning. When the appliance is spinning with a heavy, unevenly distributed load (heavy unbalance), it may slip from its original position unless it is fixed to the floor with screws. If the floor is very uneven, the appliance may not be well levelled any more even if the original levelling was good. This is especially the case with wooden floors which will strongly vibrate under the oscillations of the appliance.
  • the behaviour of the signal during spinning is also indicative of:
  • Detection is accomplished with ZPSs mounted to the wash unit. Preferred positions of the ZPSs are as follows:
  • Another side effect of a washing or drying machine according to the invention is the detection of bodies inside the drum of the machine, for instance a child or a domestic animal.
  • State-of-the-art safety provisions are especially implemented in appliances sold to the United States of America, due to the product liability regulations in this country. They include:
  • the alternating electrical field already used for detecting the load or the load movement inside the drum can be also used for detecting the accidental presence of living bodies inside the drum, therefore providing a secure child and animal protection system which detects the presence of such a creature inside an appliance, warns the user about the child or animal in the appliance, blocks the start of the appliance as long as there is a child or animal inside and does not run a routine to warn a child in the appliance unless there is actually a child or animal inside.
  • the electrical impedance of the body of a human of child size or of an animal of pet size lies within a known range around 1 k ⁇ , depending on:
  • This impedance range corresponds to a conductivity range.
  • the capacitance change initiated by the presence of a child or pet in an appliance can be calculated or measured with artificial samples representing the same conductivity range.
  • the range of possible field changes that may be caused by the presence of a child or animal inside the drum of the appliance can be stored in the appliance control.
  • the field change detected by the signal receiver is fed to the appliance control and compared to the range of field changes stored for the presence of a child or animal. If the detected value lies within this range, the appliance is blocked from starting and a warning message is displayed on the user interface or a warning sound given out.
  • An override function can be foreseen to enable the user to start the appliance if he is sure that there is only e.g. laundry inside. This is important because e.g. a load of moist laundry may have impedance that lies within the same range as the impedance of a child or pet.
  • Another technical problem that can be easily solved by a washing or drying machine according to the invention is the detection of the door configuration (open or close).
  • Horizontal-axis laundering appliances (washers, dryers, or washer-dryers) cannot be started until the door is securely closed. Otherwise laundry would fall out of the appliance and water would flow out. Therefore such appliances have a closed-door detection.
  • the common known solution is a mechanical hook or pin which will move a slider when it snaps in place at the closing of the door.
  • the slider will initiate an electrical switching process.
  • the switching signal is passed on to the appliance control to release the start function.
  • a zero power switch can be attached to a point of the door which will only touch the door frame when the door is securely closed, e.g. the point opposite of the hinges.
  • a counter electrode is mounted to the door frame at the corresponding location. When the door is closed, the ZPS location of the door will touch the counter electrode location in the frame. This will initiate a switching event coupling the ZPS characteristic frequency into the quasistatic electric field, which can be detected by the signal receiver and fed to the appliance control for identification with Fast Fourier Transform methods.
  • a ZPS is used with amplitude evaluation.
  • Hardware is the same as in the above first solution, but the door position is determined by evaluating a change of amplitude.
  • the change of distance between the ZPS and the counter electrode (“conductive material” in figure 4 ) causes a change of electric field amplitude at the moving location of the ZPS.
  • the information on the size of the field modification is coupled back into the field by the ZPSs coupling interfaces ( 2 nd and 3 rd electrodes in figure 4 ) and can be detected by the signal receiver, passed on to the appliance control and compared to amplitudes (lookup table or curve) stored in the appliance control for various opening angles of the door.
  • the opened or closed position of the appliance door has a very significant influence on the quasistatic electric field.
  • the impact of the door usually surmounts the influence of laundry on the electric field by far. This effect is due to:
  • the effect of the door position on the field and its influence on the signal detected by the signal receiver, with different amounts and types of laundry inside the drum, can be measured during the development and design of the appliance. These data can be stored in the appliance control and compared to the actual signal detected by the receiver ahead of the start of a wash or dry cycle. If this type of closed door detection is to be implemented it is important that the maximum of electric field amplitude be directed to the point on the door frame towards which the door closes, in order to achieve a reliable distinction between a door left ajar and a securely closed door.
  • the solution according to the present invention may also be used for detecting the working condition of a drain pump used in the washing machine, particularly for detecting when air is present in the drain pump.
  • the outlet of the appliance can be equipped with a zero power switch.
  • the switching power of the zero power switch is chosen in such a way that it is surpassed only when the ZPS location is covered in water.
  • the ZPS switching process will couple its characteristic frequency into the field only if the drain pump is not transporting air.
  • the absence of this ZPSs characteristic frequency - indicative of the drain pump running dry - can be detected through the signal receiver and identified by the appliance control with a Fast Fourier Transform. On detection, the draining can be stopped. If the detection of air transport occurs during spinning, the spinning can be interrupted for e.g. 15 seconds.
  • a further advantage of the present invention is that a dry load can be distinguished from a wet load through the large difference in electrical impedance. This information can be applied as an input for load detection.
  • Common detection methods for the load amount in washers rely on the soakability of the load measured with a flow meter in combination with a water level sensor. These measurements are distorted if the user loads the washer with moist or wet laundry, which is often the case. E.g. consumers usually will not dry their wet bath towels, rain-soaked garments, or wet floor cloths before washing them.
  • the method does not require cables between the location of measurement (e.g. wash unit, appliance door) and the appliance control. Therefore it is cost-effective (no added cost of cables, plugs, cable fixations, assembly) and it is robust (no signal disturbances from antenna effect of cables or from the changing capacitance of a swinging cable). This is an important advantage especially if sensors are mounted to moving parts. In the case of moving or vibrating parts no stiff wiring is possible between the part and the appliance control. State-of-the-art methods of avoiding signal disturbances stemming from cables include the use of bus systems for signal transfer, but bus systems add cost and complexity.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
EP08101718.8A 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine Not-in-force EP2090689B1 (de)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PL08101718T PL2090689T3 (pl) 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 Pralka i/albo suszarka
EP08101718.8A EP2090689B1 (de) 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP08101718.8A EP2090689B1 (de) 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2090689A1 true EP2090689A1 (de) 2009-08-19
EP2090689B1 EP2090689B1 (de) 2015-11-04

Family

ID=39773159

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP08101718.8A Not-in-force EP2090689B1 (de) 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 Wasch- und/oder Trockenmaschine

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2090689B1 (de)
PL (1) PL2090689T3 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2010000861A1 (en) * 2008-07-04 2010-01-07 Ident Technology Ag Capacitive sensor device
DE102021104990A1 (de) 2021-03-02 2022-09-08 Miele & Cie. Kg Verfahren zum Betreiben eines Haushaltgerätes und Haushaltgerät

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5161393A (en) * 1991-06-28 1992-11-10 General Electric Company Electronic washer control including automatic load size determination, fabric blend determination and adjustable washer means
EP1225267A1 (de) * 2001-01-22 2002-07-24 Whirlpool Corporation Wasch und/oder Trocknungsvorrichtung
EP1441056A1 (de) * 2003-01-22 2004-07-28 Whirlpool Corporation Waschmaschine
EP1452636A2 (de) * 2003-02-28 2004-09-01 WRAP S.p.A. System und Vorrichtung zur Behandlung, insbesondere zum Waschen, von Textilien
WO2007000353A2 (de) 2005-06-29 2007-01-04 Ident Technology Ag Schaltungseinrichtung zur abwicklung eines datentransfers

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5161393A (en) * 1991-06-28 1992-11-10 General Electric Company Electronic washer control including automatic load size determination, fabric blend determination and adjustable washer means
EP1225267A1 (de) * 2001-01-22 2002-07-24 Whirlpool Corporation Wasch und/oder Trocknungsvorrichtung
EP1441056A1 (de) * 2003-01-22 2004-07-28 Whirlpool Corporation Waschmaschine
EP1452636A2 (de) * 2003-02-28 2004-09-01 WRAP S.p.A. System und Vorrichtung zur Behandlung, insbesondere zum Waschen, von Textilien
WO2007000353A2 (de) 2005-06-29 2007-01-04 Ident Technology Ag Schaltungseinrichtung zur abwicklung eines datentransfers

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2010000861A1 (en) * 2008-07-04 2010-01-07 Ident Technology Ag Capacitive sensor device
US9074310B2 (en) 2008-07-04 2015-07-07 Ident Technology Ag Capacitative sensor device
DE102021104990A1 (de) 2021-03-02 2022-09-08 Miele & Cie. Kg Verfahren zum Betreiben eines Haushaltgerätes und Haushaltgerät

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
PL2090689T3 (pl) 2016-02-29
EP2090689B1 (de) 2015-11-04

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