EP2205786B1 - Method of, and a device for, evaluating information regarding a treatment agent in a washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for utilizing information about a treatment agent which is held ready for use in a transport or storage container for batchwise dosing, which information is contained in a machine-readable manner in an information carrier which is associated with the transport - Reservoir is connected, and the laundry treating machine includes a reading device which extracts the information of the information carrier in the case of its proximity to the reading device from the information carrier and passes it on to a control device, which in an appropriate manner and at appropriate times of a laundry treatment program individually sized portions of the treatment agent introduces into the treatment process

In the DE 33 03 292 A1 A method and apparatus for inputting data to an electronic control device will be described with superfluous washing or rinsing agents held in transport containers. Therein, the transport containers have data labels containing information about the type and / or concentration of the detergent or rinsing agent. The content of this label is read by means of a reading device in the control device of the dosing device. The known method assumes that transport containers are provided with a glued-on or mechanically-connected part in which eye-possibly unreadable but machine-readable information with an above-mentioned content is stored. This may be magnetically, optically or electrically readable information. Originally, such information was contained in a bar code representation, and later proposals were also made to integrate such information into mechanically coded plug-in cards or those with areas that are magnetic, optical or electrically readable. For example - DE 100 39 408 A1 [0013] - Such information can also be stored as electrically selectively readable frequency components of a so-called RFID or transponder, which are interrogated by a transponder reading device.

Out JP 2006 320472 A and JP 2005 211214 A is the labeling of textiles known to be subjected to laundry care processes.

In DE 102 60 144 A1 discloses a method for treating articles with at least one treatment agent in a household appliance, wherein the household appliance comprises a first part of an identification system, with the data of a second part of the identification system are identified, the information about the at least one treatment agent and / or via a Dosing device for dosing the at least one treatment agent. In this case, a packaging for the at least one treatment agent and / or the dosing device comprises the second part of the identification system. The treatment and / or dosage will be automatically adjusted to this information.

In EP 1 088 927 A1 discloses a dispenser for dishwashers or washing machines, which has a learning memory, which serves to differentiate the different treatment processes after a training phase.

The known methods, devices and measures for transmitting information about the washing or rinsing agent to be used are not suitable for interacting with the control device of the device in question for the use of the washing or rinsing agent, but also information about specifics when using the washing or rinsing agent. or detergent.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a method and a device of the type described in such a way that the information transmitted by the side of the treatment information to be supplemented by such information obtained in the use of this treatment agent and arise from experience with this treatment agent.

The invention achieves this object by a method specified in the characterizing portion of claim 1, according to which experiences gained during the treatment process when using the treatment agent are stored in the form of empirical information and kept ready for later applications of this treatment agent. Such a method can make the use of a laundry treating machine comfortable in such a way that the machine learns to adapt to the treatment agents used and the treatment programs automatically adapts to specifics of the treatment agents. As a result, interventions by a user of the laundry treatment machine due to their own, laboriously acquired experience in the form of adjustments to the treatment programs obsolete.

Although the experience information can be stored in the control device of the laundry treatment appliance and retrieved from there upon detection of the reused treatment agent for further processing; on the other hand, it seems more appropriate to transmit the empirical information to the information carrier in accordance with an advantageous development of the method according to the invention for the purpose of saving. The recognition of a supposedly already used In fact, the treatment agent can be faulty. Then, the stored experience information is assigned to another treatment agent, and the variation of the following treatment process based thereon is wrong and results in poor results of the treatment. However, if the empirical information has been transmitted back to the information carrier and stored there in accordance with an advantageous further development, then it is irrevocably and unequivocally assigned to the appropriate treatment agent.

It is also advantageous if the empirical information is transmitted as soon as an information carrier has been detected in the spatial vicinity of the reading device with information of the treatment agent concerning the empirical information. Then, experience information can be automatically assigned to the operator without special attention.

Advantageously, the empirical information relates to the respective dosing quantities, measured reactions from the treatment process, amount and type of the laundry to be treated and the respective selected or adjusted treatment programs themselves or their measurable parameters. In that case, the empirical information can advantageously be available for each further treatment process in the selection or setting of the same or at least one comparable treatment program for the dosage amounts and / or times adapted to the experiences or other variation of the treatment program. Such processes take place automatically and without any external recognizability. However, they may also be displayed by suitable optical and / or acoustic means on the laundry treating machine.

The empirical information can be processed in accordance with a further development of the method according to the invention. Then, as it were, a new set of programs will emerge, which should also be available for reuse with the same treatment. For this purpose, a newly formed based on experience information treatment program is stored as a custom program retrievable. Whenever the same treatment agent is used again, e.g. B. even with automatic dosing, this custom treatment program can be offered for selection first.

Perhaps experience information can be processed comparatively and / or program when first using another but similar treatment agent. As a result, the two comparable treatment agents are sorted into the same group, which form the program from always the same information about the experience or assign the same program to the treatment agent.

In a device which is to be suitable for carrying out the described method, the reading device on the laundry treatment device advantageously contains a transmitting device for transmitting empirical information. At this point, the laundry treatment machine has so far only contained a receiving device for information from the information carrier, for. B. from a transponder, which has transmitted the information with radio frequencies. In the same way, however, the empirical information from the laundry treatment machine can be transferred back to the transponder. The required transmitting device should be mounted in spatial proximity to the information carrier of the properly inserted within the laundry treating machine transport or storage container for the treatment agent. Then the experience information can be transmitted immediately and immediately to the information carrier.

Advantageously, the information carrier contains a receiver and a memory for the transmitted experience information. This experience information may be stored in the same or a different language as the original information about the treatment agent. Using a different language makes it easier to distinguish between the different categories of information. They are then addressed in different ways in order to make them distinguishable.

In order to take into account the empirical information obtained, the control device can contain assemblies which lead to the recognition of information-specific variations of a selected or set treatment program, and memories which are suitable for storing and restoring information-specific variations. It may also contain comparison means for recognizing a previously used treatment agent in are able to make the assignment to the information-specific variations from recognition.

Fig. 1

eine Waschmaschine in einer seitlichen Ansicht, wobei die innerhalb ihres Gehäuses 1 liegenden, wesentlichen Teile der leichteren Erkennbarkeit halber in Durchsicht gezeigt sind, mit einem Transport- oder Vorratsbehälter für ein Behandlungsmittel in Gegenüberstellung zu einer Leseeinrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine Frontansicht der Waschmaschine mit Darstellung von möglichen Positionen der erfindungsgemäßen Lese- und Sendeeinrichtung und

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht von oben auf eine Lagerschublade mit drei Positionen für in Transport- oder Vorratsbehältern gelagertes Behandlungsmittel für unterschiedliche Anwendungen.

Reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing, the invention is explained in more detail as a method and as a device thereto. Show it

Fig. 1

a washing machine in a side view, wherein the essential parts lying within its housing 1 are shown in phantom for the sake of easier identification, with a transport or storage container for a treatment agent in opposition to a reading device,

Fig. 2

a front view of the washing machine with representation of possible positions of the reading and transmitting device according to the invention and

Fig. 3

a top view of a storage bin with three positions for stored in transport or storage containers treatment agent for different applications.

The tub 2 a laundry treatment machine - here a washing machine - is mounted oscillating within the housing 1 in a manner not shown. It encloses a laundry drum 3, which can be driven at the rear via a belt drive 4 by an electric motor 5 which is suspended at the bottom of the tub 2. At the front, the laundry drum 3 and the tub 2 have aligned and approximately equally large feed openings 6, which are connected via a rubber sleeve 7 with a loading opening 9 in the housing 1. Through these openings, the laundry drum 3 can be loaded with clothes 15 and the clothes are unloaded from her. The loading opening 9 is closed for the operation of the washing machine with a door 8.

In a known from the prior art embodiment of a washing machine is located above the loading opening 9, a reading device 10, which is preferably designed as a transponder (RFID tags) recognizing reading device. With such a reading device, for example, provided with transponders laundry items can be detected, as in DE 197 47 150 A1 is described. With such a reading device 10 but also transponder 20 can be read, for example, a transport or storage container 19 for a treatment agent and contain information about the adjunctive treatment.

The read information can be forwarded via a data line 11 to a program control device 12, which serves for the acceptance and further processing of inputs by the customer in input devices 13 and for controlling the entire treatment process. In this program control device 12, the read information is also converted into recommendations for the selection and dosing of the treatment agent as a function of process parameters and displayed on a display display 14 (FIG. Fig. 2 ) readable.

Behind the in Fig. 2 shown control panel 16, the controller 12 is mounted. It can be supplied by the customer with desired parameters (program and additional parameter input) through the input elements 13 (rotary selector and keys). From this and from other values measured or sensed in the machine over the laundry items or fixed specifications, the controller 12 calculates a program composition for the treatment process and recommendations for the addition of treatment agents that the customer in transport or storage containers ( Fig. 3 ), which are located behind the panel 17 in the upper region of the machine housing 1.

The prerequisite for these recommendations is that the memory (not shown separately) of the control device 12 has received information about treatment agent, which has read a arranged according to the invention in spatial proximity reading device 18 to the transport or storage containers used by the information carriers 26 to 28. Thus, information about the stored treatment agent has been stored by actions of the customer when the washing machine is switched on. For this purpose, a reading device 18 is arranged in the vicinity of the storage drawer 21 behind the control panel 16 of the washing machine as shown in dashed lines. At this reading device 18, an information carrier 26 or 27 or 28 of a treatment agent can be read. Its information includes data about the treatment agent held in the container 22 or 23 or 24; they are now stored in the memory of the controller and for the treatment process currently being prepared as well as for later to be prepared treatment processes used. The data stored in the memory of the controller apply until they are replaced by new data for the respective treatment agent.

In the Fig. 3 From above shown storage drawer 21 is completely removed from its cavity in the housing 1 of the washing machine and gives the view of the transport or storage containers used from above 22, 23, and 24 for the provision of individual portions of treatment agents free. These treatment agents are composed differently and provided for different types of treatment processes. The transport or storage containers each contain a metering device 25, which doses the respective treatment agent and transported to the liquor container 2 at the request of the control device.

The reading device 18 itself can advantageously contain a transmitting device, by means of which empirical information can be transmitted to the information carriers 26 to 28 of the transport or storage containers 22 to 24. If this transfer is to take place as long as the transport or storage containers are properly inserted in the storage drawer 21 in order to be available for the operation of the dosage and addition of the treatment agent in the treatment process, the transmitting device must emit a correspondingly strong transmission signal. This transmission signal must then also have an identifier for the associated treatment agent, so that the experience signal is actually recorded only in the associated information carrier.

Instead of the combination of reading and transmitting device but also in the vicinity of the information carrier 26 to 28 of the properly used transport or storage containers 22 to 24 separately arranged transmitting device 29 ( Fig. 2 ), whose transmission signal may be considerably lower in power. If no separate transmission device is provided for each information carrier 26 to 28, however, the transmission signal must also have an identifier for distinguishing the associated treatment agent. Thus, the transport or storage containers used 22, 23 and 24 each carry a transponder 26, 27 and 28 on its upper side, which, when the storage drawer 21 is inserted, approaches a transmitting device 18 arranged above the transport or storage container.

As an alternative to this separate arrangement of reading and transmitting devices 18 and 29, however, a combined reading and transmitting device can be mounted at the location of the transmitting device 29, so that out of this position and without separate measures by the customer, the information carrier 26 to 28 at any time be queried by the controller 12 via the reading and transmitting device or experience information can be transmitted back to her.

For insertion of a transport or storage container 22 to 24, this is first passed past the reading device 18 behind the control panel 16, so that the information carrier 20 (or 26 to 28) can transmit its information concerning the treatment means to the control device 12 of the washing machine. There they are selectively stored. Thereafter, the transport or storage container is inserted into the specific compartment of the storage drawer 21 for him while hydraulically coupled with the addition system of the washing machine.

Alternatively, the transport or storage container 22 to 24 is used without further measures in the storage drawer 21 and this closed. Thereafter, a coupling of the information carrier 26 to 28 with the combined reading and transmitting device, which is attached at the location of the transmitting device 18, automatically produced. Now, as long as the transport or storage container is in the storage drawer 21, information can be exchanged between the information carrier and the reading and transmitting device.

After a metered portion of the treatment agent has been removed from one of the transport or storage containers 22 to 24 and supplied to the treatment process, this treatment agent can influence certain measurable parameters of the process deviating from an expected mean value such that an adaptation of the treatment process with respect to these Parameter deviation is required. As a result, experience information has arisen in the application of this treatment agent. Now the next treatment process to be carried out with the same treatment agent should also be carried out with this newly acquired empirical value, without the information from the information carrier having to be read out again separately. For this purpose, the experience information stored in the controller 12 of the washing machine and the already stored information about this one treatment agent to be assigned. As mentioned above, it is safer to transfer this information back to the information carrier; because this ensures the correct assignment automatically.

In order to retransfer the empirical information, a transmitting device is provided in the washing machine which may be part of the reading device 18 if the transmission signal is sufficiently strong to reach the transponder 26 or 27 or 28 of the transport or storage container inserted in the storage drawer 21. However, a more secure constellation is given by one or a respective transmitting device 29 for the transponder 26 to 28 in their immediate vicinity, namely above the transponder of the transport or storage container used 22 to 24 in the washing machine. Then the transmission signal must only be small and does not disturb any other signal receivers in the vicinity of the washing machine.

Claims (12)

1. Method of evaluating data concerning a treatment agent, which is kept in readiness in a transport or storage container (22 to 24), which is insertable into a laundry treatment machine, for admetering in doses, wherein these data are present in a machine-readable form in a data carrier (26 to 28), which is connected with the transport or storage container (22 to 24), and the laundry treatment machine includes a reader (18) which extracts from the data carrier (26 to 28) the data of the data carrier in the case of physical proximity thereof to the reader (18) and passes on the data to a control device (12), which introduces individually measured doses of the treatment agent into the treatment process in suitable manner and at suitable points of time of a laundry treatment program, characterised in that during the treatment process experience obtained through use of the treatment agent is stored in the form of experience data and kept in readiness for later occasions of use of this treatment agent.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the experience data are, for the purpose of storage, transferred to the data carrier (26 to 28).
3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that the experience data are transferred as soon as a data carrier (26 to 28) in the physical vicinity of the reader (18) with data of the treatment agent involved in the experience data has been recognised.
4. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the experience data relate to the respective dose amounts, measured reactions from the treatment process, quantity and kind of the laundry to be treated and the respectively selected or set treatment program itself or its measurable parameters.
5. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the experience data are made available for each further treatment process for the selection or setting of the same or at least one comparable treatment program for the dose quantities and/or dose time instants, or other variation of the treatment process, adapted to the experience.
6. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the experience data are processed to form a program.
7. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that a treatment program newly formed on the basis of experience data is stored as a customer-specific program able to be called up again.
8. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that experience data in the case of first use of another, but equivalent, treatment agent are processed comparably and/or to form a program.
9. Equipment for carrying out a method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the reader (18) at the laundry treatment appliance includes a transmitter (29) for transferring experience data to the data carrier (26 to 28) and that the data carrier (26 to 28) is constructed for storage of experience data.
10. Equipment for carrying out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that a transmitter (29) for transferring experience data to the data carrier (26 to 28) is mounted in physical proximity to the data carrier (26 to 28) of the transport or storage container (22 to 24), which is correctly inserted within the laundry treatment machine, for the treatment agent and that the data carrier (26 to 28) is constructed for storage of the experience data.
11. Equipment according to claim 9 or 10, characterised in that the data carrier (26 to 28) includes a receiver and a memory for the transferred experience data.
12. Equipment according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that the control device (12) includes subassemblies which lead to recognition of data-specific variations of a selected or set treatment program and memories which are suitable for the storage and keeping in readiness of data-specific variations.

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