EP3252198A1 - Système de distribution de détergent à plusieurs matériaux de détection - Google Patents

Système de distribution de détergent à plusieurs matériaux de détection Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3252198A1
EP3252198A1 EP17172961.9A EP17172961A EP3252198A1 EP 3252198 A1 EP3252198 A1 EP 3252198A1 EP 17172961 A EP17172961 A EP 17172961A EP 3252198 A1 EP3252198 A1 EP 3252198A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
reservoir
controller
sensor
cleaning agent
contents
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP17172961.9A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Michael Kuniavsky
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.)
Palo Alto Research Center Inc
Original Assignee
Palo Alto Research Center Inc
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 Palo Alto Research Center Inc filed Critical Palo Alto Research Center Inc
Publication of EP3252198A1 publication Critical patent/EP3252198A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
    • D06F39/02—Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
    • 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
    • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
    • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
    • D06F33/32—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
    • D06F33/37—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of metering of detergents or additives
    • 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
    • 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
    • D06F34/22—Condition of the washing liquid, e.g. turbidity
    • 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
    • D06F2103/20—Washing liquid condition, e.g. turbidity
    • 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
    • D06F2105/42—Detergent or additive supply
    • 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
    • D06F34/28—Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
    • 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
    • D06F35/00—Washing machines, apparatus, or methods not otherwise provided for
    • D06F35/005—Methods for washing, rinsing or spin-drying
    • D06F35/006—Methods for washing, rinsing or spin-drying for washing or rinsing only

Definitions

  • This disclosure relates to detergent dispensing systems, more particularly to detergent dispensing systems using a learning system.
  • Clothing or other washable items get dirty from a wide variety of materials, making consumers decide which products to use, how much of each product to use, and when to apply it.
  • the availability of so many products and conflicting instructions leads to guesswork, detergent overuse and consumer frustration.
  • Some effective cleaning products are too expensive to distribute in large quantities so they are not used. Consumers have to decide for themselves which cleaning products will work for them and manually add them.
  • Detergent overuse leads to that detergent being in the waste water.
  • Detergent manufacturers estimate that the equivalent of 1100 wash loads are started every second of every day. So many people over pour detergent that some washing machines have sensors that add extra rinse cycles just to wash off the extra detergent. This also wastes enormous quantities of water.
  • Some machines have bulk chemical dispensers that pre-measure detergent. However, they typically dispense a single detergent and only vary the quantity. In addition, these machines may cost more.
  • One embodiment is a washing machine having a reservoir configured to hold materials to be washed, the reservoir positioned to receive water from a water source, a drain pipe connected to the reservoir, at least two cleaning agent dispensers, a controller connected to the cleaning agent dispensers, the controller arranged to control water flow into and out of the reservoir, and dispensing of agents from the cleaning/conditioning agent dispenser, and at least one sensor arranged to sense contents of one of either the water or materials to be washed and communicate the contents to the controller, the controller to dispense agents based upon the contents.
  • Another embodiment is method of dispensing agents that includes receiving signals from at least one sensor, wherein the signals provide information about soil in a reservoir, using the information to select appropriate cleaning agents from a set of cleaning agents, and dispensing selected cleaning agents into the reservoir.
  • FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a washing machine 10.
  • washing machine as used here means any machine that can apply water and cleaners to items undergoing cleaning.
  • Washing machines typically have a reservoir such as 12, also referred to as a drum, into which the items to be washed are placed.
  • typical washing machines have a drain pipe or hose such as 14 that drains the water from the reservoir during various stages of the wash cycle.
  • the filling of the reservoir from one or more water pipes or hoses generally occurs under control of a controller such as 18.
  • User inputs from a control panel such as 22 determine the cycles of filling and draining.
  • the control panel will typically have a display 25 and users can provide inputs to the control panel about water temperature, material types such as delicates, permanent press, heavy duty, etc. through buttons such as 24.
  • the controller 18 receives inputs from a sensor 16 that resides in one of several places, all referenced as 16, allowing it to sense materials in the 'greywater.
  • Greywater generally means household waste water, in this case the drain water from the washing machine.
  • the washing machine may perform a pre-rinse cycle that wets the items being washed, or it may use other methods (optical analysis, gas sensing, etc.) to identify the contents of undesirable elements in the laundry.
  • the term "items” refers to the items in the reservoir being washed
  • materials refer to the materials in the dirt or soil on the items.
  • the sensor 16 may consist of a spectrographic, turbidity, chemical, light, or electrical sensor. As the rinse water passes by the sensor, or comes into contact with the sensor, it analyzes the water to determine the materials in the dirt on the items. This information allows the controller 18 to determine which cleaning agents to apply.
  • the cleaning agents may include, but are not limited to, detergents, soaps, bleaches including color-safe bleaches, and pre-treatments, either oxygen-based or other. Some cleaning agents would typically cost too much to exist in typical washing machines, but with the limited size and accuracy of the dispenser, may be available in this format.
  • the senor may reside on the items being washed, similar to a radio frequency ID (RFID) tag.
  • RFID radio frequency ID
  • the user may purchase the sensors and attach them to their clothes prior to putting them in the reservoir, or may have one or more included with the washing machine that the user can attach to a single item being washed, as well as many other possibilities. Regardless of the location or disposition of the sensors, they provide valuable information to the controller. As will be discussed in more detail further, the information allows the controller to select the proper cleaning agents based on the materials sensed in the greywater.
  • the three possible positions shown as dashed lines are in the drain pipe 14, in the reservoir 12 near the drain pipe, or on the materials being washed 26.
  • the sensor may detect the presence of materials in the soil or dirt without requiring greywater. The sensor may detect it just from the materials' presence in the drum.
  • the controller electrically couples to cartridges in the dispenser 20, shown in more detail in Figure 2 .
  • the cartridges may consist of user-replaceable cartridges similar to those used in ink-jet printers.
  • the electrical signals from the controller cause the selected cartridge or cartridges to dispense a measured amount of cleaning agent.
  • the amount may result from the signal being applied to the cartridge for a pre-determined time, or may be applied in multiple pulses, where each pulse dispenses a set amount. In the latter embodiment, the amount dispensed results from the number of pulses applied.
  • FIG 2 shows an embodiment of the cartridges from which the agents are dispensed.
  • the dispenser 28 may pull out from the slot 20 similar to dispensers in current washing machines. However, this dispenser contains multiple cartridges similar to ink-jet printers.
  • each cartridge 30 contains one of many different cleaning agents. As will be discussed in more detail with regard to Figure 3 , the controller will select which agents the machine will dispense into the reservoir.
  • Each cartridge 30 has a dispensing portion 32 that allows the cleaning agent to exit the cartridge into the reservoir 12 through the pipe 23 of Figure 1 .
  • Multiple dispensers such as 30 and 34, may reside in the holder. The user should be able to easily remove and replace cartridges as needed.
  • the controller 18 sends a signal or signals through an electrical connection 37 to a contact pad 36. When mounted in the dispenser tray, a matching pad 38 on the dispenser 30 makes contact with the contact pad 36 that receives the signal. When the controller sends a signal to the contact pad such as 36 corresponding to a particular dispenser, the dispenser drops an amount of the agent contained in the dispenser.
  • Each dispenser may be of a different size, depending upon the likelihood of the agent being used, or its potency, cost, etc.
  • the communication may be two-way with a feedback from the dispenser that identifies when the agent level drops below a certain level to allow the controller to notify the user for replacement.
  • FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of one embodiment of a method of dispensing agents based upon the information obtained from the sensor.
  • the items being washed are pre-rinsed.
  • the controller causes water to be run through the reservoir and then drained by the controller.
  • the sensor senses the contents of the water and identifies the composition at 44.
  • the identification may occur in several different ways. For example, the sensor may just provide sensor data, such as spectrographic, weight, viscosity, etc., depending upon the type of sensor.
  • the controller may then access a look-up table or other type of memory to match the data to the composition of the dirt.
  • the controller then injects the appropriate agent or agents into the reservoir. This may involve determining which agent or agents will best clean the materials contained in the dirt from the items being washed. The determination may include how much of a particular agent is needed.
  • the control of the amount may involve activating the dispenser for a pre-determined time based upon the drop rate of the agent from the dispenser. The drop rate may depend upon the viscosity of the agent and therefore the time needed to drop a predetermined amount depends upon the drop rate.
  • the process may run in an open-loop fashion, where the controller injects the agent at 46 and the process ends.
  • the controller may receive feedback from the sensor from monitoring the sensor at 48. For example, assume the agent dispensed is supposed to remove a particular material from the items being washed, and the sensor only detects trace amounts of the material that was supposed to be removed. The controller would then update the storage to reflect that the agent is not to be used for that particular material in the dirt and stored it at 50.
  • the washing machine can provide better control over the user and dispensing of cleaning agents. This eliminates much of the over use of cleaning agents, and would lead to use of less water to clean the materials being washed, but still getting them cleaner.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
  • Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
  • Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
EP17172961.9A 2016-05-31 2017-05-25 Système de distribution de détergent à plusieurs matériaux de détection Withdrawn EP3252198A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15/168,815 US20170342634A1 (en) 2016-05-31 2016-05-31 Sensing multi-material detergent dispensing system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3252198A1 true EP3252198A1 (fr) 2017-12-06

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EP17172961.9A Withdrawn EP3252198A1 (fr) 2016-05-31 2017-05-25 Système de distribution de détergent à plusieurs matériaux de détection

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US (1) US20170342634A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP3252198A1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2017213363A (fr)
KR (1) KR20170135680A (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10815606B2 (en) * 2018-03-01 2020-10-27 Haier Us Appliance Solutions, Inc. Washing machine appliance with smart dispense
DE102019002447B3 (de) * 2019-04-03 2020-09-24 Emz-Hanauer Gmbh & Co. Kgaa Haushalts-Wäschewaschgerät oder Geschirrspüler und optischer Sensor hierfür
CN113564866B (zh) * 2020-04-29 2024-02-06 重庆海尔滚筒洗衣机有限公司 基于洗涤水光谱分析的洗衣机控制方法及洗衣机

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20010049846A1 (en) * 2000-06-12 2001-12-13 Guzzi Brian Daniel Method and system for optimizing performance of consumer appliances
EP1318225A1 (fr) * 2001-12-07 2003-06-11 Unilever N.V. Dispositif automatique de distribution
KR20040008591A (ko) * 2002-07-19 2004-01-31 삼성전자주식회사 세탁기 및 세탁기의 세제 투입방법
US20080276964A1 (en) * 2007-05-07 2008-11-13 Whirlpool Corporation Wash cycles using oxidizing agents and sensors

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20010049846A1 (en) * 2000-06-12 2001-12-13 Guzzi Brian Daniel Method and system for optimizing performance of consumer appliances
EP1318225A1 (fr) * 2001-12-07 2003-06-11 Unilever N.V. Dispositif automatique de distribution
KR20040008591A (ko) * 2002-07-19 2004-01-31 삼성전자주식회사 세탁기 및 세탁기의 세제 투입방법
US20080276964A1 (en) * 2007-05-07 2008-11-13 Whirlpool Corporation Wash cycles using oxidizing agents and sensors

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Publication number Publication date
JP2017213363A (ja) 2017-12-07
US20170342634A1 (en) 2017-11-30
KR20170135680A (ko) 2017-12-08

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