Methods, equipment, and computer storage media for determining the washing status of commercial washing machines

Abstract

This application belongs to the field of electrical technology, specifically relating to a method, device, and computer storage medium for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine. The present invention aims to solve the problem that existing commercial washing machines cannot determine whether clothes have been removed after washing. The method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine provided by the present invention includes: receiving washing completion status information of the washing equipment; sending a first monitoring instruction to the washing equipment to detect the opening status of the drum door based on the washing completion status information; receiving drum door opening status information of the washing equipment; if the opening status information indicates that the drum door is open, sending a second monitoring instruction to the washing equipment to monitor whether clothes have been removed; if the opening status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for a set time, sending a cleaning instruction to the washing equipment. In this way, it is possible to determine whether clothes have been removed from the washing machine and whether the drum door is closed, solving the problem that commercial washing machines cannot determine the removal status of clothes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of electrical technology, specifically relating to a method, device, and computer storage medium for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of technology, shared devices are becoming increasingly common, and washing machines, as electrical appliances, are now a necessity in every household. In crowded public areas, shared washing machines have also provided a more convenient solution to people's laundry needs.

[0003] However, currently, after commercial washing machines finish processing clothes, the control platform cannot determine whether the clothes have been removed by the user, thus preventing further operation of the machine. This results in the washing machine being occupied for an extended period after the user has finished washing, or the machine remaining idle for a long time because the user has already removed the clothes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method, device, and computer storage medium for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine, in order to solve the problem in the prior art that commercial washing machines cannot determine whether the user has taken out the processed clothes.

[0005] On the one hand, this application provides a method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine, applied to a cloud platform, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive washing completion status information from the washing machine;

[0007] Based on the washing completion status information, a first monitoring command is sent to the washing equipment to detect the opening status of the drum door;

[0008] Receive information on the opening status of the washing machine's drum door;

[0009] If the status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring command is sent to the washing machine to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; if the status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for more than a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing machine.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention: the washing completion status information is used to indicate that the washing is complete and the clothes have been removed; the first monitoring command is used to indicate whether the washing machine drum door is closed.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention: the washing completion status information is used to indicate that the washing is complete and the clothes have not been removed; the first monitoring command is used to indicate whether the washing machine drum door is open.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention: the washing completion status information is used to indicate that the washing is complete and the clothes have not been removed, and the method further includes:

[0013] A notification message is sent to the user via the client or the washing machine to remind the user to remove the clothes from the drum.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the method further includes:

[0015] The user who received the notification message from the client or laundry equipment has viewed the message.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the method further includes:

[0017] Send a prompt to the user to close the drum door via the client or the washing machine. The prompt is used to instruct the user to close the drum door after taking out the clothes.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention: a cleaning instruction is used to instruct the washing machine to start a self-cleaning program, which is used to clean the inside of the washing machine drum.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present invention: the second monitoring command is used to instruct the washing equipment to call the humidity sensor to detect the humidity inside the drum. If the humidity inside the drum is less than the set threshold, it is determined that the clothes have been taken out.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a computer storage medium storing computer execution instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the washing status determination method of a commercial washing machine as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0021] Thirdly, the present invention provides an electronic device, comprising: a processor and a memory;

[0022] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0023] The processor is used to execute a computer program stored in the memory to implement the washing status determination method of the commercial washing machine as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0024] The washing status determination method, device, and computer storage medium for commercial washing machines provided in this application firstly receive washing completion status information from the washing machine via a cloud platform; then, based on the washing completion status information, a first monitoring command is sent to the washing machine to detect the drum door opening status; subsequently, the drum door opening status information from the washing machine is received; if the opening status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring command is sent to the washing machine to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; if the opening status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing machine. This method, by successively judging the washing completion status information and the drum door opening information, can more accurately determine whether the clothes inside the washing machine have been removed by the user from the washing drum, thus enabling the washing machine to continue executing subsequent program operations after the clothes have been removed. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0026] The preferred embodiment of the washing status determination method for a commercial washing machine of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application scenario for the washing status determination method of a commercial washing machine provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating the method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine provided by the present invention.

[0030] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0033] In this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0034] Washing machines, as common household appliances, save people a significant amount of time and energy on housework. While most families need to purchase one, for those living in shared public areas (such as schools, factories, apartments, and hotels), buying a washing machine is often impractical because they only need it for short periods. Based on this need, many commercial washing machines have emerged, allowing users to meet their short-term laundry needs for a minimal fee.

[0035] In the current technology, various types of commercial washing machines are emerging one after another. However, after the user finishes washing clothes, the control platform of the commercial washing machine cannot determine whether the commercial washing machine is empty. Therefore, it is impossible to perform subsequent operations on the commercial washing machine.

[0036] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a method, device, and computer storage medium for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine. By monitoring the washing completion status information and drum door opening status information of the washing equipment, and comprehensively judging the two statuses, it is possible to accurately determine whether the commercial washing equipment has been emptied and the drum door closed, thereby facilitating the equipment to perform the next operation.

[0037] The principles and features of the embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only used to explain the embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of an application scenario for a method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine, including: a commercial washing machine, a cloud platform, and client devices.

[0039] "Commercial washing machines" refer to laundry equipment used in commercial settings. They are typically found in factories, self-service laundromats, hotel laundromats, apartment laundromats, or school laundromats. Users pay for the laundry service using methods such as coins, cards, or QR codes. Commercial washing machines not only wash clothes but may also include other functions such as sterilization and drying.

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the text, S1 is a commercial washing machine: used to wash clothes, it can interact with the cloud platform to report the device status to the cloud platform, and the cloud platform sends subsequent operation procedures to the device based on the reported information.

[0041] S2 is a client device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, or smartwatch, used to receive information pushed by the cloud platform and upload the processed information status to the cloud platform.

[0042] Cloud platform: It can interact with commercial washing machines and client devices, and send information obtained from the washing equipment to the client devices.

[0043] For example, when a user needs to use the washing machine, they can operate it directly. After the washing machine finishes washing clothes, it uploads its status to the cloud platform. The cloud platform then pushes a message to the client based on the washing machine's status information. The client device prompts the user to perform corresponding operations. After the user performs the operation on the client and processes the prompt message, the client uploads the user's operation status to the cloud platform, which then sends a running program to the device for subsequent operations. Alternatively, the user can directly view the prompt message on the washing machine and operate according to the prompt message.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine, as provided in this embodiment. Applied to a cloud platform, the method specifically includes the following steps:

[0045] S201. Receive washing completion status information from the washing machine.

[0046] The washing equipment mentioned here can include front-loading washing machines, top-loading washing machines, washer-dryer combos, etc., and this embodiment is not limited to these. After the washing equipment completes the washing program, the user needs to remove the clothes from the washing machine drum. At this time, it is necessary to know the washing completion status information of the equipment. This washing completion status information can include two states: one is that the washing is complete and the clothes have been removed, and the other is that the washing is complete but the clothes have not been removed. The washing equipment needs to upload the current status information of the washing machine to the cloud platform, and the cloud platform receives the washing completion status information.

[0047] S202. Based on the washing completion status information, send a first monitoring command to the washing equipment to detect the opening status of the drum door.

[0048] In this step, the cloud platform sends corresponding monitoring instructions to the washing equipment based on the different washing completion status information received from the washing equipment.

[0049] The sending of monitoring instructions can be divided into two scenarios: when the monitoring indicates that the washing machine is finished and the clothes have been removed, the cloud platform sends a monitoring instruction to the washing machine to check whether the drum door is closed; when the monitoring indicates that the washing machine is finished but the clothes have not been removed, the cloud platform sends a monitoring instruction to the washing machine to check whether the drum door is open.

[0050] S203, Receive the drum door opening status information of the washing machine.

[0051] After the cloud platform sends a monitoring command to the washing machine, the washing machine needs to start detecting the status of the drum door. The detection result may be that the drum door is open or closed. Depending on the different statuses of the drum door detected, the cloud platform can send different subsequent commands to the washing machine.

[0052] S204. If the status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring command is sent to the washing machine to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; if the status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for more than a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing machine.

[0053] In this step, if the washing machine detects that the drum door is open, and the cloud platform receives this status information from the washing machine, it means that the user has opened the washing machine drum door. However, the platform does not know whether the clothes inside the drum have been removed, so further confirmation is needed. Therefore, the cloud platform will send a second monitoring command to the washing machine to continue monitoring whether the clothes have been removed. If the washing machine's drum door open status information indicates that the drum door is closed, and the set time has been exceeded, it means that the user has removed the clothes and closed the washing machine drum door. At this point, the cloud platform can directly send subsequent cleaning commands to the washing machine to clean the inner drum.

[0054] The set duration is pre-programmed. When the washing machine detects that the drum door is closed, the timer starts counting down. When the countdown exceeds the pre-set duration, the cloud platform sends a cleaning command to the washing machine. This timer can be either a mechanical timer or an electronic timer.

[0055] The washing status determination method for commercial washing machines provided in this embodiment receives washing completion status information from the washing equipment via a cloud platform; and sends a first monitoring command to the washing equipment to detect the drum door opening status based on the washing completion status information; by receiving the drum door opening status information from the washing equipment, subsequent commands are sent to the washing equipment based on the opening status information. When the opening status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring command is sent to the washing equipment to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; when the opening status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing equipment. This solves the problem that existing commercial washing machines cannot determine whether the clothes in the drum have been removed after washing, thus preventing the execution of subsequent cleaning programs.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating Embodiment 2 of the commercial washing machine washing status determination method provided by the present invention. Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further sends prompt information to the user through the client or washing equipment, and receives corresponding notification information from the client or washing equipment indicating that the user has performed an operation. At the same time, the status of the drum door is monitored. Through dual prompt monitoring, it can effectively ensure that the user has indeed taken out the clothes and closed the drum door.

[0057] The method specifically includes the following steps:

[0058] S301, Receive washing completion status information from the washing machine.

[0059] In the previous embodiment, the washing completion status information included two states: one was that the washing was complete and the clothes had been removed, and the other was that the washing was complete but the clothes had not been removed. In this step, the washing completion status information here is used to indicate that the washing machine has completed washing the clothes but has not removed the clothes from the drum.

[0060] S302. Send a prompt message to the user via the client or washing machine, which prompts the user to take the clothes out of the drum.

[0061] The cloud platform receives a status message from the washing machine indicating that the clothes have finished washing but have not yet been retrieved. At this point, the user needs to be reminded to collect the clothes from the washing machine. This reminder can be sent either through the washing machine itself or via a client application. If the user is near the washing machine, they can confirm the message on the machine. If the user is not near the washing machine, they can view the message sent from the cloud platform to their client device and perform the corresponding actions.

[0062] The client device can be a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc. The cloud platform can push information in various ways; for example, by downloading the corresponding software on the client device, it can push notifications to the message notification bar to remind the user to pick up their clothes, or it can send a text message to remind the user to do so.

[0063] S303: Receive notification information from the client or washing machine indicating that the user has viewed the message.

[0064] After receiving a notification from the cloud platform, the client or washing machine prompts the user to retrieve the clothes. The user then clicks on the notification to view it. Upon this action, the terminal device uploads the user's viewing status to the cloud platform. Once the cloud platform receives this status, it understands that the washing machine has completed the wash cycle and the clothes are ready to be retrieved, and the user will proceed to the washing machine to collect them.

[0065] S304. Send a prompt to the user to close the drum door via the client or washing machine. The prompt to close the drum door is used to instruct the user to close the drum door after taking out the clothes.

[0066] After users retrieve their clothes, they sometimes return to their residences, often leaving the washing machine door open or not properly closed. Therefore, after receiving a notification that the user has viewed the push notification, the cloud platform will send another notification to the user to confirm whether they have retrieved their clothes and closed the drum door.

[0067] This notification can also be sent to the client or the laundry equipment. Users can decide which method to use based on their distance from the laundry equipment. If they are close to the laundry equipment, they can view the information through the equipment; if they are close to the client device, they can choose to view the notification message on the client device.

[0068] After receiving the information pushed by the cloud platform, users confirm their clothing removal and whether they closed the drum door after removing the clothes. If the user has removed the clothes and confirmed that the drum door is closed, they confirm by clicking the confirmation message pushed by the cloud platform on the washing machine or client device. When the push message prompts "Have you removed the clothes and closed the drum door?", the user clicks the confirmation button. The washing machine or client device then uploads the user's click status to the cloud platform. At this point, it can be highly likely that the device has been emptied and the washing machine drum door is closed.

[0069] S305. Based on the washing completion status information, send a command to the washing equipment to detect whether the drum door is open.

[0070] Human error is unavoidable; for example, upon seeing a push notification on their phone asking them to confirm "Close the drum door," the user might click "Confirm" without actually closing the door, or the door might be closed but not properly. In such cases, the washing machine cannot perform subsequent cleaning programs. Therefore, the cloud platform needs to monitor the status of the washing machine drum door to detect whether it is open. The drum door status can be detected using sensors. Only when the drum door is actually detected to be closed is the washing machine considered to have emptied and closed the drum door.

[0071] S306. Receive the drum door opening status information of the washing machine.

[0072] After the cloud platform sends a monitoring command to the washing equipment, the washing equipment uses sensors to detect the status of the drum door. Once the sensors detect that the drum door is in an open or closed state, they transmit the relevant status information to the cloud platform. The cloud platform receives this status information and sends different subsequent operation commands to the equipment based on the status information fed back by the equipment.

[0073] S307. If the status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring command is sent to the washing machine to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; if the status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for more than a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing machine.

[0074] After clothes are removed from the washing machine, the equipment needs to be cleaned to maintain internal hygiene and ensure safe use by the next user. Once the cloud platform determines that the washing machine is empty and the drum door is closed, it sends the subsequent operating program to the washing machine, such as drum self-cleaning or other self-cleaning programs. Upon receiving the program from the cloud platform, the washing machine can then execute the following operations.

[0075] In this step, if the cloud platform receives a notification from the device that the drum door is open, it sends a monitoring command to the washing machine to check if the clothes have been removed. This command instructs the washing machine to activate the humidity sensor to detect the humidity inside the drum. When the humidity inside the drum is detected to be below a set threshold, it is determined that the clothes have been removed. If the cloud platform receives a notification from the device that the drum door is closed and this condition persists for a set period, it sends a cleaning command to the washing machine to initiate cleaning procedures such as drum self-cleaning.

[0076] The washing status determination method for commercial washing machines provided in this embodiment sends a clothes-removal prompt message to the user via a client or washing machine, and receives a notification message from the client or washing machine indicating that the user has viewed the prompt message. After the user views the message, a door-closing prompt message is sent to the user. Simultaneously, the cloud platform sends a command to the device to activate the humidity sensor to monitor the humidity inside the drum. Through these two prompts, combined with drum door status detection and drum humidity detection, and through both human confirmation and washing machine detection, this method effectively solves the problem of existing commercial washing machines being unable to determine whether clothes have been removed from the drum after washing, thus preventing the execution of subsequent cleaning programs. This enhances the safety of the washing machine during subsequent operations.

[0077] This application provides a computer storage medium storing computer execution instructions; when executed by a processor, the computer execution instructions are used to implement the washing status determination method of a commercial washing machine as shown in any of the above embodiments.

[0078] This application provides an electronic device, including: a processor and a memory;

[0079] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0080] The processor is used to execute the addition calculation program stored in the memory to implement the washing status determination method of the commercial washing machine shown in any of the above embodiments.

[0081] The technical solutions of this application have been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is readily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of this application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A method for determining the washing status of a commercial washing machine, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive washing completion status information from the washing machine; the washing completion status information is used to indicate that washing is complete and the clothes have not been removed. The system sends a prompt message to the user via the client or the washing machine, the prompt message being used to prompt the user to remove the clothes from the drum; The client or the washing machine may send a prompt to the user to close the drum door, which is used to instruct the user to close the drum door after taking out the clothes. Based on the washing completion status information, a first monitoring command is sent to the washing equipment to detect the drum door opening status; Receive the drum door opening status information of the washing machine; If the opening status information indicates that the drum door is open, a second monitoring instruction is sent to the washing machine to monitor whether the clothes have been removed; the second monitoring instruction is used to instruct the washing machine to call the humidity sensor to detect the humidity inside the drum, and if the humidity inside the drum is less than a set threshold, it is determined that the clothes have been removed; If the opening status information indicates that the drum door has been closed for a set time, a cleaning command is sent to the washing machine.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The washing completion status information is used to indicate that the washing is complete and the clothes have been removed; the first monitoring command is used to instruct whether the drum door is closed.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The washing completion status information is used to indicate that the washing is complete and the clothes have not been removed; the first monitoring command is used to instruct the detection of whether the drum door is open.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives a notification from the client or the laundry device that the user has viewed the prompt message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The cleaning instruction is used to instruct the washing machine to start a self-cleaning program, which is used to clean the inside of the washing machine drum.

6. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, The computer storage medium stores computer execution instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory mentioned above is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to execute the addition calculation program stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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