Laundry-care-appliance door unit and laundry care appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to a laundry-care-appliance door unit (9) comprising: a door (2) designed to close a loading opening of a laundry care appliance; a camera (3); and a spectrometer (4), wherein the camera (3) and the spectrometer (4) are arranged on and / or in the door (2). The invention further relates to a laundry care appliance comprising: a housing (1); a drum (5) arranged in the interior of the housing (1), for receiving laundry; a loading opening provided in the housing (1), for loading the drum (5) with the laundry; and the laundry-care-appliance door unit (9), which is arranged and designed to close the loading opening during operation of the laundry care appliance.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Laundry care appliance door unit and laundry care appliance

[0003] The invention relates to a laundry care appliance door unit and a laundry care appliance. In particular, the invention relates to a laundry care appliance door unit and a laundry care appliance that includes the laundry care appliance door unit.

[0004] Parameterizing laundry care processes, such as appropriate program selection and detergent dosing in laundry care appliances, currently requires cognitive decisions and manual actions by the user. Suitable process parameterization requires knowledge of the properties of the laundry loaded into the laundry care appliance, its degree of soiling, and a mental model of the effects of washing process parameters such as temperature, spin speed, and detergent dosing. This allows for setting appropriate parameters on the laundry care appliance so that the laundry is washed gently while achieving good washing results.

[0005] This knowledge must first be acquired. Typically, this requires a significant amount of experience, which is particularly lacking among beginners and younger user groups. Without, with limited, or even incorrect knowledge, appropriate process parameterization cannot be guaranteed. Even with existing knowledge, various influences and subjective criteria typically lead to inconsistent and suboptimal process parameter settings by the user. This lack of knowledge leads to suboptimal washing results and even irreversible damage to the textile structures of the laundry.

[0006] Manual, active process parameter configuration by the user of the laundry care appliance is usual. Current user interfaces simplify the process parameter setting by means of suitable program definitions, which provide information on the permissible load for this wash program, e.g. for cotton at 60 degrees or wool / silk, as well as by means of automatic dosing systems such as TwinDos (Miele & Cie. KG, Gütersloh, Germany). Furthermore, there are adaptive wash programs in the form of automatic programs, which can adapt process parameters during the wash program runtime based on a characterization of the load in a laundry care appliance drum, e.g. by estimating the load size using the drum rotation behavior or the type of material (e.g. wool, silk) using laundry suction behavior. However, automatic programs are subject to certain limitations.These include parameters that the user explicitly identifies through program selection and that must be displayed to the laundry care appliance through the active program selection, such as the material type or color of the laundry. Since the laundry properties are only assessed and the process parameters adjusted during program runtime, automatic programs do not allow for fully automated program selection before the program starts. Thus, the program selection remains with the user, which, as mentioned above, typically leads to a suboptimal process configuration.

[0007] The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing a laundry care appliance that enables automation of process parameterization and / or program selection in laundry care processes.

[0008] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a laundry care appliance door unit having the features of patent claim 1 and a laundry care appliance having the features of patent claim 6. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the following subclaims.

[0009] The advantages achievable with the invention, in addition to providing a laundry care appliance with automation for consistent and optimized process parameterization and / or program selection of laundry care processes, include reducing the cognitive burden on the user of the laundry care appliance, as the process parameterization and / or program selection can be automated using the proposed laundry care appliance door unit and the laundry care appliance itself, and significantly less laundry care knowledge is required to select the ideal laundry care program for the laundry being washed. A loading process can be detected immediately upon door closure, i.e., whether the loading has been completed, i.e., whether the drum is loaded or empty.The process parameterization and / or selection of laundry care programs, program parameters and options as well as the setting of a detergent and / or care product dosage can be automated by the proposed invention and is carried out consistently on the basis of the sensory-detected properties of the laundry and defined criteria.

[0010] The invention relates to a laundry care appliance door unit, comprising a door designed to close a loading opening of a laundry care appliance, a camera and a spectrometer, preferably an IR spectrometer, wherein the camera and the spectrometer are arranged on and / or in the door.

[0011] Using this sensor technology, the laundry care appliance door unit, when integrated into the laundry care appliance, is capable of automatically measuring the laundry during and / or after the door is closed and / or during and / or after the laundry care appliance is switched on. This sensor technology can sufficiently capture the physical properties of the laundry within a small time window before the program start and after loading, in order to subsequently derive the criteria necessary for process parameterization. The combination of the camera and the spectrometer enables measurements with a broad bandwidth in the electromagnetic spectrum to capture material, color, shape, texture, and / or structural properties of the laundry. The interaction of these two sensors, particularly to cover complementary spectral ranges, allows the properties of the laundry to be sufficiently determined for process parameterization.Suitable arrangements and orientations of the camera and the spectrometer are selected in order to be able to record the properties of the laundry at different load sizes.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the camera is a digital color camera. In the visible spectral range, the digital color camera can be used to capture color, shape, and texture properties, such as the color of colored or white laundry; the shape of laundry containing items such as jeans or shirts; and the structure of laundry containing terry towels or knit fabrics. Furthermore, the camera can be used to visually determine the load size.

[0013] The spectrometer is preferably a SWIR spectrometer and / or NIR spectrometer. The spectrometer is preferably used to measure material properties in the SWIR / NIR (shortwave infrared / near infrared) range. This allows, for example, animal, plant, and synthetic textile fibers to be distinguished using the IR spectra recorded by the spectrometer.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the spectrometer comprises a light source configured to emit light in the visible and NIR and / or SWIR ranges during operation. Sensory detection using the SWIR and / or NIR spectrometer may be subject to specific requirements regarding optics and illumination. To perform the SWIR / NIR measurement, a light source is preferably installed in the corresponding spectral range, which simultaneously also emits light in the visible spectral range.

[0015] Preferably, the laundry care appliance door unit further comprises an opaque shield arranged and configured to shield the camera and / or the spectrometer from stray light. This prevents external influences on the measurement of the camera and / or the spectrometer.

[0016] The invention further relates to a laundry care appliance comprising a housing, a drum arranged inside the housing for receiving laundry, a loading opening provided in the housing for loading the drum with the laundry and a laundry care appliance door unit according to one or more of the previously described embodiments, which is arranged and designed to close the loading opening during operation of the laundry care appliance.

[0017] The laundry care appliance is preferably a washing machine, laundry care cabinet, a hand-held laundry care appliance, a washer-dryer or a dryer.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the laundry care appliance further comprises a control unit configured and designed to control an automatic start of the camera and / or the spectrometer upon and / or after closing the loading opening with the laundry care appliance door unit and / or upon and / or after switching on the laundry care appliance, such that the camera, after its start, records image and / or video data of the laundry and / or the spectrometer, after its start, performs spectrometric measurements. This ensures that the measurements are performed before a laundry care program starts or during the cleaning process.

[0019] The control unit has a trigger unit for automatically initiating the measurement process, e.g., when the door is closed, a circuit suitable for responding to the door closing, and / or a sequence controller. Preferably, the control unit is configured and designed to control the camera and the spectrometer for appropriate switching by means of measurement electronics in the laundry care appliance door unit.

[0020] The laundry care appliance preferably has a characterization unit which is set up and designed to characterize the laundry depending on the recorded image and / or video data and / or the measurements carried out. In particular, the characterization unit is set up and designed to characterize the laundry with regard to one or more properties, e.g. type of material or textile fiber, color, shape, structure and / or load quantity. The characterization unit is preferably set up and designed to characterize a type of material or textile fiber, e.g. animal such as wool or silk and / or non-animal such as cotton, modal, polyester, etc., the color of the laundry, e.g. white, colored and / or dark, the shape of the laundry, e.g. shirts, jeans, etc., the structure of the laundry, e.g. terry cloth, knitwear, lace, etc. and the load quantity, e.g. empty drum, partial load and / or full load.Preferably, the characterization unit is further configured and designed to characterize a soiling type and / or degree of soiling of the laundry. Analytical, heuristic, and / or data-driven programs and / or program structures are preferably stored in the characterization unit for this purpose. These programs can, for example, be configured and designed to determine local extrema, i.e., local minima, maxima, or saddle points in spectra. The characterization unit can also contain machine learning programs for image recognition and spectra analysis.

[0021] Some properties can be determined redundantly by the two sensor channels, i.e., the camera and the spectrometer, e.g., material "metal" and visual "empty drum," or "wool" and "knitting." Preferably, the characterization unit is configured and designed to merge the redundant properties. This increases the robustness of the result. Various combinations of partial results can be used, e.g., an OR and / or AND combination. Properties that are not determined redundantly are processed directly for characterization.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the laundry care appliance further comprises logic configured and designed to create a process parameterization for a laundry care process for the laundry based on the characterized laundry and / or to assign a laundry care program stored in the laundry care appliance and, if applicable, an additional program to the characterized laundry. The laundry care program is preferably a washing and / or drying program. The additional program is preferably an additional option such as "extra rinse" or "quick" to the laundry care program.

[0023] The logic can, for example, be set up and configured to implement process parameterization using look-up tables, logical expressions, and / or a decision tree. Preferably, the previously characterized or determined properties of the laundry are mapped to process parameters, optionally with the addition of predefined and / or user-specific criteria. For example, the presence of colored or dark laundry means that only small amounts of bleach or similarly effective detergent components are added to a laundry care process. For particularly delicate animal-derived textile fibers such as wool and silk, gentle process parameters, such as a lower spin speed, are selected for the laundry care process using the logic.For less sensitive terry towels, however, higher spin speeds and temperatures are preferentially selected based on the logic for the laundry care process to be performed. Additional user-specific criteria can influence this process parameterization and, for example, result in process parameter adjustments such as "extra rinse" (for allergy sufferers) or "higher temperature" (for hygiene).

[0024] The result of the logic is preferably the complete, appropriate process parameterization of the laundry care process based on the laundry placed in the drum, which can be transferred to a program controller of the control unit. This means that the laundry care process can be started without further manual process parameterization by the user in order to achieve good and textile-friendly washing results. Depending on the design of the program controller, the logic can also assign the properties of the laundry directly to different washing programs and their parameters, such as automatic programs or Eco 40-60. A laundry care program is preferably an abstraction of the process parameterization and summarizes a pairing of different process parameters. Program parameters such as temperature and spin speed can then preferably be set, i.e. in this case based on the automatically determined properties of the laundry.

[0025] Preferably, the logic is configured and designed to take user-specific inputs into account on an input device of the laundry care appliance when creating the process parameterization and / or assigning the laundry care program and, if applicable, additional programs. User-specific inputs can include criteria defined by the user, such as energy efficiency, gentle processing, or allergy-friendly treatment.

[0026] The control unit, the characterization unit and the logic can be part of a control and / or regulating device of the laundry care appliance, which is designed in one or more parts.

[0027] An embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows schematically and not to scale.

[0028] Fig. 1 is a front view of a laundry care appliance according to the invention;

[0029] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1,

[0030] Fig. 3 is a sketched partial view of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1; and

[0031] Fig. 4 shows a spectrum recorded in the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1.

[0032] Fig. 1 shows a front view of a laundry care appliance according to the invention. The laundry care appliance has a housing 1 into which a loading opening (not shown) for loading the laundry care appliance with laundry (not shown) is integrated. The laundry care appliance further has a laundry care appliance door unit 9. The laundry care appliance door unit 9 has a door 2, which is designed to close the loading opening during operation, a camera 3, and a spectrometer 4. The camera 3 and the spectrometer 4 are arranged on and / or in the door 2.

[0033] Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the side view of the device shown in Fig. 1

[0034] Laundry care appliance. In addition to the housing 1 and the laundry care appliance door unit 9, the laundry care appliance has a drum 5 for holding the laundry (not shown). The camera 3 and the spectrometer 4 can at least partially capture the interior of the drum 5. The camera 3 has a camera aperture 6, while the spectrometer 4 has a light source (not shown) with a light cone 7 and a sensor field 8.

[0035] Fig. 3 shows a sketch of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1. In addition to the laundry care appliance door unit 9 with the door 2, the camera 3 with measuring electronics 11, and the spectrometer 4 with measuring electronics 12, the laundry care appliance also includes a control unit 10, a characterization unit 13, and a logic unit 14.

[0036] Characteristics or properties of the laundry are determined from sensor data acquired by means of the camera 3, the spectrometer 4 and the measuring electronics 11, 12, whereby a first characteristic or property 15 and a second characteristic or property 16 are determined here purely by way of example. The first characteristic 15 is, for example, a material or textile fiber type of the laundry such as wool, silk, cotton, modal, polyester, etc. The second characteristic 16 has, for example, a color characteristic of the laundry batch, e.g. white, colored, dark, etc. and / or a type of laundry, e.g. shirts, jeans, etc. and / or a structure of the laundry, e.g. terry cloth, knitwear, lace. Another characteristic can also be the load size, e.g. empty drum, partial load, full load, etc. The first characteristic 15 and the second characteristic 16 are determined, for example, using analytical, heuristic and data-driven processes such asthe determination of local extrema and / or saddle points in spectra or machine learning methods for image recognition. The result determined by characterization unit 13 is the presence of a multi-criteria and / or multidimensional description of the laundry.

[0037] Some properties can be determined redundantly by the two sensor channels, e.g. material "metal" and visually "empty drum" or "wool" and "knitwear". This information can then be merged to form a third characteristic 17. The first and second or, if applicable, third characteristics 17 of the laundry derived from the sensor data are now mapped to a process parameterization as a first criterion 18. A second user-defined criterion 19, such as energy efficiency, gentle processing of the laundry, or allergy-friendly treatment, can be taken into account for process parameterization.

[0038] The process parameterization is implemented in the logic 14, for example, by means of look-up tables, logical expressions, and / or a decision tree. The previously identified first, second, and third characteristics 15, 16, and 17 are mapped to process parameters using the predefined and, if applicable, user-specific criteria 19. For example, the presence of colored or dark laundry as the second characteristic 16 means that only small amounts of bleach or similarly effective detergent components are dosed, and corresponding process parameters are selected by the logic 14. For particularly sensitive animal textile fibers such as wool and silk as the second characteristic 16, correspondingly gentle process parameters, such as a lower spin speed, are selected by the logic 14. For less sensitive terry towels than the second characteristic 16, however,higher spin speeds and temperatures are selected using logic 14. The additional user-specific criterion 19 can influence this process parameterization and, for example, cause process parameter adjustments such as "extra rinsing" for allergy sufferers, "increased temperature" for hygiene, etc.

[0039] The result of the logic 14 in the form of the first criterion 18 is a complete, suitable parameterization of the laundry care process based on the laundry (not shown) placed in the drum (not shown), which is passed on to a program controller 20 of the control unit 10. In this way, the laundry care process can be started by the user without further manual process parameterization in order to achieve a washing result that is optimized according to the logic 14 and gentle on the textiles. After executing the program controller 20, the logic 14 can also directly assign the first, second, and third characteristics 15, 16, and 17 of the laundry to different laundry care programs and their parameters, such as automatic programs or Eco 40-60. The control unit 10 furthermore has a trigger unit 21 that initiates a measurement.

[0040] Fig. 4 shows a spectrum recorded in the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1, specifically a near-infrared spectrum. It shows the wavelength versus a standardized absorption coefficient of cotton 22, polyester 23, wool 24, and silk 25. As can be seen from the spectrum, the aforementioned materials 22-25 can be distinguished based on their different absorption coefficients at the different wavelengths.

[0041] List of reference symbols

[0042] 1 housing

[0043] 2 doors

[0044] 3 Camera

[0045] 4 Spectrometer and illumination

[0046] 5 drum

[0047] 6 camera aperture angles

[0048] 7 light cones

[0049] 8 Sensor field

[0050] 9 Laundry appliance door unit

[0051] 10 Control unit

[0052] 11 Measuring electronics

[0053] 12 additional measuring electronics

[0054] 13 Characterization unit

[0055] 14 Logic

[0056] 15 first characteristics

[0057] 16 second characteristic

[0058] 17 third characteristic

[0059] 18 first criterion

[0060] 19 second criterion

[0061] 20 Program control

[0062] 21 Trigger unit

[0063] 22 cotton

[0064] 23 Polyester

[0065] 24 wool

[0066] 25 silk

Claims

Patent claims 1. Laundry care appliance door unit (9), comprising a door (2) which is designed to close a loading opening of a laundry care appliance, a camera (3) and a spectrometer (4), wherein the camera (3) and the spectrometer (4) are arranged on and / or in the door (2).

2. Laundry care appliance door unit (9) according to claim 1, characterized in that the camera (3) is a digital color camera.

3. Laundry care appliance door unit (9) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spectrometer (4) is a SWIR spectrometer and / or NIR spectrometer.

4. Laundry care appliance door unit (9) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spectrometer (4) has a light source which is designed to emit light in the visible range during operation.

5. Laundry care appliance door unit (9) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by an opaque shield which is arranged and designed to shield the camera (3) and / or the spectrometer (4) from stray light.

6. Laundry care appliance, comprising a housing (1), a drum (5) arranged inside the housing (1) for receiving laundry, a loading opening provided in the housing (1) for loading the drum (5) with the laundry and a laundry care appliance door unit (9) according to one of the preceding claims, which is arranged and designed to close the loading opening during operation of the laundry care appliance.

7. Laundry care appliance according to claim 6, characterized by a control unit (10) which is set up and designed to control an automatic starting of the camera (3) and / or the spectrometer (4) during and / or after closing the loading opening with the laundry care appliance door unit (9) and / or during and / or after switching on the laundry care appliance, so that the camera (3) records image and / or video data of the laundry after it has been started and / or the spectrometer (4) carries out spectrometric measurements after it has been started.

8. Laundry care appliance according to claim 7, characterized by a characterization unit (13) which is set up and designed to characterize the laundry as a function of the recorded image and / or video data and / or the measurements carried out.

9. Laundry care appliance according to claim 8, characterized by a logic (14) which is set up and designed to create a process parameterization for a laundry care process of the laundry on the basis of the characterized laundry and / or to assign a laundry care program stored in the laundry care appliance and, if applicable, additional program and / or program options to the characterized laundry.

10. Laundry care appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the logic (14) is arranged and designed to take into account user-specific inputs on an input device of the laundry care appliance when creating the process parameterization and / or the assignment of the laundry care program and, if applicable, additional program.

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