Method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance, and laundry care appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance, comprising the following steps: acquiring image data and / or video data of the laundry located in the laundry care appliance by means of a camera (3) and / or measuring spectral data of the laundry located in the laundry care appliance by means of a spectrometer (4), and determining one or more properties of the laundry on the basis of the image data and / or video data and / or spectral data. The invention further relates to a corresponding laundry care appliance.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance and laundry care appliance

[0003] The invention relates to a method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance and to a laundry care appliance. In particular, the invention relates to a method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance and to a laundry care appliance having a control and / or regulating device configured to control and / or regulate the method.

[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 ensured. 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 are based on a characterization of the load in a laundry care appliance drum, e.g. by estimating the load size via the drum rotation behavior or the fabric type via laundry suction behavior, in order to be able to adapt process parameters during the wash program run. Current automatic programs, however, are subject to certain limitations.These are parameters that the user explicitly identifies through program selection and must be displayed to the laundry care appliance through the active program selection, such as material types such as wool / silk or the color of the laundry. Since the properties of the laundry are only estimated 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 method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance and a laundry care appliance which enables automation of process parameterization and / or program selection in laundry care processes.

[0008] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a method having the features of patent claim 1 and a laundry care appliance having the features of patent claim 9. 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 method and the laundry care appliance, and significantly less laundry care knowledge is required to select the appropriate 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, or 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 method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance, comprising the following steps

[0011] Recording image and / or video data of the laundry in the laundry care appliance using a camera and / or measuring spectral data of the laundry in the laundry care appliance using a spectrometer, and

[0012] Determining one or more properties of the laundry based on the image and / or video data and / or spectral data.

[0013] Using this sensor technology, the laundry care appliance is capable of automatically measuring the laundry. The method preferably comprises the step of recording image and / or video data of the laundry in the laundry care appliance using a camera and measuring spectral data of the laundry in the laundry care appliance using a spectrometer. This combined sensor technology can capture physical properties of the laundry sufficiently and within a small time window before the program start and after a loading process 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 in order to capture material, color, shape, texture, and / or structural properties of the laundry.The interaction of these two sensors, particularly in covering complementary spectral ranges, allows the properties of the laundry to be adequately determined for process parameterization. Suitable arrangements and orientations of the camera and spectrometer have been selected to capture the properties of the laundry in the drum of the laundry care appliance at different load sizes.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the one or more properties of the laundry are selected from the group consisting of material type, textile fiber type, color, shape, structure, load size, degree of soiling and / or type of soiling. The method is preferably designed to determine a material or textile fiber type, 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 size e.g. empty drum, partial load and / or full load. Furthermore preferably, the method is designed to determine a degree of soiling e.g. light, medium and heavy soiling, for example by means of a ratio of stained and unstained areas and / or a type of soiling e.g. stain type such as bloodstain or ketchup stain.

[0015] The image, video, and / or spectral data are determined using, for example, analytical, heuristic, and data-driven processes. This allows one or more properties to be determined easily. Preferably, the step of determining one or more properties of the laundry involves a multi-criteria and / or multidimensional description of the laundry. This allows complex systems to be evaluated and decisions to be prepared easily, even with multiple objectives.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the properties determined from the image, video, and / or spectral data are fused in the case of redundant determination. Some properties can be determined redundantly by the two sensor channels, i.e., the camera and the spectrometer, e.g., material "metal" and visually "empty drum" or "wool" and "knitting." By fusing the redundant properties, the robustness of the result is increased. Various combinations of partial results can be used, e.g., an OR and / or AND combination.

[0017] The method preferably further comprises process parameterization of a laundry care process for the laundry located in the drum of the laundry care appliance based on the determined one or more properties of the laundry and / or assigning a laundry care program stored in the laundry care appliance and, if applicable, an additional program to the laundry based on the determined one or more properties of the laundry. As a result, the properties of the laundry determined or derived from the sensor data are mapped to a process parameterization. The process parameterization can be implemented using look-up tables, logical expressions, and / or a decision tree. Preferably, the previously determined properties of the laundry are mapped to process parameters using predefined and, if applicable, user-specific criteria.

[0018] For example, the presence of colored or dark laundry means that only small amounts of bleach or similarly effective detergent components are added to the laundry care process. For particularly delicate, animal-based textile fibers such as wool and silk, correspondingly gentle process parameters such as lower spin speeds are selected for the laundry care process. For less delicate terry towels, however, higher spin speeds and temperatures are selected for the laundry care process. The laundry care process is preferably fully and appropriately parameterized based on the laundry placed in the drum and then executed accordingly by a program control of the laundry care appliance. This means that the laundry care process can be started without further manual process parameterization by the user in order to achieve an optimized and textile-friendly washing and / or drying result.Depending on the program control system, specific laundry properties can also be directly assigned to different laundry care programs and their parameters, such as automatic programs or Eco 40 / 60. A laundry care program is an abstraction of the washing process parameterization and combines a combination of various process parameters. Often, program parameters such as temperature and spin speed can also be adjusted, i.e., based on the automatically determined laundry properties.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises a step of treating the laundry with the process-parameterized laundry care process and / or the associated laundry care program and, if applicable, additional program. The laundry care program is preferably a washing and / or

[0020] Drying program. The additional program is preferably an add-on option such as "extra rinse" or "quick" to the laundry care program.

[0021] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of considering user-specific inputs on an input device of the laundry care appliance during process parameterization and / or the assignment of the laundry care program and, if applicable, additional programs. This allows various user-defined criteria, such as energy efficiency, gentle processing, or allergy-friendly treatment, to be taken into account for process parameterization. These additional user-specific criteria include, for example, process parameter adjustments such as "extra rinse" for allergy sufferers or "increased temperature" for hygiene.

[0022] The invention further relates to a laundry care appliance comprising a control and / or regulating device which is configured and designed to control and / or regulate a method according to one or more of the previously described embodiments.

[0023] The laundry care appliance preferably comprises a housing, a drum arranged inside the housing for receiving the laundry, a loading opening provided in the housing for loading the drum with the laundry, and a laundry care appliance door unit arranged and configured to close the loading opening during operation of the laundry care appliance. The laundry care appliance door unit preferably comprises a door configured to close a loading opening of a laundry care appliance, a camera, and a spectrometer. The camera and the spectrometer are preferably arranged on and / or in the door.

[0024] Using this sensor technology, the laundry care appliance door unit is able to automatically

[0025] Measurement of 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 record 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 required for process parameterization. The combination of the camera and the spectrometer enables measurements with a broad bandwidth in the electromagnetic spectrum to record material, color, shape, texture and / or structural properties of the laundry. The interaction of these two sensors, particularly to cover complementary spectral ranges, enables the properties of the laundry to be sufficiently determined for process parameterization. Suitable arrangements and orientations of the camera and the spectrometer have been selected in order to be able to record the properties of the laundry for different load sizes.

[0026] The laundry care appliance is preferably a washing machine, a washer-dryer or a dryer.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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 spectrometer.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the spectrometer comprises a light source configured to emit light in the NIR and / or SWIR range 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.

[0030] The laundry care appliance door unit preferably further comprises an opaque shield arranged and designed 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. In a preferred embodiment, the laundry care appliance further comprises a control unit arranged and designed to control an automatic starting 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 records image and / or video data of the laundry after it is started and / or the spectrometer performs spectrometric measurements after it is started. This ensures that the measurements are carried out without the laundry remaining in the drum and / or before a laundry care program starts.

[0031] The control unit has, for example, a state machine and / or a sequence controller for automatically triggering the measurement process, e.g., when the door is closed. The control unit is preferably 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. The control unit preferably also has a trigger unit that performs a measurement.

[0032] 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 soiling degree of the laundry. Analytical, heuristic, and / or data-driven programs 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 and saddle points in spectra. The characterization unit can also contain machine learning programs for image recognition.

[0033] Some properties can be determined redundantly by both sensor channels, i.e., the camera and the spectrometer, e.g., material "metal" and visually "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.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the laundry care appliance further comprises a logic which is set up and designed to create a process parameterization for a laundry care process of the laundry based on the characterized laundry and / or to assign a laundry care program and optionally an additional program stored in the laundry care appliance to the characterized laundry.

[0035] 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 lower spin speeds, 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 "increased temperature" (for hygiene).

[0036] 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 control, the logic can also directly assign the properties of the laundry 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, here based on the automatically determined properties of the laundry.Preferably, the logic is set up and designed to process user-specific inputs on an input device of the laundry care appliance when creating the process parameterization and / or the assignment of the washing and / or drying program and, if applicable.

[0037] Additional programs must be taken into account. User-specific inputs can include criteria defined by the user, such as energy efficiency, gentle laundry processing, or allergy-friendly treatment.

[0038] The control unit, the characterization unit and the logic can be part of the control and / or regulating device of the laundry care appliance, which is designed in one or more parts.

[0039] 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.

[0040] Fig. 1 is a front view of a laundry care appliance according to the invention;

[0041] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1,

[0042] Fig. 3 is a sketched partial view of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1; and

[0043] Fig. 4 shows a spectrum recorded in the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1.

[0044] Fig. 1 shows the 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.

[0045] Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of the laundry care appliance shown in Fig. 1. 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.

[0046] Fig. 3 shows a sketched representation 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 has a control unit 10, a characterization unit 13 and a logic unit 14. Characteristics or properties of the laundry are determined on the basis of sensor data acquired by means of the camera 3, the spectrometer 4 and the measuring electronics 11, 12, wherein here purely by way of example, a first characteristic or property 15 and a second characteristic or property 16 are determined. 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 of the laundry, e.g. white, colored, dark, etc. and / or a shape of the laundry, e.g. shirts, jeans, etc. and / or a structure of the laundry, e.g.Terry cloth, knitwear, lace. Another feature can also be the load size, such as empty drum, partial load, full load, etc.

[0047] The first characteristic 15 and the second characteristic 16 are determined, for example, by means of analytical, heuristic and data-driven processes such as the determination of local extrema and saddle points in spectra and machine learning methods for image recognition. The result determined by the characterization unit 13 is the presence of a multi-criteria and / or multi-dimensional description of the laundry. Some properties can be determined redundantly by the two sensor channels, e.g. material "metal" and visually "empty drum" or "wool" and "knitted fabric". This information can then be fused 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 asEnergy efficiency, gentle processing of laundry or allergy-friendly treatment must be taken into account for process parameterization.

[0048] 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 rinse" for allergy sufferers, "increased temperature" for hygiene, etc. The result of logic 14 in the form of the first criterion 18 is a complete, appropriate parameterization of the laundry care process based on the laundry placed in the drum (not shown), which is transferred to a program controller 20 of the control unit 10. This way, the laundry care process can be started without further manual process parameterization by the user in order to achieve a good and textile-friendly washing result. Depending on the design of 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, for example,, automatic programs or Eco 40-60. The control unit 10 also has a trigger unit 21 that performs a measurement.

[0049] 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.

[0050] List of reference symbols

[0051] 1 housing

[0052] 2 doors

[0053] 3 Camera

[0054] 4 Spectrometer and illumination

[0055] 5 drum

[0056] 6 camera aperture angles

[0057] 7 light cones

[0058] 8 Sensor field

[0059] 9 Sensor door

[0060] 10 Control unit

[0061] 11 Measuring electronics

[0062] 12 additional measuring electronics

[0063] 13 Characterization

[0064] 14 Logic

[0065] 15 first characteristics

[0066] 16 second characteristic

[0067] 17 third characteristic

[0068] 18 first criterion

[0069] 19 second criterion

[0070] 20 Program control

[0071] 21 Trigger unit

[0072] 22 cotton

[0073] 23 Polyester

[0074] 24 wool

[0075] 25 silk

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for treating laundry in a laundry care appliance, comprising the following steps - Recording image and / or video data of the laundry located in the laundry care appliance by means of a camera (3) and / or measuring spectral data of the laundry located in the laundry care appliance by means of a spectrometer (4), and Determining one or more properties of the laundry based on the image and / or video data and / or spectral data.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the one or more properties of the laundry are selected from the group consisting of type of material, type of textile fiber, color, shape, structure, load quantity, degree of soiling and / or type of soiling.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the step of determining the one or more properties of the laundry comprises analyzing the image, video and / or spectral data, heuristic reasoning based on the image, video and / or spectral data, strategic decision-making based on the image, video and / or spectral data and / or machine learning for image recognition and / or evaluation of spectral data.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of determining the one or more properties of the laundry comprises a multi-criteria and / or multi-dimensional description of the laundry.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more of the properties determined on the basis of the image, video and / or spectral data is or are fused in the case of a redundant determination.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by process parameterization of a laundry care process of the laundry based on the determined one or more properties of the laundry and / or assignment of a laundry care program stored in the laundry care appliance and optionally an additional program to the laundry based on the determined one or more properties of the laundry.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized by treating the laundry with the process-parameterized laundry care process and / or the associated laundry care program and, if applicable, additional program.

8. Method according to claim 6, characterized by taking into account user-specific inputs on an input device of the laundry care appliance during process parameterization and / or the assignment of the laundry care program and, if applicable, additional program.

9. Laundry care appliance, comprising a control and / or regulating device which is arranged and designed to control and / or regulate a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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