Household Appliance Fill Control for Detecting Sensor Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling the filling process in water-bearing household appliances, such as dishwashers, cannot reliably identify a total failure of the fill sensor, leading to potential overfilling and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves opening a controllable locking means, monitoring the fill sensor, activating a pump to analyze its performance characteristics, and preventing further water inflow if the sensor fails, thereby distinguishing between sensor malfunction and water supply issues, and preventing overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fill sensor is monitored during the filling process, then water inflow can be detected, but total sensor failure cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pump as an intermediary device to indirectly verify fill sensor functionality. By activating the pump and analyzing its performance characteristics (current consumption, load), the system can determine whether water is actually present in the appliance, thereby identifying total fill sensor failures that direct monitoring cannot detect.
2Ease of operation
If the locking means remains open for refilling, then water can flow into the appliance, but overflow may occur if the fill sensor is defective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the pump's performance characteristics are continuously monitored during the refilling process. If the pump shows abnormal performance indicating no water inflow despite the locking means being open, the system generates an error signal and closes the locking means, preventing overflow while maintaining normal refilling operation.
3Reliability
If the pump is activated to verify water presence, then sensor malfunction can be detected, but additional energy consumption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by activating the pump only for a limited duration sufficient to detect water presence through performance characteristic analysis. The pump runs just long enough to determine whether water is flowing into the appliance, avoiding excessive energy consumption while still achieving reliable defect detection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for accurate determination of fill sensor functionality, preventing premature filling and overflow by analyzing pump performance, ensuring correct operation and user notification of errors.
Implementation Method 1
activating a pump for conveying the water that flowed into the water-bearing household appliance
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a filling process of a water-bearing household appliance. The method includes opening a locking arrangement to fill the water-bearing household appliance with water, wherein the locking arrangement is controlled by the water-bearing household appliance; monitoring a fill sensor that detects the water flowing into the water-bearing household appliance; activating a pump to convey the water that flowed into the water-bearing household appliance as a result of the absence of at least one signal from the fill sensor; and analyzing a performance characteristic of the pump.