Clean dish verification using a camera assembly in a dishwasher appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dishwashers lack the ability to determine the state of cleanliness of dishes within the wash chamber, leading to uncertainty for users about whether dishes are clean or dirty.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher appliance equipped with a camera assembly that captures images of the load of articles before and after the door is opened, allowing the controller to determine if a predetermined number of articles has been removed, and providing a user notification about the cleanliness of the remaining dishes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a camera assembly is added to verify dish cleanliness, then user confidence in cleanliness determination is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A camera assembly is introduced as an intermediary device to capture images of dishes in the wash chamber. The controller processes these images to determine whether dishes are clean or dirty, providing objective verification without requiring direct human inspection of each dish.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual inspection process is replaced with an automated optical system. The camera assembly captures images and the controller analyzes them to determine dish cleanliness, substituting human visual inspection with an automated image processing system.
2Loss of information
If the appliance monitors and notifies users about dish cleanliness, then loss of information is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to users about the cleanliness status of dishes in the wash chamber. The controller analyzes camera images and communicates the results to users, enabling informed decisions about whether to retrieve dishes or continue the wash cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance autonomously monitors and determines the cleanliness of dishes without requiring user intervention. The camera assembly and controller work together to automatically assess whether dishes are clean or dirty, providing self-service monitoring capability.
3Productivity
If the appliance provides real-time cleanliness information, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera assembly captures images at specific intervals or triggers rather than continuously. The system can take images at the start of the drying cycle, when the door opens, or at other predetermined moments, reducing energy consumption while still providing timely cleanliness information.
Data Source
AI summary
A dishwasher appliance includes a tub defining a wash chamber for receipt of a load of articles for washing, a door providing selective access to the wash chamber, and a camera assembly mounted with a view of the load of articles. A controller is configured to determine that a cleaning cycle has been completed, obtain a first image using the camera assembly, determine that the door has been opened, obtain a second image using the camera assembly, determine that a predetermined number of articles from the load of articles has been removed from the wash chamber based at least in part on the first image and the second image, and provide a user notification that the load of articles is dirty in response to determining that the predetermined number of articles has been removed from the wash chamber.