Dish washer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dish washers require separate electrode sensors to detect detergent viscosity, complicating the structure and increasing manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A dish washer that uses a floater moving vertically with a detergent level sensor to detect detergent level changes, eliminating the need for separate sensors and allowing it to identify viscosity, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a separate electrode sensor or level sensor is used to identify detergent viscosity, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent level sensor is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects both the level of the detergent and the viscosity of the detergent by measuring the position of the floater. The sensor structure remains unchanged while its functional capabilities are extended through intelligent processing of the measurement data.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of level detection and viscosity detection are merged into a single sensor system. The detergent level sensor and the floater work together as an integrated mechanism to provide both level information and viscosity information, eliminating the need for separate sensors.
2Measurement precision
If a separate electrode sensor or level sensor is used to identify detergent viscosity, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent level sensor is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects both the level of the detergent and the viscosity of the detergent by measuring the position of the floater. The sensor structure remains unchanged while its functional capabilities are extended through intelligent processing of the measurement data.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using expensive specialized viscosity sensors, the system uses a copy of the existing level sensor mechanism (the floater and sensor combination) to infer viscosity information. The same physical components are used to derive additional measurement capabilities through intelligent processing.
3Productivity
If the detergent pump operates with high viscosity detergent, then productivity is maintained, but reliability decreases due to potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of detergent viscosity before the detergent pump operates. By measuring the floater position and calculating viscosity in advance, the control system can determine whether the detergent viscosity is within the safe operating range of the pump, preventing potential damage before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the floater position to detect changes in detergent viscosity and provides feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adjust operations or alert the user when viscosity levels threaten pump reliability, creating a closed-loop protection system.
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
The solution simplifies the structure, improves space utilization, and reduces manufacturing costs while automatically selecting a washing process mode suitable for detergent viscosity, preventing pump damage by stopping operation when viscosity is too high.
Implementation Method 1
a floater (250) disposed inside the container (281) and movable along a vertical direction corresponding to a level of the detergent
Data Source
AI summary
A dish washer senses an amount of change in a level of a detergent via a floater that moves in a vertical direction based on the level of the detergent and a detergent level sensor that senses a location in the vertical direction of the floater, and effectively identifies a viscosity of the detergent stored in a detergent supply based on the amount of change in the level to simplify a structure, improve space utilization, and reduce a manufacturing cost by eliminating a separate electrode sensor or level sensor to identify the viscosity of the detergent.