Dishwasher Drying Control Using Ambient Conditions and Rinse Aid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic dishwashers lack the ability to effectively control and shorten the duration of the drying program section, leading to potential long runtimes and inefficient energy use, as they do not adequately consider environmental and load-related parameters influencing drying results.
Innovation Solution
The method involves recording environmental variables such as air temperature and heat storage capacity of items being washed, using existing sensors, to adjust the amount of rinse aid, liquor temperature, and drying program duration, ensuring a satisfactory drying result while minimizing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drying program section is run for a longer duration to ensure satisfactory drying results, then the drying quality improves, but the total program runtime increases and energy consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of environmental variables (ambient temperature, humidity, load characteristics) before the drying program section to predict the required drying duration. This allows the controller to set an optimized drying time in advance, avoiding both insufficient drying and unnecessarily long runtimes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses moisture sensors to monitor the drying process in real-time and provides feedback to the controller. Based on this feedback and the detected environmental variables, the controller dynamically adjusts the drying duration and parameters to achieve satisfactory drying results with minimal runtime.
2Productivity
If environmental variables are detected and drying parameters are adjusted to optimize drying results, then drying efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a moisture sensor that serves multiple functions: it monitors drying progress, detects ambient humidity levels, and provides feedback for controlling the drying process. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each parameter, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes existing environmental conditions (ambient temperature, humidity) as detection parameters without requiring complex active sensing systems. The moisture sensor leverages the natural drying process and environmental factors to provide the necessary information for optimization, reducing the need for additional complex measurement systems.
3Reliability
If the amount of rinse aid is increased to improve drying results, then the drying quality improves, but the substance consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of always using a fixed high amount of rinse aid, the system dynamically adjusts the rinse aid dosage based on detected environmental variables and load characteristics. This parameter change approach ensures sufficient drying quality while minimizing unnecessary substance consumption by matching the rinse aid amount to the actual drying requirements.
4Productivity
If the liquor temperature is increased to improve drying results, then the drying efficiency improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the liquor temperature during the drying program section based on real-time detection of environmental variables and drying progress. Rather than maintaining a constantly high temperature, the system optimizes the temperature profile to achieve satisfactory drying results with minimal energy input, adapting the thermal conditions to the specific drying requirements.
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 approach allows for quick and efficient drying, reducing energy consumption by optimizing the drying time and parameters based on environmental conditions, ensuring the drying result meets user specifications while maintaining short program runtimes.
Implementation Method 1
when the ambient air is cold, particularly in drying systems with condensation drying, the air from the rinsing tank is cooled more quickly and condensation is therefore achieved more quickly
Implementation Method 2
When using an air-to-air heat exchanger, this is an important influencing factor for the drying result
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The method involves determining temperature of the cooling water as a surrounding variable during utilization of an air-water-heat exchanger. An air temperature is determined as the surrounding variable at an installation location of a washing machine e.g. dishwasher (1), during utilization of an air-air-heat exchanger (26). The quantity of a rinsing agent utilized in a rinsing-program section and/or a final temperature of a clear rinsing water utilized in a rinsing-program section are adjusted depending on the surrounding variable.