User-activated dish status signaling for a dishwasher appliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dishwashers lack a reliable mechanism to indicate the cleanliness of dishes after a wash cycle, leading to uncertainty among users about the state of dishes within the wash chamber.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher appliance equipped with a load status indicator, either manual or controller-driven, that provides a visual or user-activated indication of the cleanliness of dishes, allowing users to confirm the cleanliness of dishes through a toggle switch or remote communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional dishwasher illuminates a light indicating dishes are clean, then the user receives basic cleanliness information, but the user cannot confirm the actual state of dishes after the door is opened
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback by detecting when the door is opened and automatically updating the cleanliness status indication. The controller monitors door opening events and adjusts the indicator accordingly, ensuring the displayed status reflects the actual state of dishes after user interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves itself by automatically detecting door openings and updating the status indication without requiring user intervention. The controller autonomously manages the indicator state based on sensed door position, eliminating the need for manual status checks or updates by the user.
2Ease of operation
If the dishwasher door is opened to check dishes, then the user can visually inspect the dishes, but the automatic assumption that all dishes are removed becomes invalid and the cleanliness status is no longer reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening acts as a feedback trigger that informs the controller the user has accessed the wash chamber. This feedback causes the controller to update the cleanliness indicator, ensuring subsequent users are informed that the status may have changed due to the door opening event.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves as an intermediary between the door opening event and the cleanliness indicator. It processes the door opening signal and appropriately adjusts the indicator state, mediating the transition from the previous clean status to the current uncertain status.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple consumers use the same dishwasher, then the appliance serves multiple users, but users cannot confirm whether previously removed dishes were clean or if new dishes should be placed in the wash chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to multiple users about the cleanliness status. When the door is opened by any user, the controller updates the indicator to reflect that the status may have changed, ensuring all subsequent users are informed regardless of who opened the door.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages the information state for all users without requiring individual user actions. The controller autonomously monitors door openings and maintains an accurate cleanliness indication for the benefit of all appliance users.
Data Source
AI summary
A dishwasher appliance includes a wash tub positioned within a cabinet and defining a wash chamber for receipt of a load of articles for washing, and a door pivotally mounted to the cabinet to provide selective access to the wash chamber. A load status indicator is mounted to a handle of the door for indicating a load status of the load of articles. The dishwasher appliance includes a controller that communicates with a remote device over an external network to receive and provide the load status of the load of articles to users of the dishwasher appliance.