Dishwashing machine and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dishwashing machines often fail to properly wash items that are incorrectly oriented, leading to water accumulation and improper cleaning due to incorrect placement or movement during the washing cycle.
Innovation Solution
A dishwashing machine equipped with temperature sensors, including thermal imaging cameras, that detect temperature differences to identify regions of accumulated liquid and determine the orientation of items, generating an output to the user indicating incorrectly oriented items, along with their location, and providing a heat map for correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If users manually check and correct item orientation in the washing compartment, then cleaning effectiveness can be maintained, but user time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting item orientation and liquid accumulation using temperature sensors, then communicating findings to the user via display or mobile device, allowing users to make informed decisions about corrections without manual inspection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with automated thermal detection systems that use temperature differences to identify liquid accumulation and infer item orientation, substituting human sensory and manual checking operations with electronic sensing and processing
2Manufacturing precision
If temperature sensors are added to detect liquid accumulation and item orientation, then washing quality improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor system serves multiple functions: detecting liquid accumulation, inferring item orientation, and providing data for washing cycle optimization, allowing a single sensor type to address multiple monitoring needs without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temperature differences as an intermediary indicator to indirectly detect liquid accumulation and item orientation without requiring direct contact sensors or complex detection mechanisms, simplifying the sensing approach while maintaining detection capability
3Manufacturing precision
If the system provides detailed feedback on item orientation and location, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but information processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by detecting temperature anomalies, determining their location and significance, then communicating specific orientation and location information to the user through display screens or mobile devices, enabling targeted corrections based on precise system feedback
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
Ensures proper washing by alerting users to incorrectly oriented items, preventing water accumulation and ensuring effective cleaning by providing location-specific feedback on item orientation.
Implementation Method 1
one or more thermal imaging cameras... detecting a temperature difference between one or more regions of the washing compartment and an ambient temperature
Data Source
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AI summary
There is disclosed a dishwashing machine (100). The dishwashing machine (100) comprises a controller (234) and one or more sensors (276) arranged to obtain temperature information in a washing compartment (204) of the dishwashing machine (100). The controller (234) is configured to use the temperature information to detect one or more regions of accumulated liquid (272, 276), so as to determine an orientation of one or more items (260, 262, 264, 266) in the washing compartment.