Gesture-Controlled Fluid Dispensing for Washing Machine Pre-Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Washing machines lack the ability to dispense water or detergent outside of their standard operating modes, limiting user flexibility for pre-treatment or general fluid dispensing purposes.
Innovation Solution
A control system and method that utilizes a signal receiver device, such as a camera or microphone, to detect gesture signals from users, allowing for touchless control of a fluid station within the washing machine to dispense water or detergent based on predefined operating modes, including cold, warm, or hot water and detergent dispensing, with the option to deactivate the dispensing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a washing machine operates only in standard cycles (wash, rinse, spin), then the machine maintains simple control logic and reliable operation, but the user cannot dispense water or detergent outside of these cycles for pre-treatment or general purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The washing machine control system is enhanced to perform multiple functions: it can execute standard wash/rinse/spin cycles while also enabling on-demand fluid dispensing through gesture recognition. The fluid station and control logic are designed to serve both traditional cycling operations and independent fluid dispensing requests, allowing the same hardware to fulfill diverse user needs without requiring separate dedicated systems
2Ease of operation
If a gesture recognition system is added to enable touchless control, then user convenience and hygiene are improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional mechanical or contact-based user interface (buttons, knobs, touchscreen) is replaced with a gesture recognition system that uses optical or acoustic sensing. The signal receiver device detects hand movements or gestures in the air, and the controller translates these gestures into control commands for fluid dispensing, eliminating the need for physical contact with controls and improving hygiene while maintaining simplicity
3Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid station dispenses water or detergent continuously or on-demand, then user flexibility for pre-treatment is improved, but the risk of overflow or flooding increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid dispensing system incorporates feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor dispensing status, container levels, and operational parameters. The controller receives feedback signals from sensors that detect fluid flow, container capacity, and system state, automatically adjusting or terminating dispensing operations to prevent overflow or flooding while maintaining flexible on-demand operation
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance, a controller, and a method for dispensing fluid are provided. The appliance including a fluid station configured to dispense water, cleaning agent, or a combination thereof, and a signal receiver device configured to receive signals from a user. A controller is operably coupled to the signal receiver device. The controller is configured to detect, via the signal receiver device, a gesture signal corresponding to a desired operating mode of the appliance, and command a function at the washing machine appliance based on the gesture signal.