Laundry care appliance with a control of the washing liquid supply device and corresponding method for the care of laundry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry care appliances lack the ability to determine the absorbency of laundry, leading to oversaturation with washing liquid, increasing detergent and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A laundry care appliance with a tub, laundry drum, pump, volume detection device, and controller that detects the textile type and weight of laundry to supply the optimal amount of washing liquid, ensuring precise saturation by fluidically connecting drain and inlet openings through a liquid line and deactivating the supply when a volume reference value is exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If washing liquid is supplied in larger quantities to ensure effective laundry care, then the laundry is supplied with sufficient washing liquid, but the consumption of laundry care substance increases and heating energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller continuously monitors the volume of washing liquid in the tub using a volume detection device and adjusts the washing liquid supply accordingly. The controller compares the detected volume with a reference value and activates or deactivates the washing liquid supply device to maintain optimal saturation levels, preventing both oversaturation and undersaturation of the laundry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of washing liquid volume from a fixed predetermined amount to a dynamically adjusted amount based on detected laundry characteristics (weight, textile type) and real-time volume measurements. The controller adapts the supply quantity and timing parameters to match the actual absorbency needs of the laundry load.
2Reliability
If washing liquid is supplied in larger quantities to ensure effective laundry care, then the laundry is supplied with sufficient washing liquid, but heating energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller uses feedback from the volume detection device to precisely control the washing liquid supply, ensuring that only the necessary amount is heated and supplied. This prevents heating excess washing liquid that would not be absorbed by the laundry, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective laundry care.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent determines the optimal washing liquid quantity in advance based on detected laundry weight and textile type before the washing cycle begins. This preliminary determination allows the system to heat and supply only the required amount of washing liquid, avoiding energy waste on unnecessary heating.
3Manufacturing precision
If a volume detection device and controller are added to detect textile type and weight, then optimal saturation can be achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs multiple functions: it detects laundry weight, identifies textile type, determines optimal washing liquid quantity, monitors volume in real-time, and controls the supply device. By consolidating these functions in a single multi-functional controller, the patent avoids the need for separate dedicated devices for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing washing machine infrastructure (tub, pump, supply lines) and adds sensing capabilities to make the system self-regulating. The volume detection device and controller work together to automatically adjust supply without requiring additional manual intervention or complex external control systems.
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 optimal laundry saturation, reducing detergent and energy consumption while ensuring effective wetting, thereby enhancing the washing process with resource-saving and energy-reduced operations.
Implementation Method 1
a pump (117) which is designed to pump washing liquid through the drain opening (111) into the liquid line (115) and to supply the pumped washing liquid back to the suds container (105) through the inlet opening (113)
Implementation Method 2
a volume detection device (135) for detecting a volume of the washing liquid not bound to the laundry... the volume detection device comprises an electrical conductivity measurement device for detecting an electrical conductivity value
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3d
AI summary
The present invention relates to a laundry care appliance (100) with a tub (105) for receiving washing liquid, wherein the tub (105) has a drain opening (111) and an inlet opening (113) which are fluidically connected by a liquid line (115), a washing drum (107) for receiving laundry, a washing liquid supply device (129) for supplying washing liquid to the tub (105), a pump (117) which is configured to pump washing liquid through the drain opening (111) into the liquid line (115) and to supply the pumped washing liquid again to the tub (105) through the inlet opening (113) in order to wet the laundry in the washing drum (107), a volume sensing device (135) for sensing a volume (161-1, 161-2) of washing liquid not bound to the laundry, and a control system. (119) for controlling the pump (117) and the washing liquid supply device (129),wherein the laundry care appliance (100) has a textile detection device (141) for detecting a textile type of the laundry held in the washing drum (107) and/or a weight detection device (137) for detecting a weight of the laundry held in the washing drum (107), characterized in that the control unit (119) is configured to determine a quantity (157) of washing liquid to be supplied to the tub (105) by the washing liquid supply device (129) based on a detected textile type of the laundry and/or based on a detected weight of the laundry, that the control unit (119) is configured to activate the washing liquid supply device (129) during a time period (159) and to supply the determined quantity of washing liquid (157) to the tub (105), that the control unit (119) is configured to activate the pump (117) during the time period (159),to pump the supplied washing liquid through the liquid line (115), wherein the volume sensing device (135) is configured to detect a volume (161-1, 161-2) of the washing liquid not bound to the laundry, and wherein the control (119) is configured to deactivate the washing liquid supply device (129) when the detected volume (161-1, 161-2) exceeds a volume reference value (163), wherein the volume reference value (163) is determined depending on the detected textile type and/or the detected weight of the laundry.