Laundry Dryer Imaging Control for Motion-Adaptive Drying Cycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating appliances, such as clothes dryers, often face inefficiencies due to pre-programmed cycles that may not adapt to the specific conditions of the laundry load, leading to incomplete drying and non-uniform treatment applications, particularly with motions like tumbling, rolling, sliding, and satelliting, which can result in longer drying times and inconsistent results.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an imaging system within the laundry treating appliance that uses a sensor and controller to determine the motion state of the laundry through image analysis, allowing for real-time adjustments to operational parameters such as drum speed, temperature, and air flow to optimize the drying process based on the detected motion conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pre-programmed cycles are used for laundry treatment, then the appliance is easy to operate, but the treatment is not adapted to specific laundry conditions leading to incomplete drying and non-uniform treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system automatically detects laundry motion states and the controller autonomously adjusts operational parameters without user intervention. The system serves itself by using the imaging data to make real-time control decisions, eliminating the need for users to manually adjust settings while achieving adaptive treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system provides continuous feedback on laundry motion states (tumbling, rolling, sliding, satelliting) to the controller. This feedback loop enables the controller to adjust operational parameters in real-time based on actual laundry conditions, transforming a static pre-programmed system into a dynamically adaptive one while maintaining simple user operation.
2Productivity
If drum speed is increased to reduce drying time, then productivity improves, but undesirable motion states like rolling and sliding occur leading to non-uniform treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts drum speed based on real-time imaging detection of laundry motion states. Instead of operating at a fixed high speed, the controller modulates the drum speed to maintain optimal tumbling while preventing rolling and sliding, achieving both high productivity and uniform treatment through continuous adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller changes operational parameters (drum speed, temperature, air flow) based on detected motion states. When rolling or sliding is detected, the system adjusts parameters to restore proper tumbling, ensuring uniform treatment while maintaining efficient drying through intelligent parameter modulation rather than fixed high-speed operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If imaging system is added to detect laundry motion, then adaptability and treatment uniformity improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical sensing mechanisms with an optical imaging system. Instead of using multiple physical sensors to detect motion states, a single imaging device captures visual information that is then processed to determine tumbling, rolling, sliding, and satelliting conditions, reducing mechanical complexity while improving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system serves multiple functions: detecting laundry presence, determining motion states, monitoring load distribution, and providing feedback for control adjustments. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate sensing systems into a single device, managing complexity while enhancing adaptability.
4Manufacturing precision
If operational parameters are continuously adjusted based on imaging data, then treatment uniformity improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system operates periodically rather than continuously, capturing images at intervals sufficient to detect motion state changes. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption compared to continuous imaging while still providing adequate feedback for maintaining uniform treatment through timely parameter adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller adjusts operational parameters only when motion state changes are detected, rather than continuously modifying settings. This event-driven parameter adjustment maintains treatment uniformity by responding to actual conditions while minimizing unnecessary energy expenditure associated with constant parameter changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a laundry treating chamber, where the laundry in the laundry treating chamber may be imaged and a condition of the laundry determined based on the imaging of the laundry. A notification can be provided to a user based on the determined motion condition.