Laundry treatment device and control method thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machines lack effective measures to prevent accidents involving children or pets entering the tub, as they cannot reliably detect the presence of still or motionless individuals and fail to prevent entry before an accident occurs, leading to potential suffocation or machine operation-related hazards.
Innovation Solution
The washing machine incorporates a concentration sensing system with internal and external sensors to detect changes in air components like oxygen and carbon dioxide, triggering a safe mode to prevent accidents and a release signal detection mechanism to safely resume operation when the risk is mitigated, allowing for proactive safety measures and user-friendly operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the washing machine operation is restricted based simply on a concern that an accident may occur, then the safety of the child or pet is improved, but the user convenience deteriorates as the user may frequently be inconvenienced by not being able to operate the washing machine as intended
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively detects the presence of a child or pet in the washing tub before an accident can occur by monitoring concentration changes of specific components in the air. When presence is detected, the controller preemptively restricts washing machine operation and outputs a warning signal, preventing potential harm before it happens. This preliminary detection and prevention approach resolves the contradiction by enabling safety restrictions based on actual conditions rather than blanket prohibitions.
2Reliability
If passive detection methods are used to detect the presence of a child or pet in the washing tub, then the device complexity is reduced, but the detection reliability deteriorates when the child or pet is simply present without making sounds or movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical or acoustic detection methods with an optical sensing system that measures concentration changes of specific components in the air. The concentration sensing part detects physiological indicators (such as carbon dioxide or other gases) emitted by a child or pet, enabling reliable detection regardless of movement or sound. This substitution of detection mechanism achieves high reliability without requiring complex active sensing arrays.
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 solution effectively prevents accidents by detecting the presence of children or pets even when they are still or motionless and ensures safe operation by restricting machine functions until the risk is confirmed removed, enhancing user safety and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a concentration sensing part (or first sensor) 100 for sensing a concentration of a specific component in air measured inside or outside the washing tub 10
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a washing machine and a control method thereof, capable of preventing occurrence of an accident related to a child or a pet being inside a washing tub. A washing machine according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a concentration sensing part configured to a sense a concentration of a specific component in air measured inside or outside the washing tub, a controller configured to switch the door and the washing tub to a safe mode based on the concentration of the specific component sensed by the concentration sensing part, and a release signal detector configured to detect a release signal for switching the door and the washing tub, which have been switched to the safe mode by the controller, back to a normal mode.