Clothing treatment apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses lack the ability to accurately measure the amount and location of clothes hung inside, leading to inefficient operation and potential damage due to preset treatment courses, and existing sensors face issues with steam interference and overlapping recognition.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment apparatus equipped with a radar sensor assembly that emits and receives electromagnetic waves to detect the quantity and position of clothes without being exposed to the accommodation space, using a sensor board, lens, and shielding member to manage radiation angles and reduce misrecognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a vision sensor is installed in the laundry treatment apparatus to recognize clothes, then the apparatus can identify clothes type and quantity, but the sensor performance degrades due to steam blurring the field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the vision sensor (optical system) with a radar sensor (electromagnetic wave system). The radar sensor emits electromagnetic waves that penetrate steam without being blurred, allowing reliable detection of clothes quantity and position. This substitution resolves the contradiction by using a detection method immune to steam interference while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from optical signals (visible light) to electromagnetic waves (radio frequency). This parameter change allows the detection system to operate effectively in steam-filled environments, as electromagnetic waves are not scattered or blurred by steam particles like visible light is, thereby maintaining sensor reliability and measurement accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If the vision sensor is exposed to the accommodation space to detect clothes, then the sensor can recognize clothes, but the product appearance design is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The radar sensor can be installed in the rear space between the cabinet and inner case, emitting electromagnetic waves through the inner case wall to detect clothes. This eliminates the need for an exposed sensor on the product surface, maintaining aesthetic design while enabling clothes detection through non-contact electromagnetic wave transmission and reception.
3Measurement precision
If the vision sensor recognizes near objects first, then the sensor can identify foreground clothes, but it has difficulty recognizing clothes behind overlapping objects
Solution Approach 1:
The radar sensor detects clothes by measuring the reflected electromagnetic waves from different positions, providing depth and spatial information in addition to horizontal positioning. This multi-dimensional detection capability allows the system to identify both foreground and background clothes by analyzing the spatial distribution of reflected signals, overcoming the occlusion problem that plagues 2D vision sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The radar sensor receives reflected electromagnetic waves from clothes at different positions and uses this feedback information to determine both the presence and spatial arrangement of multiple clothes items. By analyzing the strength, timing, and direction of reflected signals, the system can distinguish between foreground and background objects even when they overlap, preventing information loss.
4Extent of automation
If preset treatment courses are used without accurate clothes detection, then the apparatus operates automatically, but energy efficiency decreases and potential damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The radar sensor provides real-time feedback on the actual quantity and position of clothes in the accommodation space. The controller uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust the treatment course, selecting appropriate duration and intensity settings that match the actual load. This prevents energy waste from treating empty or lightly-loaded spaces while avoiding damage from excessive treatment on delicate or small items.
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
The apparatus effectively measures the amount and location of clothes, suggests optimal treatment courses, reduces power usage, and detects falling clothes, while maintaining aesthetic design and avoiding sensor performance degradation.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor assembly installed between the cabinet and the inner case, and configured to sense at least one of a quantity of clothes accommodated in the accommodation space and a position of the accommodated clothes by emitting electromagnetic waves as a signal and receiving a reflected signal
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus includes a cabinet, an inner case disposed in the cabinet and provided with walls defining an accommodation space in which clothes are accommodated, a supply unit configured to supply at least one of air or moisture to the accommodation space, a clothes hanger disposed in the accommodation space so as to support the accommodated clothes, and a sensor assembly installed between the cabinet and the inner case, and configured to sense at least one of a quantity of clothes accommodated in the accommodation space and a position of the accommodated clothes by emitting electromagnetic waves as a signal and receiving a reflected signal.