Mobile Article Sorting for Appliance Cycle Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in determining which articles to group together and selecting the appropriate cycle of operation for appliances like washing machines and dishwashers, as existing systems lack intuitive methods for sorting and treating articles based on their characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device method that receives input on articles to be treated, identifies treating criteria, groups them accordingly, and determines the optimal cycle of operation for the appliance, displaying the groupings and cycle options to the user for selection and execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the appliance provides multiple cycles of operation specific to different article characteristics, then the treatment effectiveness is improved, but the difficulty of operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting article characteristics through image recognition and sensor data, then autonomously determining the appropriate cycle of operation. This eliminates the need for users to manually assess article characteristics and select cycles, resolving the contradiction between providing multiple specialized cycles and maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of article assessment and cycle selection with an automated digital system using image recognition, sensors, and algorithms. This substitution enables the appliance to intelligently match article characteristics with appropriate treatment cycles, improving treatment effectiveness while simplifying user interaction.
2Ease of operation
If the system provides detailed guidance on article grouping and cycle selection, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the user and the appliance. The mobile device handles the complex tasks of image recognition, article analysis, and cycle recommendation, while the appliance itself remains relatively simple. This distributes the complexity to an external device, providing detailed guidance to users without significantly increasing the appliance's internal complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: capturing images, analyzing article characteristics, determining grouping strategies, recommending cycles, and communicating with the appliance. By consolidating these diverse functions in a single multi-functional device, the system provides comprehensive guidance without requiring the appliance itself to be overly complex.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of sorting articles for subsequent treatment in an appliance. The method may sort the articles on a mobile device and the sorted articles may be treated according to a cycle of operation implemented by the appliance.