Networked Laundry Machine Control with Remote Locking and Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In commercial laundry facilities, patrons often face the risk of their laundry being tampered with or stolen due to the lack of secure locking mechanisms during washing and drying operations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for controlling laundry machines that allows users to select machines, operation types, and operational parameters through a user interface, enabling secure locking and payment processing, as well as notifications for operation completion and time extensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a manual lock or timed lock is used in commercial laundry facilities, then the locking mechanism is simple and easy to operate, but the laundry is not secure and can be tampered with or stolen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the user device and the washing machine. The server receives locking requests from the user device, processes them, and sends control signals to the washing machine's locking mechanism. This distributed architecture enhances security by centralizing control while keeping the local machine complexity low, resolving the contradiction between reliable security and simple operation.
2Reliability
If a user remains in the laundry facility during washing and drying operations, then the laundry is secure, but the user loses time and must multi-task
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the server continuously monitors washing machine status and sends notifications to the user device about operation progress, completion, and security status. This allows users to know their laundry is secure without being physically present, eliminating the need to wait around while maintaining security through automated monitoring and alerting.
3Ease of operation
If a distributed networked control system is implemented, then laundry security and user convenience are improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional components: a user device for interaction, a server for centralized logic and coordination, and washing machines with embedded controllers for execution. This segmentation distributes complexity across multiple independent units, making the overall system more manageable and easier to operate from the user perspective while maintaining robust security functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, system and apparatus for the controlling laundry machines in a laundry facility. A user device receives a list of machines for a laundry facility and displays them on a machine control user interface. The user may then make a selection of a machine, a selection of an operation type and a selection of one or more operational parameters associated with the selected operation type. The selection of the operation type and the one or more operational parameters may be made on the user device or on the selected machine. The machine control user interface may then display the user selections, an estimated duration and a cost. The estimated duration and cost may be based on the selected machine, selected operation type and the one or more selected operational parameters.