Laundry Appliance Performance Selector for Adaptive Chemistry Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of laundry treating appliances often find it challenging to customize wash cycles to achieve specific cleaning goals without modifying operating parameters, leading to suboptimal cleaning performance.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating appliance with a user interface that includes a performance enhancement selector, allowing users to activate additional wash phases or adjust parameters such as water temperature and detergent dosage, enabling enhanced cleaning performance by modifying the preprogrammed wash cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users select from preprogrammed wash cycles without modification, then the operation is simple and easy to use, but the cleaning performance is suboptimal and cannot be customized for specific goals
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts wash cycle parameters based on user selection. When the performance enhancement selector is activated, the controller modifies operating parameters such as water temperature, detergent dosage, and wash phase structure in real-time, transforming a static preprogrammed cycle into a dynamically adaptable process that optimizes cleaning performance while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes physical and chemical parameters of the wash cycle based on user input. The controller modifies water temperature, detergent concentration, and cycle timing parameters when the performance enhancement selector is activated, allowing the same simple user interface to produce different cleaning outcomes through parameter variation.
2Quantity of substance
If the appliance uses minimal water as in horizontal axis washing machines, then energy and resource consumption is reduced, but cleaning efficacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system compensates for minimal water usage by optimizing other parameters. When performance enhancement is selected, the controller adjusts water temperature and detergent dosage to maximize cleaning efficacy in low-water conditions, changing the chemical and thermal parameters to make up for the limited quantity of water available.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention concentrates cleaning action in specific localized ways. By dispensing detergent at optimized times and concentrations during specific wash phases, and by heating water to temperatures that maximize cleaning power, the system creates localized zones of high cleaning efficacy that compensate for the overall minimal water volume.
3Reliability
If additional wash phases and parameter adjustments are implemented, then cleaning performance is enhanced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The performance enhancement selector serves multiple functions: it activates additional wash phases, adjusts water temperature, modifies detergent dosage, and changes cycle timing. This single user interface element controls multiple system adjustments, maintaining simplicity on the user side while coordinating complex multi-parameter changes through the controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages the complexity of multiple wash phases and parameter adjustments without requiring user intervention. Once the user selects performance enhancement, the controller autonomously coordinates detergent dispensing timing, water heating, phase transitions, and cycle management, hiding the system complexity from the user while delivering enhanced cleaning performance.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The laundry treating device (10) has a user interface (98) configured to receive a user selection of a preprogrammed wash cycle. A treating chemistry dispenser (62) has multiple treating chemistry cups (150, 152, 154) configured to dispense treating chemistry to the treating chamber (18) during the selected washing cycle. A controller (96) configured to activate dispensing from each of the treating chemistry cups (150, 152, 154) at preprogrammed times during the wash cycle. A performance enhancement selector (115) configured to receive a user selection such that activation of the performance enhancement selector (115) causes the controller (96) to dispense one of the treating chemistry cups (150, 152, 154) at a different time than the preprogrammed time during the wash cycle.