Method for the improved control of a water-bearing domestic appliance and domestic appliance suitable therefor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current water-bearing household appliances lack precise control and efficiency in detergent usage, leading to excessive consumption, potential damage to textiles, and hygiene issues due to inadequate detection of soiling and contamination, as well as safety risks from volatile chemicals.
Innovation Solution
A method and appliance that utilize a spectrometer with a radiation source and detector, coupled with a microcomputer, to emit and measure radiation reflected from objects in the drum, allowing for real-time evaluation of textile types, treatment agent levels, and contamination, enabling adaptive control of washing and drying programs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a user manually determines detergent dosage based on visual estimation, then the operation is simple and easy, but the detergent consumption becomes excessive and environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual estimation with an optical measurement system (spectrometer) that automatically detects soiling levels. This substitution of mechanical/manual determination with optical detection enables precise detergent dosage control, reducing excessive consumption while maintaining operational simplicity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance performs self-diagnosis of soiling conditions using the integrated spectrometer, eliminating the need for user judgment. The system automatically measures reflected radiation spectra to determine detergent requirements, enabling the appliance to serve itself in determining optimal dosage without user intervention.
2Manufacturing precision
If a user increases detergent dosage to ensure optimal cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but unwanted residues remain on objects and allergies are triggered
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrometer provides real-time feedback on soiling levels by analyzing reflected radiation spectra. This feedback loop enables the control system to precisely adjust detergent dosage to match actual cleaning needs, achieving optimal cleaning effectiveness while preventing overdosing that would leave harmful residues on treated objects.
3Measurement precision
If the appliance lacks real-time detection capability, then the device complexity is low, but the ability to detect soiling and contamination is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrometer system serves multiple functions: detecting soiling levels, identifying contamination types, monitoring detergent concentration, and detecting volatile chemicals. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing comprehensive measurement capabilities that improve both cleaning precision and safety monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The spectrometer acts as an intermediary between the cleaning process and the control system. It converts physical soiling and contamination conditions into measurable spectral data, enabling precise detection without requiring direct contact with contaminants and facilitating automated control decisions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the appliance operates without real-time monitoring, then the control simplicity is maintained, but the ability to intervene in treatment processes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrometer continuously monitors treatment processes and provides feedback to the control system, enabling real-time intervention. The system can detect changes in soiling levels, contamination presence, or detergent effectiveness and automatically adjust treatment parameters or alert users to intervene, enhancing process adaptability.
5Object-affected harmful factors
If the appliance lacks contamination detection capability, then the device complexity is reduced, but hygiene issues and microorganism contamination cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual hygiene inspection with automated optical detection using the spectrometer. The system analyzes reflected radiation spectra to identify contamination signatures, enabling automatic detection of hygiene issues and microorganism presence without requiring user intervention or complex mechanical sampling systems.
6Manufacturing precision
If the appliance uses volatile chemicals for cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but safety risks from leaks and malfunctions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrometer serves as an intermediary detection system that monitors for volatile chemical leaks by analyzing their spectral signatures in the air. This enables early detection of safety hazards without requiring users to directly handle or smell the volatile chemicals, maintaining cleaning effectiveness while improving safety.
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 allows for optimized detergent usage, reduced environmental impact, improved textile care, enhanced hygiene, and early detection of safety hazards, such as volatile substances, enabling more precise and environmentally friendly operation of household appliances.
Implementation Method 1
emitting radiation from the at least one radiation source of the spectrometer in a wavelength range from λ 1 to λ 2 through the at least one radiation passage
Implementation Method 2
the at least one radiation detector reflects the objects reflected Radiation recorded through the at least one radiation passage in at least one time interval Δτ as a measurement signal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a water-bearing domestic appliance (1), which comprises a drum (3) for holding articles to be treated, which drum has at least one perimeter having at least one radiation passage (30, 35), a control device (18), and a spectrometer (21), which comprises at least one radiation source (5, 27) and at least one radiation detector (7, 28) and a microcomputer (6), wherein the microcomputer (6) and the control device (18) are designed to exchange information between each other such that data can be exchanged between the spectrometer (21) and the control device (18), wherein the method comprises the following steps: (b) emitting radiation (31) from the at least one radiation source (5, 27) of the spectrometer (21) in a wavelength range of λ1 to λ2 through the at least one radiation passage (30, 35) such that the radiation (31) is applied to articles (22, 34) in the drum (3) and the at least one radiation detector (7, 28) registers the radiation (32) reflected by the articles (22, 34) through the at least one radiation passage (30, 35) in at least one time interval Δτ as a measurement signal; (c) transmitting the measurement signal to the microcomputer (6), evaluating the measurement signal by means of an evaluation routine stored in the microcomputer (6), and transmitting the evaluated measurement signal to the control device (18); and (d) selecting and/or adjusting an operating program by means of the control device (18) with regard to the evaluated measurement signal; wherein steps (b) to (d) are performed one or more times. The invention further relates to a domestic appliance suitable for performing said method.