Method for determining treatment parameters via an information carrier

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users often select suboptimal or incorrect treatment parameters for textiles during cleaning, leading to inefficient resource usage, inadequate cleaning performance, and potential damage to the textiles.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that determine treatment parameters for textiles by reading information from NFC chips, barcodes, or labels on cleaning agents, textiles, or cleaning devices, using optical sensors and NFC reading devices to provide optimized treatment recommendations or automate the cleaning process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If users manually select treatment parameters based on experience and markings, then the cleaning process can be performed, but the treatment parameters may be suboptimal or incorrect leading to resource waste, insufficient cleaning performance, or textile damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of treatment parameter selectionVSAvoiduser burden in selecting treatment parameters

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The textile or cleaning agent package contains an information carrier (NFC chip, barcode, label) that automatically provides treatment parameter information. The cleaning device reads this information and automatically determines optimal treatment parameters without requiring user interpretation of care marks or experience-based selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

An information carrier acts as an intermediary between the textile/cleaning agent and the cleaning device. This intermediary encodes treatment parameter information that the cleaning device can automatically read and process, eliminating the need for manual parameter selection by the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If users manually determine treatment parameters, then the cleaning process can proceed, but resource consumption increases and cleaning performance may be insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning performanceVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The information carrier provides feedback information about the textile or cleaning agent properties to the cleaning device. This feedback enables the cleaning device to automatically adjust treatment parameters (temperature, duration, dosing) to optimal values, improving cleaning performance while reducing resource consumption through precise control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning device automatically changes treatment parameters (temperature, time, dosing) based on information read from the information carrier. This enables optimization of cleaning parameters for each specific textile or cleaning agent type, improving cleaning effectiveness while minimizing resource usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If users manually select treatment parameters, then the cleaning process can be performed, but textile damage may occur due to incorrect parameter selection

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetextile safety during treatmentVSAvoidsystem complexity for parameter determination

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Treatment parameter information is pre-encoded in the information carrier (NFC chip, barcode, or label) attached to the textile or cleaning agent package. This preliminary encoding of care instructions allows the cleaning device to automatically retrieve and apply safe treatment parameters without requiring complex real-time analysis or user judgment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If information carriers such as NFC chips, barcodes, or labels are used to store treatment information, then accurate parameter determination is enabled, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of treatment parameter determinationVSAvoidcomplexity of information carrier and reading devices

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of requiring complex sensors to analyze textile properties directly, the patent uses information carriers that contain copied or encoded treatment parameter information. The cleaning device simply needs to read this pre-encoded information using relatively simple NFC readers, barcode scanners, or label recognition systems, achieving high measurement precision with moderate device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11946183B2Method for determining treatment parameters via an information carrier

Publication Date: 2024.04.02 HENKEL KGAA

AI summary

A method performed by one or more devices includes determining an information item indicative of at least one parameter affecting the treatment of a textile with the information item being detected by an information carrier of the textile (220) and/or a cleaning device (230), or a cleaning agent (210) and the textile (220), or the cleaning agent (210) and the cleaning device, or the cleaning agent (210) and the textile (220) and the cleaning device and the information carrier comprises a package, a label, an NFC chip or a combination thereof, determining at least one treatment parameter of the textile based at least in part on the determined information item, and outputting or triggering the outputting of the at least one determined treatment parameter.