Washing Machine Treatment-Agent Reader With Experience Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for transmitting information about washing or rinsing agents to laundry treatment machines do not effectively utilize experience data from the treatment process, leading to incorrect assignment of empirical information and suboptimal treatment programs.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that store and transmit empirical information about treatment agents, allowing the laundry treatment machine to learn and adapt treatment programs based on experience, ensuring correct assignment and automatic adjustment of dosing and process parameters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If empirical information is stored only in the control device, then the machine can adapt to treatment agents, but incorrect assignment may occur when the same treatment agent is used with different information carriers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to treatment agentsVSAvoidassignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The information storage system is segmented into two locations: the control device and the information carrier itself. This segmentation allows the empirical information to be stored in multiple places, ensuring that even if one location is incorrect or lost, the correct information remains available on the information carrier associated with that specific treatment agent.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by transmitting empirical information back to the information carrier after the treatment process. This feedback loop ensures that the information carrier is continuously updated with accurate empirical data from actual usage, improving assignment accuracy for future treatments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If manual adjustments are made to treatment programs based on operator experience, then treatment optimization is possible, but operator intervention is required and time is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment optimization speedVSAvoidoperator intervention requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by automatically storing empirical information from treatment processes and using this information to optimize future treatments without requiring operator intervention. The machine learns from each treatment and automatically adjusts, eliminating the need for manual program adjustments by operators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The automatic feedback loop captures empirical information from each treatment process and uses it to refine treatment programs. This continuous learning process eliminates manual intervention while maintaining treatment optimization, as the system automatically adapts based on accumulated experience data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2205786B1Method of, and a device for, evaluating information regarding a treatment agent in a washing machine
Publication Date: 2015.02.25 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP2205786B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2205786B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The method of, and the device for, evaluating information regarding a treatment agent, which is kept for portion-wise metering purposes in a transporting or supply container 22, 23, 24 which can be inserted into a washing machine, this information being contained in a machine-readable manner in an information carrier 26, 27, 28 which is connected to the transporting or supply container, utilizes an integrated reader 18 which extracts the information of the information carrier, in the event of the latter being in close proximity to the reader, from the information carrier and passes it on to a control device 12, which introduces individually measured portions of the treatment agent into the treatment process in a suitable manner and at suitable points in time of a laundry-treatment program. In order that the information transmitted on the part of the treatment agent is supplemented by such information as is obtained upon using this treatment agent, and arises on account of experience with this treatment agent, experience obtained upon using the treatment agent during the treatment process is stored in the form of experience information and kept for subsequent applications of this treatment agent.