Sensor-Based Laundry Washer Control for Automatic Detergent Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry washing machines often result in suboptimal performance due to user inattentiveness or lack of understanding in selecting appropriate settings for different load types, leading to inefficient energy and water consumption.
Innovation Solution
The integration of weight, fluid level, and fluid property sensors in a laundry washing machine to dynamically select a load type and control wash cycles, including detergent dispensation, based on sensed data, allowing for optimized operational settings without manual user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual load type selection is provided, then user interaction is simplified, but suboptimal performance occurs due to user inattentiveness or lack of understanding
Solution Approach 1:
The washing machine automatically detects load characteristics using sensors (weight, fluid level, fluid property) and selects appropriate wash cycles without requiring user knowledge or manual selection. The system serves itself by making intelligent decisions based on sensed data, eliminating the reliability problem associated with manual user selection while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical selection process with an automated sensing and control system. Sensors detect physical properties of the load (weight, fluid level, turbidity, conductivity) and the controller automatically determines wash cycle parameters, substituting human judgment with instrumented measurement and automated decision-making algorithms.
2Reliability
If multiple user-configurable settings are provided, then washing performance can be optimized, but energy and water consumption increase due to complex operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically configures all wash cycle settings based on sensor measurements of the load. The controller determines water temperature, wash time, agitation intensity, and detergent dosage without user intervention, making the system self-configuring while maintaining optimized washing performance for the detected load type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts multiple wash cycle parameters (temperature, time, agitation, detergent amount) based on real-time sensor data. The controller modifies these parameters automatically according to the detected load characteristics, achieving optimized washing performance without requiring users to understand or configure each parameter individually.
3Reliability
If automatic sensor-based load type selection is implemented, then washing performance is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional sensing system where a single controller integrates multiple sensor inputs (weight, fluid level, turbidity, conductivity) and processes them to determine various load characteristics. This universal approach allows one system to handle diverse load types and automatically select appropriate wash cycles, achieving optimized performance without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that processes sensor data and translates it into wash cycle decisions. Rather than having separate control systems for each sensor type, the controller mediates between multiple sensing elements and the wash cycle execution, simplifying the overall system architecture while enabling complex automated decision-making based on multiple parameters.
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 enhances the performance of laundry washing machines by automatically selecting the appropriate load type and wash cycle settings, reducing energy and water consumption, and ensuring optimal detergent usage, thereby improving user interaction and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a weight sensor operatively coupled to the wash tub to sense a weight associated with the wash tub
Implementation Method 2
a fluid level sensor configured to sense a fluid level in the wash tub
Implementation Method 3
the fluid property sensor includes a turbidity sensor configured to measure turbidity of the fluid from the wash tub
Implementation Method 4
the turbidity sensor is further configured to measure conductivity of the fluid from the wash tub
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry washing machine and method utilize weight, fluid level and fluid property sensors to dynamically select a load type, control a wash cycle and control an amount of detergent dispensed during a wash cycle.