Method of controlling operation of a washing appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users find it difficult to evaluate and adjust washing program parameters in washing appliances due to the complexity of resource consumption and performance measures, which depend on various unknown factors, leading to confusion and misconceptions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that display the estimated duration and ecological impact of a washing program on a user interface, allowing users to adjust the program duration, with the appliance adapting to the changes and providing clear feedback on the ecological impact, enabling users to make informed adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the user is presented with detailed resource consumption parameters (energy, water, time), then the information completeness is improved, but the user evaluation difficulty increases due to complexity and unknown factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary visual metaphor (ecometer) that translates complex resource consumption data into an intuitive ecological impact indicator. This intermediary layer mediates between the raw data (energy, water, time) and the user's understanding, making the information both complete and easily evaluable without requiring users to understand the underlying complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color-coded visual indicators (green to red gradient) to represent different levels of ecological impact. This visual encoding allows users to instantly grasp the ecological performance of washing programs without needing to interpret numerical data, thereby maintaining information completeness while dramatically improving ease of evaluation.
2Loss of energy
If the washing program duration is extended to reduce ecological impact, then the resource efficiency is improved, but the time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the ecometer dynamically updates to show the ecological impact of different program durations. Users can adjust the duration and immediately see the corresponding ecological impact, enabling them to find the optimal balance between time investment and resource efficiency based on their specific needs and preferences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the washing program parameters dynamic and adjustable, allowing users to modify duration, temperature, and intensity settings. The system responds dynamically by recalculating and displaying the ecological impact in real-time, enabling flexible optimization of the trade-off between time consumption and resource efficiency for each washing task.
3Measurement precision
If the user interface displays multiple performance measures (duration, energy, water), then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple performance measures (energy consumption, water consumption, time duration) into a single integrated visual indicator called the ecometer. This consolidation maintains the precision of individual measurements while presenting them as a unified ecological impact metric, thereby improving usability without sacrificing measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The ecometer serves as an intermediary that aggregates and simplifies multiple complex performance parameters into a single intuitive display. This intermediary layer preserves the precision of underlying measurements while shielding users from the complexity of multiple separate metrics, effectively resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and interface simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are a method of controlling operation of a washing appliance and a washing appliance being controlled by the method. The method may include displaying, on a user interface of the washing appliance, an estimated duration of a selected washing program for the washing appliance; displaying, on the user interface, a degree of ecological impact caused by the selected washing program; allowing a user to operate the user interface to change the duration of the selected washing program, wherein the washing appliance adapts the selected cleaning program to comply with the changed duration; and displaying on the user interface the degree of ecological impact caused by the selected washing program when complying with the changed duration.