Method for operating a laundry washing machine using a unit dose package and laundry washing machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of unit dose detergent pods in laundry washing machines can result in residual undissolved detergent causing spots or stains, inefficient rinsing, and unpredictable detergent release, leading to incomplete washing cycles and potential allergic reactions due to residual detergent.
Innovation Solution
A laundry washing machine with a control unit that manages water temperature and supply to ensure proper dissolution of detergent pods, using a compartment to hold the pod until it dissolves and releasing the detergent at the correct time, and implementing a user-selectable operation mode for unit dose packages to optimize washing cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a unit dose detergent pod is inserted directly into the drum with laundry, then the detergent is convenient to use and pre-measured, but the pod may remain trapped in the middle of the load causing residual undissolved detergent and stains on laundry
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the washing process into distinct phases: a preliminary phase where water is supplied to dissolve the pod in the bellows, and a main washing phase. This segmentation ensures the pod is completely dissolved before laundry contact, eliminating stains while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary dissolution of the detergent pod in the bellows before the main washing cycle begins. Water is supplied to the bellows in advance to dissolve the pod, ensuring complete dissolution occurs prior to the pod contacting the laundry, thus preventing residual detergent stains.
2Productivity
If the pod is allowed to move freely in the bellows during drum rotation, then the pod may be transported throughout the bellows, but residual detergent remains inside the bellows causing insufficient rinsing and potential allergic reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the detergent dissolution process from the main washing chamber by performing it in the bellows before the cycle begins. This separation ensures that by the time laundry is present, the bellows contains only dissolved detergent solution, eliminating the harmful effect of residual undissolved pod contacting laundry during rinsing.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows acts as an intermediary chamber where the detergent pod is pre-dissolved in water before the main washing process. This intermediary step ensures complete dissolution occurs in isolation, preventing direct contact between undissolved pod residues and laundry, thus eliminating allergic reaction risks.
3Reliability
If the washing cycle starts with a draining phase for safety and hygiene, then the tub is cleaned beforehand, but any pod that has broken down beforehand will have its detergent drained away resulting in no effective washing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the detergent dissolution action in the bellows before the main washing cycle and before any draining occurs. This timing ensures the detergent is already dissolved and ready to be effectively distributed during the washing phase, preventing loss of detergent through the initial draining phase while maintaining safety and hygiene benefits.
4Ease of manufacture
If the pod breaks down or pouch dissolves before the washing cycle begins, then the detergent may fall to the bottom of the tub, but this creates undesired spots or stains on laundry and may be completely drained away
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows serves as an intermediary containment structure that controls where and how the pod dissolves. By designing the pod to dissolve in the bellows rather than directly in the tub, the system maintains the simple pod design while achieving controlled release timing - the pod dissolves in the bellows where water is supplied, preventing detergent from falling to the tub bottom and causing stains.
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 ensures complete detergent utilization, prevents residual detergent issues, and provides improved rinsing efficiency, ensuring consistent and effective washing performance while minimizing the risk of allergic reactions.
Implementation Method 1
The method comprises a step of supplying water to the bellows in a preliminary phase before the washing cycle so as to dissolve the detergent pod
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry washing machine and a method for operating the washing machine offer ways to load a unit dose package into a compartment of the washing machine. A control unit controls the washing machine to add water to a compartment having a unit dose package. The tub is then filled with hot or cold water depending on the temperature of the water in the tub, or whether a sanitizing cycle of a washing program has been selected.