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, incomplete cleaning, and insufficient rinsing due to pod breakage or uneven detergent distribution, leading to inefficiencies and potential allergenic issues.
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 selection process based on temperature and operating mode to optimize detergent distribution and utilization, and includes a method for operating the machine in a unit dose package mode to ensure consistent and efficient washing cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a unit dose detergent pod is inserted into the drum together with laundry, then the detergent is pre-measured and easy to use, but the pod may remain trapped in the middle of the load causing residual undissolved detergent and stains
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent pod is extracted from direct contact with laundry by placing it in a dedicated dispenser compartment. Water is supplied to this compartment to dissolve the pod and release detergent into the washing tub, preventing the pod from being trapped among clothes while ensuring complete dissolution and uniform distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
A water-soluble pouch or film is used as an intermediary carrier for the detergent. This pouch dissolves in water to release the detergent contents, ensuring complete dissolution before the detergent contacts the laundry, thereby preventing residual undissolved detergent and stains.
2Ease of operation
If the pod is placed in the drum, then it is simple to load, but the pod may move inside the bellows and remain undissolved, reducing cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent pod is extracted from the drum and placed in a dedicated dispenser compartment. Water is supplied to this compartment to dissolve the pod before the detergent enters the washing tub, ensuring complete dissolution and preventing the pod from moving into the bellows undissolved, thereby maintaining cleaning efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent pod is dissolved in water within the dispenser compartment before the main washing cycle begins. This preliminary dissolution action ensures that only dissolved detergent enters the washing tub, preventing undissolved residue from moving into the bellows and ensuring optimal cleaning performance from the start.
3Reliability
If the pod breaks down before the washing cycle begins, then the detergent is released early, but the detergent may be drained away during the initial draining phase, resulting in no effective washing
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent pod is extracted and placed in a protected dispenser compartment that is not subject to the initial draining phase. Water is supplied to dissolve the pod within this compartment, and the dissolved detergent is then released into the washing tub after the draining phase, preventing detergent loss while ensuring reliable timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent pod is dissolved in the dispenser compartment before the washing cycle officially begins. The system waits for the appropriate timing (after initial draining) before releasing the dissolved detergent into the washing tub, ensuring that detergent is not lost during the draining phase while maintaining reliable release timing.
4Quantity of substance
If the pod dissolves in the drum, then detergent is available for washing, but undissolved residual product may contact laundry during rinsing, causing insufficient rinsing and allergenic issues
Solution Approach 1:
A water-soluble pouch or film serves as an intermediary that completely dissolves in water within the dispenser compartment. This ensures that only fully dissolved detergent is released into the washing tub, eliminating undissolved residues that could contact laundry during rinsing and cause allergenic issues, while maintaining sufficient detergent quantity for effective washing.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent pod is extracted and dissolved in the controlled environment of the dispenser compartment before release. This ensures complete dissolution and uniform distribution of detergent into the washing tub, preventing undissolved residues from remaining in the drum or bellows that could later contact laundry during rinsing.
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 dissolution and uniform distribution of detergent, preventing spots and stains, enhancing cleaning efficiency, and maintaining effective rinsing while ensuring all detergent is used, thus addressing the inefficiencies and allergenic concerns associated with traditional pod use.
Implementation Method 1
The compartment is configured to receive a unit dose package containing a pre-measured amount of a treating agent... one or more water conveying lines configured to convey water to the compartment
Implementation Method 2
measure a temperature of water in the washing tub and store a value of the measured temperature in a memory of the control unit
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~5B
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.