Washing Machine Water Dosing Control for Surplus Flow Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry washing machines face challenges in accurately controlling the amount of water supplied, leading to incorrect detergent usage and inefficient washing cycles, which affects cleaning effectiveness and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A method that measures surplus water after the dosing device is deactivated and adjusts subsequent water supply to accurately determine the real amount of water needed, using a control unit and flowmeter to account for delay times and variations in water pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a controllable dosing device (electrovalve) is used to supply washing water, then water supply control is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to delay time between switching off the valve and actual water flow stop
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary measurement of surplus water during a first water conveying step. This preliminary action allows the system to determine the delay-induced excess water amount before subsequent washing operations, enabling accurate compensation in future water supply calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit uses the measured surplus water amount as feedback to adjust and optimize subsequent water conveying steps. By continuously monitoring and compensating for the dosing device delay through feedback, the system achieves precise water amount control despite the inherent valve response time lag.
2Device complexity
If water supply amount is not accurately controlled, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of substance increases due to incorrect detergent usage and wasted water
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses itself to measure and compensate for its own operational deficiencies. By incorporating a flowmeter that measures the actual water delivered (including surplus water from valve delay), the system self-corrects its control inaccuracies without requiring external calibration or complex additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically adjusts water supply parameters based on measured surplus water. By changing the water conveying amount in subsequent steps according to the previously measured delay effect, the system optimizes water and detergent usage while maintaining simple device architecture.
3Measurement precision
If surplus water is not measured and compensated, then measurement precision is maintained at basic level, but productivity deteriorates due to inefficient washing cycles and re-washing needs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary water conveying step specifically designed to measure surplus water before the actual washing cycle. This preliminary measurement action enables subsequent washing cycles to proceed with accurate water amounts, preventing inefficiencies and re-washing needs.
Solution Approach 2:
By implementing feedback control based on surplus water measurement, the system optimizes washing cycle productivity. The control unit uses measurement data to adjust water supply in real-time, ensuring each washing cycle uses the precise amount of water needed, thereby improving overall operational efficiency.
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 method ensures precise water control, optimizing detergent usage, improving washing efficiency, and reducing environmental impact by accurately determining the amount of water and detergent required for each cycle.
Implementation Method 1
a metering device arranged between said external water supply line and said container for determining the amount of water flowing through said dosing device
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for operating a laundry washing machine (100; 300) of the type comprising a controllable dosing device (120; 191) suitable to supply water from an external water supply line (E) into a container (110; 172) and a metering device (125; 192) arranged between the external water supply line (E) and the container (110; 172) for determining the amount of water flowing through the dosing device (120; 191). The method comprises the step of measuring the surplus water flowing through the dosing device (120; 191) after deactivation of the latter in a first water conveying step for conveying a first amount of water from the external water supply line (E) into the container (110; 172) and the step of controlling the supply of water in a further water conveying step taking in account the surplus water previously measured.