Patent Application
20220257085
The present disclosure relates generally to dishwasher appliances, and more particularly to a dishwasher appliance using a camera for basket detection and modification of a cleaning cycle based on such detection.
Dishwasher appliances generally include rack assemblies for positioning various articles for cleaning within a wash chamber. One or more devices such as nozzles or spray assemblies may be included at various locations relative to the rack assemblies for purposes of delivering fluids as part of the cleaning process. During the cleaning cycle, the rack assemblies support and position the articles while also having openings that allow fluid to pass through to the articles. Factors such as the velocity of the fluid, orientation of the fluid spray or stream relative to the articles, the shape and density of the articles in the rack assemblies, and others can impact the effectiveness of the cleaning cycle.
One or more baskets may also be provided for holding articles, particularly smaller or more narrow articles such as silverware. Such baskets may be constructed of a material also having openings for the passage of fluid but perhaps smaller than those of the rack assemblies in order to ensure the support and positioning of such during the cleaning process. The basket may be located at different locations within the appliance including on different rack assemblies at different vertical levels within the appliance. Additionally, the user may have the option of e.g., placing articles such as silverware within a basket on a lower rack assembly or placing the silverware directly (without the basket) onto an upper rack assembly specially configured for the receipt of such articles.
The positioning of articles within a dishwashing appliance can affect the fluid dynamics to which the articles are exposed during the cleaning process. For example, articles placed in a lower rack assembly may be subjected to different spray assemblies with different spray patterns, velocities, and spray duration than articles placed in a higher rack assembly. As such, the efficiency of cleaning for different types of articles can be affected by the rack assembly in which they are placed during a cleaning cycle, particularly if the cleaning cycle is not adjusted based on e.g., the rack assembly in which the basket is placed.
Accordingly, a dishwashing appliance having the ability to determine whether a basket, e.g., a silverware basket, is present at a particular location in the appliance would be useful. For example, a dishwashing appliance having the ability to determine whether a basket is present on a particular rack assembly of the appliance would be beneficial. A dishwashing appliance configured to also use such information to modify one or more operating parameters of the cleaning cycle to improve cleaning efficiency would also be desirable.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a dishwasher appliance that includes a tub defining a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing. A first rack assembly is slidably positioned within the wash chamber. A first spray assembly is positioned in the wash chamber and configured to direct wash fluids at the first rack assembly. A second rack assembly is slidably positioned in the wash chamber above the first rack assembly. A second spray assembly is positioned in the wash chamber and is configured to direct wash fluids at the second rack assembly. A third rack assembly is slidably positioned in the wash chamber above the second rack assembly. A third spray assembly is positioned over the third rack assembly and is configured to direct wash fluid at articles located in the third rack assembly.
For this embodiment, a basket is configured for receipt of articles for washing, the first rack assembly is configured for removable receipt of such basket. A camera assembly is mounted within the wash chamber with a view of the first rack assembly. A controller is operably coupled with the camera assembly. The controller may be configured for obtaining an image of the first rack assembly positioned in the wash chamber; determining whether the basket is positioned in the first rack assembly; and adjusting at least one operating parameter of the dishwashing appliance relating to the wash fluid directed at the third rack assembly based on whether the basket is positioned in the first rack assembly.
In another exemplary aspect, the present invention also provides a method of operating a dishwasher appliance. The method may include obtaining an image of a lower rack assembly positioned in a wash chamber of the dishwasher appliance; determining whether a basket is positioned in the lower rack assembly; and adjusting at least one operating parameter of the dishwashing appliance relating to the flow of fluid directed at an upper rack assembly based on whether the basket is positioned in the lower rack assembly.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, is applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin.
As used herein, the term “article” may refer to, but need not be limited to dishes, pots, pans, silverware, and other cooking utensils and items that can be cleaned in a dishwashing appliance. The term “wash cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which a dishwashing appliance operates while containing the articles to be washed and uses a detergent and water, preferably with agitation, to e.g., remove soil particles including food and other undesirable elements from the articles. The term “rinse cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which the dishwashing appliance operates to remove residual soil, detergents, and other undesirable elements that were retained by the articles after completion of the wash cycle. The term “drain cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which the dishwashing appliance operates to discharge soiled water from the dishwashing appliance. The term “cleaning cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time that may include a wash cycle, rinse cycle, and/or a drain cycle. The term “wash fluid” refers to a liquid used for washing and/or rinsing the articles and is typically made up of water that may include other additives such as detergent or other treatments.
The tub 104 includes a front opening 114 and a door 116 hinged at its bottom for movement between a normally closed vertical position (shown in
As best illustrated in
Some or all of the rack assemblies 122, 124, 126 are fabricated into lattice structures including a plurality of wires or elongated members 130 (for clarity of illustration, not all elongated members making up rack assemblies 122, 124, 126 are shown in
Dishwasher 100 further includes a plurality of spray assemblies for urging a flow of water or wash fluid onto the articles placed within wash chamber 106. More specifically, as illustrated in
The various spray assemblies and manifolds described herein may be part of a fluid distribution system or fluid circulation assembly 150 for circulating water and wash fluid in the tub 104. More specifically, fluid circulation assembly 150 includes a pump 152 for circulating water and wash fluid (e.g., detergent, water, and/or rinse aid) in the tub 104. Pump 152 may be located within sump 138 or within a machinery compartment located below sump 138 of tub 104, as generally recognized in the art. Fluid circulation assembly 150 may include one or more fluid conduits or circulation piping for directing water and/or wash fluid from pump 152 to the various spray assemblies and manifolds. For example, as illustrated in
As illustrated, primary supply conduit 154 is used to supply wash fluid to mid-level spray arm assembly 140 while a secondary supply conduit 94 supplies wash fluid to upper spray assembly 142. Diverter assembly 156 can allow selection between spray assemblies 134, 140 and 142 being supplied with wash fluid. However, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, any other suitable plumbing configuration may be used to supply wash fluid throughout the various spray manifolds and assemblies described herein.
Each spray assembly 134, 140, 142 or other spray device may include an arrangement of discharge ports or orifices for directing wash fluid received from pump 152 onto dishes or other articles located in wash chamber 106. The arrangement of the discharge ports, also referred to as jets, apertures, or orifices, may provide a rotational force by virtue of wash fluid flowing through the discharge ports. Alternatively, spray assemblies 134, 140, 142 may be motor-driven, or may operate using any other suitable drive mechanism. Spray manifolds and assemblies may also be stationary. Movement of the spray arm assemblies 134 and 140 and the spray from fixed manifolds like spray assembly 142 provides coverage of dishes, silverware, and other dishwasher contents and articles to be cleaned with a washing spray. Other configurations of spray assemblies may be used as well. For example, dishwasher 100 may have additional spray assemblies for cleaning silverware, for scouring casserole dishes, for spraying pots and pans, for cleaning bottles, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments discussed herein are used for the purpose of explanation only, and are not limitations of the present subject matter.
In operation, pump 152 draws wash fluid in from sump 138 and pumps it to a diverter assembly 156, e.g., which is positioned within sump 138 of dishwasher appliance. Diverter assembly 156 may include a diverter disk (not shown) disposed within a diverter chamber 158 for selectively distributing the wash fluid to the spray assemblies 134, 140, 142 and/or other spray manifolds or devices. For example, the diverter disk may have a plurality of apertures that are configured to align with one or more outlet ports (not shown) at the top of diverter chamber 158. In this manner, the diverter disk may be selectively rotated to provide wash fluid to the desired spray device.
According to an exemplary embodiment, diverter assembly 156 is configured for selectively distributing the flow of wash fluid from pump 152 to various fluid supply conduits, only some of which (e.g., 94 and 154) are illustrated in
The dishwasher 100 is further equipped with a controller 160 to regulate operation of the dishwasher 100. Controller 160 may include one or more memory devices and one or more microprocessors, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with a cleaning cycle. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, controller 160 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.
The controller 160 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout dishwasher 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 160 may be located within a control panel area 162 of door 116 as shown in
Dishwasher 100 may also be configured to communicate wirelessly with a cloud-server that may include a database or may be, e.g., a cloud-based data storage system and may also include image recognition and processing capabilities including artificial intelligence as further described below. For example, appliance 100 may communicate with cloud-server over the Internet, and appliance 100 may access via WI-FI®, such as from a WI-FI® access point in a user's home or through a mobile device. Alternatively, dishwasher 100 may be equipped with such image recognition and processing capabilities as part of controller 160 and/or other components onboard appliance 100.
It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular style, model, or configuration of dishwasher 100. The exemplary embodiment depicted in
Dishwasher 100 includes a camera assembly or other optical sensor assembly 166, which may be positioned along one of the sidewalls 110. For this exemplary embodiment, camera assembly 166 includes a sensor 168 (e.g., a camera) for obtaining images of articles placed in lower rack assembly 122 and particularly images that include where a basket such as silverware basket 98 would normally be placed. In other embodiments, camera assembly 166 is positioned so that it has a view of a desired location in, or desired portion of, wash chamber 106. Thus, although shown on one of the sidewalls 110 near door 116, camera assembly 166 could be placed at other locations along sidewalls 110, rear wall 112, or even door 116 provided such placement allows for a view and resulting capture of an image of the desired location. More than one camera assembly may be used in appliance 100 as well.
Camera assembly 166 may include any suitable number, type, size, and configuration of camera(s) 168 for obtaining images in wash chamber 110. In general, camera(s) 168 may include a lens that is constructed from a clear hydrophobic material or which may otherwise be positioned behind a hydrophobic clear lens. So positioned, camera assembly 166 may obtain one or more images or videos of articles and/or rack assemblies within wash chamber 110, as described in more detail below. For the exemplary embodiment of
Referring still to
Notably, controller 160 of dishwashing appliance 100 (or any other suitable dedicated controller) may be communicatively or operably coupled to camera assembly 166, camera 168, tub light 186, and/or other components of appliance 100. As explained in more detail below, controller 160 may be programmed or configured for analyzing the images obtained by camera assembly 166, e.g., in order to determine whether basket 98, and more particularly the silverware or other articles normally placed in basket 98, is present in a particular location of dishwashing appliance 100 such as lower rack assembly 122, and may use this information to make informed decisions regarding the operation of dishwashing appliance 100. Alternatively, such images from camera assembly 166 may be transmitted or uploaded to e.g., a cloud-server or cloud-based system for further processing of such information as will also be further described. The images may also be electronically stored by dishwashing appliance 100 as part of the process by which appliance 100 utilizes the same to determine the presence of basket 98 and or silverware or other articles in wash chamber 110.
Referring now to
In step 202, dishwasher 100 is activated or started. For example, through interface 164, a user may actuate a cleaning cycle of appliance 100. Such may include the selection, using interface 164, of one or more options for the cleaning cycle followed by closing door 116. Activation may also come after a period of delay, which the user may select.
Next, in step 204, dishwasher 100 obtains or captures an image of first rack assembly 122 particularly of a location where e.g., basket 98 containing silverware 96 would normally be located. For example, first rack assembly 122 may include a portion where its wire members are particularly shaped or configured for receipt of basket 98. For example, as illustrated in
Camera assembly 166 is positioned with a view of the first rack assembly 122 where basket 98 would be so received. In other embodiments of the invention, camera assembly 166 may be positioned with a view of the second rack assembly 124, third rack assembly 126, or combinations of the rack assemblies. As used herein, “image” includes a single photograph or representation (e.g., a digital or electronic file) of the view of camera assembly 166, multiple such photographs or representations, and/or videos from which image processing can be performed to determine whether basket 98 is present.
After one or more images are obtained, in step 206 a determination is made as to whether basket 98 is present in first rack assembly 122. In other exemplary aspects of the invention, the determination may be whether basket 98 is present in one of the other rack assemblies or whether a particular type of article to be washed is present in the rack. In still other aspect, a determination may be made as to whether basket 98 is present and, if so, whether articles such as e.g., silverware are present within basket 98.
As used herein, the terms “image recognition process” and similar terms may be used generally to refer to any suitable method of observation, analysis, image decomposition, feature extraction, image classification, etc. of one or more image or videos taken within chamber 106 appliance 100. In this regard, the image recognition process may use any suitable artificial intelligence (AI) technique, for example, any suitable machine learning technique, or for example, any suitable deep learning technique. It should be appreciated that any suitable image recognition software or process may be used to analyze images taken by camera assembly 166.
Controller 160, or components of appliance 100, or combinations thereof may be programmed and otherwise configured to perform such processes. In another exemplary aspect of the invention, one or more images (e.g., data regarding such one or more images) from camera assembly 166 may be uploaded by appliance 100 (using e.g., the Internet) to a cloud-based server or cloud server that uses an image recognition process including machine learning to determine whether basket 98 is present in first rack assembly 122. In which event, exemplary method 200 can include control 160 receiving data back from the cloud-based server including data indicating whether basket 98 is position in first rack assembly 122.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the image recognition so performed on the cloud and/or by controller 160 may implement a form of image recognition called region based convolutional neural network (“R-CNN”) image recognition. Generally speaking, R-CNN may include taking an input image and extracting region proposals that include a potential object, such as a particular basket 98, article, or the like. In this regard, a “region proposal” may be regions in an image that could belong to a particular object, such as a particular part of the basket or part of the article (e.g., a portion of silverware). A convolutional neural network is then used to compute features from the regions proposals and the extracted features will then be used to determine a classification for each particular region.
According to still other embodiments, an image segmentation process may be used along with the R-CNN image recognition. In general, image segmentation creates a pixel-based mask for each object in an image and provides a more detailed or granular understanding of the various objects within a given image. In this regard, instead of processing an entire image—i.e., a large collection of pixels, many of which might not contain useful information—image segmentation may involve dividing an image into segments (e.g., into groups of pixels containing similar attributes) that may be analyzed independently or in parallel to obtain a more detailed representation of the object or objects in an image. This may be referred to herein as “mask R-CNN” and the like.
According to still other embodiments, the image recognition process may use any other suitable neural network process. Step 206 may include e.g., using Mask R-CNN instead of a regular R-CNN architecture. In this regard, Mask R-CNN is based on Fast R-CNN which is slightly different than R-CNN. For example, R-CNN first applies CNN and then allocates it to zone recommendations on a covn5 property map instead of the initially split into zone recommendations. In addition, according to exemplary embodiments, standard CNN may be used to obtain a quantification of the water level. In addition, a K-means algorithm may be used. Other image recognition processes are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.
It should be appreciated that any other suitable image recognition process may be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, step 206 may include using a deep belief network (“DBN”) image recognition process. A DBN image recognition process may generally include stacking many individual unsupervised networks that use each network's hidden layer as the input for the next layer. According to still other embodiments, step 204 may include the implementation of a deep neural network (“DNN”) image recognition process, which generally includes the use of a neural network (computing systems inspired by the biological neural networks) with multiple layers between input and output. Other suitable image recognition processes, neural network processes, artificial intelligence (“Al”) analysis techniques, and combinations of the above described or other known methods may be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, the image analysis performed at step 206 may generally monitor any suitable qualitative or quantitative aspect of basket 98, articles 96 therein, or wash chamber 106 which might be indicative of whether basket 98 is present in first rack assembly 122. For example, the analysis may include the monitoring of at least one of a color tone, a size, reflectiveness, density of openings in basket 98 or other elements.
With continuing reference to
Alternatively, if basket 98 is not present in first rack assembly, then at least one operating parameter of appliance 100 is adjusted in step 210. As third rack assembly 126 is specially equipped for the receipt of articles such as silverware, for this exemplary embodiment, appliance 100 “assumes” the absence of basket 98 in first rack assembly 122 is due to the user placing such articles into third rack assembly 126. Controller 160 is then accordingly configured for modifying an operating parameter of appliance 100 based on the present of such articles in third rack assembly 126. As used herein, “operating parameter” references any parameter of the cleaning cycle used by appliance 100 that relates to how such cleaning cycle is executed.
For example, appliance 100 might adjust the cleaning cycle by increasing the time for which third spray assembly 126 is operated during the cleaning cycle. This could be accomplished by e.g., using diverter chamber 158 to direct fluid to secondary supply conduit 94 for an increased period of time during a wash cycle, rinse cycle, or both. During a normal cleaning cycle, third spray assembly 126 might be operated for a total period of time t. If basket 98 is detected as not present in first rack assembly 122, controller 160 can be configured to increase the period of operating time for third spray assembly 126 to t +At where At represents the increased cycle time. In step 212, the cleaning cycle is completed.
In still another example, if basket 98 is detected as not present in first rack assembly 122, controller 160 might be configured to increase the flow rate of fluid to third spray assembly 126. Diverter chamber 158 could be adjusted to direct less fluid to the first spray assembly 134 and/or second spray assembly 140 so as to increase the flow rate of fluid to third spray assembly 126. Additionally, the speed of pump 152 could be increased to further increase the flow rate of fluid to third spray assembly 126. As will be understood using the teachings disclosed herein, still other operating parameters could be adjusted as well. In each example, based on the determination that basket 98 is not present in the first rack assembly 122, at least one operating parameter of appliance 100 is adjusted to enhance the cleaning of articles placed in third rack assembly 126. Combinations of the adjustments of more than one operating parameter may also be used.
In still other embodiments of the invention, controller 160 might be configured to change operating parameters so as to impact the cleaning of items placed on first rack assembly 122 or second rack assembly 124. For example, if basket 98 is detected in first rack assembly, first spray assembly 134 might be operated for an increased period of time and/or with a different rate of fluid flow. Also, as previously stated, one or more camera assemblies 166 could be placed at other locations in appliance 100 and used for image recognition at different locations to modify still other operating parameters of appliance 100.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
