Patent Application
20190211490
Laundry treating appliances, such as clothes washers, clothes dryers, refreshers, and non-aqueous systems, may have a configuration based on a rotating drum that defines a treating chamber in which laundry items are placed for treating according to one or more cycles of operation. The laundry treating appliance may have a controller that implements the cycles of operation. The controller may control a user interface to communicate with a user.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation implemented by a controller of the laundry treating appliance and having a user interface for communication with a user of the appliance, the method comprising determining a dye has been released from the laundry within the treating chamber to define a determined dye release, and indicating, on the user interface, information related to the dye release based on the determined dye release, where the information is separate from an alert that the released dye has been determined, and where the information comprises educational information to prevent future dye release or information regarding at least one consequence of at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance including at least one of: that the treating cycle of operation used more water, that the treating cycle of operation was less energy efficient, that the treating cycle of operation time will be longer, or that there was reduced performance during the treating cycle of operation.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating a laundry treating appliance, the method comprising sensing a dye has been released from laundry within a treating chamber by sensing a released dye in liquid in the treating chamber or liquid from the treating chamber, and indicating, on the user interface, information related to the released dye based on the determined dye condition, where the information is separate from an alert that the released dye has been determined, and where the information comprises at least one consequence of at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance including at least one of: that the treating cycle of operation used more water, that the treating cycle of operation was less energy efficient, that the treating cycle of operation time will be longer, that there was reduced performance during the treating cycle of operation, or educational information to prevent future dye releases including at least one of: information on proper laundry article separation, information related to label care information, color catcher information, or information on selection of a cycle parameter to reduce dye release.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation implemented by a controller of the laundry treating appliance and having a user interface for communication with a user of the appliance, the method comprising sensing, via a sensor, an amount of dye release, comparing the amount of dye release to a predetermined amount threshold, determining, via the controller, based on the comparing that a dye has been released from the laundry within the treating chamber to define a determined dye condition, and indicating, on the user interface, information related to the dye release based on the determined dye condition, where the information is separate from an alert that the released dye has been determined, and where the information comprises educational information to prevent future dye releases including at least one of: information on proper laundry article separation, information related to label care information, color catcher information, or information on selection of a cycle parameter to reduce dye release.
In the drawings:
As used herein, the term “vertical-axis” washing machine refers to a washing machine having a rotatable drum that rotates about a generally vertical axis relative to a surface that supports the washing machine. However, the rotational axis need not be perfectly vertical to the surface. The drum may rotate about an axis inclined relative to the vertical axis, with fifteen degrees of inclination being one example of the inclination. Similar to the vertical axis washing machine, the term “horizontal-axis” washing machine refers to a washing machine having a rotatable drum that rotates about a generally horizontal axis relative to a surface that supports the washing machine. The drum may rotate about the axis inclined relative to the horizontal axis, with fifteen degrees of inclination being one example of the inclination.
The laundry treating appliance of
The laundry holding system includes a tub 14 supported within the cabinet 12 by a suitable suspension system and a drum 16 provided within the tub 14, the drum 16 defining at least a portion of a laundry treating chamber 18 for receiving a laundry load for treatment. The drum 16 may include a plurality of perforations 20 such that liquid may flow between the tub 14 and the drum 16 through the perforations 20. A plurality of baffles 22 may be disposed on an inner surface of the drum 16 to lift the laundry load received in the treating chamber 18 while the drum 16 rotates. It may also be within the scope of the invention for the laundry holding system to include only a tub with the tub defining the laundry treating chamber.
The laundry treating chamber 18 may have an open face that may be selectively closed by a door 24. More specifically, the door 24 may be movably mounted to the cabinet 12 to selectively close both the tub 14 and the drum 16. A bellows 26 may couple an open face of the tub 14 with the cabinet 12, with the door 24 sealing against the bellows 26 when the door 24 closes the tub 14.
The washing machine 10 may further include a suspension system 28 for dynamically suspending the laundry holding system within the structural support system.
The washing machine 10 may also include at least one balance ring 38 containing a balancing material moveable within the balance ring 38 to counterbalance an imbalance that may be caused by laundry in the treating chamber 18 during rotation of the drum 16. More specifically, the balance ring 38 may be coupled with the rotating drum 16 and configured to compensate for a dynamic imbalance during rotation of the rotatable drum 16. The balance ring 38 may extend circumferentially around a periphery of the drum 16 and may be located at any desired location along an axis of rotation of the drum 16. When multiple balance rings 38 are present, they may be equally spaced along the axis of rotation of the drum 16. For example, in the illustrated example a plurality of balance rings 38 are included in the washing machine 10 and the plurality of balance rings 38 are operably coupled with opposite ends of the rotatable drum 16.
The washing machine 10 may further include a liquid supply system for supplying water to the washing machine 10 for use in treating laundry during a cycle of operation. The liquid supply system may include a source of water, such as a household water supply 40, which may include separate valves 42 and 44 for controlling the flow of hot and cold water, respectively. Water may be supplied through an inlet conduit 46 directly to the tub 14 by controlling first and second diverter mechanisms 48 and 50, respectively. The diverter mechanisms 48, 50 may be a diverter valve having two outlets such that the diverter mechanisms 48, 50 may selectively direct a flow of liquid to one or both of two flow paths. Water from the household water supply 40 may flow through the inlet conduit 46 to the first diverter mechanism 48 which may direct the flow of liquid to a supply conduit 52. The second diverter mechanism 50 on the supply conduit 52 may direct the flow of liquid to a tub outlet conduit 54 which may be provided with a spray nozzle 56 configured to spray the flow of liquid into the tub 14. In this manner, water from the household water supply 40 may be supplied directly to the tub 14.
The washing machine 10 may also be provided with a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry to the treating chamber 18 for use in treating the laundry according to a cycle of operation. The dispensing system may include a dispenser 62 which may be a single use dispenser, a bulk dispenser or a combination of a single use and bulk dispenser.
Regardless of the type of dispenser used, the dispenser 62 may be configured to dispense a treating chemistry directly to the tub 14 or mixed with water from the liquid supply system through a dispensing outlet conduit 64. The dispensing outlet conduit 64 may include a dispensing nozzle 66 configured to dispense the treating chemistry into the tub 14 in a desired pattern and under a desired amount of pressure. For example, the dispensing nozzle 66 may be configured to dispense a flow or stream of treating chemistry into the tub 14 by gravity, i.e. a non-pressurized stream. Water may be supplied to the dispenser 62 from the supply conduit 52 by directing the diverter mechanism 50 to direct the flow of water to a dispensing supply conduit 68.
Non-limiting examples of treating chemistries that may be dispensed by the dispensing system during a cycle of operation include one or more of the following: water, enzymes, fragrances, stiffness/sizing agents, wrinkle releasers/reducers, softeners, antistatic or electrostatic agents, stain repellants, water repellants, energy reduction/extraction aids, antibacterial agents, medicinal agents, vitamins, moisturizers, shrinkage inhibitors, and color fidelity agents, and combinations thereof.
The washing machine 10 may also include a recirculation and drain system for recirculating liquid within the laundry holding system and draining liquid from the washing machine 10. Liquid supplied to the tub 14 through tub outlet conduit 54 and/or the dispensing supply conduit 68 typically enters a space between the tub 14 and the drum 16 and may flow by gravity to a sump 70 formed in part by a lower portion of the tub 14. The sump 70 may also be formed by a sump conduit 72 that may fluidly couple the lower portion of the tub 14 to a pump 74. The pump 74 may direct liquid to a drain conduit 76, which may drain the liquid from the washing machine 10, or to a recirculation conduit 78, which may terminate at a recirculation inlet 80. The recirculation inlet 80 may direct the liquid from the recirculation conduit 78 into the drum 16. The recirculation inlet 80 may introduce the liquid into the drum 16 in any suitable manner, such as by spraying, dripping, or providing a steady flow of liquid. In this manner, liquid provided to the tub 14, with or without treating chemistry may be recirculated into the treating chamber 18 for treating the laundry within.
The liquid supply and/or recirculation and drain system may be provided with a heating system which may include one or more devices for heating laundry and/or liquid supplied to the tub 14, such as a steam generator 82 and/or a sump heater 84. Liquid from the household water supply 40 may be provided to the steam generator 82 through the inlet conduit 46 by controlling the first diverter mechanism 48 to direct the flow of liquid to a steam supply conduit 86. Steam generated by the steam generator 82 may be supplied to the tub 14 through a steam outlet conduit 87. The steam generator 82 may be any suitable type of steam generator such as a flow through steam generator or a tank-type steam generator. Alternatively, the sump heater 84 may be used to generate steam in place of or in addition to the steam generator 82. In addition or alternatively to generating steam, the steam generator 82 and/or sump heater 84 may be used to heat the laundry and/or liquid within the tub 14 as part of a cycle of operation.
Additionally, the liquid supply and recirculation and drain system may differ from the configuration shown in
The washing machine 10 also includes a drive system for rotating the drum 16 within the tub 14. The drive system may include a motor 88 for rotationally driving the drum 16. The motor 88 may be directly coupled with the drum 16 through a drive shaft 90 to rotate the drum 16 about a rotational axis during a cycle of operation. The motor 88 may be a brushless permanent magnet (BPM) motor having a stator 92 and a rotor 94. Alternately, the motor 88 may be coupled with the drum 16 through a belt and a drive shaft to rotate the drum 16, as may be known in the art. Other motors, such as an induction motor or a permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor, may also be used. The motor 88 may rotationally drive the drum 16 including that the motor 88 may rotate the drum 16 at various speeds in either rotational direction.
The control system may control the operation of the washing machine 10 to implement one or more cycles of operation. The control system may include a controller 96 located within the cabinet 12 and a user interface 98 that may be operably coupled with the controller 96. The user interface 98 may provide an input and output function for the controller. The user interface 98 may include one or more knobs, dials, switches, displays 99, touch screens, and the like for communicating with the user, such as to receive input and provide output. For example, the displays may include any suitable communication technology including that of an LCD display, an LED array, or any suitable display that may convey a message to the user. The user may enter different types of information including, without limitation, cycle selection and cycle parameters, such as cycle options. Other communications paths and methods may also be included in the washing machine 10 and may allow the controller 96 to communicate with the user in a variety of ways. For example, the controller 96 may be configured to send a text message to the user, send an electronic mail to the user, or provide audio information to the user either through the washing machine 10 or utilizing another device such as a mobile phone.
The controller 96 may include the machine controller and any additional controllers provided for controlling any of the components of the washing machine 10. For example, the controller 96 may include the machine controller and a motor controller. Many known types of controllers may be used for the controller 96. The specific type of controller is not germane to the invention. It may be contemplated that the controller may be a microprocessor-based controller that implements control software and sends/receives one or more electrical signals to/from each of the various working components to effect the control software. As an example, proportional control (P), proportional integral control (PI), and proportional derivative control (PD), or a combination thereof, a proportional integral derivative control (PID control), may be used to control the various components.
As illustrated in
The controller 96 may be operably coupled with one or more components of the washing machine 10 for communicating with and controlling the operation of the component to complete a cycle of operation. For example, the controller 96 may be operably coupled with the motor 88, the pump 74, the dispenser 62, the steam generator 82 and the sump heater 84 to control the operation of these and other components to implement one or more of the cycles of operation.
The controller 96 may also be coupled with one or more sensors 104 provided in one or more of the systems of the washing machine 10 to receive input from the sensors, which are known in the art and not shown for simplicity. Non-limiting examples of sensors 104 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 96 include: a treating chamber temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, a weight sensor, a chemical sensor, a position sensor, an imbalance sensor, a load size sensor, and a motor torque sensor, which may be used to determine a variety of system and laundry characteristics, such as laundry load inertia or mass.
By way of further example, a dye sensor 106 may be included and operably coupled with the controller 96. The dye sensor 106 may be configured to output a signal indicative of the amount of dye within liquid in the treating chamber 18. The dye sensor 106 may be located in any suitable location including within the treating chamber 18 or fluidly coupled with the treating chamber 18, such as in a sump 72 or recirculation conduit 78. The dye sensor 106 may be any suitable sensor or any suitable sensor system for determining an amount of dye in the treating liquid, non-limiting examples of which include a turbidity sensor, a reflection device, a colorimeter, a photo-spectrometer-related sensor, a pH sensor, a conductivity sensor, an optical sensor system which may be used to perform UV/Vis absorbance/fluorescence spectroscopy, etc. For example, a UV/Vis absorbance/fluorescence system may provide an output representative of a sensed spectral absorbance and/or fluorescence of the treating liquid. It will also be understood that when referring to absorbance herein, transmittance, which may be related to absorbance, may be used as an alternative to absorbance or in order to determine the absorbance.
The dye sensor 106 may output a signal indicative of a presence of dye, including an amount of dye, in the liquid within the treating chamber 18. The dye sensor 106 may sense the dye and output the signal continuously or intermittently throughout the cycle of operation or at one or more predetermined stages of the cycle of operation. The controller 96 may receive the output signal indicative of the presence of a dye from the dye sensor 106 and determine whether the output signal satisfies a predetermined threshold to define a dye release event.
For example, the controller 96 may receive the output from the dye sensor 106 and may compare it with an amount threshold stored in the memory 100 to determine when the amount of the dye satisfies the amount threshold. This may include comparing the output to a predetermined reference value that may be a range of reference values, an upper threshold or a lower threshold. The term “satisfies” the threshold is used herein to mean that the variation satisfies the predetermined threshold, such as being equal to, less than, or greater than the threshold value. It will be understood that such a determination may easily be altered to be satisfied by a positive/negative comparison or a true/false comparison. For example, a less than threshold value may easily be satisfied by applying a greater than test when the data may be numerically inverted.
The controller 96 may then correspondingly activate an output on the user interface 98 so that the user interface 98 provides information related to the dye release based on the determined dye release. The information may include at least one of: at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance in response to the determined dye release, at least one consequence of the at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance, or educational information to prevent future dye releases. For example, the controller 96 may be configured to alter the cycle of operation to reduce an amount of dye color in the treating liquid and the information may relay to the user the changes made to the washing process.
By way of further example, if the user interface 98 includes an LCD, the LCD may provide the user with multiple screens of information related to information indicating actions taken by the laundry treating appliance, information indicating consequences of actions taken by the laundry treating appliance, or educational information to prevent future dye release events. The controller 96 may also activate an audible alert that the released dye has been determined. The controller 96 may also send a text message to the user, send an electronic mail to the user, or provide audio information to the user either alerting the user that the dye has been determined or to provide additional information to the user.
Referring now to
The method 200 may begin at 202, where it may be determined that a dye has been released from the laundry within the treating chamber 18. For example, determining the dye release may include sensing a released dye within the treating chamber 18, such as through use of the dye sensor 106. Sensing the released dye may include sensing an amount of dye color in liquid within the treating chamber. A dye release event may be determined by the controller 96 when the amount of sensed dye color satisfies a threshold. It may alternatively be contemplated that the dye sensor 106 may be located exteriorly of the treating chamber 18 but may be fluidly coupled with the treating chamber 18 such that the dye sensor may sense a released dye in liquid from the treating chamber. The determination step may be repeated multiple times until the output of the dye sensor 106 indicates that the amount of dye in the treating liquid satisfies a predetermined threshold and the controller 96 may determine a dye release event.
If the output signal does satisfy the threshold, the controller 96 may determine that dye may be present in the treating liquid. It will be understood that a dye release event may be determined before the dye has transferred to another article in the laundry load or before such a transfer may be perceivable by a user. More specifically, the dye sensor 106 may be sensitive enough to detect the dye(s) in the treating liquid when the concentration may not be enough to cause a visible change in other items in the laundry load.
Once it has been determined that dye has been released from the laundry in the treating chamber 18 the controller 96 may indicate, on the user interface 98, information related to the dye release. The information may include at least one of: at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance in response to the determined dye release, at least one consequence of the at least one action taken by the laundry treating appliance, or educational information to prevent future dye releases. The information may be provided to the user through text or audio communicated through the user interface 98.
Optionally, the determination of the dye release may be used to modify the cycle of operation. For example, the controller 96 may use the output to determine an amount of dye present in the treating liquid and take at least one action to alter the cycle of operation to reduce the amount of dye color in treating liquid. For example, the controller 96 may alter the cycle of operation by draining the treating liquid and may repeat the wash or rinse phase of the cycle of operation. The controller 96 may also modify cycle parameters such as temperature of the treating liquid, pH of the treating liquid, and/or an amount of a treating agent to add. The controller 96 may also stop the cycle of operation so that no visible dye transfer takes place. The information indicated on the user interface at 204 may include information indicating actions taken by the laundry treating appliance includes information regarding the altering of the cycle of operation. For example, the user interface 98 may indicate information including at least one of: that liquid was drained from the treating chamber 18, that the cycle of operation was stopped, that a tumble pattern of the laundry was altered, that cool water was added to the treating chamber 18, that a rinse or a spin phase was added or repeated, etc.
The actions taken by the washing machine 10 may cause a variety of consequences. For example, if the rinse phase may be repeated not only will the cycle of operation utilize more water than usual it will also be a longer cycle. The indicating at 204 may thus also include providing the user information indicating consequences of actions taken by the washing machine 10. For example, the information may include that the cycle used more water that the cycle was less energy efficient, that the cycle time will be longer, that there was reduced performance during the cycle of operation, etc. For example,
At 204, the indicating may also include indicating on the user interface 98 educational information to prevent future dye release events. This may include a variety of useful information including information on proper laundry article separation, information related to treating clothing that may be prone to dye release, etc. For example,
It will be understood that the method of operating the laundry treating appliance may be flexible and that the method 200 illustrated is merely for illustrative purposes. For example, it is contemplated that it may also be indicating on the user interface 98 that the released dye has been determined. Further, a user may be alerted in other manners using other communication devices including that a text message may be sent to the user, an electronic mail may be sent to the user, or audio information may be provided to the user to relay various information regarding the determined released dye. It has been contemplated that an audible noise may be combined with any indications on the user interface 98 to additionally alert the user that the dye release has been determined or to alert the user to the additional information.
The above described embodiments provided a variety of benefits including that the user interface may indicate useful information when a dye release has been determined. The above described embodiments may also alter the cycle including that the cycle could be stopped to interrupt the bleeding process in an early stage to protect the other items from being dyed, and a rinse and spin phase could be included to decrease the dying effect. The laundry treating appliance may then communicate to the user what happened, what was detected, how the laundry treating appliance saved the load from a color transfer, how to prevent this scenario in the future, etc. This may result in increased user satisfaction as the information may indicate that the load of laundry has been saved from dye transfer damage and educate the user on preventing similar situations.
To the extent not already described, the different features and structures of the various embodiments may be used in combination with each other as desired. That one feature may not be illustrated in all of the embodiments is not meant to be construed that it may not be, but is done for brevity of description. Thus, the various features of the different embodiments may be mixed and matched as desired to form new embodiments, whether or not the new embodiments are expressly described. Further, while the above described embodiments have been described with respect to clothes washing machines the embodiments of the invention may be implemented in any suitable laundry treating appliance.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the forgoing disclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.
This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/936,488, filed Jul. 8, 2013, now allowed, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13936488 | Jul 2013 | US |
| Child | 16356653 | US |
