Patent Application
20230130744
The present subject matter relates generally to laundry treatment appliances, and more particularly to optimizing subsequent operating cycles of laundry treatment appliances based on user feedback.
Conventional consumer appliances typically operate in an open-ended manner. In this regard, all appliance settings and control inputs are set prior to beginning an operating cycle. The operating cycle is then performed based solely on the pre-cycle input, and the process is repeated during subsequent operating cycles.
However, conventional appliances fail to incorporate appliance performance during prior operating cycles as a means to improve performance during subsequent operating cycles. Operation and performance of consumer appliances may be improved by using feedback from the appliance. In failing to consider the results of prior operating cycles, conventional appliances fail to optimize appliance performance during subsequent cycles. For instance, laundry treatment appliances (such as dryers, for example) may continually under perform with regards to user expectancies, resulting in dissatisfaction and user annoyance.
Accordingly, a method for improving appliance performance by incorporating closed loop feedback from an appliance operating cycle to make appliance adjustments for subsequent operating cycles would be useful. More particularly, a method incorporating performance data and consumer feedback regarding the operation of a laundry treatment appliance during subsequent operating cycles would be especially beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a method of optimizing performance of a laundry treatment appliance is provided. The method may include performing a selected laundry treatment operation on a laundry load in accordance with an original set of operating parameters; obtaining a feedback input from a user regarding a dryness level of the laundry load upon completion of the selected laundry treatment operation; adjusting at least one operating parameter of the original set of operating parameters in response to obtaining the feedback input; and generating an adjusted set of operating parameters based on the original set of operating parameters and the feedback input.
In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a laundry treatment appliance is disclosed. The laundry treatment appliance may include a cabinet forming a receiving space; a tub rotatably provided within the receiving space; and a controller operably coupled to the tub, the controller being configured to perform a series of operations. The series of operations may include performing a selected laundry treatment operation on a laundry load in accordance with an original set of operating parameters; obtaining a feedback input from a user regarding a dryness level of the laundry load upon completion of the selected laundry treatment operation; adjusting at least one operating parameter of the original set of operating parameters in response to obtaining the feedback input; and generating an adjusted set of operating parameters comprising the at least one adjusted operating parameter.
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 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.
According to the illustrated embodiment of
Additionally, controller 120 may also include a communications module 126 to facilitate communications between controller 120 and various other components of system 100. For instance, the communications module 126 may serve as an interface to permit controller 120 to transmit and/or receive from remote server 114 performance data related to operating cycles, as discussed herein. Moreover, the communications module 126 may include an interface 128 (e.g., one or more analog-to-digital converters) to permit input signals to be converted into signals that can be understood and processed by the processor 122.
Controller 120 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout appliance 112. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
User interface 140 may be in communication with controller 120 via one or more signal lines or shared communication busses. Controller 120 may also be communication with one or more sensors to monitor the operation of appliance 112. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, appliance 112 may be a laundry machine, and sensors may include temperature sensors to measure water temperature, humidity sensors to detect a dryness of a washing load (e.g., within a dryer appliance), water level gauges, vibration sensors to measure out-of-balance conditions, and other sensors for measuring and monitoring an operating cycle of appliance 112. In this manner, controller 120 may operate appliance 112 in response to user manipulation of user interface panel 140 and can also receive performance feedback from sensors placed throughout appliance 112. In addition, performance data or cycle status indicators may be indicated to the user with display 144.
As mentioned above, system 100 may further include remote server 114. Remote server 114 may generally operate to store, receive, and transmit signals associated with operating cycles, such as performance data, and may thus be in communication with appliance 112 through controller 120. For example, remote server 114 may include one or more processor(s) 152 and associated memory device(s) 154 configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions (e.g., performing the methods, steps, and the like disclosed herein). By way of example, processor 152 may include one or more microprocessors, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with an operating cycle. Memory 154 may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, processor 152 executes programming instructions stored in memory 154. Memory 154 may be a separate component from processor 152 or may be included onboard within processor 152.
Additionally, the remote server 114 may also include a communications module 156 to facilitate communications between the remote server 114 and controller 120 and various other components of the system 100, such as a user input device 160, as discussed below. For instance, the communications module 156 may serve as an interface to permit the remote server 114 to transmit and/or receive performance data associated with operating cycles and recommendations for improving operating cycles. Moreover, the communications module 156 may include an interface 158 (e.g., one or more analog-to-digital converters) to permit input signals to be converted into signals that can be understood and processed by the processor 152.
Server 114 may be remote, and thus external to appliance 112 which is typically located at a single location, e.g., a consumer's residence. The server 114 may, for example, be in another room of a house or building in which the system 100 is utilized, or in a neighboring building, etc. Alternatively, and in exemplary embodiments, the remote server 114 is a cloud-based server 114, and is thus located at a distant location, such as in a separate state, country, etc. The remote server 114 may be in wireless communication with the appliance 112 (and controller 120), such as through a network 116. The network 116 may be any type of wireless communications network, such as a local area network (e.g. intranet), wide area network (e.g. Internet), or some combination thereof. The network 116 can also include a direct connection between the client devices, such as appliance 112, as discussed herein, and the remote server 114. In general, communication between the remote server 114 and the client devices may be carried via a network interface using any type of wireless connection, using a variety of communication protocols (e.g. TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g. HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g. VPN, secure HTTP, SSL). Accordingly, operating cycle and status information may be transmitted from controller 120 to the remote server 114 using the network 116.
System 100 may further include user input device 160 that may be configured for receiving user input regarding the performance of the operating cycle and transmitting the user input to remote server 114. According to an exemplary embodiment, user input device 160 may be a mobile phone or tablet that is in wireless communication with network 116 and remote server 114. Alternatively, user input device 160 may be a personal computer, may be a dedicated input terminal on appliance 112, may be a module within user interface 140 of appliance 112, or may be any other device suitable for receiving feedback from a user and transmitting that feedback to remote server 114. In addition, user input device 160 may be used to communicate directly with appliance 112, for example, to adjust appliance settings or receive performance data.
As shown in
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, appliance 112 illustrated in
Now that the details of system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter have been presented, an exemplary method 200 of optimizing performance of an appliance by implementing a corrective action based on collected user feedback and performance data will be described. Although the discussion below refers to the exemplary method 200 of operating appliance 112, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary method 200 is applicable to the operation of a variety of other appliances and systems, and system 100 is used only for the purpose of explanation. For example, it should be understood that method 200 may be used, for example, for systems incorporating more than one appliance, including cooking appliances, dishwashers, or other suitable consumer or commercial appliances.
Referring now specifically to
At step 202, method 200 may include performing a selected laundry operation on a laundry load in accordance with an original set of operating parameters. In detail, according to an exemplary embodiment, the appliance (e.g., appliance 112) may be a laundry treatment appliance, and specifically a drying appliance. Accordingly, the laundry operation may be a drying operation. The drying operation may be a tumble dry operation incorporating a supply of heated air to a tub or drum. Thus, the laundry operation may operate primarily according to a determined target drying time and a level of heat (or heated air) supplied to the tub (e.g., high, medium, low, off, etc.).
The original set of operating parameters may be incorporated into a control algorithm, for example. The control algorithm may be a predetermined algorithm accounting for multiple attributes of a laundry load, such as a load size (e.g., weight), a load type (e.g., delicates, cottons, mixed loads, towels, sheets, etc.), a level of heat (e.g., as selected by the user), and, in some embodiments, a preferred dryness level. According to this embodiment, the preferred dryness level is selected by the user prior to initiating the laundry operation from a list of dryness levels. For instance, the preferred dryness level may include damp, less dry, normal, more dry, and extra dry. The user may select one dryness level from the list of dryness levels. It should be noted that some embodiments may incorporate more or fewer options for dryness level to be selected.
After having selected the laundry load type, heat level, and preferred dryness level (and load size according to some embodiments), the controller may iterate the control algorithm to determine the target drying time. According to at least one embodiment, the control algorithm may incorporate a target time equation for determining the target time. The target time equation may be, for example:
Target Time=([tTV
wherein tTV
As can be seen in the above equation, each term (e.g., the target moisture score, the multiplier term, and the adder term) have an associated factor (e.g., φ1, φ2, and φ3) associated therewith. The factors may be adjusted (as will be explained in more detail below) to subsequently alter the target drying time. For instance, the controller (e.g., controller 120) may receive feedback, e.g., user feedback, and adjust the target time equation accordingly to generate a new target drying time. Hereinafter, the terms (e.g., the target moisture score, the multiplier term, and the adder term) may be referred to as the operating parameters.
The controller may also have a minimum cycle time programmed therein. For instance, the minimum cycle time may be a minimum amount of time that the laundry treatment appliance should run for a selected laundry operation. The minimum cycle time may be preprogrammed into the controller or may be set (e.g., by a user or a technician). The minimum cycle time may subsequently be altered in order to accommodate for changing circumstances relating to the laundry treatment appliance, such as air flow, exhaust pressure, motor torque, or due to feedback input from the user (described below). Thus, after calculating the target drying time (e.g., via the target time equation), the controller may compare the calculated target drying time with the stored minimum cycle time. The controller may then select the greater of the two and perform the selected laundry treatment operation. For instance, if the calculated target drying time (e.g., having incorporated feedback) is less than the minimum cycle time, the controller may instruct the laundry treatment appliance to perform the selected laundry treatment operation for the minimum cycle time.
At step 204, method 200 may include obtaining a feedback input from a user regarding a perceived dryness level of the laundry load upon completion of the selected laundry treatment operation. In detail, at the completion of the laundry treatment operation, the appliance may request an input from the user regarding the operation performed. In some embodiments, the request is sent to a mobile device (e.g., user input device 160). The request may be presented to the user in the form of a sliding scale, for example. The sliding scale may incorporate a plurality of levels of dryness from which the user may choose. For example, five levels of dryness may be presented to the user. The sliding scale may be presented in any suitable format. Additionally or alternatively, the sliding scale may be presented to the user from a user interface (e.g., user interface panel 140) of the appliance. According to at least one embodiment, the sliding scale includes options such as way too damp, too damp, dry, too dry, and way too dry. It should be noted that more or fewer options my be presented to the user according to specific embodiments.
The feedback input may be transmitted to a memory device (e.g., memory device 154). Thus, the memory device may store the feedback input therein for use in adjusting the control algorithm (described below). When the feedback input is received via the mobile device, the feedback input may be transmitted to the appliance, e.g., via a network (e.g., network 116).
At step 206, method 200 may include adjusting at least one operating parameter of the original set of operating parameters in response to obtaining the feedback input. As described above, the target time equation may initially be iterated utilizing standard (or original) operating parameters. In one scenario, a user may select a laundry treatment cycle with a “more dry” option. After performing the laundry treatment cycle, the user may inspect the laundry load and perceive the laundry load to be “too damp.” The user may thus provide the feedback input as “too damp” (e.g., via the sliding scale). Accordingly, the controller may incorporate the feedback input into the control algorithm and adjust one or more of the original operating parameters.
As discussed above, the original operating parameters may include the target moisture score, the multiplier term, and the adder term. The controller may determine which operating parameter (or parameters) to adjust by analyzing the feedback input from the user. In some embodiments, only one operating parameter is adjusted. In other embodiments, two or more operating parameters are adjusted. Referring back to the target time equation, each operating parameter (or term) included a corresponding φ term. Thus, when adjusting the operating parameters, the controller may adjust the corresponding φ term with the selected parameter. Accordingly, the φ terms (e.g., φ1, φ2, and φ3) may be integers incorporated into the target time equation to perform the required adjustments.
Further, the controller may determine which operating parameter to adjust based on the selected laundry load type. For example, a different operating parameter may be adjusted when the laundry load type is cottons versus when the laundry load type is delicates. In some embodiments, a look-up table is incorporated into the memory device. The look-up table may include a plurality of predetermined φ terms according to a plurality of laundry treatment operation possibilities. The controller may retrieve an associated φ term to adjust the target time equation (and subsequently the control algorithm). Additionally or alternatively, the controller may calculate a φ term from the feedback input, taking into consideration the laundry load type, etc.
As discussed above, the operating parameters may include the target moisture score, the multiplier term, and the adder term. In detail, the target moisture score may be a predetermined arbitrary score associated with a particular laundry load. In some embodiments, the target moisture score includes a target voltage level, e.g., from one or more sensors provided within the laundry treatment appliance. In some embodiments, the laundry treatment appliance includes a humidity sensor to determine a relative humidity within the tub, thus approximating a dryness level of the laundry load. The adder term may be a positive integer that increases a total laundry treatment operation time by a certain amount. For instance, the adder term may be represented in seconds or minutes. The multiplier term may be a positive integer that increases or decreases the total laundry treatment operation time as a function of the time to the target moisture score. Accordingly, each operating parameter may adjust the target drying time by a different amount on a different scale.
Moreover, the adjustments made to the operating parameters may be defined as either coarse adjustments or fine adjustments. In detail, a coarse adjustment may incorporate relatively large adjustments to the target drying time, while fine adjustments incorporate relatively smaller adjustments to the target drying time. For example, a large discrepancy between the selected drying level (e.g., “more dry”) and the perceived dryness level (e.g., “too damp”) may incorporate the coarse adjustment. In some embodiments, the coarse adjustment adjusts two or more of the operating parameters. Additionally or alternatively, the coarse adjustment may be different according to the laundry load type selected by the user. For instance, a coarse adjustment for a delicates laundry load may be different from a coarse adjustment for a towels laundry load (e.g., regarding which term is adjusted). Thus, according to the coarse adjustment, an adjustment of between 3 minutes and 10 minutes may be incorporated into the target drying time. It should be noted that the time adjustment may vary between selected cycles (e.g., between a delicate cycle, a cotton cycle, a towel cycle, etc.).
For another example, a small discrepancy between the selected drying level (e.g., “more dry”) and the perceived dryness level (e.g., “dry”) may incorporate a fine adjustment. In some embodiments, the fine adjustment adjusts only one of the operating parameters. Additionally or alternatively, the fine adjustment may be different according to the laundry load type selected by the user. For instance, a fine adjustment for a delicates laundry load may be different from a fine adjustment for a towels laundry load (e.g., regarding which term is adjusted). Thus, according to the fine adjustment, an adjustment of less than 5 minutes may be incorporated into the target drying time. It should be noted that the time adjustment may vary between selected cycles (e.g., between a delicate cycle, a cotton cycle, a towel cycle, etc.).
At step 208, method 200 may include generating an adjusted set of operating parameters based on the original set of operating parameters and the feedback input. In detail, upon determining which operating parameters are to be adjusted and in turn adjusting those operating parameters, the controller may incorporate the adjusted set of operating parameters into the target time equation. Accordingly, the control algorithm may be run again to determine the new target drying time.
The laundry treatment appliance (e.g., the memory device thereof) may store the adjusted set of operating parameters therein. For instance, the adjusted set of operating parameters may be stored in addition to the original set of operating parameters. Moreover, any subsequent adjusted set of operating parameters may be stored in addition to each of the original set of operating parameters and the initial adjusted set of operating parameters. In detail, the memory device may keep track of a history of adjustments made to the target time equation, the control algorithm, the set of operating parameters, and the like. Advantageously, the laundry treatment appliance may continually improve its operating efficiency and performance.
For instance, the user may subsequently run a similar or identical laundry treatment operation as described above. The controller may incorporate the adjusted set of operating parameters to perform the selected laundry treatment operation according to the adjusted time, in order to produce more accurate results. A subsequent request for feedback input may be presented to the user (e.g., similar to the manner discussed above). The controller may then adjust another operating parameter from the adjusted set of operating parameters in response to receiving the feedback input. It should be noted that the operating parameter adjusted subsequently may or may not be the same operating parameter that was adjusted initially. For instance, the adder term (e.g., the associated φ term) may be adjusted in each of the initial adjustment and the subsequent adjustment. In other embodiments, the adder term (e.g., the associated φ term) may be adjusted in the initial adjustment while the target moisture score (e.g., the associated φ term) is adjusted in the subsequent adjustment.
The controller (e.g., the memory device) may then store the subsequent adjusted set of operating parameters therein. As would be expected, any future iterations of the target time equation may incorporate each of the adjusted sets of operating parameters to narrowly adjust the operating time of the laundry treatment appliance.
Further, the controller may determine one or more interruptions to the laundry treatment appliance. For instance, the controller may register a loss of power to the laundry treatment appliance. The loss of power may be the result of the appliance being unplugged and moved to a new location, for example. Additionally or alternatively, the controller may register a new airflow regime associated with the appliance. In detail, the controller may, by use of sensors or calculations, determine that a volume, amount, or pressure of air (e.g., heated air) supplied to the tub may be different from the last time the control algorithm was performed. Thus, external factors may be considered by the controller before executing the target time equation.
Thus, the controller may reset the adjusted set of operating parameters to the original set of operating parameters in response to the determined interruption. In some embodiments, the controller may present a request to the user to reset the adjusted set of operating parameters. For instance, the request may be presented to the user's mobile device as a prompt. Upon selecting yes, the controller may return the operating parameters (and thus the target time equation) back to its original settings and begin the process over.
According to the embodiments described herein, an appliance (such as a laundry appliance) may intelligently improve performance (such as drying performance) utilizing user feedback and continued modification of a plurality of operating parameters of a model equation. The appliance may perform a selected operation according to an initial or original set of operating parameters. The appliance may then request a feedback input to determine whether the operation was satisfactorily performed. Utilizing the feedback input, the appliance may adjust one or more parameters of a model equation used to calculate a target time for which to perform the operation. Thus, a new set of parameters may be substituted into the model equation to generate a more accurate operation time, improving results and increasing user satisfaction.
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 languages of the claims.
