LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE WITH BULKY ITEM DETECTION

• US 20100205825A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: ASHRAFZADEH, FARHAD, KANCHANAVALLY, SHREECHARAN, CAROW, JAMES P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,528,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/486
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/02 Water supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/20 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/38 Conditioning or finishing, e.g. control of perfume injection
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/46 Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/52 Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/00 Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/52 Control of the operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/02 having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/203 Laundry conditioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/30 Drying processes controlling a series of operations in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/36 Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 11/02 in moving drums or other mainly-closed receptacles F26B11/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 25/00 Details of general application not covered by group F26B21/00 or F26B23/00 loading, conveying, and unloading in general B65G

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance and method for controlling the operation of a laundry treating appliance comprising a treating chamber by determining the presence of a bulky laundry item based on image data of the laundry.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the operation of a laundry treating appliance comprising a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, the method comprising:

imaging the laundry to generate image data; and

determining the presence of a bulky laundry item from the image data.

2. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising setting at least one parameter of the treating cycle of operation based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter is one of a rotational speed of a drum, a direction of drum rotation, a temperature in the treating chamber, an air flow through the treating chamber, a type of treating chemistry, an amount of treating chemistry, a start of cycle condition, an end of cycle condition, a start of cycle step condition, an end cycle step condition, a rotational speed of an agitator, a direction of agitator rotation, and a wash liquid fill level.

4. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising selecting the treating cycle of operation based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

5. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising dispensing a treating chemistry into the treating chamber, wherein at least one of the type and amount of the treating chemistry is selected based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises capturing at least one image of a portion of the treating chamber.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the presence of a bulky laundry item comprises analyzing the at least one image by isolating the laundry from the background in the at least one image.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determination of the presence of a bulky item comprises comparing the image data to reference image data indicative of either bulky or non-bulky items.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determination of the presence of a bulky item comprises determining a color signature of at least a portion of the laundry from the image data.

10. The method according to claim 9, and further comprising comparing the color signature to a reference color signature.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determining of a bulky laundry item comprises comparing the movement of a feature of the laundry relative to the drum.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the comparing the movement comprises comparing the movement of the feature to the movement of the drum.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the comparing the movement of the feature comprises identifying an edge feature.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the identifying an edge feature comprises identifying at least one of an entire edge, a portion of an edge, and a prominent edge feature.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a still image and a moving image.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the imaging comprises capturing a digital image.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image and an infrared image.

18. A method for controlling the operation of a laundry treating appliance comprising a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, the method comprising:

automatically determining the presence of a bulky laundry item in the treating chamber; and

setting at least one parameter of a treating cycle of operation of the laundry treating appliance based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the at least one parameter is one of a rotational speed of a drum, a direction of drum rotation, a temperature in the treating chamber, an air flow through the treating chamber, a type of treating chemistry, an amount of treating chemistry, a start of cycle condition, an end of cycle condition, a start of cycle step condition, an end cycle step condition, a rotational speed of an agitator, a direction of agitator rotation, and a wash liquid fill level.

20. The method according to claim 18, and further comprising dispensing a treating chemistry into the treating chamber, wherein at least one of the type and amount of the treating chemistry is selected based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

21. The method according to claim 18 wherein determining the presence of a bulky laundry item comprises analyzing the at least one image by isolating the laundry from the background in the at least one image.

22. The method according to claim 18 wherein the determination of the presence of a bulky item comprises comparing the image data to reference image data indicative of either bulky or non-bulky items.

23. The method according to claim 18 wherein the determination of the presence of a bulky item comprises determining a color signature of at least a portion of the laundry from the image data.

24. The method according to claim 23, and further comprising comparing the color signature to a reference color signature.

25. The method according to claim 18 wherein the determining of a bulky laundry item comprises comparing the movement of a feature of the laundry relative to the drum.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the comparing the movement comprises comparing the movement of the feature to the movement of the drum.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the comparing the movement of the feature comprises identifying an edge feature.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein the identifying an edge feature comprises identifying at least one of an entire edge, a portion of an edge, and a prominent edge feature.

29. A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, comprising:

a treating chamber;

an imaging device configured to generate image data representative of laundry in the treating chamber; and

a controller operably coupled to the imaging device and configured to determine the presence of a bulky laundry item in the treating chamber from the image data and control the treating cycle of operation based on the presence of the bulky laundry item.

30. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 29 wherein the imaging device comprises a camera.

31. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 29 wherein the imaging device captures at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image and an infrared image.

32. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 29 wherein the controller is further configured to select the treating cycle of operation based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

33. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 29 wherein the controller is further configured to set at least one parameter of the treating cycle of operation based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

34. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 33 wherein the at least one parameter is one of a rotational speed of a drum, a direction of drum rotation, a temperature in the treating chamber, an air flow through the treating chamber, a type of treating chemistry, an amount of treating chemistry, a start of cycle condition, an end of cycle condition, a start of cycle step condition, an end cycle step condition, a rotational speed of an agitator, a direction of agitator rotation, and a wash liquid fill level.

35. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 29, and further comprising a dispensing system configured to dispense a treating chemistry into the treating chamber.

36. The laundry treating appliance according to claim 35 wherein the dispensing system is operably coupled to the controller and wherein at least one of the type and amount of the treating chemistry is selected based on the determined presence of a bulky laundry item.

37. The laundry treating appliance of claim 29 and further comprising at least one of the following sensors operably coupled to the controller and providing a corresponding input to the controller:

a treating chamber temperature sensor, an inlet air temperature sensor, an exhaust air temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, an air flow rate sensor, a weight sensor, and a motor torque sensor.