DISPENSING TREATING CHEMISTRY IN A LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE

• US 20130086754A1
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: KAEDING, JANICE M., HENDRICKSON, MICHAEL S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,534,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 8/137
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/02 Water supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/42 Detergent or additive supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/37 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/57 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment and a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry for use in treating the laundry comprises, determining an amount of laundry in the treating chamber, setting at least one of a dilution and a delivery rate for the treating chemistry based on the determined amount of laundry to define a dispensing parameter and controlling the dispensing system to dispense the treating chemistry according to the dispensing parameter.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment and a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry for use in treating the laundry, the method comprising:

determining an amount of laundry in the treating chamber;

setting at least one of a dilution and a delivery rate for the treating chemistry based on the determined amount of laundry to define a dispensing parameter; and

controlling the dispensing system to dispense the treating chemistry according to the dispensing parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the dispensing system comprises supplying water to the treating chamber and supplying treating chemistry into the supplied water according to the dispensing parameter.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispensing parameter is the dilution of the treating chemistry.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the dilution of the treating chemistry is determined by at least one of a type of laundry and an amount of laundry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispensing parameter is the delivery rate of the treating chemistry.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the delivery rate of the treating chemistry is determined by at least one of a type of laundry, an amount of laundry and a dilution of the treating chemistry.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the controlling the dispensing system further comprises supplying water and the treating chemistry is delivered at the delivery rate for the duration of the supply of water.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the supplying water comprises supplying a predetermined amount of water.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the delivery rate is constant for the duration of the supply of water.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the treating chemistry is delivered intermittently at at least one intermittent delivery rate for the duration of the water supply.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least one intermittent delivery rate is equal to the delivery rate.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the treating chemistry is delivered at the at least one intermittent delivery rate two or more times and an average of the intermittent delivery rates is equal to the delivery rate.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispensing parameter is set such that a rate of deposition of the treating chemistry on the laundry is approximately 0.75 ml treating chemistry/L of water to 10 ml treating chemistry/L of water.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispensing the treating chemistry comprises supplying the treating chemistry into a mixing chamber.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispensing the treating chemistry comprises supplying the treating chemistry into a flow of water.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining a flow rate of the flow of water and the dispensing parameter is based on the determined flow rate of water.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising supplying water to sufficiently saturate the laundry and delivering the treating chemistry at the delivery rate for the duration of an additional supply of water.

18. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment and a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry for use in treating the laundry, the method comprising:

supplying water to the treating chamber during at least part of a cycle of operation for the laundry treating appliance to define a water supply phase; and

controlling the dispensing system to supply the treating chemistry into the supplied water for the duration of the water supply phase.

19. The method claim 18 wherein the rate of supplying the treating chemistry is not constant for the duration of the water supply phase.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising determining at least one of a type and an amount of laundry in the treating chamber.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising setting at least one of an amount of treating chemistry supplied into the supplied water, a rate of supplying the treating chemistry into the supplied water and duration of time of supplying the treating chemistry into the supplied water is based on the determined at least one of a type and an amount of laundry.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the dispensing system supplies the treating chemistry into the supplied water such that a rate of deposition of the treating chemistry on the laundry is approximately 0.75 ml treating chemistry/L of water to 10 ml treating chemistry/L of water.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the dispensing system supplies the treating chemistry into a flow of water.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising determining a flow rate of the flow of water and the dispensing parameter is based on the determined flow rate of water.

25. A laundry treating appliance comprising:

a drum rotatably mounted within a tub with at least one of the tub and drum defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry;

a laundry amount sensor outputting an amount signal indicative of the amount of laundry in the treating chamber;

a liquid supply system operable to fluidly couple the treating chamber with a water supply;

a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry to the treating chamber for treating the laundry; and

a controller receiving the amount signal and setting at least one of a dilution and a delivery rate for the treating chemistry based on the laundry amount sensor output to define a dispensing parameter;

wherein the controller is operably coupled with the dispensing system for controlling the dispensing system to dispense the treating chemistry to the treating chamber according to the dispensing parameter.

26. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25 further comprising a laundry type sensor outputting a laundry type signal indicative of the type of laundry in the treating chamber and wherein the dilution of the treating chemistry is determined by at least one of a type of laundry and an amount of laundry.

27. The laundry treating appliance of claim 26 wherein the delivery rate of the treating chemistry is determined by at least one of a type of laundry, an amount of laundry and a dilution of the treating chemistry.

28. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25 wherein the dispensing system further comprises a mixing chamber fluidly coupled with the liquid supply system for mixing the treating chemistry with water.

29. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25 wherein the dispensing system is fluidly coupled with the liquid supply system and wherein the treating chemistry is dispensed into the liquid supply system.

30. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25 wherein the controller is configured to control the liquid supply system to supply water to the treating chamber and further configured to control the dispensing system to dispense the treating chemistry at the delivery rate for the duration of the supply of water.

31. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25 wherein the laundry amount sensor comprises a motor configured to selectively rotate the drum and wherein the motor is operably coupled with the controller to output a torque signal indicative of the amount of laundry in the drum.