Water Bearing Household Appliance and Associated Operating Method

• US 20150152584A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Gasparini, Mirko, Driussi, Paolo, Quattrin, Paolo, Hoppichler, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,534,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/449 Metering controlling devices A47L15/4229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2301/04 Operation mode, e.g. delicate washing, economy washing, reduced time, sterilizing, water softener regenerating, odor eliminating or service
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/023 Quantity or concentration of the consumable product
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/04 Crockery or tableware details, e.g. material, quantity, condition
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/07 Consumable products, e.g. detergent, rinse aids or salt
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/04 Quantity, e.g. weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/42 Detergent or additive supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/54 Changing between normal operation mode and special operation modes, e.g. service mode, component cleaning mode or stand-by mode
• 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 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight

Abstract

The present invention is related to a water bearing household appliance (1) comprising: a treating chamber (6) in which one or more items (7) can be loaded and treated with water and one or more additives; a logic unit (12) to control the electric and/or electronic components of the appliance (1) so as to make the latter to perform a treating cycle for treating the one or more loaded items (7) with water and one or more additives; a load amount acquiring device (13) for acquiring and communicating to the logic unit (12) information related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in the treating chamber (6); a user interface (14) configured for allowing a user to set parameters related to the treating cycle and to the one or more additives to be used during the treating cycle. The logic unit (12) is configured to: store, during a programming state, additive information set by the user via the user interface (14), the additive information comprising one or more numeric values which are indicative of predetermined maximum amount of additive associated with the maximum loading capacity of the treating chamber; before the appliance (1) starts a selected treating cycle, determine an amount of a selected additive to be loaded for this selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with the selected additive, on the acquired amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in the treating chamber (6), and on the selected treating cycle; provide the user with information related to the determined amount of additive to be loaded via the user interface (14).

Claims

1. Water bearing household appliance (1) comprising:

a treating chamber (6) in which one or more items (7) can be loaded and treated with water and one or more additives;

a logic unit (12) to control the electric and/or electronic components of said appliance (1) so as to make the latter to perform a treating cycle for treating said one or more loaded items (7) with water and said one or more additives;

a load amount acquiring device (13) for acquiring and communicating to said logic unit (12) information related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6);

a user interface (14) configured for allowing a user to set parameters related to the treating cycle and to the one or more additives to be used during the treating cycle;

characterized in that;

said logic unit (12) is configured to;

store, during a programming state, additive information set by the user via said user interface (14), said additive information comprising one or more numeric values which are indicative of predetermined maximum amount of additive associated with the maximum loading capacity of said treating chamber (6),

before the appliance (1) starts a selected treating cycle, determine an amount of a selected additive to be loaded for said selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with the selected additive, on the acquired amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6), and on said selected treating cycle,

provide the user with information related to said determined amount of additive to be loaded via said user interface (14).

2. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined maximum amount of additive, which user sets during said programming state, is associated with a numeric value recommended/calculated by the producer of the additive.

3. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said additive comprises a liquid detergent, and/or a concentrate detergent, and/or powder detergent, and/or a gel detergent and/or a tablet detergent and/or a softener.

4. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said logic unit (12) is configured to display via said user interface (14) a numeric value in grams or millilitres, which is indicative of the determined amount of additive.

5. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the user interface (14) is configured to allow the user, during the programming state, to select/set the additive to be programmed and to regulate said numeric value associated with said predetermined maximum amount of the selected/set additive associated with the maximum load-capacity of said treating chamber (6).

6. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said programming state is performed when the water bearing household appliance (1) is in a rest operating state.

7. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said logic unit (12) is configured to determine an amount of a selected additive to be loaded for a selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with the selected additive, on the acquired amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6), and on the selected treating cycle, and to provide the user with information related to said determined amount of additive via said user interface (14), during the loading of said one or more items (7) into said treating chamber (6).

8. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said load amount acquiring device (13) is configured for detecting the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6) and/or is configured for allowing a user to set a parameter related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6).

9. Water bearing household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein:

said appliance (1) is a laundry washing machine (1) comprising a washing tub (5) containing a rotatable drum (6) adapted for receiving laundry (7) to be washed;

said treating chamber (6) comprises said rotatable drum (6);

said one more one or more items (7) comprise one or more pieces of laundry (7);

said treating cycle is a washing cycle for washing said one or more pieces of laundry (7) loaded in said drum (6);

said logic unit (12) is configured to control the electric and/or electronic components of said washing machine (1) so as to make the latter to perform a washing cycle;

said load amount acquiring device (13) is adapted for acquiring the weight of the laundry (7) loaded into drum (6);

said one or more additives comprise one or more washing/rinsing products.

10. Method for operating a water bearing household appliance (1), wherein the water bearing household appliance (1) comprises:

a treating chamber (6) in which one or more items (7) can be loaded and treated with water and one or more additives;

a logic unit (12) to control the electric and/or electronic components of said appliance (1) so as to make the latter to perform a treating cycle for treating said one or more loaded items (7) with water and said one or more additives;

a load amount acquiring device (13) for acquiring and communicating to said logic unit (12) information related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6);

a user interface (14) configured for allowing a user to set parameters related to the treating cycle and to the one or more additives to be used during the treating cycle;

the method being characterized by comprising the steps of;

storing by the logic unit (12), during a programming state, additive information set by the user via said user interface (14);

said additive information comprising one or more numeric values which are indicative of predetermined maximum amount of additive associated with the maximum loading capacity of said treating chamber (6);

before the water bearing household appliance (1) starts a selected treating cycle, performing the following phases;

acquiring the amount of the loaded one or more items (7) by the load amount acquiring device (14),

determining the amount of additive to be loaded for said selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with a selected additive, the acquired amount of loaded one or more items (7), and the selected treating cycle,

providing to the user, via said user interface (14), information related to said determined amount of additive to be loaded.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein said load amount acquiring device (13) is configured for detecting the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6) and/or is configured for allowing a user to set a parameter related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in said treating chamber (6).

12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, comprising the step of displaying, via said user interface (14), a numeric value in grams or millilitres, indicative of the determined dosing amount of additive.

13. Method according to any of the previous claims from 10 to 12, comprising the step of selecting/setting, during the programming state, the additive to be programmed, and regulating said numeric value associated with said predetermined maximum amount of the selected/set additive associated with the maximum load-capacity of said treating chamber (6).

14. Method according to any of the previous claims from 10 to 13, wherein said programming state is performed when the water bearing household appliance (1) is in a rest operating state.

15. Method according to any of the previous claims from 10 to 14, wherein the following phases are performed during the loading of the one or more items (7) into said treating chamber (6):

acquiring the amount of the loaded one or more items (7) by the load amount acquiring device (14),

determining the amount of additive to be loaded for the selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with a selected additive, the acquired amount of loaded one or more items (7), and the selected treating cycle,

providing to the user, via said user interface (14), information related to said determined amount of additive to be loaded.