LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE WITH OVER-SUDSING CONDITION COMPENSATION MEASURES

• US 20170175315A1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: LEEP, NICHOLAS
• Granted Patent: US 10,047,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/20 Washing liquid condition, e.g. turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/42 Detergent or additive supply
• 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 33/37 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/22 Condition of the washing liquid, e.g. turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

A method of automatically initiating a procedure to adjust dosing of laundry treating chemistry after satisfying a threshold of determined over-sudsing conditions in a laundry treating appliance during a cycle of operation. When an over-sudsing condition is detected, an over-sudsing counter is initialized, and the data is stored in the memory of a laundry treating appliance as an aggregate total. Once a predetermined threshold is satisfied, a predetermined dosage of laundry treating chemistry is reduced and the over-sudsing counter is reset. The over-sudsing counter can also be reset in the event of an operational event such as a replenishment of a bulk treating chemistry, input by a user of a default value, or passing of a temporal reference, wherein the predetermined dosage is reset to a default value.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the method comprising:

executing the automatic cycle of operation;

determining an over-sudsing condition during the execution of the automatic cycle of operation;

increasing a cumulative total of determined over-sudsing conditions in a controller of the laundry treating appliance in response to the determining of an over-sudsing condition; and

adjusting a predetermined dosage of a treating chemistry when the cumulative total satisfies a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing the automatic cycle of operation comprises dispensing the predetermined dosage from a bulk dispenser.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the increasing the cumulative total occurs only when the automatic cycle of operation includes the dispensing of treating chemistry from the bulk dispenser.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the over-sudsing condition comprises at least one of sensing a surfactant, turbidity, motor torque, pressure, or conductivity value.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the cumulative total is reset upon the adjusting of a predetermined dosage.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the increasing the cumulative totals occurs only when the determined over-sudsing condition occurs within a predetermined temporal reference.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined temporal reference is at least one of a predetermined number of executed cycles of operation or a predetermined time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting the predetermined dosage comprises reducing the predetermined dosage.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising resetting the predetermined dosage to a default value in response to an operational event.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the operational event comprises a replenishment of a bulk treating chemistry.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the operational event comprises a user input of the default value.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the operational event comprises passing of a temporal reference.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined temporal reference is at least one of a predetermined number of executed cycles of operation or a predetermined time.

14. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the method comprising:

executing the automatic cycle of operation including the dispensing of a predetermined dosage of treating chemistry from a bulk dispenser;

determining an over-sudsing condition during the execution of the automatic cycle of operation;

increasing a cumulative total of determined over-sudsing conditions in a controller of the laundry treating appliance in response to the determining of an over-sudsing condition; and

adjusting the predetermined dosage when the cumulative total satisfies a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining the over-sudsing condition comprises at least one of sensing a surfactant, turbidity, motor torque, pressure, or conductivity value.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the cumulative total is reset upon the adjusting of a predetermined dosage.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the increasing the cumulative total occurs only when the determined over-sudsing condition occurs within a predetermined temporal reference.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the adjusting the predetermined dosage comprises reducing the predetermined dosage.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising resetting the cumulative total to a default value in response to an operational event.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the operational event comprises at least one of a replenishment of a bulk treating chemistry, a user input of the default value, or the passing of a temporal reference.