Laundry treating appliance with imaging control

• US 8,528,229 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ashrafzadeh, Farhad, Carow, James P., Kanchanavally, Shreecharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORMACK, JOHN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/388,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 344/45, 345/24, 345/29, 344/49, 34/88, 345/60, 341/30, 813/7, 356/914, 73/15.6, 382/107, 382/111, 725/12, 700/259, 700/275, 116/213
• US Class Current: 34/560
• 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 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/24 Flow or velocity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/50 Starting machine operation, e.g. delayed start or re-start after power cut
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/60 Audible signals
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/30 Drying processes controlling a series of operations in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a laundry treating chamber, where the laundry in the laundry treating chamber may be imaged and a motion condition of the laundry determined based on the imaging of the laundry. The operation of the laundry treating appliance may be based on the determined motion condition.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a laundry treating chamber according to an automatic cycle of operation, the method comprising:

imaging the laundry in the laundry treating chamber with an imaging device having at least a portion located within the laundry treating appliance during execution of the cycle of operation;

determining a motion condition of the laundry based on the imaging of the laundry; and

controlling the operation of the laundry treating appliance based on the determined motion condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a still image or a moving image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the imaging comprises taking both of at least one still image or a moving image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises digitally imaging the motion of the laundry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the operation comprises setting an operating parameter of the laundry treating appliance.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the setting the operating parameter comprises setting at least one of:

a rotational speed of the drum;

a direction of rotation of the drum;

a temperature in the treating chamber;

an air flow through the treating chamber;

at least one of a start or end of cycle condition;

at least one of a start or end of cycle step condition;

a rotational speed of an agitator;

a direction of agitator rotation;

or

a wash liquid fill level.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the motion condition comprises determining an amount of one of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the motion condition comprises at least one of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the motion condition comprises any combination of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the motion condition comprises a relative amount of any combination of at least two of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the motion condition comprises determining a transition between any combination of at least two of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising decreasing a rotational speed of the drum when at least a portion of the laundry is satelliting.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising adjusting a rotational speed of the drum until the laundry is tumbling.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising adjusting a rotational speed of the drum to control an amount of tumbling to a predetermined amount.

16. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance according to an automatic cycle of operation, the laundry treating appliance having a drum defining a laundry treating chamber, with the drum being rotated at an adjustable set speed, the method comprising:

imaging the laundry in the laundry treating chamber with an imaging device having at least a portion located within the laundry treating appliance during execution of the cycle of operation;

determining whether a predetermined amount of the laundry is satelliting based on the imaging of the laundry; and

reducing the set speed when a predetermined amount of the laundry is satelliting.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein an amount of laundry that is satelliting is determined by determining one of an absolute amount or a relative amount of the laundry that is satelliting.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the reducing the set speed comprises reducing the set speed to a point that reduces the amount of satelliting.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein reducing the set speed comprises reducing the set speed to a point that less than a predetermined amount of laundry is satelliting.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein reducing the set speed comprises reducing the set speed to a point when no laundry is satelliting.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the set speed is reduced in one of discrete steps or continuously.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

23. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance according to an automatic cycle of operation, the laundry treating appliance having a drum defining a laundry treating chamber, with the drum being rotated at an adjustable set speed, the method comprising:

imaging the laundry in the laundry treating chamber with an imaging device having at least a portion located within the laundry treating appliance during execution of the cycle of operation;

determining an amount of tumbling of the laundry based on the imaging of the laundry; and

adjusting the set speed to control the amount of tumbling to a predetermined amount of tumbling.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the predetermined amount of tumbling is set to maximize the amount of tumbling.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the predetermined amount of tumbling is set to control an amount of mechanical energy imparted to the laundry.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the amount of mechanical energy imparted to the laundry is a maximum amount of mechanical energy.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the imaging comprises taking at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

28. A laundry treating appliance for imparting a treating cycle of operation on a load of laundry, comprising:

a laundry treating chamber for receiving laundry;

at least one component operable to implement at least part of a treating cycle of operation;

an imaging device having at least a portion located within the laundry treating appliance during execution of the treating cycle of operation and outputting imaging data representative of the laundry in the laundry treating chamber; and

a controller operably coupled to the at least one component and the imaging device, the controller configured to determine a motion condition of the laundry based on the imaging data and to control the at least one component to implement the treating cycle of operation based on the determined motion condition.

29. The laundry treating appliance of claim 28 wherein the at least one component is a rotatable drum defining the treating chamber and the controller is configured to control a rate of rotation of the drum based on the motion condition.

30. The laundry treating appliance of claim 29 wherein the at least one component further comprises a motor operably coupled to the drum and controller and the controller is configured to control the motor to control the rate of rotation of the drum.

31. The laundry treating appliance of claim 28 wherein the motion condition determined by the controller comprises at least one of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

32. The laundry treating appliance of claim 31 wherein the motion condition determined by the controller comprises any combination of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

33. The laundry treating appliance of claim 31 wherein the motion condition determined by the controller comprises a relative amount of any combination of at least two of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

34. The laundry treating appliance of claim 31 wherein the motion condition determined by the controller comprises determining a transition between any combination of at least two of rolling, tumbling, sliding or satelliting.

35. The laundry treating appliance of claim 28 wherein the controller is configured to control at least one component to set at least one of:

a rotational speed of a drum defining the treating chamber;

a direction of rotation of a drum defining the treating chamber;

a temperature in the treating chamber;

an air flow through the treating chamber;

at least one of a start or end of cycle condition;

at least one of a start or end of cycle step condition;

a rotational speed of an agitator;

a direction of agitator rotation;

or

a wash liquid fill level.

36. The laundry treating appliance of claim 28 wherein the imaging device captures at least one of a visible light image, an ultraviolet light image or an infrared image.

37. The laundry treating appliance of claim 28 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, or a motor torque sensor.

38. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a laundry treating chamber according to an automatic cycle of operation, the method comprising:

imaging the laundry in the laundry treating chamber with an imaging device outputting imaging data representative of the image of the laundry in the laundry treating chamber;

receiving the imaging data by a controller having memory in which is stored computer software for processing the imaging data;

processing the imaging data with the computer software to determine a motion condition of the laundry based on the imaging data; and

controlling the operation of the laundry treating appliance based on the determined motion condition.