Apparatus and method for identifying treating chemistry in a laundry treating appliance dispensing assembly

• US 9,988,754 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Kakaraparthi, Venkataprabhath
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tate-Sims, Cristi
• Application Number:
  US15/079,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20170275804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/12 Soft surfaces, e.g. textile
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/22 Content of detergent or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/42 Detergent or additive supply
• 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 37/04 adapted for rotation or oscillation about a horizontal or inclined axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance comprising a dispensing assembly which can identify laundry treating chemistry filled in a loading cup by way of a material sensor, and supplying said laundry treating chemistry to a proper corresponding bulk reservoir.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to an automatic cycle of operation comprising:

a tub defining an interior for retaining liquid;

a rotatable container at least partially defining a treating chamber for retaining the laundry for treatment according to the automatic cycle of operating;

multiple loading cups and bulk reservoirs arranged in pairs for a different treating chemistry;

a multiplexed valve having an inlet coupled to the loading cups and multiple outlets each corresponding to a different one of the bulk reservoirs, with the outlets selectively coupled to the corresponding one of the bulk reservoirs in response to a control signal;

a material property sensor fluidly coupled to the loading cups and outputting a material property signal indicative of a material property of a treating chemistry in the loading cups; and

a controller receiving as input the material property signal to identify the treating chemistry loaded into one of the multiple loading cups, identifying the treating chemistry based on the material property signal, and outputting the control signal to control the multiplexed valve to fluidly couple the one of the multiple loading cups to the bulk reservoir corresponding to the identified treating chemistry.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the controller provides the control signal when the identifying the treating chemistry indicates an improper treating chemistry in the one of the multiple loading cups.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2, further comprising a pump fluidly coupling the multiplexed valve to the bulk reservoirs and pumping the treating chemistry from the one of the multiple loading cups, through the multiplexed valve, and to the corresponding bulk reservoir.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 3, further comprising a material property sensor for each of the multiple loading cups.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the material property sensor comprises at least one of a pH sensor or a viscosity sensor.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, further comprising a material property sensor for each of the multiple loading cups.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the material property sensor comprises at least one of a pH sensor or a viscosity sensor.

8. A dispenser assembly for a laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to an automatic cycle of operation comprising:

a bulk storage unit having at least two bulk reservoirs for storing different treating chemistries;

at least one loading cup;

a liquid connector having an inlet coupled to the at least one loading cup and multiple outlets each corresponding to a different one of the at least two bulk reservoirs, with the outlets selectively fluidly coupled to the corresponding one of the at least two bulk reservoirs in response to a control signal;

a material property sensor fluidly coupled to the at least one loading cup and outputting a material property signal indicative of the sensed material property; and

a controller receiving as input the material property signal to identify the treating chemistry loaded into the at least one loading cup, and outputting the control signal to control the liquid connector to couple the at least one loading cup to the one of the at least two bulk reservoirs corresponding to the sensed material property.

9. The dispenser assembly of claim 8 wherein the controller provides the control signal when the identifying the treating chemistry indicates an improper treating chemistry in the at least one loading cup.

10. The dispenser assembly of claim 8, further comprising a pump fluidly coupling the liquid connector to the bulk reservoirs and pumping the treating chemistry from the at least one loading cup, through the liquid connector, and to the corresponding bulk reservoir.

11. The dispenser assembly of claim 10 wherein the material property sensor comprises at least one of a pH sensor or a viscosity sensor.

12. The dispenser assembly of claim 11, further comprising a corresponding loading cup for each bulk reservoir and a material property sensor for each of the corresponding loading cups.