Patent ID: 11866869
Assignee: HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC D | IPC D

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating a washing machine appliance, the washing machine appliance comprising a cabinet, a wash tub, and a wash basket, the wash tub being mounted within the cabinet, and the wash basket being rotatably mounted within the wash tub and defining a wash chamber configured for receiving a load of clothes, the method comprising:
obtaining one or more images of an external basket spaced apart from the washing machine appliance from a camera assembly;
analyzing an obtained image of the one or more images using an image recognition process to estimate a fill level of a load of clothes within the external basket;
matching the estimated fill level to an estimated load size; and
directing a wash cycle within the washing machine appliance based on the estimated load size.