Patent Publication Number: US-10774458-B2

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

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/079,732 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Identifying Treating Chemistry in a Laundry Treating Appliance Dispensing Assembly” filed Mar. 24, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,988,754, issued June 5, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Laundry treating appliances, such as washing machines, refreshers, and non-aqueous systems, can have a configuration based on a rotating container that defines a treating chamber in which laundry items are placed for treating. The laundry treating appliance can have a controller that implements the cycles of operation having one or more operating parameters. The controller can control a motor to rotate the container according to one of the cycles of operation. 
     Laundry treating appliances can have single dose dispensers, with provided compartments or cups, typically in a drawer or under a cover, in which the user of the appliance would fill with a dose of laundry treating chemistry, such as detergent, that was sufficient for the cycle of operation to be selected. Typically, single dose dispensers have a plurality of cups which are filled by the user with corresponding treating chemistries such as detergent, softener, or bleach. The cups are chemistry-specific in order for the appliance to dispense the correct treating chemistry as needed. 
     Most treating chemistry cups are labeled so that the user can identify the corresponding treating chemistries for the cups. However, there is the possibility that the user may inadvertently fill a cup with an improper treating chemistry. In the event that the user fills a cup with an improper treating chemistry, laundry may become damaged. Damage to laundry can occur after a single event, or after multiple events. Along with damage to laundry, improperly filling a cup can cause the wash cycle to be ineffective, and laundry may not be as clean as anticipated. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of dispensing treating chemistry from a loading cup of a laundry treating appliance, the method including sensing a material property of a treating chemistry in a loading cup, determining if the treating chemistry is proper/improper for the loading cup by comparing the sensed material property to a reference material property for the loading cup, and supplying the treating chemistry to a bulk reservoir for the sensed material property when the treating chemistry is determined improper for the loading cup. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of dispensing treating chemistry from a loading cup of a laundry treating appliance, the method including sensing a material property of a treating chemistry in a loading cup, determining if the treating chemistry is proper/improper for the loading cup by comparing the sensed material property to a reference material property for the loading cup, and supplying the treating chemistry to a bulk reservoir for the sensed material property when the treating chemistry is determined proper for the loading cup. 
     In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of filling a bulk reservoir with treating chemistry from a loading cup of a laundry treating appliance, the method including sensing a material property of a treating chemistry in the loading cup, identifying the treating chemistry by comparing the sensed material property to a reference material property, and supplying the treating chemistry to the bulk reservoir for the identified treating chemistry. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a laundry treating appliance in the form of a front-loading, horizontal axis washing machine incorporating a dispensing assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an exemplary dispensing assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may be used in the washing machine illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a second exemplary dispensing assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may be used in the washing machine illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a third exemplary dispensing assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may be used in the washing machine illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart for operating the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is generally directed towards a laundry treating appliance which can identify laundry treating chemistry and direct the chemistry to a corresponding bulk reservoir. The user fills a loading cup with laundry treating chemistry, and the treating chemistry is identified by a material property sensor. Once the laundry treating chemistry is identified, the treating chemistry is directed to the corresponding bulk reservoir. The directing of the identified treating chemistry to the corresponding bulk reservoir can be done as part of filling the bulk reservoir or to correct when a cup is filled with the incorrect treating chemistry. The directing may be direct or indirect from the cup to the bulk reservoir. The identifying of the treating chemistry may be done inside or outside of the cup. The cups and bulk reservoirs can be arranged in pairs, or a single cup can supply multiple bulk reservoirs, especially when the cup is used to load the bulk reservoirs and not to dispense into the laundry treating appliance. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure can be utilized with a laundry treating appliance, which can be either as a front or top loading and either a horizontal or vertical axis. For purposes of convenience, not limitation, the embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the form of a front-loading, horizontal-axis washing machine  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . A structural support system including a cabinet  12  can define a housing within which a laundry holding system resides. The cabinet  12  can be a housing having a chassis and/or a frame, defining an interior, enclosing components typically found in a conventional washing machine, such as motors, pumps, fluid lines, controls, sensors, transducers, and the like. Such components will not be described further herein except as necessary for a complete understanding of the disclosure. 
     The washing machine  10  may include a cabinet  12  defining an interior and enclosing components typically found in a conventional washing machine, such as motors, pumps, fluid lines, controls, sensors, transducers, and the like. A door  14  may be mounted to the cabinet  12  to selectively close an access opening to the interior of a tub  16  that defines a treating chamber  18  in which an article may be treated. Examples of articles include, but are not limited to, a hat, a scarf, a glove, a sweater, a blouse, a shirt, a pair of shorts, a dress, a sock, a pair of pants, a shoe, an undergarment, and a jacket. One or more articles form a laundry load. Both the tub  16  and a drum  20  may be located within the interior of the cabinet  12 . The tub  16  may be associated with a sump  21  for holding a liquid used during a cleaning cycle. The sump  21  may be normally connected to a drain (not shown) to provide a flow path for removing the liquids. 
     While the tub  16  may be described as defining the treating chamber  18 , with the drum  20  located within the tub  16 , and thereby located within the treating chamber  18 , it may be that just the drum  20  need be considered the treating chamber  18  as the laundry load may be typically retained within the drum  20  and the treating chemistry may be directed into drum  20 . 
     While not shown, some clothes washers include a recirculation system for recirculation of liquid from the sump to the laundry in the drum  20 . The recirculating spray may be used in combination with rotating the drum to draw the sprayed liquid through the laundry using centrifugal force. Alternatively, or in combination with the recirculation system, the liquid may be raised to a level within the tub  16  where a portion of the drum  20  may be submerged. The rotation of the drum  20  causes the laundry to tumble in the liquid. Either of the recirculation or tumble methods of cleaning may be used with any embodiment of the disclosure. 
     A controller  22  may receive information about a specific cleaning cycle from sensors in the washing machine  10  or via input by a user through a user interface  24 . The user interface  24  may have operational controls such as dials, lights, switches, and displays enabling a user to input commands. To aid the input of information by the user, the user interface  24  may be electrically coupled with the controller  22  through user interface leads  26 . The user may enter many different types of information, including, without limitation, cycle selection and cycle parameters, such as cycle options. Any suitable cycle may be used. Examples include, Heavy Duty, Normal, Delicates, Rinse and Spin, Sanitize, and Bio-Film Clean Out, to name a few. The term “cleaning cycle” is used to mean one operational cycle of the washing machine  10  that cleans a load of laundry. 
     The washing machine  10  can also be provided with a dispensing assembly for dispensing treating chemistry to the treating chamber  18  for use in treating the laundry according to a cycle of operation. The dispensing assembly  28  can be a single use dispensing assembly, a bulk dispensing assembly or a combination of a single use and bulk dispensing assembly. 
     Non-limiting examples of treating chemistries that can be dispensed by the dispensing assembly  28  during a cycle of operation include one or more of the following: water, detergents, softeners, bleach, rinse aids, surfactants, enzymes, fragrances, stiffness/sizing agents, wrinkle releasers/reducers, antistatic or electrostatic agents, stain repellants, water repellants, energy reduction/extraction aids, antibacterial agents, medicinal agents, vitamins, moisturizers, shrinkage inhibitors, and color fidelity agents, and combinations thereof. 
     It has been noted that each treating chemistry has unique material properties, therefore, material properties may be used as an identifier for a specific treating chemistry. A database or table of information can be created showing material properties for specific treating chemistries. This database may be used by the controller as a reference to look up the specific treating chemistry based on a sensed material property and determine the identification of the treating chemistry. Non-limiting examples of material property sensors which can output a material property signal indicative of a material property of a treating chemistry can include a pH sensor, viscosity sensor, specific gravity sensor, density sensor, conductivity sensor, or refractive index sensor although any other sensors sensing a material property may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. 
     The dispensing assembly  28  can have multiple treating chemistry loading cups  30  fluidly coupled to the treating chamber  18 .  FIG. 1  illustrates the multiple loading cups  30  as being located in the upper portion of the cabinet  12  such that a user may access it from the exterior of the cabinet  12 . The dispensing assembly  28  may also include bulk reservoirs  38  located within a bulk storage unit  36 , arranged to pair with corresponding loading cups  30 . 
     Although the loading cups and bulk reservoirs have been illustrated or described as rectangular box-like containers, the loading cups and bulk reservoirs may be any type of container configured to store treating chemistry. The containers can be fixed or removable or a combination of both. The containers can be mounted in a drawer that is moved in/out of the cabinet  12 . The containers can be mounted, fixed or moveable, within the cabinet and freely accessible from the exterior or located behind a cover. The containers may have any shape and size that is receivable within the dispenser. The containers may be flexible, rigid, expandable, or collapsible. The containers may be made of any type of material. Some examples of suitable containers are, without limitation, a plastic container, a cardboard container, a coated cardboard container, and a bladder, all of which are capable of being received within the dispenser. 
     A water supply provides water to the dispensing assembly  28 . The water supply is illustrated as having a conduit  42  fluidly coupled with a water supply  44 , and a valve  46 . The water supply  44  may be fluidly coupled directly to the treating chamber  18  through conduit  42  to valve  46  and then through water dispensing line  48 . The water supply  44  may also be coupled to the treating chamber  18  via the dispensing assembly  28 , where water is supplied to the dispensing assembly  28  through the conduit  42 , the valve  46 , a water supply conduit  50 , and a water diverter, which controls the flow of water to either at least one of the loading cups  30  or at least one bulk reservoir  38 . A dispensing line  40  supplies treating chemistry to the drum  20 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a dispensing assembly  200  can include material property sensors  210  used to determine a material property of treating chemistry such as pH value or viscosity. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a material property sensor  210  is fluidly coupled to a reservoir chamber  204  and a controller  212 . Loading cups  202  are fluidly coupled to the reservoir chamber  204  which is fluidly coupled to a liquid connector such as a multiplexed valve  206 . The multiplexed valve  206  selectively couples bulk reservoirs  208  in response to a control signal from controller  212 . The liquid connector may also exist in the form of a pump or other type of valve, or in combination with multiple liquid connectors. When a user fills at least one of the multiple loading cups  202  with a treating chemistry, the treating chemistry can flow to the reservoir chamber  204  where a sensor  210  determines a material property of the treating chemistry. Alternately, the sensor  210  may be coupled to loading cups  202 , and a material property of a treating chemistry can be determined prior to the treating chemistry flowing to the reservoir chamber  204 . The sensor  210  may couple with a single or multiple loading cups  202 . The reservoir chamber may comprise a single chamber or multiple chambers to accommodate a single treating chemistry or multiple treating chemistries. The controller  212  determines from the detected material property whether or not the treating chemistry is proper or improper for the one of the multiple loading cups  202  in which the treating chemistry was filled. The controller  212  then sends signal to the multiplexed valve  206  to allow the treating chemistry to flow to the corresponding bulk reservoir  208  for the treating chemistry. The bulk reservoir may comprise a single reservoir or multiple reservoirs to accommodate a single treating chemistry or multiple treating chemistries. Treating chemistry can be directed to a corresponding bulk reservoir  208  by the multiplexed valve  206  when it is determined proper for the one of the multiple loading cups  202 . Treating chemistry can also be directed to a corresponding bulk reservoir  208  when it is determined improper for one of the multiple loading cups  202 . 
     In another embodiment of the disclosure as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a material property sensor  310  is coupled to loading cups  302  and a controller  312  in dispensing assembly  300 . In this embodiment, a reservoir chamber is excluded from the dispensing assembly  300 . Loading cups  302  fluidly couple to a liquid connector, shown here as a multiplexed valve  306 . The multiplexed valve  306  selectively couples bulk reservoirs  308  in response to a control signal from controller  312 . The operations of dispensing assembly  300  are generally the same as the operations of dispensing assembly  200 . However, in dispensing assembly  300 , the multiplexed valve  306  is directly coupled to loading cups  302  rather than a reservoir chamber  204 . Consequently, when a user fills at least one of the multiple loading cups  302  with a treating chemistry, the controller  312  determines a detected material property by sensor  310  and sends signal to the multiplexed valve  306 , the treating chemistry can be immediately directed to a corresponding bulk reservoir  308 . 
     In yet another embodiment of the disclosure as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a single loading cup  402  can be used in place of multiple loading cups. In this embodiment, a material property sensor  410  is coupled to one loading cup  402  and a controller  412  in dispensing assembly  400 . The loading cup  402  fluidly couples to a liquid connector, shown here as a multiplexed valve  406 . The multiplexed valve  406  selectively couples bulk reservoirs  408  in response to a control signal from controller  412 . While the material property sensor  410  is shown operably coupled to the cup  402 , it could also be coupled to the multiplexed valve  406  or any other liquid connector, including any structure fluidly coupling the cup  402  to the multiplexed valve  406 . 
     The operations of dispensing assembly  400  are generally the same as the operations of dispensing assembly  300 . However, in dispensing assembly  400 , there exists only one loading cup. This enables the user to fill the loading cup  402  with treating chemistry, and the treating chemistry will be directed to a corresponding bulk reservoir  408  by the controller  412  based on the signal from the material property sensor  410 . As a single cup  402  is being used, to prevent contamination from prior chemistry placed in the cup  402 , the loading cup  402  can be flushed with water or any other suitable rinse-aid in order to remove residue from previous treating chemistries from the loading cup  402 . The flushing can be automatic, the flushing occurring in between automatic cycles of operation, or the flushing can be manually controlled by a user. For example, a user may push a button to initiate flushing of the loading cup  402 . 
     The foregoing descriptions include exemplary sensor locations. Other locations may be utilized, for example, incorporated into valve structures, the dispensing line  40 , or incorporated into an auxiliary receptacle which may be part of the dispensing assembly. Also, any of the embodiments can include a flushing mechanism in order to remove residue from treating chemistries, in any location such as in loading cups, a reservoir chamber, or in bulk reservoirs. 
     For any of the embodiments, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an examination of  FIG. 5  that treating chemistry can be properly stored in the washing machine  10  by including the steps of the flow chart of  FIG. 5  into a typical cycle of the washing machine  10 . While the method of  FIG. 5  is described with respect to the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the method can be used with all the embodiments. While the steps of the method illustrated in  FIG. 5  are discussed in schematic form, the implementation of these steps into a cycle of operation for the washing machine  10  would be apparent to one skilled in the art of washing machine cycle design and programming. Turning to  FIG. 5 , an example flow chart is shown for operating the washing machine  10  according to an embodiment of the disclosure in a manner to address the problem of filling a loading cup with improper treating chemistry, thereby decreasing the likelihood of damaging laundry or executing ineffective wash cycles. 
     The method  500  according to one embodiment of the disclosure begins at step  502  where a user fills a loading cup with treating chemistry. At step  504  the treating chemistry flows to a reservoir chamber  204  where a material property of the treating chemistry is sensed  506 . The controller coupled to the sensor  210  determines if the treating chemistry is proper or improper at step  508  by receiving as input the material property signal and identifying the treating chemistry by comparing the sensed material property to a reference material property for the cup. At step  510  the treating chemistry is supplied to the proper bulk reservoir  208  when the controller outputs a control signal to control the multiplexed valve  206  to fluidly couple the one of the multiple loading cups  202  to the bulk reservoir  208  corresponding to the identified treating chemistry. When called for by a cycle of operation for the laundry treating appliance, treating chemistry can be dispensed from the either the loading cups  202  or the bulk reservoir  208 . The laundry treating appliance can dispense treating chemistry from loading cups  202  when treating chemistry is determined proper for the loading cup and utilize the bulk reservoir  208  as storage for improperly loaded treating chemistry so as to prevent the improper treating chemistry from being dispensed during a cycle of operation. The laundry treating appliance can also dispense treating chemistry from the bulk reservoir  208 , wherein the loading cups  202  can be utilized to fill or replenish the bulk reservoir  208 . If the treating chemistry is determined to be improper and is supplied to the corresponding bulk reservoir  208 , then the dispensing assembly can dispense the proper treating chemistry from the corresponding bulk reservoir  208  during the execution of the cycle of operation. 
     The sequence of steps depicted in  FIG. 5  are for illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the method in any way as it is understood that the steps may process in a different logical order, additional or intervening steps may be included, described steps may be divided into multiple steps, or steps may be eliminated, without detraction from the embodiment of the disclosure. For example, step  504  where a treating chemistry flows to a reservoir chamber, may be eliminated. 
     Additionally, it should be appreciated that the aforementioned methods within a horizontal or vertical axis washing machine are exemplary, and use within alternative appliances are contemplated. The methods can alternatively be utilized in additional laundry treating appliances such as a combination washing machine and dryer, a tumbling refreshing/revitalizing machine, an extractor, and a non-aqueous washing apparatus, in non-limiting examples. 
     The above-described embodiments are more accurate and precise as compared to the existing solutions, as the determinations are driven directly by the optimal conditions for operation of the washing machine  10 . Furthermore, the above-described embodiments offer solutions that continuously provide information about the operation of the washing machine  10 , rather than relying on an extrapolation, which fails to capture the true behavior of the washing machine. 
     To the extent not already described, the different features and structures of the various embodiments can be used in combination with each other as desired. That one feature is not illustrated in all of the embodiments is not meant to be construed that it cannot be, but is done for brevity of description. Thus, the various features of the different embodiments can be mixed and matched as desired to form new embodiments, whether or not the new embodiments are expressly described. All combinations or permutations of features described herein are covered by this disclosure. 
     This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and can include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.