Patent Abstract:
This invention relates to an automatic batch washing machine where the potential product or products that are being cleaned includes, but is not limited to, clothes and dishes. The machine combines user input and data gathered from sensors to operate to automatically dispense all necessary cleaning and treatment chemicals at proper times and optimally measured doses. Manual measurement and insertion of requisite chemicals has been eliminated. Efficiency and performance are enhanced through the use of optimally measured, timed and placed chemical dispensions. The chemical supply containers incorporated in conjunction with the machine are marked in such a way that they can only be inserted in a certain location in conjunction with the machine eliminating the possibility of mistakingly locating one chemical in a dispensing location for another chemical.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The subject matter of the present invention is directed to a washing machine and more particularly to a machine that is to automatically dispense the necessary cleaning and treatment chemicals at the proper times in optimally measured doses within the wash basin of the machine. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Automatic washing machines for cleaning of dishes and clothes have long been known. Most automatic washing machines are designed to dispense the proper amount of water within the wash basin of the machine or to control the size of the load that is to be handled by the machine. In a clothes washing machine, different chemicals are commonly provided. These different chemicals include detergent, bleach and softeners. It would be desirable to insure that the precise amount of each chemical is to be dispensed according to what parameters have been programmed into the machine. The programming of the parameters are to be accomplished by the user. In other words, the user would program in whether the clothes were white clothes or colored clothes and whether it is a light load, a medium load or a heavy load. Once these parameters have been inserted into the machine, it would be desirable to have the machine dispense the exact amount of chemicals at the correct times within the wash basin of the machine. In the past, there has not been known a machine that has been designed to achieve this end result. 
     There are numerous prior art automatic washing machines which are designed to sense the type and/or volume of material to be washed or the soil level of the articles that are to be washed. This knowledge is to allow the machine to adjust the amount of water, the rinse type and the motor action to enhance the cleaning and minimize garment degradation. However, these prior art machines still require the user to manually dispense cleaning and treatment agents into the machine. There is a potential for dosing mistakes in relation to the manual selection of the amount of the cleaning agent and at the time that it is to be inserted in conjunction with the machine. These dosing mistakes lead to inefficient cleaning and even possible damage when the article being cleaned is clothing. 
     Reference is to be had within the prior art to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,881,328 and 3,982,666 that describe a dispensing system which is triggered by a signaling device in the washing machine to activate and deactivate solenoid valves allowing injection of various liquid cleaning products through venturi-aspirators into a water feed hose of a machine with a timing circuit to control the amount dispensed. A similar system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,520 where a plurality of liquid additives can be injected in a predetermined sequence under the control of an adapter which is interfaced with the washing machine. The adapter includes a programmable timer to control the injection volume and sequence. Another machine, outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,227, senses flow into the washing machine water feed lines as a stimulus for a control head to selectively activate a plurality of chemical injection pumps. U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,080 lists an apparatus that monitors the electrical current draw of the washing machine to determine when the detergent should be injected into the washing machine. U.S. Patent application 2003/0116177 describes a non-intrusive automatic dosing system which senses at least one parameter from the washing machine to activate pumped chemical injection into the water feed line of the washer. One significant problem dealing with this approach is the requirement for multiple pumps which are expensive and require the use of expensive electrical power. The main disadvantage of all the aforementioned prior art machines is that such are not integrated into the washing machine and therefore not privy to the knowledge gained from user input. These prior art machines do not have a method for determining the current washing machine cycle steps. Assumptions must be made as to sequence and duration of the cycle steps which varies among machines and wash types. Further complicating the issue is the fact that in order to make some prior systems responsive the user would be required to input data twice, once to the machine and once to an adapter. The machine is still without a guarantee of proper function due to the lack of a robust feedback mechanism. Another drawback is the method of measurement of chemicals. These systems rely on timing circuits to determine the chemical dose which is indirect and subject to error. The fluid properties (density and viscosity), which affect the flow rate and thus volume measured, are not constant among all products (detergents have different properties and so do fabric softeners, etc.). Also, density and viscosity vary among the different brands of the same product. Without this knowledge, the measurement can lead to error and thus inefficient or possibly harmful chemical dosing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,575 takes some of the prior issues into account. This fully integrated washing machine collects user input and sensor acquired knowledge to make decisions about the type of chemicals needed. It then circulates water, determines the weight of the clothes and fills the reservoir. A metered amount of water is then removed from the reservoir and replaced with the same volume of chemical as measured by pressure. This metering and replacing can occur as many times as necessary before the reservoir contents are pumped into the wash basin. Though this design eliminates some drawbacks of the prior art devices, it still has some problems. First the design is not efficient in its use of energy, requiring continual recirculation to insure that the chemical contents in the reservoir are completely dispensed into the wash basin. Modern, high efficiency washers save energy by not continually pumping water during the beginning cycle, making this approach impractical. Manual loading of the chemical supply reservoirs by the user still allows for potentially serious problems. For example, bleach could accidentally be spilled into a detergent or softener receptacle ruining certain clothes, a liability which cannot be tolerated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The basic embodiment of the present invention is directed to an automatic batch article washing machine which utilizes a wash basin adapted to contain one or more articles to be washed. A fresh water supply conduit is to be connected with the wash basin with the fresh water supply conduit to supply a selected quantity of water into and out of the wash basin upon activation of the machine. A central processing unit (CPU) is included within the machine comprising an electronic programmable computer which is to be programmed with certain initial parameters. A collection reservoir is adapted to contain contents connecting with the wash basin. A main dispensing valve is connected to the connection reservoir. Activation of the main dispensing valve by the CPU causes dispensing of the contents from the collection reservoir into the wash basin. A first supply reservoir, which is adapted to contain first contents, is connected to a first valve and a sensor. Activation of the first valve by the CPU is to cause a predetermined quantity of the first contents to be dispensed into the collection reservoir. A second supply reservoir is adapted to contain second contents with a second valve connected to the second supply reservoir. Activation of the second valve by the CPU is to cause a predetermined quantity of the second contents to be dispensed into the collection reservoir. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by defining that the supply reservoir is removable and replaceable and there is incorporated in conjunction with each of the supply reservoirs a marking means that permits only for each reservoir to be engaged with only a precise location in conjunction with the machine eliminating the mounting of the detergent containing reservoir in the area where the bleach reservoir is located or mounting it in conjunction with a softener containing reservoir. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by defining that mounted in conjunction with the collection reservoir is a sensor that determines the amount that is being dispensed from the supply reservoir into the collection reservoir and causes shutting down of the dispensing procedure from the supply reservoir. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by defining that there is included in conjunction with each supply reservoir a separate sensor with this sensor causing the actual activation to dispense the contents from the supply reservoir or causes a shutting down of the dispensing procedure. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where there is incorporated in conjunction with the collection reservoir a fresh water supply to rinse out the collection reservoir after the contents of the collection reservoir has been dispensed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a typical machine that is being constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational of the machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic view in block diagram form showing the different arrangement of parts that are incorporated in conjunction with the machine of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is an interior elevational view of the machine of  FIG. 1  showing the arrangement of parts that are consistent with the diagrammatic view of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject matter of this invention constitutes an automatic washing machine that is capable of cleaning clothes, dishes or any other product amenable to a batch washing process. Specifically, the machine of this invention incorporates user input with relevant sensored data to automatically dispense all necessary cleaning and treatment chemicals at the proper times in optimally measured doses. The result is a simplified interface that eliminates the need for manual measurement and insertion of requisite chemicals. Efficiency and performance are enhanced through the use of the optimally measured, timed and placed chemical dispensings. This invention incorporates the use of specially designed chemical supply containers such that the contents of the container will be known permitting only installation of the container in conjunction with the machine at a single location. 
     Reference is to be had particularly to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4  of the drawings where there is shown a suggested version  10  of machine of this invention. Machine  10  includes a sheet material enclosing housing  12  which has an openable top  14  and an access door  16  mounted within the front surface of the machine  10 . The access door  16  provides access to a wash basin  18  which is mounted within the confines of the housing  12 . The top  14  is capable of being moved to the open position and when in the open position is retained in that position by a spring actuator  20 . It is to be understood that application of a manual pressure in a direction to close the top  14  in conjunction with the housing  12 , that the manual pressure will overcome the pressure of the spring contained within the spring actuator  20  and the top can be readily closed. The opening of the top  14  provides access to the three in number of supply reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  mounted in the upper portion of the housing  12 . Each supply reservoir  22 ,  24  and  26  is to be removable and replaceable. Incorporated in conjunction with each supply reservoir  22 ,  24  and  26  is a marking structure such that on reservoir  22  there is a single protuberance  28 , on reservoir  30  there is a pair of dual protuberances  30  and on the supply reservoir  26  there are three in number of protuberances  32 . The protuberances  28 ,  30  and  32  could be formed on the exterior surface of each of the supply reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  respectively. Other forms of a marking arrangement could be utilized. The whole intent and purpose of the marking arrangement is to prevent interchangeability so that supply reservoir  26  could not be placed at the location of supply reservoir  22  and vice versa, and also there could be no changeability between reservoirs  24  and  26 . Let it be assumed that supply reservoir  22  is for detergent and therefore that only detergent can be in that location. Let&#39;s assume that supply reservoir  24  is for bleach and only bleach can be in that location. Let it be assumed that supply reservoir  26  is for fabric softener and only a fabric softener can be in that location. It would be extremely inefficient, and possibly damaging, to have a fabric softener located at the location for detergent and the detergent located at the location for fabric softener. Also, it could be extremely damaging to have a location for bleach where a fabric softener is located. It is to be understood that the protuberances  28 , and  32  are to engage with certain recess or recesses formed within the housing  12  so that only that particular reservoir  22 ,  24 , or  26  can be located at a specific location. Instead of the protuberances  28 ,  30  and  32 , there may be used another form of marking means, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, that conveys information about the container size to the CPU  62  which, when combined with stored sensor information about dosing history, would allow the machine to provide supply level statistics and alerts to the user. 
     Supply reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  are noted to be at a height above the wash basin  18 . In order to minimize the structure that is required for the dispensing of the contents contained within each of the reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26 , gravity is to be used if these reservoirs are located at a height above the wash basin  18 , flow from the reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  can occur by gravity not requiring the use of any separate pumping devices. The supply reservoir  22  has a dispensing conduit  34 . Supply reservoir  24  has a dispensing conduit  36 . Supply reservoir  26  has a dispensing conduit  38 . It is to be understood that although within the specification three in number of supply reservoirs are shown, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that a greater number could be utilized or a lesser number. 
     Mounted in conjunction with the dispensing conduit  34  is a sensor  40  and a valve  42 . A similar sensor  44  and valve  46  are mounted in conjunction with the dispensing conduit  36 . A still similar sensor  48  and valve  50  are mounted in conjunction with the dispensing conduit  38 . Each of the dispensing conduits  34 ,  36  and  38  are joined to a manifold conduit  52 . The manifold conduit  52  connects to a collection reservoir  54 . The collection reservoir  54  is to be totally enclosed and is not removable and replaceable in conjunction with the machine  10 . The collection reservoir  54  has an outlet conduit  56 . Connected in conjunction with the outlet conduit  56  is a main sensor  58  and a main valve  60 . The outlet conduit  56  is designed to dispense contents from the collection reservoir  54  directly into the interior of the wash basin  18 . 
     The sensors  40 ,  44 ,  48  and  58  are all connected to the central processing unit (CPU)  62 . Each of the valves  42 ,  46 ,  50  and  60  are also connected to the CPU  62 . The preferable CPU would be a small, easily programmable, low power consumption electronic computer unit capable of simple calculations containing non-volatile memory in an easily expandable interface. It must be capable of combining the user input and sensor data in the commands for proper activation of all the valves. One such desirable CPU would be model no. PXA27X, manufactured by Intel Corp. The controlling of the CPU  62  is to be achieved by using manual input in conjunction with touch screen  64  mounted on the front of the housing  12 . The valves  42 ,  46 ,  50  and  60  can comprise any kind of a solenoid operated ball, cone-type, spool or piston valve. 
     The structure of each of the sensors  40 ,  44 ,  48  and  58  could comprise a Mems Tech MPS-501G piezoresistive pressure sensor. Once tapped into the side of its respective conduit, the hydrostatic pressure within the conduit deforms the internal diaphragm (not shown) contained within the sensor. This deforming of the internal diaphragm causes four piezoresistors, connected together in a Wheatstone Bridge configuration, to change their electrical resistances. This change in resistance results in a pressure proportional voltage that is monitored by the CPU  62 . It is to be understood that within the scope of this invention, other types of sensors could be utilized. 
     For the insertion of fresh water within the wash basin  18 , there is provided a fresh water inlet conduit  66  that supplies water into the collection reservoir  54  upon opening of valve  68 . This fresh water supply inlet conduit  66  can be utilized for the purpose of washing out the interior of the collection reservoir  54  which will be discharged into the wash basin  18 . 
     The sensors  40 ,  44 ,  48  and  58  monitor their respective reservoir  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  54  to determine the fluid levels of their reservoir. Understanding that the pressure is equal to the product of the vertical height of the fluid, the fluid density and the acceleration due to gravity, knowledge of the latter two allows determination of the vertical height of the fluid contained within their respective reservoirs. Each of the valves  42 ,  46 ,  50  and  60  are controlled by a computer algorithm which is based on user input and relevant sensor data. Each valve  42 ,  46 ,  50  and  60  is opened at a specific time to dispense the contents of its respective reservoir  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  54 . Sensor  58  determines the amount dispensed from each reservoir  22 ,  24  and  26  and feeds this information back to the CPU  62 . CPU  62  supplies the signal to the valves  42 ,  46  and  50  respectively to close these valves when the proper amount of chemical has been dispensed from the regular reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26 . Operation of the machine  10  of this invention should require that the user only need to load the appropriate material to be cleaned, select the appropriate cycle, such as a heavy wash cycle, normal wash cycle or a delicate wash cycle and then press the start button for the machine  10 . The start button would be located on the touch screen  64 . 
     In order for the machine  10  to work properly with the multiple chemical sources  22 ,  24  and  26 , it is important that the CPU  62  know which of the valves  42 ,  36  and  50  are to be opened and dispense the contents of its respective reservoir. The sensor  70  could be used to collect data on the reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  through optical scanning of specific container surface markings. Alternatively, sensor  70  could gather information from Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags embedded in the containers, or other similar means. With this knowledge, CPU  62  would be able to insure proper dosing of the correct chemical contained within the reservoirs  22 ,  24  and  26  rather than be subject to predetermined factory settings. This arrangement could also be used to hinder the use of imitation or counterfeit chemical products within the machine  10 . Sensors  40 ,  44  and  48  serve the purpose of determining the amount of product remaining in each corresponding reservoir in a manner similar to sensor  58 . This data would allow the machine to alert the user to the amount of product remaining and when a reservoir container required replacement. An alternative embodiment is such that the CPU  62  would store data about the dispensing history to determine the amount of product used from each container. When combined with this data about the container size gathered from sensor  70 , similar product level reports and warnings could be issued to the user without the need for sensors  40 ,  44  and  48 . 
     The collection reservoir  54  is shown in box diagram form and for ease of description to the box diagram is shown to be wider than taller. In actual practice, the collection  54  will probably be relatively thin and have a significant height. Therefore, only a small amount of the substance or contents contained within the collection reservoir  54  need to be dispensed to result in a clear change of the level of the contents within the reservoir  54 . This would be desirable when utilizing the sensor  58  so that the change in the volume of the reservoir  54  can be readily perceived by the sensor  58 . 
     The discussion included in this patent is intended to serve as a basic description. The reader should be aware that the specific discussion may not explicitly describe all embodiments possible and alternatives are implicit. Also, this discussion may not fully explain the generic nature of the invention and may not explicitly show how each feature or element can actually be representative of a broader function or of a great variety of alternative or equivalent elements. Again, these are implicitly included in this disclosure. Where the invention is described in device-oriented terminology, each element of the device implicitly performs a function. It should also be understood that a variety of changes may be made without departing from the essence of the invention. Such changes are also implicitly included in the description. These changes still fall within the scope of this invention. 
     Further, each of the various elements of the invention and claims may also be achieved in a variety of manners. This disclosure should be understood to encompass each such variation, be it a variation of any apparatus embodiment, a method embodiment, or even merely a variation of any element of these. Particularly, it should be understood that as the disclosure relates to elements of the invention, the words for each element may be expressed by equivalent apparatus terms even if only the function or result is the same. Such equivalent, broader, or even more generic terms should be considered to be encompassed in the description of each element or action. Such terms can be substituted where desired to make explicit the implicitly broad coverage to which this invention is entitled. It should be understood that all actions may be expressed as a means for taking that action or as an element which causes that action. Similarly, each physical element disclosed should be understood to encompass a disclosure of the action which that physical element facilitates. Such changes and alternative terms are to be understood to be explicitly included in the description.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3