Patent Document ID: 8505139
Application ID: 11624562
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. An automated method for obtaining a level of wash liquid in a wash tub of an automatic washing machine, comprising the steps of: (a) adding wash liquid into a wash tub; (b) rotating a wash basket in the wash tub; (c) detecting a first liquid pressure within the wash tub during the rotation of the wash basket to provide an indication of load size; (d) determining a target value representative of a target amount of wash liquid in the wash tub corresponding to an indicated load size, based at least in part on the detected first liquid pressure, and determining if that target value has been reached; and (e) adding more wash liquid to the wash tub if it is determined in step (d) that the target value has not been reached; wherein: the method further comprises providing an interval of draining wash liquid from the wash tub, detecting liquid pressures within the wash tub before and after said interval, and determining a difference of the detected liquid pressures to provide a further indication of load size; and the determining a target value in step (d) is carried out based in further part on the determined difference of the detected liquid pressures before and after said interval of draining.