CN112914455A

CN112914455A - Control method, processor and device for dish washing machine and dish washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN112914455A
Application number: CN202110096994.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范志恒; 陈蔚; 魏中科; 全永兵; 王彩霞
Original assignee: Foshan Shunde Midea Washing Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Foshan Shunde Midea Washing Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-25
Filing date: 2021-01-25
Publication date: 2021-06-08

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, and discloses a control method, a processor, a control device, a dish-washing machine and a storage medium for the dish-washing machine. The control method comprises the following steps: acquiring an image of an article in the dishwasher; determining the state information of the article according to the image; determining washing parameters of the dishwasher based on the state information; washing the item based on the washing parameters. In the washing process, the dishwasher adjusts the washing parameters corresponding to the articles according to the real-time state information of the articles, can continuously correct and select the washing mode of the self-adaptive articles, and improves the reliability of the dishwasher.

Description

Control method, processor and device for dish washing machine and dish washing machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a control method, a processor, a control device, a dish-washing machine and a storage medium for the dish-washing machine.

Background

With the development of intelligent home appliances, dish washers are being gradually applied to places such as ordinary homes and hotels. The most basic and important function of the dish-washing machine is to wash tableware, the dish-washing machine contains all tableware of users, in the daily use process, the users press a 'starting washing' button of the dish-washing machine, the dish-washing machine washes the tableware, in the washing process, the energy consumption of the dish-washing machine is large, the cleanness guarantee is low, the reliability of the dish-washing machine is low, the dish-washing machine damages the tableware easily, and the safety of the dish-washing machine is low.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the embodiments of the invention without limiting the embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A schematically shows a configuration diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a control method for the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied;

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a front view of the structure of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1C schematically illustrates a schematic structural view of a washing mechanism of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1D schematically illustrates a partial structural view of the purge mechanism of FIG. 1C;

FIG. 2 schematically shows one of the flow diagrams of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a second flowchart of a control method for a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 schematically shows a third flowchart of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

100. A dishwasher;

1. a housing; 2, cleaning the mechanism;

21. an image acquisition device; 22. A rack;

23. a drive motor; 24. A processing device;

25. a spray arm; 26. Mounting a bracket;

251. spray orifice

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.

It should be noted that, if directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear … …) are referred to in the embodiments of the present application, the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship between the components, the movement situation, and the like in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indications are changed accordingly.

In addition, if there is a description of "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application, the description of "first", "second", etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but must be realized by a person skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be realized, such a combination should not be considered to exist, and is not within the protection scope of the present application.

Fig. 1A schematically shows a configuration diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a control method for the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied. Fig. 1B schematically shows a front view of the structure of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that fig. 1A and 1B are merely illustrative of one embodiment of the dishwasher 100 and are not intended to limit the shape, location, manner of installation, and connection of the components of the dishwasher not relevant to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the dishwasher 100 may include a housing 1 and a washing mechanism 2 disposed inside the housing 1. The outer contour of the housing 1 may include, but is not limited to, a rectangular, cylindrical shape.

The washing means 2 may comprise an image acquisition device 21, a rack 22, a handling device 24 and a spray arm.

A rack 22 (e.g., a basket) may be secured inside the dishwasher 100 for holding dishes and the image acquisition device 21 may include a camera or an image sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor). The image acquisition device 21 can be arranged in a variety of orientations within the dishwasher 100. The processing device 24 may be electrically connected to the image acquisition device 21.

The image acquisition device 21 may be used to acquire images within the dishwasher 100 and the processing device 24 may be used to process the acquired images.

For example, after the dishes are placed on the rack 22, the image capturing device 21 may capture an image of the dishes on the rack 22. The processing device 24 can acquire the image and determine characteristics of the dishes placed within the dishwasher 100 to control the spray arms to wash the dishes according to the characteristics of the dishes.

The processing device 24 may include a processor, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of Integrated Circuit (IC), a state machine, and so forth.

In one example, the spray arm may take a rotatable form.

FIG. 1C schematically illustrates a schematic structural view of a washing mechanism of a dishwasher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1D schematically illustrates a partial structural view of the purge mechanism of FIG. 1C. Referring to FIGS. 1B-1D, the washing mechanism 2 may further include a drive motor 23, and the drive motor 23 may be disposed on the underside of the interior of the dishwasher 100, or may be disposed on the back of the dishwasher 100, i.e., the side away from which the dishes are placed by the user. The drive motor 23 may be connected to a spray arm 25. The spray arm 25 is provided with spray holes 251 communicated with the interior of the spray arm 25, and the spray holes 251 can be arranged on the spray arm 25 at intervals so that the spray arm 25 sprays a larger range. In one example, the spray arm 25 may be cylindrical, and the orifices 251 are spaced apart in the cross-section of the spray arm 25 and arranged in an array such that water ejected from the orifices 251 is emitted at an angle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher 100 may further include a water pressure transducer (not shown), a water heater (not shown), and a water valve (not shown). The water pressure transducer and water heater may be electrically connected to the processing equipment 24, and the water pressure transducer, water heater, and water valve may be internally connected and in communication with the spray arm 25. The connection of the spray arm 25 with the water pressure transmitter, the water heater, the water valve, and the driving motor 23 may be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate member.

The water valve can be used for controlling the water yield of the sprayed water, the water pressure transmitter can be used for controlling the water outlet pressure, the water heater can be used for controlling the water outlet temperature, and the driving motor 23 can be used for driving the spraying arm 25 to rotate. In one example, the spray arm 25 may be disposed at a central location within the dishwasher. The central position may be defined as a middle position of the plurality of racks 22 in the dishwasher 100 so as to cover dishes on the plurality of racks 22 when the spray arm 25 rotates, thereby saving space inside the dishwasher 100. Only a single spray arm 25 is needed to spray the tableware on a plurality of shelf 22, which saves the cost of design and material and brings more use space.

The water valves, water pressure transducer, water heater, and drive motor 23 may be controlled by the processing device 24. For example, the area of the rack 22 for placing dishes can be divided into four quadrants, namely, the first, second, third and fourth quadrants. Processing device 24 may control drive motor 23 to rotate spray arm 25 such that orifice 251 is directed toward any of the four quadrants. In addition, the treatment device 24 may also control a water valve to adjust the amount of water discharged from the nozzle hole 251 (or stop the water discharge).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the driving motor 23 may also drive the spray arm 25 to translate. When the spray arm 25 is translatable, the dishwasher 100 may further include a conversion mechanism (not shown) coupled between the drive motor 23 and the spray arm 25 that converts rotation of the drive motor 23 into translation of the spray arm 25.

In the present embodiment, the shelf 22 may include one or more shelves, such as two shelves. In the example of a two-level rack shown in the figures, the spray arm 25 may be located in the middle of the two racks 22 so that all dishes on the two racks 22 may be sprayed when the spray arm 25 is rotated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher 100 may further include a mounting bracket 26, and the spray arm 25 may be rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket 26. The mounting bracket 26 is fixed in position such that the spray arm 25 can rotate relative to the mounting bracket 26. the manner in which the mounting bracket 26 is fixed in position is not limited, as the mounting bracket 26 can be fixedly attached to the carrier 22 or elsewhere.

Fig. 2 schematically shows one of the flow diagrams of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, in an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a dishwasher, including the steps of:

step 201, acquiring an image of an article in a dishwasher;

step 202, determining the state information of the article according to the image;

step 203, determining washing parameters of the dishwasher based on the state information;

and step 204, washing the articles based on the washing parameters.

The dishwasher can be applied to families and hotels. In some embodiments, the items in the dishwasher may be understood as dishware, but may also be referred to as dishware, and are not limited thereto.

The dishwasher may be provided with an image acquisition device, such as a camera. The camera can gather the image of tableware in the dish washer, after the image of tableware is obtained from the camera, confirm the state information of each tableware in the dish washer according to the image, then confirm the washing parameter of dish washer according to state information. It is noted that acquiring an image of an article within a dishwasher includes: the images of the articles within the dishwasher are acquired before the dishwasher is started or periodically after the dishwasher is started. In the washing process, the dishwasher adjusts the washing parameters corresponding to the articles according to the real-time state information of the articles, and can continuously correct and select the washing mode of the self-adaptive articles, so that the reliability of the dishwasher is improved.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the status information may include at least one of the following: quantity, material, shape, degree of soiling and type of contamination. The wash parameters may include at least one of: water temperature, water pressure, washing time and dish washing powder concentration. That is, during the washing process, the water temperature, water pressure, washing time and dish washing powder concentration of the dish washing machine are dynamically adjusted in real time according to the quantity, material, shape, dirt degree and pollutant category of the tableware, and the most appropriate washing mode is selected. Thus, the tableware is prevented from being excessively washed, and the energy consumption of the dish washing machine is reduced. The dishwasher has the advantages that the condition that tableware is not washed in place is avoided, the cleanness of the tableware is guaranteed, and the reliability of the dishwasher is improved. The damage to the dish washing machine caused by overhigh water pressure in the washing process is avoided, and the safety of the dish washing machine is improved.

The image recognition technology is added into the dish washing machine provided by the embodiment of the invention, after the dish washing machine washes the tableware for a period of time, the current washing parameters are corrected in time by combining the specific washing conditions of the tableware, and then the corrected washing parameters are used for washing the tableware. Periodically acquiring images of the tableware in the dish washer at intervals of T, correcting washing parameters in real time until the washing is finished, and ensuring that the best washing mode is selected for the tableware.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a second flowchart of a control method for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 3, another control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention may include the following steps.

(1) The method comprises the steps of obtaining an image of current tableware, calculating information such as the quantity, the material, the shape, the smudging program and the pollutant category of the current tableware, obtaining a washing mode required by the tableware, and outputting a corresponding washing curve. The washing curve comprises parameter information such as water temperature, water pressure, washing time, dish washing powder concentration and the like.

(2) The dishes are washed according to the current washing curve a. After a period of time T, the washing is suspended, the camera is started to shoot the images of the tableware, and the information such as the quantity, the material, the shape, the smudging program and the pollutant category of the tableware is calculated again by combining the information obtained by other sensors.

(3) When the variation of the quantity of the dishes exceeds the first threshold value, it indicates that the dishes may be abnormal during the washing process, and the washing time or the water pressure needs to be adjusted. If the quantity of the tableware is changed in the recognition results of multiple times, the tableware is considered to be placed abnormally, or the water pressure is too high. At the moment, the washing is recommended to be stopped, and the early warning device is started to give a warning to the user.

(4) If the degree of soiling of the items of cutlery does not change for a number of times, this indicates that the previously identified degree of soiling and type of soiling are not accurate and the image recognition of the degree of soiling and type of soiling needs to be revised again. At this time, the dishwasher can correspondingly adjust the washing time, the water pressure, the dish washing powder and the like.

(5) And (4) combining the calculation of the steps, regenerating a washing curve B and storing the washing curve B into a washing curve set. The current washing mode is revised again, and the display interface for the user is revised.

(6) And (5) waiting for the washing to be completed, otherwise, repeating the steps (2), (3) and (4).

(7) And after the washing is finished, outputting a washing curve of the current washing to form a washing curve set, and storing the washing curve set in a database, wherein the washing curve set can be used as a next default washing mode for a user to select.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the status information includes a degree of contamination, and in the case where the degree of contamination is lower than a third threshold value, the washing of the article is stopped. When the dirty degree exceeds the third threshold value, the tableware is not washed, the tableware is washed continuously until the dirty degree is lower than the third threshold value, and the washing is stopped when the tableware is washed clean.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a processor configured to perform the control method for a dishwasher of any one of the above embodiments.

In particular, the processor may be configured to:

acquiring an image of an article in the dishwasher;

determining the state information of the article according to the image;

determining washing parameters of the dishwasher based on the state information;

the articles are washed based on the washing parameters.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to:

the status information includes at least one of: quantity, material, shape, degree of soiling and type of contamination;

the washing parameters include at least one of:

water temperature, water pressure, washing time and dish washing powder concentration.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to:

the dish-washing machine comprises an early warning device which is used for sending early warning information,

activating the early warning device in any one of the following conditions:

the state information comprises a quantity, and the change value of the quantity exceeds a first threshold value in a first time period;

the status information includes a contamination level, and a variation value of the contamination level is lower than a second threshold value during a second period of time.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to:

the state information comprises quantity, material, shape, dirty program and pollutant category, and the washing parameters comprise water temperature, water pressure, washing time and dish washing powder concentration.

Washing the items based on the washing parameters includes:

according to the quantity, the material, the shape, the dirt degree and the pollutant category of the articles, the water temperature, the water pressure, the washing time and the dish washing powder concentration of the dish washing machine are adjusted.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to:

the status information includes the degree of soiling,

in the case where the degree of contamination is lower than the third threshold value, the washing of the articles is stopped.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to:

acquiring an image of an article within a dishwasher includes:

before the dishwasher is started, an image of the articles in the dishwasher is acquired, or

After the dishwasher is started, images of the articles within the dishwasher are periodically acquired.

The embodiment of the invention provides a control device for a dish washing machine, which comprises an image acquisition device, wherein the image acquisition device is used for acquiring images of articles in the dish washing machine. The control device also comprises the processor.

In the embodiment of the invention, the control device further comprises an early warning device, and the early warning device is used for sending early warning information.

The embodiment of the invention provides a dishwasher, which comprises the control device for the dishwasher.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a machine, implement the above-described control method for a dishwasher.

An embodiment of the invention provides a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described control method for a dishwasher.

In the washing process, the dishwasher adjusts the washing parameters corresponding to the articles according to the real-time state information of the articles, can continuously correct and select the washing mode of the self-adaptive articles, and improves the reliability of the dishwasher. According to the quantity, the material, the shape, the dirt degree and the pollutant category of the tableware, the water temperature, the water pressure, the washing time and the dish washing powder concentration of the dish washing machine are dynamically adjusted in real time, and the most appropriate washing mode is selected. Thus, the excessive washing of the tableware is avoided, and the energy consumption of the dish washing machine is reduced. The dishwasher has the advantages that the condition that tableware is not washed in place is avoided, the cleanness of the tableware is guaranteed, and the reliability of the dishwasher is improved. The damage to the dish washing machine caused by overhigh water pressure in the washing process is avoided, and the safety of the dish washing machine is improved.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input/output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

The memory may include forms of volatile memory in a computer readable medium, Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). The memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

Computer-readable media, including both non-transitory and non-transitory, removable and non-removable media, may implement information storage by any method or technology. The information may be computer readable instructions, data structures, modules of a program, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), other types of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, a computer readable medium does not include a transitory computer readable medium such as a modulated data signal and a carrier wave.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The above are merely examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for a dishwasher, comprising:

acquiring an image of an article within the dishwasher;

determining status information of the item from the image;

determining washing parameters of the dishwasher based on the status information;

washing the item based on the washing parameters.

2. The control method for a dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes at least one of:

quantity, material, shape, degree of soiling and type of contamination;

the wash parameters include at least one of:

3. The control method of a dishwasher according to claim 2, wherein the dishwasher includes a warning device for transmitting warning information, the control method further comprising:

activating the early warning device in any one of the following conditions:

the state information comprises the quantity, and the change value of the quantity exceeds a first threshold value in a first time period;

the state information comprises the contamination degree, and in a second time period, the variation value of the contamination degree is lower than a second threshold value.

4. The control method for a dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the state information includes a quantity, a material, a shape, a stain program, and a contaminant type, the washing parameters include a water temperature, a water pressure, a washing time, and a concentration of dishwashing powder,

the washing the items based on the washing parameters comprises:

adjusting the water temperature, the water pressure, the washing time and the dish washing powder concentration of the dish washing machine according to the quantity, the material, the shape, the dirt degree and the pollutant category of the articles.

5. The control method for a dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the state information includes a degree of contamination, the control method further comprising:

in the case where the degree of contamination is below a third threshold value, the washing of the article is stopped.

6. The control method for a dishwasher of claim 1, wherein said acquiring an image of articles within the dishwasher comprises:

obtaining an image of the items in the dishwasher prior to the dishwasher being started, or

Periodically acquiring images of articles within the dishwasher after the dishwasher is started.

7. A processor characterized by being configured to execute the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A control device for a dishwasher, comprising:

the image acquisition equipment is used for acquiring images of articles in the dishwasher; and

the processor of claim 7.

9. The control device according to claim 8, characterized by further comprising:

and the early warning device is used for sending early warning information.

10. A dishwasher, characterized by comprising a control device for a dishwasher according to claim 8 or 9.

11. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a machine to perform the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that the computer program realizes the control method for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when executed by a processor.