CN115247347A

CN115247347A - Washing machine and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN115247347A
Application number: CN202210356844.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周之运; 王哲星; 田海东; 刘玉春; 谷虎; 陈贺
Original assignee: Hisense Shandong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Shandong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-06
Filing date: 2022-04-06
Publication date: 2022-10-28

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a washing machine and a control method thereof, relates to the technical field of washing machines, and is used for avoiding the washing machine from running a barrel cleaning program again when the barrel cleaning program cannot clean dirt between an inner barrel and an outer barrel of the washing machine, so that water and electricity resources are saved. The washing machine includes: a housing; an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder arranged in the housing; the image acquisition device is arranged between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder; a controller configured to: after the drum cleaning program is operated, controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine; determining the dirt information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine according to the image; judging whether the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program or not according to the dirt information; when the washing machine needs to run the drum cleaning program and the number of times that the drum cleaning program has been run reaches a preset number of times, first prompt information is sent out and used for prompting a user to adopt other cleaning means except the drum cleaning program.

Description

Washing machine and control method thereof

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of washing machines, in particular to a washing machine and a control method thereof.

Background

With the continuous development of the technological level and the pursuit of people for nice life, the washing machine is in the process of being transported, the problem of the tired housework of washing clothes is solved, and the hands of people are liberated. The washing machine is gradually becoming an electric appliance owned by a household.

However, when the washing machine is used, dirt such as ditches in tap water, washing powder residues, clothes fluff and the like can be deposited between the inner and outer cylinder walls, and bacteria and mites are easy to breed. When the clothes are washed again, the bacteria and the mites can pollute the clothes, and the use experience and the washing effect of a user are influenced.

Currently, washing machines are generally configured with a drum cleaning process to clean the dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. However, the blind use of the canister cleaning procedure may result in a waste of hydroelectric resources.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a washing machine and a control method thereof, which are used for reminding a user of adopting other cleaning means when the washing machine still cannot clean dirt between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine after running a drum cleaning program for multiple times, so that the resource waste caused by restarting the drum cleaning program of the washing machine is avoided.

In order to achieve the purpose, the following technical scheme is adopted in the application:

in a first aspect, the present application provides a washing machine comprising:

a housing;

an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder arranged in the housing;

the image acquisition device is arranged between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder;

a controller configured to: after the drum cleaning program is operated, controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine; determining dirt information between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine according to the image; judging whether the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program or not according to the dirt information; when the washing machine needs to run the drum cleaning program and the number of times that the drum cleaning program has been run reaches a preset number of times, first prompt information is sent out and used for prompting a user to adopt other cleaning means except the drum cleaning program.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application at least has the following beneficial effects: the dirty information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine is determined by collecting images between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. If the cylinder cleaning program is determined to be required to be operated according to the dirt information, it is indicated that more dirt exists between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine. However, if the drum cleaning process has been run for a predetermined number of times, it means that the drum cleaning process of the washing machine cannot remove contaminants between the inner and outer drums. At this time, the washing machine operates the drum cleaning program again, and the dirt cannot be effectively removed, and water and electricity resources are wasted. In this case, the washing machine enables the user to select other cleaning means than the tub cleaning program by issuing the first prompt message. Therefore, on one hand, stubborn dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine can be removed by other cleaning means by a user, and the washing effect of the washing machine is ensured; on the other hand, the waste of water and electricity resources caused by blind use of a cylinder cleaning program is also avoided.

In some embodiments, the control appliance of the washing machine is configured to: when the dirty information meets a target cleaning condition in the plurality of cleaning conditions, determining that the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the target cleaning condition; the cleaning conditions at least comprise a first cleaning condition and a second cleaning condition, the first cleaning condition and a first cylinder cleaning program have a corresponding relation, the second cleaning condition and a second cylinder cleaning program have a corresponding relation, and the cleaning force of the first cylinder cleaning program is greater than that of the second cylinder cleaning program; and determining that the washing machine does not need to run the drum cleaning program when the contamination information does not satisfy any cleaning condition.

Therefore, as the cylinder cleaning programs with different cleaning force are arranged, when the dirt degree between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine is light, the cylinder cleaning program with lighter cleaning force can be selected, and more water and electricity resources are saved.

In some embodiments, the dirty information includes a dirty area fraction. The dirty area ratio is a ratio between an area where dirt exists between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine and a total area between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine.

The first cleaning conditions include: the dirty area ratio is greater than or equal to a first preset ratio.

The second cleaning conditions include: the dirty area ratio is smaller than a first preset ratio and larger than a second preset ratio, and the first preset ratio is larger than the second preset ratio.

Therefore, the power consumption and the water consumption of different cleaning programs are different, and the cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the satisfied cleaning condition is selected according to the detected dirty area ratio, so that water and electricity resources can be saved.

In some embodiments, the stain information includes a stain thickness.

The first cleaning conditions include: the thickness of the smudge is greater than or equal to the first thickness.

The second cleaning conditions include: the dirty thickness is less than the first thickness, is greater than the second thickness, and first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

In this way, the cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the cleaning condition that is satisfied is selected according to the detected stain thickness. Different cleaning procedures are different in power consumption and water consumption, and when the dirt thickness meets the second cleaning condition, the second cylinder cleaning procedure is selected, so that water and electricity resources can be saved.

In some embodiments, the controller of the laundry machine is further configured to: and sending a second prompt message under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run a cylinder cleaning program, wherein the second prompt message is used for prompting a user that the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine do not need to be cleaned.

Therefore, the user can know that the inner barrel and the outer barrel of the washing machine are clean without cleaning, and the water and electricity resource waste caused by starting the barrel cleaning program under the condition that the user does not know the dirty state between the inner barrel and the outer barrel of the washing machine can be avoided.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a control method of a washing machine, the method including:

after the operation of the drum cleaning program is finished, acquiring an image between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine through an image acquisition device;

determining the dirt information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine according to the image;

judging whether the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program or not according to the dirt information;

when the washing machine needs to run the drum cleaning program and the number of times that the drum cleaning program has been run reaches a preset number of times, first prompt information is sent out and used for prompting a user to adopt other cleaning means except the drum cleaning program.

In some embodiments, determining whether the washing machine needs to run a drum cleaning program according to the contamination information specifically includes: when the dirt information meets a target cleaning condition in the plurality of cleaning conditions, determining that the washing machine needs to operate a cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the target cleaning condition; the cleaning conditions at least comprise a first cleaning condition and a second cleaning condition, the first cleaning condition is in a corresponding relation with a first cylinder cleaning program, the second cleaning condition is in a corresponding relation with a second cylinder cleaning program, and the cleaning force of the first cylinder cleaning program is greater than that of the second cylinder cleaning program; and determining that the washing machine does not need to run the drum cleaning program when the contamination information does not satisfy any cleaning condition.

In some embodiments, the dirty information includes a dirty area ratio, which is a ratio between an area where dirt exists between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine and a total area between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine.

The first cleaning conditions include: the dirty area occupation ratio is greater than or equal to a first preset ratio;

In some embodiments, the soil information includes a soil thickness.

The first cleaning conditions include: the thickness of the smudge is greater than or equal to the first thickness;

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: and sending out second prompt information under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run a cylinder cleaning program, wherein the second prompt information is used for prompting a user that the space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine does not need to be cleaned.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed on any one of the apparatuses, the instructions cause the apparatus to execute a control method of any one of the washing machines.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used for storing computer execution instructions, the processor is connected with the memory, and when the chip runs, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored by the memory so as to enable the chip to execute the control method of any one washing machine.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on any one of the above apparatuses, cause the apparatus to perform any one of the above washing machine control methods.

In the embodiments of the present application, the names of the components of the above-mentioned apparatus do not limit the apparatus itself, and in practical implementations, these components may appear by other names. Insofar as the functions of the respective components are similar to those of the embodiments of the present application, they are within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

In addition, the technical effects brought by any one of the design methods of the second aspect to the fifth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by the different design methods of the first aspect, and are not described herein again.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic mechanical structure diagram of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic view of an installation position of an image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit system architecture of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a first interface schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a control method of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a second interface schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a third schematic interface diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a further washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a self-cleaning process of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without making any creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application.

The terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more unless otherwise specified.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that the terms "connected" and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood in a specific case by those of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, when a pipeline is described, the terms "connected" and "connected" are used in this application to have a meaning of conducting. The specific meaning is to be understood in conjunction with the context.

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

The washing machine is an electric appliance which is necessary for families daily, and the invention of the washing machine enables daily life of users to be more convenient. However, when the washing machine is used, dirt can be deposited between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and the use experience of a user is influenced.

Currently, most washing machines are equipped with a drum cleaning function. The main principle is that the cleaning water in the cylinder is driven to rotate by the rotation of the motor, the water flow scours the cylinder wall, and the cleaning agent, the high temperature, the disinfection technology and other modes are assisted to achieve the effect of removing dirt between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.

However, the existing drum cleaning function cannot determine whether the dirt deposited between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine is washed clean, and a user blindly uses the drum cleaning function of the washing machine, which may cause waste of resources.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a washing machine, in which after a drum cleaning program is run, if it is determined that the washing machine needs to run the drum cleaning program and the number of times the drum cleaning program has been run reaches a preset number of times, a controller of the washing machine sends a first prompt message indicating that stains between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine are difficult to be removed by the drum cleaning program, so as to prompt a user to adopt other cleaning means besides the drum cleaning program. Therefore, the water and electricity resource waste caused by starting the cylinder cleaning program for multiple times by a user when the cylinder cleaning program cannot clean dirt between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine is avoided.

In the embodiment of the present application, the washing machine may be a drum washing machine, a pulsator washing machine, or the like. To further describe the solution of the present application, taking a pulsator washing machine as an example, fig. 1 is a schematic mechanical structure diagram of a washing machine provided in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, the washing machine 10 may include one or more of the following: the device comprises a shell 101, an inner barrel 102, an outer barrel 103, an image acquisition device 104, a motor 105, a controller 106, a display 107, a water inlet valve 108 and a water discharge valve 109. The controller 106 is connected to the image capturing device 104, the motor 105, the display 107, the water inlet valve 108, and the water discharge valve 109.

In some embodiments, the housing 101 is used to protect electrical components inside the washing machine, and to close the passage of contacts inside and outside the washing machine, thereby preventing damage to the electrical components.

In some embodiments, the drum 102 can be configured to hold laundry, and the drum 102 can include dehydration holes.

In some embodiments, the tub 103 is used to store tub cleaning or wash water. When the drain valve is closed, since the outer tub 103 does not contain other drain outlets, the tub cleaning water or the washing water can be temporarily stored in the outer tub 103.

In some embodiments, a gap is left between the inner barrel 102 and the outer barrel 103. For example, when the washing machine performs a spin-drying process, the laundry is left in the inner tub 102, and the water is discharged from the spin-drying holes, and flows into the drain duct through the gap between the inner tub 102 and the outer tub 103, thereby achieving the purpose of spin-drying the laundry. For another example, when the washing machine performs a drum cleaning process, the inner drum 102 rotates the water flow, and the rotating water flow flows in the gap between the inner drum and the outer drum to rub against the outer wall of the inner drum and the inner wall of the outer drum, so as to clean the dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, image capture device 104 is used to capture image information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. When the washing machine is a pulsator washing machine, as shown in fig. 1, the image collecting means is located between the inner tub 102 and the outer tub 103.

Alternatively, when the washing machine is a drum washing machine, the installation position of the image capturing device 104 in the washing machine may be as shown in fig. 2.

In some embodiments, the image capture device 104 may be configured with an illumination device. When the image acquisition device acquires an image between the inner barrel and the outer barrel of the washing machine, the illumination device starts illumination to acquire a clearer image between the inner barrel and the outer barrel.

In some embodiments, one or more image capture devices may be mounted between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. When a plurality of image acquisition devices are arranged between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, the image acquisition devices can be uniformly distributed between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, and can also be arranged at fixed positions between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, the motor 105 is used to drive the drum cleaning water to rotate, to power a washing process, a drum cleaning process, etc. of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, the controller 106 refers to a device that can generate an operation control signal instructing the washing machine 10 to execute a control instruction according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal. Illustratively, the controller 106 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose processor Network Processor (NP), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or any combination thereof. The controller may also be other devices with processing functions, such as a circuit, a device, or a software module, which is not limited in any way by the embodiments of the present application.

For example, the controller 106 may obtain information about dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine through the image capturing device 104, and then determine whether the inner and outer drums of the washing machine are clean or not. And under the condition that the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine need to be cleaned, controlling the washing machine to execute a corresponding drum cleaning program according to the dirt information, and further cleaning the dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, the display 107 may be a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The particular type, size, resolution, etc. of the display is not limiting, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the display may be modified in performance and configuration as desired.

In some embodiments, the display 107 may be used to display a control panel of the washing machine or other image information. For example, the washing machine may display operation information of the current cartridge cleaning course, such as the type of the cartridge cleaning course, the operation time period and the remaining operation time period of the cartridge cleaning course, the cartridge cleaning water amount, and the like, through a display. Alternatively, the washing machine may display an image between the inner and outer tubs photographed by the image collecting device through the display, and the user may select whether to initiate the tub cleaning process by viewing the image between the inner and outer tubs.

In some embodiments, the inlet valve 108 may be used to control the flow of water into the wash tub. For example, when the water inlet valve 108 receives a water inlet command from the controller, the water inlet valve is opened to allow water to enter the inner and outer drums of the washing machine, thereby allowing the washing machine to perform a subsequent drum cleaning procedure.

In some embodiments, the drain valve 109 is configured to receive a drain command from the controller when the cartridge cleaning process is finished and requires draining, and the drain valve 109 is opened to allow the cleaning wastewater to be smoothly drained.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit system architecture of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, the washing machine 10 may further include one or more of the following: a temperature sensor 110, a heating device 111, a voice prompt device 112, a human-computer interaction device 113, a communication device 114, a user interface 115, or a power supply 116.

The temperature sensor 110, the heating device 111, the voice prompt device 112, the human-computer interaction device 113, the communication device 114, the user interface 115 and the power supply 116 are all connected to the controller 106.

In some embodiments, temperature sensor 110 refers to a sensor that can detect a temperature and can convert the detected temperature value into a usable output signal. For example, the temperature sensor 110 may be used to detect the temperature of the water used when the washing machine runs the drum cleaning process and transmit the detected temperature value to the controller. The controller controls other electrical elements to work correspondingly according to the temperature value for cleaning the cylinder detected by the temperature sensor.

In some embodiments, heating device 111 refers to a heating assembly having a heating tube or element. For example, the heating tube may be a seamless metal tube (carbon steel tube, titanium tube, stainless steel tube, copper tube) in which an electric heating wire is installed, and a gap portion is filled with magnesium oxide powder having good thermal conductivity and insulation properties and then contracted, and may be further processed into various shapes. The heating device has the advantages of small volume, high heating temperature and good adaptability to severe environment.

In some embodiments, a heating device 111 for heating the cartridge cleaning water. For example, the controller may monitor the temperature of the drum cleaning water through the temperature sensor, and control the heating device 111 to adjust the temperature of the drum cleaning water to a suitable temperature, which facilitates quick dissolution of dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine, thereby achieving a good cleaning effect. For example, most types of contaminants are changed in their properties at 90 to 100 ℃, and the controller may control the heating device 111 to heat the drum cleaning water to 95 ℃, so that the contaminants are dissolved in the water and discharged out of the washing machine with the water flow, thereby cleaning the contaminants between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, the voice prompt 112 is used to play the voice prompt according to the program. The content of the voice prompt message can be preset by a manufacturer of the washing machine or can be set by a user through a man-machine interaction device. For example, when the controller determines that the inner and outer drums of the washing machine do not need to be cleaned, the controller may control the voice prompt device 112 to play a prompt message such as "the inner and outer drums are clean and do not need to be cleaned".

In some embodiments, a human-machine interaction device 113 for enabling interaction between a user and the washing machine. The human-computer interaction device 113 may comprise one or more of physical keys or a touch-sensitive display panel. For example, the user may instruct the washing machine to perform a drum cleaning procedure through the human interface device 113.

In some embodiments, the communications device 114 is a component for communicating with external devices or servers according to various communication protocol types. For example: the communication device 114 may include at least one of a wireless communication technology (Wi-Fi) module, a bluetooth module, a wired ethernet module, a Near Field Communication (NFC) module, and other network communication protocol chips or near field communication protocol chips, and an infrared receiver. The communication device 114 may be used for communicating with other devices or communication networks (e.g., ethernet, radio Access Network (RAN), wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), etc.).

In some embodiments, the controller may be operable to communicate with the terminal device via the communication means 114. For example, the controller may send the second prompt message to the terminal device through the communication device in case that the washing machine does not need to run the drum cleaning program. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the terminal device is a mobile phone, and a second prompt message "the inner and outer drums of the washing machine are clean and do not need to be cleaned" pops up on the page of the mobile phone, so that the user is prompted that the inner and outer drums of the washing machine are clean and the drum cleaning program does not need to be started.

In some embodiments, the user interface 115 is configured to receive a user input signal and then transmit the received user input signal to the controller 106. The user may input a user command through the display or the terminal device, and after the user interface receives the user input, the washing machine responds to the user input through the controller.

In some embodiments, the power supply 116, under the control of the controller 106, provides power supply support to the washing machine 10 from power input from an external power source.

Based on the above washing machine, as shown in fig. 5, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method of a washing machine, including the following steps:

s101, after the drum cleaning program is operated, the controller acquires images between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine through the image acquisition device.

In some embodiments, when a user wants to clean the dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine, the user may issue a drum cleaning command to the washing machine to instruct the washing machine to start running the drum cleaning program by operating a human-machine interaction device, a display, a voice recognition device, etc. on the washing machine.

Or, when a user wants to clean dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine, the user may open an APP for operating the washing machine, such as a smart home APP, on the terminal device. Furthermore, the user operates on the smart home AAP to issue a drum cleaning instruction to the washing machine. For example, as shown in fig. 6, the terminal device displays a function selection interface of a washing machine, which includes a "start cartridge cleaning" control. After the user selects the control of 'starting cylinder cleaning', the terminal equipment sends a cylinder cleaning instruction to the washing machine. The communicator of the washing machine receives the drum cleaning command and transmits the command to the controller, and the controller of the washing machine controls the electric elements to start executing the drum cleaning program.

In some embodiments, the controller of the washing machine acquires image configuration information in response to a user configuring operation of the image capture device prior to performing a cartridge cleaning. Thus, the controller can control the image acquisition device to acquire the image between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine according to the image configuration information. Wherein the image configuration information may include: one or more of an image format, an image resolution, and an image size.

The image Format is a logo that is given to an image so that image display software can display the image, and common image formats include BitMaP (BMP), tag image file Format (TIF), graphics Interchange Format (GIF), joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG), and the like.

The image resolution is typically expressed as the number of pixels in each direction of the image, e.g., 640 × 480, 1600 × 1280, etc.

The image size typically represents the amount of memory the image needs to occupy.

S102, the controller determines the dirt information between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine according to the image.

In some embodiments, the controller determines the contamination information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine by comparing the image between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine acquired by the current image acquisition device with a pre-stored image. The pre-stored image can be a clean image between the inner drum and the outer drum, which is collected and stored when the washing machine leaves a factory.

In some embodiments, the controller processes images between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine acquired by the image acquisition device. The specific processing mode may be filtering, sharpening, and extracting the edge of the image, and then performing binarization segmentation to obtain the gray value of the image. By processing the image, most interference factors influencing the image recognition result can be removed, and the final recognition result is more accurate.

S103, the controller judges whether the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program according to the dirt information.

In some embodiments, the soil information may include one or more of soil area fraction, soil thickness, soil brightness, soil shape, or soil type (scale, lint, mold, etc.). A plurality of cleaning conditions can be divided according to the dirty area ratio, the dirty thickness, the dirty brightness, the dirty shape and the dirty type, and different cleaning conditions correspond to different cylinder cleaning procedures.

And S104, when the washing machine needs to run the cylinder cleaning program and the number of times of running the cylinder cleaning program reaches the preset number, the controller sends out first prompt information.

Wherein the first prompt is for prompting the user to employ a cleaning means other than the cartridge cleaning procedure. For example, other cleaning means may be that a user uses a cleaning agent to clean the space between the inner and outer cylinders, or the user removes the washing machine to clean the space, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

In some embodiments, the preset number of times may be set by a user, or may be set when the washing machine is shipped from a factory. When the number of times that the washing machine has operated the cylinder cleaning program reaches the preset number of times and the space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder still needs to be cleaned, the washing machine cannot be repeatedly cleaned all the time, the phenomenon that the cylinder cleaning program is operated by the washing machine blindly is avoided, and water and electricity resources are saved.

In some embodiments, the controller of the washing machine may feed back the first prompt information to the user through the display, may play the first prompt information through the voice prompt device to prompt the user, and may send the first prompt information to the terminal device used by the user through the communicator.

For example, after the controller of the washing machine sends the first prompt message through the communicator, as shown in fig. 7, the terminal device used by the user pops up the first prompt message, "please select another cleaning method," to prompt the user that the drum cleaning program cannot clean the dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, and the user needs to select another cleaning method to clean the dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

The technical scheme shown in fig. 5 brings at least the following beneficial effects: by collecting images between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine, dirt information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine is judged. If the washing machine needs to operate the cylinder cleaning program according to the dirt information, the fact that more dirt exists between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine is indicated. However, when the drum cleaning process has been run for a preset number of times, it means that the drum cleaning process of the washing machine cannot clean contaminants between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. At this time, the washing machine cannot effectively remove the dirt by running the drum cleaning program again, and water and electricity resources are wasted. In this case, the washing machine enables the user to select other cleaning means than the tub cleaning program by issuing the first prompt message. Therefore, on one hand, stubborn dirt between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine can be removed by other cleaning means by a user, and the washing effect of the washing machine is ensured; on the other hand, the waste of water and electricity resources caused by the fact that the washing machine runs the cylinder cleaning program blindly is also avoided.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, step S103 may be embodied as steps S1031-S1032.

And S1031, when the dirt information meets a target cleaning condition in the plurality of cleaning conditions, the controller determines that the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the target cleaning condition.

The cleaning conditions at least comprise a first cleaning condition and a second cleaning condition, the first cleaning condition and the first cylinder cleaning program have a corresponding relation, the second cleaning condition and the second cylinder cleaning program have a corresponding relation, and the cleaning force of the first cylinder cleaning program is greater than that of the second cylinder cleaning program.

In some embodiments, the dirty information includes a dirty area ratio, which is a ratio between an area where dirt exists between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine and a total area between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine. The controller of the washing machine determines the area of dirt by comparing the image acquired by the image acquisition device with a preset clean image, and further determines the dirty area ratio.

Wherein the first cleaning condition includes: the dirty area occupying ratio is larger than or equal to a first preset ratio.

The first preset ratio and the second preset ratio can be set by a user. Alternatively, the first preset ratio and the second preset ratio may be set when the washing machine leaves a factory, for example, a washing machine manufacturer may perform multiple experiments on a prototype of the washing machine to determine a reasonable first preset ratio and a reasonable second preset ratio.

For example, the first predetermined ratio may be 0.5, and the second predetermined ratio may be 0.05. Assuming that the controller detects that the dirty area ratio between the inner and outer drums is 0.3 and the second cleaning condition is satisfied, it is determined that the washing machine needs to run the second drum cleaning process.

In some embodiments, the stain information includes a stain thickness. For example, an infrared distance measuring sensor may be installed between the inner and outer drums in the washing machine to detect a thickness of dirt between the inner and outer drums.

Wherein the first cleaning conditions include: the thickness of the smudge is greater than or equal to the first thickness.

Illustratively, the first thickness may be 5cm and the second thickness may be 1cm. Assuming that the controller detects that the thickness of the soil between the inner and outer drums is 5.3cm, the first cleaning condition is satisfied, it is determined that the washing machine needs to operate the first drum cleaning process.

In some embodiments, the cleaning force of the canister cleaning program may be varied by adjusting a control parameter of the canister cleaning program, which may be pre-set at the factory of the washing machine. Wherein the control parameters of the canister cleaning program include spin-to-stop ratio, rotational speed, rotational direction, water temperature, etc.

The spin-stop ratio is a ratio between a time during which a motor of the washing machine is rotated and a time during which the motor is stopped for a period of time. It should be understood that the rotation of the motor drives the water flow to rub against the wall of the cylinder, so as to impact the dirt between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, and when the motor stops rotating, the dirt can be fully dissolved in the water.

The rotation speed is the speed of the motor of the washing machine. It should be understood that the faster the motor rotates, the higher the water flow rotates, the greater the friction between the water flow and the wall of the drum, the greater the probability of dirt falling off the wall of the drum, and the easier the washing between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

The rotation direction is the rotation direction of the motor of the washing machine. It will be appreciated that the motor drives the water flow to change the direction of rotation in the drum, impacting the dirt from different directions and making it easier to clean the dirt between the inner and outer drums.

The water temperature is the temperature of the water in the drum when the washing machine runs a drum cleaning program. It should be understood that the higher the water temperature is, the faster the dirt between the inner and outer drums is dissociated and dissolved, and the dirt between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine is more easily cleaned.

Illustratively, table 1 is a correspondence between cleaning conditions and control parameters of the cartridge cleaning program. Wherein A1 is more than A2, X1 is more than X2, Y2 is more than Y1, and W1 is more than W2.

TABLE 1

And S1032, when the dirty information does not meet any cleaning condition, the controller determines that the washing machine does not need to run a cylinder cleaning program.

In some embodiments, the cartridge cleaning procedure may also include voice prompts. For example, the controller determines that the washing machine needs to run a first drum cleaning program, and sends out a voice message through a voice prompt device, such as "please put in detergent", indicating that a user puts in detergent for cleaning the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine.

The technical scheme shown in fig. 8 brings at least the following beneficial effects: cleaning conditions are divided according to the dirt information, different cleaning conditions correspond to the cylinder cleaning programs with different cleaning force, and when dirt between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine is less, the cylinder cleaning program with weaker cleaning force is operated. Therefore, the washing machine can be cleaned, the use feeling of a user is improved, and water and electricity resources can be saved.

In some embodiments, based on the embodiment shown in fig. 8, as shown in fig. 9, the method further includes step S105.

And S105, under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run the drum cleaning program, the controller sends out second prompt information.

Wherein the second prompt message is used for prompting the user that the space between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine does not need to be cleaned.

In some embodiments, the controller of the washing machine sends the second prompt message, the second prompt message can be fed back to the user through the display, the user can be prompted through the voice prompt device, and the second prompt message can be sent to the terminal equipment used by the user through the communicator.

Illustratively, after the controller issues the second prompt message, the prompt message is popped up on the terminal device used by the user. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the terminal device used by the user is a mobile phone, and the mobile phone page pops up a second prompt message, "the inner and outer drums of the washing machine are clean and do not need to be cleaned", so as to prompt the user that the space between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine is clean and does not need to start the drum cleaning program. .

In some embodiments, the controller of the washing machine may send a notification to the mobile device via the communicator to prompt the user to initiate a drum cleaning program if the user has run the washing program more than a preset number of washes.

The technical scheme shown in fig. 9 brings at least the following beneficial effects: under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run a drum cleaning program, the washing machine sends out second prompt information to prompt a user that the space between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine is clean without cleaning. Therefore, the frequent starting of the cylinder cleaning program by a user can be avoided, and the water and electricity resources are saved.

The self-cleaning process of the washing machine will be described below by way of example with the drum cleaning process comprising a first drum cleaning process and a second drum cleaning process.

As shown in fig. 10, in response to an instruction from a user to start a drum cleaning program, a controller of the washing machine controls an image capture device to operate, and obtains an image between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine, and the controller performs contamination detection on the image between the inner drum and the outer drum.

If the dirt detection result is that the first cleaning condition is met between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, the washing machine operates a first drum cleaning program. After the first cylinder cleaning program is operated, the washing machine determines the number of times that the cylinder cleaning program is operated currently, and when the operation number of times of the cylinder cleaning program does not exceed the preset number of times, the washing machine acquires the image between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder again and judges whether the cylinder cleaning program needs to be operated again.

When the drum cleaning program has been run for a preset number of times, the washing machine issues a first prompt message prompting the user to select a cleaning means other than the drum cleaning program.

And if the dirt detection result indicates that a second cleaning condition is met between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, the washing machine operates a second drum cleaning program. After the second cylinder cleaning program is operated, the washing machine determines the number of times that the cylinder cleaning program is operated currently, and when the number of times that the cylinder cleaning program is operated does not exceed the preset number of times, the washing machine acquires the image between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder again and judges whether the cylinder cleaning program needs to be operated again.

And if the dirt detection result indicates that the first cleaning condition and the second cleaning condition are not met between the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine, the washing machine sends out second prompt information to prompt a user that the inner drum and the outer drum of the washing machine are not needed to be cleaned.

The above description has presented the scheme provided herein primarily from a methodological perspective. It is understood that the controller of the air conditioner includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the respective functions in order to implement the above-described functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the invention can be implemented in hardware, or a combination of hardware and computer software, in connection with the exemplary algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed in hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the application also provides a hardware structure schematic diagram of the controller. As shown in fig. 11, the controller 200 includes a processor 201, and optionally, a memory 202 and a communication interface 203 connected to the processor 201. The processor 201, memory 202 and communication interface 203 are connected by a bus 404.

The processor 201 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose processor Network Processor (NP), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 201 may also be any other means having a processing function such as a circuit, a device or a software module. The processor 201 may also include a plurality of CPUs, and the processor 201 may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, or processing cores that process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The memory 202 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk, blu-ray disk, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. The memory 202 may be separate or integrated with the processor 201. The memory 202 may contain, among other things, computer program code. The processor 201 is configured to execute the computer program code stored in the memory 202, so as to implement the control method provided by the embodiment of the present application.

Communication interface 203 may be used to communicate with other devices or communication networks (e.g., an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.).

The bus 204 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus 204 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 11, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute any one of the methods provided by the above embodiments.

The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions for executing a computer, which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the methods provided by the above embodiments.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, including: a processor coupled to the memory through the interface, and an interface, when the processor executes the computer program or the computer execution instructions in the memory, the processor causes any one of the methods provided by the above embodiments to be performed.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer-executable instructions. The processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part when the computer-executable instructions are loaded and executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer executable instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer executable instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). Computer-readable storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or data storage device including one or more available media integrated servers, data centers, and the like. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

The above is only an embodiment of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present disclosure should be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized in that the washing machine comprises:

a housing;

an inner barrel and an outer barrel disposed within the housing;

a controller configured to:

after the operation of the drum cleaning program is finished, controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine;

determining dirt information between the inner and outer drums of the washing machine according to the image;

and sending first prompt information under the condition that the washing machine needs to run the drum cleaning program and the number of times of running the drum cleaning program reaches a preset number of times, wherein the first prompt information is used for prompting a user to adopt other cleaning means except the drum cleaning program.

2. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller is particularly configured to:

when the dirty information meets a target cleaning condition in a plurality of cleaning conditions, determining that the washing machine needs to run a cylinder cleaning program corresponding to the target cleaning condition; wherein the plurality of cleaning conditions at least include a first cleaning condition and a second cleaning condition, the first cleaning condition has a corresponding relationship with a first cylinder cleaning program, the second cleaning condition has a corresponding relationship with a second cylinder cleaning program, and the cleaning force of the first cylinder cleaning program is greater than the cleaning force of the second cylinder cleaning program;

determining that the washing machine does not need to run a drum cleaning program when the contamination information does not satisfy any cleaning condition.

3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the contamination information includes a contaminated area ratio, which is a ratio between an area where contaminants exist between the washing machine inner and outer drums and a total area between the washing machine inner and outer drums;

the first cleaning condition includes: the dirty area occupation ratio is greater than or equal to a first preset ratio;

the second cleaning conditions include: the dirty area occupation ratio is smaller than a first preset ratio and larger than a second preset ratio, and the first preset ratio is larger than the second preset ratio.

4. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the soil information includes a soil thickness;

the first cleaning conditions include: the thickness of the smudge is greater than or equal to a first thickness;

the second cleaning conditions include: the smudge thickness is less than the first thickness and greater than a second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness.

5. The washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

and sending second prompt information under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run a cylinder cleaning program, wherein the second prompt information is used for prompting a user that the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine do not need to be cleaned.

6. A control method of a washing machine, characterized in that the method comprises:

determining dirt information between an inner drum and an outer drum of the washing machine according to the image;

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining whether the washing machine needs to run a drum cleaning program according to the soil information specifically comprises:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the soil information includes a soil area ratio, which is a ratio between an area where soil exists between the washing machine inner and outer drums and a total area between the washing machine inner and outer drums;

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the soil information includes a soil thickness;

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that it comprises:

and sending a second prompt message under the condition that the washing machine does not need to run a cylinder cleaning program, wherein the second prompt message is used for prompting a user that the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder of the washing machine do not need to be cleaned.