Midea Group Co., Ltd.

Other

Phillip C Hombroek

Christopher G Hoppe

Bryan T Snook

Alexi Blaise Poth

Andrew Perry

Abubakar Abukar

Eric Scalf

John Kenneth Hooker

Adam Baron Jones

Dylan Nicholson

Davis West

A laundry washing machine and method control a temperature of water used in a wash cycle based at least partially on the weight of a load being washed. A volume of hot water and a volume of cold water to be added to the wash tub to provide a target temperature of water in the wash tub may be determined and a hot inlet valve and a cold inlet valve may be controlled to respectively add the determined volume of hot water and determined volume of cold water to the wash tub.

Laundry washing machine with automatic temperature control

A wash drum apparatus and method of adjusting the wash capacity for a laundry washing machine. The wash drum may include one or more rear cover inserts that may adjust the wash capacity of the wash drum. The rear cover insert may include one or more impellers. The wash drum may include a rear cover.

Laundry washing machine with adjustable wash capacity

A laundry washing machine and method control a spin operation using a spin profile determined at least in part based upon a dynamically determined load type of a load being washed in the laundry washing machine. By doing so, the speed(s) and/or amount(s) of time in which a spin operation is performed may be customized for different types of loads, and in many instances, may reduce the amount of noise and/or energy consumption associated with spinning a wash tub during a wash cycle.

Laundry washing machine with dynamic spin system

A laundry washing machine and method control a time or duration of a drain operation at least in part based upon a type of a load being washed in the laundry washing machine. By doing so, the amount of time in which a drain operation is performed may be customized for different types of loads, and in many instances, may reduce the amount of noise and/or energy consumption associated with draining a wash tub during a wash cycle.

Laundry washing machine with dynamic drain system

A laundry washing machine and method utilize a fluid property sensor to sense a fluid property of a fluid during a wash cycle to sense the level of detergent remaining in a load and control a rinse operation performed thereafter based upon the sensed fluid property. In some instances, the fluid property may be sensed while the load is being spun at a rate sufficient to cause fluid to be released from the load such that the sensed fluid property is based at least in part on fluid that was previously absorbed into the load. In addition, in some instances, the fluid property may be sensed during a spin phase of a wash cycle to selectively cause a wash cycle to selectively revert to an additional rinse phase when required, or otherwise proceed directly to the remainder of the spin phase to complete the wash cycle.

Laundry washing machine with dynamic rinse system

A laundry washing machine and method adapt the operation of a laundry washing machine for a particular installation environment using a calibration process that may be performed at installation and/or at various times thereafter to determine one or more operational settings used to control the operation of the laundry washing machine. A calibration process, for example, may determine one or more of an ambient light characteristic, a water supply pressure, and an empty wash tub weight to generate one or more operational settings used by a controller of a laundry washing machine.

Laundry washing machine calibration

A laundry washing machine and method detect the presence of outlier articles in a load of articles added to a wash tub based in part on color composition data collected from the load of articles using a color detection sensor. In some instances, color composition data may be used to generate an alert to a user to notify the user that an outlier article is potentially present in the load, and in some instances, color compensation data may be used to modify a load type selection to account for the presence of an outlier article in the load.

Laundry washing machine color composition analysis with article alerts

A laundry washing machine and method automate the selection of various operational settings for a wash cycle based in part on color composition data collected from a load of articles using a color detection sensor. In some instances, the capture of color composition data is triggered by detected weight changes sensed by a weight sensor as the load of articles is added to a wash tub, and is based in part on the detection of a stable weight in the wash tub for at least a predetermined duration. In addition, in some instances, color compensation data may be used to characterize a load of articles based in part on a color decision algorithm that assigns pixels in the color compensation data to different color categories.

Laundry washing machine color composition analysis during loading

A laundry washing machine and method automate the selection of one or more parameters of a wash cycle of a laundry washing machine based in part on a color detection sensor disposed proximate an opening of the wash tub and configured to capture color composition data of one or more items added to the wash tub and a weight sensor operatively coupled to the wash tub, where the weight sensor is configured to detect the addition of an item among the one or more items to the wash tub and initiate capturing of the color composition data, and a controller is configured to configure one or more parameters for a wash cycle based upon the captured color composition data.

Automatic color composition detection for laundry washing machine

A laundry washing machine and method automate the selection of a load type for a laundry washing machine based in part on sensing multiple times during an initial fill phase of a wash cycle and based in part on a fluid level sensed by a fluid level sensor operatively coupled to a wash tub. The dynamic selection may be based at least in part on a first time at which the fluid level sensor senses a predetermined fluid level while water is being dispensed into the wash tub and a peak time at which the fluid level sensor senses a stabilization of fluid level after water is not being dispensed into the wash tub. The dynamic selection may also be accelerated by skipping the sensing of one or more times in response to determining that an earlier reached time meets a predetermined criterion.

Laundry washing machine with dynamic selection of load type

A laundry washing machine and method automate the selection of a load type for a laundry washing machine during an initial fill phase of a wash cycle and based in part on weight and fluid level sensed by weight and fluid level sensors operatively coupled to a wash tub and after a selected amount of water has been dispensed into the wash tub.

Laundry washing machine with automatic selection of load type

A laundry washing machine and method may use a distance sensor to determine dry and wet distance values associated with a load disposed in a wash tub, and dynamically configure a wash cycle based upon the determined values. In some instances, the distance sensor may also be used to detect an excessive fluid level, excessive foaming, or a floating item in the wash tub.

Laundry washing machine incorporating distance sensor

A laundry washing machine and method utilize a fluid property sensor to dynamically select between different types of rinse operations, e.g., fill rinse operations or spin rinse operations, performed during a wash cycle.

Laundry washing machine with automatic rinse operation type selection

A laundry washing machine and method utilize weight, fluid level and fluid property sensors to dynamically select a load type, control a wash cycle and control an amount of detergent dispensed during a wash cycle.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Phillip C Hombroek