System comprising a dishwasher, method for operating a dishwasher, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023190071-A1
Application number	US-202117926151-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 27, 2021
Priority date	Jun 18, 2020
Publication date	Jun 22, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system includes a dishwasher having a receptacle for items to be washed, an image capturing facility configured to capture an image of the receptacle of the dishwasher for items to be washed, and an image processing facility configured to determine in dependence upon the captured image a map of an arrangement of the items to be washed. The map includes a division of the receptacle into a number of regions, with each region having a predetermined arrangement of items to be washed from a number of predetermined arrangements of items to be washed. An allocation unit determines a cleaning matrix including an allocation of a treatment specification to each of the regions in the map, and outputs the cleaning matrix. A control apparatus executes a wash program based on the cleaning matrix.

First claim

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . A system, comprising:
a dishwasher including a receptacle for items to be washed; an image capturing facility configured to capture an image of the receptacle; an image processing facility configured to determine in dependence upon the captured image a map of an arrangement of the items to be washed, with the map comprising a division of the receptacle into a number of regions, each said region comprising a predetermined arrangement of items to be washed from a number of predetermined arrangements of items to be washed; an allocation unit configured to determine a cleaning matrix, which comprises an allocation of a treatment specification to each of the regions in the map, and to output the cleaning matrix; and a control apparatus configured to execute a wash program based on the cleaning matrix.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the dishwasher is a household dishwasher.

18 . The system of claim 16 , further comprising a transformation unit configured to transform the captured image and to output a transformed image and/or to generate an image in dependence upon the captured image and to output the generated image, said image processing facility configured to determine the map based on the transformed image or the generated image.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the transformation unit comprises a neural network.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the neural network is a generating generic network.

21 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the image capturing facility is arranged on the dishwasher in such a manner that the image capturing facility captures the image of the receptacle of the dishwasher from an upper hemisphere with regard to the receptacle.

22 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the transformation unit is configured to generate an image of the receptacle, with the image corresponding to a view of the receptacle from a lower hemisphere.

23 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the image corresponds to a view in a perpendicular manner from below.

24 . The system of claim 18 , further comprising a pattern recognition unit configured to recognize a pattern present in the captured image, in the transformed image or in the generated image, and to output a pattern image that comprises the recognized pattern, said image processing facility configured to determine the map based on the pattern image.

25 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the image processing facility is configured to determine a type of items to be washed, a form of items to be washed and/or a material of items to be washed.

26 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the map comprises at each point information relating to a type of items to be washed, a material of items to be washed, a form of items to be washed and/or a spatial orientation of the items to be washed at the point.

27 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the dishwasher includes a spray apparatus that is allocated to the receptacle for spraying washing liquor onto the items to be washed arranged in the receptacle, said spray apparatus being configured to allow adjustment of a position of the spray apparatus relative to the receptacle.

28 . The system of claim 27 , wherein the spray apparatus includes a spray arm.

29 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the dishwasher includes a hydraulic system that comprises at least one intensive wash zone that is selectively activatable in dependence upon the map.

30 . The system of claim 16 , wherein treatment specifications are allocated to the regions, respectively, with each treatment specification establishing a parameter value from a predetermined value range and/or a temporal variation of the parameter value for one or multiple treatment parameters comprising a washing liquor spraying pressure, a washing liquor temperature, a spray apparatus position, a spray apparatus orientation and/or a duration during which the washing liquor is sprayed.

31 . The system of claim 16 , wherein a specific treatment specification is allocated to a respective predetermined arrangement of items to be washed of the number of predetermined arrangements of items to be washed.

32 . The system of claim 22 , further comprising a facility external to the dishwasher and configured to integrate at least the image processing facility, said dishwasher including a communication unit configured to transmit the captured image to the external facility and to receive the map from the external facility.

33 . A method for operating a dishwasher, said method comprising:
capturing an image of a receptacle of the dishwasher for items to be washed; determining a map of an arrangement of the items to be washed in dependence upon the captured image, with the map having a division of the receptacle into a number of regions, wherein each said region comprises a predetermined arrangement of items to be washed from a number of predetermined arrangements of items to be washed; determining a cleaning matrix, which comprises an allocation of a treatment specification to each of the regions in the map; outputting the cleaning matrix; and executing a wash program based on the cleaning matrix.

34 . The method of claim 33 for operating a household dishwasher.

35 . A computer program product, comprising a computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising commands which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method as set forth in claim 33 .

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Singh Kuldeep Narayan
• Paintner Kai
• Rupp Michael

Classifications

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• A47L2501/20

  Spray nozzles or spray arms · CPC title

• A47L15/0063

  using remote monitoring or controlling of the dishwasher operation, e.g. networking systems · CPC title

• G06V10/82

  using neural networks · CPC title

• A47L2401/04

  Crockery or tableware details, e.g. material, quantity, condition · CPC title