Measuring apparatus and method

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for determining a measurement of a portion of a load in a basket that is rotatably supported provided, the method includes: a) determining, a dry load measurement; b) spinning, the basket that is rotatably supported in order to gradually remove the liquid from the load, wherein the liquid is removed substantially by centrifugal force on the basket that is rotatably supported; c) determining a wet load measurement, wherein the dry load measurement is less than the wet load measurement; d) comparing the dry load measurement to the wet load measurement to determine a remaining liquid measurement; and e) repeating c) and d) until the remaining liquid measurement substantially is within a predetermined percentage threshold of about 0 percent to about 50 percent of the wet load measurement.

1 . A method of determining a measurement of a portion of a load in a basket that is rotatably supported where the basket that is rotatably supported defines at least one aperture, the method comprising:
 a) determining, at a first time, a dry load measurement;   b) spinning, at a time after the first time, the basket that is rotatably supported in order to gradually remove the liquid from the load, wherein the liquid is removed substantially by centrifugal force on the basket that is rotatably supported and wherein liquid exits the basket that is rotatably supported, through the at least one aperture of the is rotatably supported basket;   c) determining at a second time, a wet load measurement, wherein the dry load measurement is less than the wet load measurement and;   d) comparing the dry load measurement to the wet load measurement to determine a remaining liquid measurement; and   e) repeating c) and d) until the remaining liquid measurement substantially is within a predetermined percentage threshold of about 0 percent to about 50 percent of the wet load measurement.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein in e) the predetermined percentage threshold is dynamically configurable by a user based upon load type. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wet load measurement and dry load measurement made at the first time and the second time each comprise:
 a) accelerating the basket that is rotatably supported to a stable rotational speed;   b) measuring a time for the basket that is rotatably supported to reach the stable rotational speed;   c) providing a load size equation comprising an input substantially equal to a measured time that the basket that is rotatably supported reaches the stable rotational speed; and   d) determining a load size using the load size equation.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wet load measurement and dry load measurement are made using a mechanical measuring device operatively connected to the basket that is rotatably supported. 
   
   
       5 . A washer comprising:
 a tub having a load therein and the tub being configured to receive a liquid therein and to remove the liquid therefrom; and   a control circuit configured to execute a load measurement formula used to determine a measurement of the load with and without the liquid in the tub;   wherein a dry load measurement without the liquid and a wet load measurement with the liquid are taken at first and second times, respectively, are used to determine a remaining liquid measurement, and wherein the wet load measurement is thereafter repeated as liquid is removed from the tub and additional remaining liquid measurements are carried out based on the repeated wet load measurements until the remaining liquid measurement substantially is within a predetermined range of between about 0 percent to about 50 percent of the wet load measurement.   
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the tub is spinable and control circuit is further configured to control the spinning of the tub until the remaining liquid measurement is within the predetermined range. 
   
   
       7 . A computer program product comprising: a program storage device readable by a circuit interrupter, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the circuit interrupter to perform method of determining a measurement of a portion of a load in a basket that is rotatably supported where the basket that is rotatably supported defines at least one aperture, the method comprising: one aperture, the method comprising:
 a) determining, at a first time, a dry load measurement;   b) spinning, at a time after the first time, the basket that is rotatably supported in order to gradually remove the liquid from the load, wherein the liquid is removed substantially by centrifugal force on the basket that is rotatably supported and wherein liquid exits the basket that is rotatably supported, through the at least one aperture of the is rotatably supported basket;   c) determining at a second time, a wet load measurement, wherein the dry load measurement is less than the wet load measurement and;   d) comparing the dry load measurement to the wet load measurement to determine a remaining liquid measurement; and   e) repeating c) and d) until the remaining liquid measurement substantially is within a predetermined percentage threshold of about 0 percent to about 50 percent of the wet load measurement.