Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting the relative proportion of various fabric types present in a clothes load in a clothes washer are provided, in which a set of fuzzy logic membership functions is defined at each clothes load weight across a range of expected load weights to be handled by the clothes washer, with the set of membership functions representing various fabric types that might be present in the clothes load. The membership functions are defined at least in part by a washer operating state that is to be sensed during initial washer operation, and the method includes obtaining a value for the clothes load weight, sensing a value of the washer operating state, and determining a degree of fulfillment of the sensed value in each of the membership functions defined for that given clothes load.

Abstract: An imager control system with contact detection capability for positioning a movable imaging element structure with respect to a subject includes a collar assembly disposed around at least a portion of the imaging element structure disposed towards a subject region; a plurality of sensor elements disposed in a sensing pattern in the collar assembly, each sensor element having a number elastomeric electrodes coupled together in series; and a processing unit coupled to the sensor elements so as to detect contact between the collar assembly and a subject of examination as a function of a change in resistance in one or more elastomeric electrode resulting from deformation of the electrode upon contact with the subject. The elastomeric electrodes are made of a flexible material in which conductive particles have been embedded such that electrode exhibits a change in electrical resistance in response to physical deformation.

Abstract: An energy efficient washing machine includes a cleansing fluid supply system, a washer basket having an agitator device for displacing the articles to be cleansed within the basket, and a closed loop water level controller coupled to the cleansing fluid supply system and to the drive system for the agitator. The fluid supply system includes a fill nozzle designed to provide a clothes-positioning spray pattern that serves to maintain the articles evenly distributed in the basket to enables the load sensing systems of the closed loop adaptive water level controller to function to accurately provide the optimal water level for cleansing. To accomplish this positioning of the articles to be cleansed, the fluid fill nozzle typically provides a fan discharge of fluid passing therethrough and is disposed at a cant angle with respect to the direction of rotation of the basket such that the fan discharge covers an area between the agitator assembly and the sidewall of the basket.

Abstract: An energy efficient washing machine includes a control system that provides a cleansing fluid level that is optimized for effective cleaning of the soiled articles and includes a closed loop adaptive water level controller that controls the addition of water into the machine. The adaptive water level controller includes an agitator load signature monitor and an agitator work-determining processor, the processor being coupled to the agitator load signature monitor and a cleansing fluid supply system and adapted to generate a fluid supply control signal in correspondence with an agitator work signal, which signal is generated by the processor in correspondence with iterative respective agitator load signature values corresponding to strokes of the agitator.

Abstract: An ultrasonic ranging system for providing a distance to a subject signal for use in positioning a movable imaging element support structure with respect to a subject of examination includes a collar assembly disposed around a portion of the imaging element structure disposed towards an imaging region; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers disposed in a sensing pattern around the collar assembly; and an ultrasonic ranging processing unit coupled to the transducers to control processing of ultrasonic ranging signals from the transducers. The transducers are typically disposed in one or more rows on the surface around the circumference of the collar assembly such that the lobes of ultrasonic signals generated provide a desired ranging field.

Abstract: A capacitive proximity detection system for positioning a movable radiation imaging element support structure with respect to a subject includes a plurality of sensor plates disposed in a collar assembly around a portion of an imaging component disposed towards a subject; a multiplexer coupled to the plurality of capacitive plate elements and adapted to selectively electrically couple the sensor plate elements in one of a plurality of sensing range modalities; and a capacitive sensing processor coupled to the sensor plate elements via the multiplexer so as to detect proximity of object to the sensor plate as a function of the capacitance between the sensor plates and the subject. The imaging system typically further includes a shield system coupled to the multiplexer and disposed so as to focus the capacitive sensing of the sensor plate elements towards the subject.