A washing machine appliance includes a camera assembly mounted in view of a wash chamber for obtaining images of the wash chamber. The lens of the camera assembly is positioned adjacent a water outlet of a water dispenser and a controller is configured to facilitate an automated cleaning method for the camera assembly, the method including obtaining one or more images of the wash chamber using the camera assembly, analyzing the one or more images to determine an image quality, determining that the image quality has dropped below a quality threshold, and operating the water dispenser to perform a lens cleaning operation in response to determining that the image quality has dropped below the quality threshold.

A washing machine including a door provided to open and close an inlet, a tub having an opening corresponding to the inlet, a drum rotatably provided inside the tub and in which laundry is accommodatable, a door cleaning nozzle provided to spray washing water toward the door, a pump chamber provided at a lower portion of the tub to store the washing water discharged from the tub, a drain pump provided to pump the washing water stored in the pump chamber and discharge the washing water to the outside, and a controller provided to rotate the drum in order to tumble the laundry, spray washing water through the door cleaning nozzle, operate the drain pump to discharge the washing water stored in the pump chamber, and supply the washing water to a water supply pipe connected to a detergent supply device.

A washing machine including a door provided to open and close an inlet, a tub having an opening corresponding to the inlet, a drum rotatably provided inside the tub and in which laundry is accommodatable, a door cleaning nozzle provided to spray washing water toward the door, a pump chamber provided at a lower portion of the tub to store the washing water discharged from the tub, a drain pump provided to pump the washing water stored in the pump chamber and discharge the washing water to the outside, and a controller provided to rotate the drum in order to tumble the laundry, spray washing water through the door cleaning nozzle, operate the drain pump to discharge the washing water stored in the pump chamber, and supply the washing water to a water supply pipe connected to a detergent supply device.

A front-load laundry appliance includes a drum that is rotationally operable within a tub about a generally horizontal rotational axis. A plurality of lifters are coupled to an interior surface of the drum. A fluid delivery path is at least partially defined within the drum and the plurality of lifters. A fluid delivery system delivers fluid into the fluid delivery path in a direction parallel to the generally horizontal rotational axis.

A front-load laundry appliance includes a drum that is rotationally operable within a tub about a generally horizontal rotational axis. A plurality of lifters are coupled to an interior surface of the drum. A fluid delivery path is at least partially defined within the drum and the plurality of lifters. A fluid delivery system delivers fluid into the fluid delivery path in a direction parallel to the generally horizontal rotational axis.

A track mechanism and a front-loading washing machine are provided. The track mechanism includes a base, the base is provided with a track portion configured to guide a movable body to move along the track portion, the base includes a supporting body and a track body, the track portion is arranged on the track body, the supporting body and the track body are stacked and combined relative to each other, and wear resistance of the track body is higher than that of the supporting body.

A track mechanism and a front-loading washing machine are provided. The track mechanism includes a base, the base is provided with a track portion configured to guide a movable body to move along the track portion, the base includes a supporting body and a track body, the track portion is arranged on the track body, the supporting body and the track body are stacked and combined relative to each other, and wear resistance of the track body is higher than that of the supporting body.

An apparatus for use in tie treatment of substrates with a solid particulate material, said apparatus comprising a housing having mounted therein a rotatably mounted drum having an inner surface and an end wall, and access means for introducing said substrates into said drum, wherein (a) said drum comprises storage means for storage of said sold particulate material; (b) said drum has at least one elongate protrusion located on said inner surface of said drum wherein the elongate protrusion extends in a direction away from said end wall, wherein said elongate protrusion has an end proximal to the end wall and an end distal to the end wall; (c) the or each elongate protrusion comprises a collecting aperture and a collecting flow path to facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from the interior of said drum to said storage means, wherein said collecting aperture defines the start of a collecting flow path, and wherein the same elongate protrusion further comprises a dispensing aperture and a dispensing flow path to facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from said storage means to the interior of said drum, wherein said dispensing aperture defines the end of a dispensing flow path; (d) wherein said collecting aperture is disposed in a first side of said elongate protrusion, wherein said first side of said elongate protrusion is the leading side of said elongate protrusion during rotation of the drum in a collecting direction; and (e) wherein said flow of said solid particulate material from the storage means towards the interior of the drum is facilitated by the rotation of said drum in a dispensing direction and the flow of said solid particulate material from the interior of tie drum towards the storage means is facilitated by the rotation of said drum in said collecting direction, wherein rotation in said dispensing direction is in the opposite rotational direction to rotation in said collecting direction, characterised in that: (f) said elongate protrusion exhibits one or more harvesting apertures disposed in a second side of said elongate protrusion, wherein the second side is defined as the leading side of said elongate protrusion during rotation of the drum in said dispensing direction, wherein said harvesting aperture(s) are in fluid communication with a harvesting flow path, wherein said harvesting aperture(s) facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from toe interior of said drum via said harvesting flow path to said storage means during rotation of the drum in a dispensing direction.

An apparatus for use in tie treatment of substrates with a solid particulate material, said apparatus comprising a housing having mounted therein a rotatably mounted drum having an inner surface and an end wall, and access means for introducing said substrates into said drum, wherein (a) said drum comprises storage means for storage of said sold particulate material; (b) said drum has at least one elongate protrusion located on said inner surface of said drum wherein the elongate protrusion extends in a direction away from said end wall, wherein said elongate protrusion has an end proximal to the end wall and an end distal to the end wall; (c) the or each elongate protrusion comprises a collecting aperture and a collecting flow path to facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from the interior of said drum to said storage means, wherein said collecting aperture defines the start of a collecting flow path, and wherein the same elongate protrusion further comprises a dispensing aperture and a dispensing flow path to facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from said storage means to the interior of said drum, wherein said dispensing aperture defines the end of a dispensing flow path; (d) wherein said collecting aperture is disposed in a first side of said elongate protrusion, wherein said first side of said elongate protrusion is the leading side of said elongate protrusion during rotation of the drum in a collecting direction; and (e) wherein said flow of said solid particulate material from the storage means towards the interior of the drum is facilitated by the rotation of said drum in a dispensing direction and the flow of said solid particulate material from the interior of tie drum towards the storage means is facilitated by the rotation of said drum in said collecting direction, wherein rotation in said dispensing direction is in the opposite rotational direction to rotation in said collecting direction, characterised in that: (f) said elongate protrusion exhibits one or more harvesting apertures disposed in a second side of said elongate protrusion, wherein the second side is defined as the leading side of said elongate protrusion during rotation of the drum in said dispensing direction, wherein said harvesting aperture(s) are in fluid communication with a harvesting flow path, wherein said harvesting aperture(s) facilitate flow of said solid particulate material from toe interior of said drum via said harvesting flow path to said storage means during rotation of the drum in a dispensing direction.

A washing machine includes a drum, a drum motor coupled to the drum; a driving circuit and a processor. The driving circuit is configured to supply a driving current to the drum motor so that the drum motor rotates. The processor is configured to control the driving circuit to accelerate the drum motor from the first rotational speed to a second rotational speed based on a gradient of the fluctuating magnitude of the driving current supplied to the drum motor while controlling the driving circuit to rotate the drum motor at a first rotational speed.