A cleaning method includes sensing at least one trigger, where the at least one trigger is chosen from sensing a presence of a first liquid within a wash compartment of an appliance with a liquid sensor and sensing an elapsed time from activation of a faucet of the appliance with a timer. The cleaning method also includes draining the first liquid from the wash compartment of the appliance. Additionally, the cleaning method includes rinsing the wash compartment with a second liquid. The draining of the first liquid from the wash compartment of the appliance and the rinsing of the wash compartment with a second liquid are both performed prior to initiating a wash cycle of the appliance.

A method of controlling a dishwashing appliance may include determining that a cooking operation has been input to the dishwashing appliance via a mobile device, receiving an input option for the cooking operation via the mobile device, and activating the pump to supply a predetermined volume of fluid to the container at a predetermined temperature.

A method for operating a dishwasher appliance includes receiving data indicating a status of hot water within a water heater appliance, receiving data indicating a status for a cycle of a dishwasher appliance, and initiating a start for the cycle of the dishwasher appliance in response to the data indicating the status of hot water within the water heater appliance indicating available hot water.

An apparatus includes at least one of an actuator or a heater, and a controller that controls the at least one of the actuator or the heater. The controller: obtains an application that is defined by a plurality of blocks that drive the at least one of the actuator or the heater and includes information on an order in which each of the plurality of blocks is executed; consults a first rule that prohibits two or more given blocks from being executed in a given order, and when the information on the order correlates with the given order, modifies the application by changing the order in which each of the plurality of blocks is executed; and drives the at least one of the actuator or the heater based on the modified application.

An information processing method includes: selecting M blocks as M selected blocks from among N blocks for driving at least one of an actuator or a heater included in an apparatus, in accordance with an input operation performed by an operator; generating an application by setting, in accordance with an input operation performed by the operator, a parameter for driving the actuator or the heater in each of the M selected blocks; consulting a rule defining a parameter range within which the above-described driving is not permitted, and modifying the application by changing at least one of the M selected blocks, the at least one of the M selected blocks including a parameter included in the parameter range; and outputting the modified application.

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.

A control method for a dishwasher that includes a spray arm, a sump configured to provide a space where washing water is stored and to collect washing water sprayed from the spray arm, a housing configured to connect the sump and the spray arm, a heater located in the housing, an impeller located in the housing and above the heater, and a motor configured to rotate the impeller, is described. The control method includes the actions of supplying washing water to the sump; rotating the impeller by supplying electricity to the motor; measuring an amount of electric current supplied to the motor during the rotating of the impeller; and heating washing water located in the housing by operating the heater based on the amount of electric current supplied to the motor during the rotating of the impeller being greater than or equal to a preset reference amount.

A method of controlling a dishwasher includes washing an object accommodated inside a tub by spraying water and detergent onto the object, rinsing the object by spraying water onto the object, drying the object by removing moisture adhered to the object, detecting an amount of a rinsing agent, comparing the detected amount of the rinsing agent to a predetermined amount, based on the comparison, determining whether the detected amount of the rinsing agent is less than the predetermined amount, and increasing at least one of a temperature of water to be supplied in the rinsing or a drying time in the drying based on determining that the detected amount of the rinsing agent is less than the predetermined amount.

A dishwasher has a liquid supply system with a first conduit portion through which the liquid passes, and an air supply system with a second conduit portion through which the air passes. The first conduit portion at least partially forms the second conduit portion to define a thermal transfer interface. A heating system includes a heating element provided on the thermal transfer interface. Activation of the heating element provides heat to both the liquid supply system and the air supply system.

Systems and/or methods for the monitoring and/or control of thermal sanitization in automated cleaning machines are described. A cleaning machine controller may predict a number of heat unit equivalents that will be delivered during a cleaning process based on a sump temperature difference (i.e., a change in the temperature of the cleaning solution in the sump) experienced at or near the beginning of the cleaning process. One or more cleaning process parameters may be adjusted and/or controlled based on the sump temperature difference in order to ensure that a target number of heat unit equivalents are delivered in order to achieve thermal sanitization of the wares subjected to the cleaning process.