Ozone and Hydroxyl Injection Systems

Abstract

An ozone and/or hydroxyl laundry system that injects ozone and/or hydroxyls into the chemical injection system in order to allow the system to inject ozone and/or hydroxyls as other cleaning chemicals are injected into the washer. This allows ozone and/or hydroxyls to be injected through the wash cycle rather than just during the initial fill phase and additional avoids the expense and maintenance of adding ozone and/or hydroxyls recirculation plumping to an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry system. Accordingly, ozone and/or hydroxyl levels may be maintained at superior levels throughout the wash cycle.

Claims

1. A hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system comprising: a chemical container; a chemical pump in fluid communication with the chemical container; a flush manifold in fluid communication with the chemical pump; a flush manifold output in fluid communication with a wash drum for a washing machine; a chemical water supply line in fluid communication with the flush manifold; a hydroxyl gas generator; and a hydroxyl gas introducer in gaseous communication with the hydroxyl gas generator and also in fluid communication with either the chemical water supply line or the flush manifold output and configured to introduce hydroxyl gas into the chemical water supply line or the flush manifold output prior to flowing into the wash drum.

2. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas introducer is a venturi system.

3. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas introducer is a diffusion system.

4. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas introducer is a mixing system.

5. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the chemical container contains detergent.

6. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator generates gas with a concentration of hydroxyls of at least 800 ppm.

7. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator generates gas with a concentration of hydroxyl radicals of at least 900 ppm.

8. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl gas introducer is configured to introduce the hydroxyl gas upstream from the flush manifold and a second hydroxyl gas introducer is configured to introduce hydroxyl gas in a water fill supply line.

9. A hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system comprising: a chemical line in fluid communication with a wash drum for a washing machine, the chemical line comprising a chemical water supply line and a valve, wherein the valve is configured to control the flow of water from the chemical water supply line to the wash drum; a water fill line in fluid communication with the wash drum comprising a fill water supply line; a hydroxyl gas generator; and a hydroxyl gas introducer in fluid communication with the hydroxyl gas generated and placed upstream from the valve and configured to introduce hydroxyl gas into the chemical line.

10. The hydroxyl laundry chemical injection system of claim 9, wherein the chemical container contains detergent.

11. A hydroxyl laundry system comprising: a wash drum; a water fill line in fluid communication with the wash drum; a chemical line in fluid communication with the wash drum; and a hydroxyl gas generator configured to introduce hydroxyl gas into the fluid within the chemical line prior to dispensing in the wash drum.

12. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 11, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator generates gas with a concentration of hydroxyl radicals of at least 800 ppm.

13. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 11, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator generates gas with a concentration of hydroxyl radicals of at least 900 ppm

14. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 11, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator generates gas with a concentration of hydroxyl radicals of at least 1000 ppm.

15. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 13, wherein the hydroxyl gas generator is in fluid communication with a venturi system used to introduce hydroxyl gas into the chemical line.

16. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 15, wherein the venturi system introduces hydroxyl gas downstream of a flush manifold into the chemical line.

17. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 15, wherein the venturi system introduces hydroxyl gas upstream of a flush manifold into the chemical line.

18. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 11, wherein the system is configured to maintain hydroxyl concentrations inside the drum at 0.1-0.5 ppm throughout the wash cycle.

19. The hydroxyl laundry system of claim 11, wherein the system is configured to maintain hydroxyl concentrations in the wash drum at 0.5 ppm throughout the wash cycle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, exemplify the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of the exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actual embodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry machine according to the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram of another embodiment of an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry machine according to the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram of another embodiment of an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry machine according to the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram of another embodiment of an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry machine according to the present disclosure.

[0036] In the drawings, the same reference numbers and any acronyms identify elements or acts with the same or similar structure or functionality for ease of understanding and convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Various examples of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that the invention can include many other obvious features not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description.

[0038] The terminology used below is to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific examples of the invention. Indeed, certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.

[0039] Particular implementations of the subject matter have been described. Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results.

[0040] While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

[0041] Similarly while operations may be depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

Overview of System

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry system 100 that introduces ozone and/or hydroxyls in the chemical supply lines using a UV ozone and/or hydroxyls generator. Included is a wash drum 1 for depositing soiled laundry and wash liquid, a washer base and sump 11. The ozone and/or hydroxyls laundry system 100 may include at least two supply lines: (1) a water line 15 that introduces water to fill the wash drum 1 during the initiation phase and (2) a chemical line 22 that introduces detergent, bleach and other chemicals into the wash drum 1 during the laundry cycles.

Ozone and/or Hydroxyls Introduction into Fill Lines

[0043] When a laundry cycle is determined, a control system on the washer will be selected for a specific cycle. The same cycle may then be input into a control system for the chemical supply line. Then, once the soiled laundry has been deposited in the wash drum 1, and the cycle is initiated, the water fill line 15 will begin filling the wash drum 1. To do this, a valve on or connected to the fill water supply line 14 or elsewhere on the water fill line 16 will open and allow the wash drum 1 to fill with water. In some embodiments, there may be different fill levels depending on the amount of laundry. Generally, water fill lines 16 only contain an on/off valve that has quite a high rate of flow that fills the wash drum 1 quickly. This is because that is all that is required is an on/off valve for filling, and it is more expensive to implement a control system to more closely regulate the fill lines—which is not necessary. In other embodiments, there may be more specialized or closely regulated fill lines.

[0044] Once the valve is open and fill water begins to start following through the fill water inlet 15, a venturi or other introducer device will be utilized to draw air over a UV lamp to generate the ozone (or other known devices to generate ozone) and/or hydroxyl gas in ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3. The system may then introduce the ozone/hydroxyl gas into the fill water inlet 15 using either: (1) a venturi, (2) mixing valves, (3) diffusion, and (4) other possible methods.

[0045] In other embodiments, once the valve is open and fill water begins to start following through the fill water inlet 15, the water will flow through an ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3. In some embodiments, once the water begins to flow, the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator system 3 may be switched on by a flow sensor, or may always be one during operation and will introduce ozone and/or hydroxyls gas into the fill lines.

Ozone and/or Hydroxyls Generation Systems

[0046] In order to dissolve or generate dissolve ozone and/or hydroxyls into feed water, many different systems and combinations of systems may be utilized: (1) a UV ozone and/or hydroxyls generator or (2) a dielectric (corona discharge) with a venture by-pass manifold, (3) diffusion systems that directly inject gas into the feed lines, (4) mixing valve or pump (5) an electrolytic generator system and (6) any other suitable systems. For example, ozone and/or hydroxyls can be generated from a feed gas of compressed ambient air, an oxygen concentrator or pure oxygen. As the feed gas is exposed to and electrical high voltage or plasma field the O.sub.2 molecule divides into O.sub.1 and reforms as O.sub.3 or ozone and/or hydroxyls. To generate hydroxyls, the feed gas may be run through the path of UV light. Ozone and/or hydroxyls can vary in concentrations based on the feed gas. For example, the higher the concentration of oxygen the higher concentrations of ozone and/or hydroxyls are produced.

[0047] Ozone and/or hydroxyls can also be produced by applying UV light to an air supply (e.g. compressed ambient air) UV light with wave lengths between 185 and 254 nanometer wave lengths can create ozone and/or hydroxyls. Oxygen and humidity in the air will convert to OH, O.sub.3 and other oxidative compounds. After generation of the ozone/hydroxyl gas, a venturi, mixing valve, diffusion system or other system may introduce the gas to dissolve it in the fill lines or chemical lines.

[0048] FIG. 1 illustrates a UV ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 that is downstream of the fill water supply line 14. During the fill process, the flow in the lines will cause ozone and/or hydroxyls to be generated based on UV light being radiated into gas (e.g. ambient air), while a venturi or other introducer will introduce the ozone/hydroxyl gas into the feed water that is flowing through the ozone and/or hydroxyls generation system 3. Accordingly, using the water fill lines 16, ozone and/or hydroxyls may be initially introduced into wash drum water during filling.

Ozone and/or Hydroxyls Introduction into Chemical Lines

[0049] Ozone and/or hydroxyls may also be introduced through the chemical lines 22 in the during the wash cycle. This may be in addition to or separate from the ozone and/or hydroxyls system that introduces ozone and/or hydroxyls into the fill water lines 16. After the fill phase is complete or during the fill phase, chemicals are deposited through the chemical line 22 (which is separate from the fill system) into the wash drum 1 on quantities and timings based on the cycle selected and the current stage of the cycle. For example, detergent, bleach, and softener and other chemicals may be deposited into the wash drum 1 and various stages of the wash cycle.

[0050] The chemical line 22 injects chemicals that are stored in various chemical containers or drums 9 associated with the system. For example, in some embodiments, there may be a container 9 for detergent, one for bleach, one for fabric softeners and others. Once a specific chemical is needed, the chemical injection system control may trigger the initiation of the correct chemical pump 5 to begin pumping the chemical into a flush manifold 7 where it may be mixed with water from the water inlet 8. The control will send a signal to the chemical pump 5 to pump a certain amount of chemical from the chemical container 9 and also to open a valve (e.g. solenoid) on the water inlet 8 for a certain amount of time. The control system then controls the timing of the injection system, and begins to start pumping chemicals, and then after a delay opens the valve to the chemical water supply line 8. This will allow water and chemical to enter the flush manifold 7 at the same time to ensure proper mixing. In some embodiments, the chemical pump may also be told to leave the valve to the chemical water supply line 8 open for longer to allow more water to be flushed through the manifold 7 and into the drum 1, without adding further chemicals from the container 9. In this way, the control for the chemical line 22 may finely control the amount of chemical and water mixture that is pumped into the drum 1 from the container 9 and the chemical water supply line 8. Accordingly, with different timings, various amounts of water from the inlet 8 and chemicals from the container 9 may be added, in varying flow rates, dilutions, and timings. In some embodiments, a dummy chemical pump 5 may be included that is not connected to a chemical container 9, but is connected to the chemical water supply line 8. Accordingly, the dummy chemical pump 5 may then send a signal to a valve on the chemical water supply line 8 that allows water to flow through the chemical water supply line 8 and flush manifold 7 to the drum 1 without adding additional chemicals.

[0051] After the chemicals and water have mixed in the flush manifold 7, the chemical and water mixture exits the manifold 7 and enters the flush manifold output 4. Then, the chemicals travel through the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 to the chemical water inlet 2, where they are injected into the chemical chute or hopper 10. Once the water/chemical mixture enters the chemical chute 10, in then enters the wash drum 1 to mix with the wash water and disinfect and clean the soiled laundry. The chemical line may include a control that may have more precise control over the flow rates of injection into the drum then the fill water injection system. This is because, the fill water inlet 15 and associated lines are meant to quickly fill the drum 1 with water at the beginning of the cycle. However the chemical line 22 and associated lines are meant to more precisely enter smaller amounts of chemical and water mixture into the drum 1 and therefore provide a more precise way of entering chemicals. Furthermore, the flow rates on the chemical supply lines are generally less than the flow rates on the water fill lines.

[0052] In order to inject ozone and/or hydroxyls into the chemical lines 22 an ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 may be placed at various points along the chemical fill lines 22. In some embodiments, the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 may be downstream from the flush manifold 7 in order to introduce ozone and/or hydroxyls into the chemical line 22 at the last time possible prior to entering the chemical chute 10 and wash drum 1, to minimize off gassing and ozone and/or hydroxyls reactivity prior to entering the drum 1. In other embodiments, the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 may be upstream from the flush manifold 7 but downstream from the chemical water supply line 8. In still other embodiments, the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator may be upstream from a chemical pump 5 that is linked to an ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 rather than a chemical container 9.

[0053] In some embodiments, various types of ozone and/or hydroxyls generators may be utilized for certain configurations for injecting ozone and/or hydroxyls into the chemical lines 22. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a UV based ozone and/or hydroxyls generator downstream of the flush manifold. In this embodiment, the UV generator may be switched on whenever there is flow through the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3, for instance, by using a flow switch upstream or downstream from the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3. In some embodiments, such a UV ozone and/or hydroxyls generator 3 may remain in operation, and when the flow lines in the chemical injection system were turned on, the system would inject ozone and/or hydroxyls into the water stream as water passed through and the venturi or other gas introduction system dissolved the ozone/hydroxyl gas into the water stream.

[0054] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the system that includes ozone and/or hydroxyls generators 25 that are ozone and/or hydroxyls gas generators 25 (e.g., dielectric corona discharge). In this embodiment, ozone and/or hydroxyls gas is generated and must be mixed in the water/chemical lines' liquid in order to dissolve the ozone and/or hydroxyls gas and be useful once injected into the wash drum 1. In embodiments where ozone and/or hydroxyls gas generators 25 are used, various methods may be utilized to mix the ozone and/or hydroxyls gas into the water or water chemical mixture so that the ozone and/or hydroxyls gas dissolves into the liquid.

[0055] For example, in some embodiments, a venturi system may be utilized. In those embodiments, the ozone and/or hydroxyls generators 25 may be operational during a wash cycle, creating ozone and/or hydroxyls gas that remains contained in an ozone and/or hydroxyl gas supply line 29 until utilized. In those embodiments, the gas be back stopped at the venturi until water or water/chemical mixture begins to flow through the flush manifold output and chemical supply line through the venturi 23. Accordingly, the ozone and/or hydroxyl gas will not be dissolved or mixed unless water is flowing through the lines of the chemical injection system into a wash drum 1. This system has a distinct advantage in that the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator itself is not required to be turned on and off. Rather, the flow through the introducer (e.g. venturi) 23 will cause gas to be automatically drawn out of the ozone and/or hydroxyls gas supply line 29 and dissolve into the liquid/chemical mixture in the chemical supply line 2. As mentioned previously, the introducer 23 may also be situated upstream of the flush manifold 4 and along the chemical water supply line 8. However, in this embodiment, there may be greater off gassing as the water would have to travel further prior to entering the wash drum 1 with ozone and/or hydroxyl dissolved.

[0056] Other introducers 23 for introducing the ozone and/or hydroxyl gas into the liquid of the water fill line 16 and/or the chemical line 22 may be utilized. For example, mixing pumps may be utilized that are switched on and off as the chemical supply line is turned on for each stage of the wash cycle. However, these embodiments may require extra valves and equipment in comparison to the venturi embodiment. In some embodiments, a venturi system may be utilized with a gas valve that opens and closes the ozone and/or hydroxyls gas supply line 29. In other embodiments, direct diffusion of ozone and/or hydroxyls into the various portions of the fill lines and chemical supply lines may be utilized. This method may also require a valve to close and open the gas supply lines 29, and may have less of ozone and/or hydroxyls dissolved into the liquid and accordingly more off gassing once the liquid enters the washer drum 1.

Ozone/Hydroxyl Injection Systems that Utilize Gas Introduction

[0057] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate example systems that generate gaseous ozone and/or hydroxyl charged gas that may be diffused into the water line 16 and/or the chemical line 22. The gas is generated by an ozone or hydroxyl generator(s) 3 that emit the gas into gas supply lines 18 that connect to the water line 14 and/or chemical lines 22. The gas may be introduced into the supply lines through an number of introducers 23 including: a venturi, mixing process, diffusion process, or other process as disclosed herein.

[0058] In some embodiments, a venturi valve introduces the ozone in the water fill supply line 14 upstream of the water fill inlet 15 into the wash drum 1. In some embodiments, a second venturi may introduce the gas upstream of the manifold 7 and prior to the chemical pumps adding chemicals into the chemical water supply line 8 as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the gas generator 3 may be able to generate gas to two different gas supply lines 18, so that the single generate (or combination of multiple generators) can feed the fill water supply line 14 and the chemical water supply line 8. This is in contrast to the systems in FIGS. 1 and 2 that require separate ozone and/or hydroxyl generators 3 for each supply line. Accordingly, the arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 minimizes the equipment utilized, and simplifies the construction. This makes the unit more efficient and cost effective than prior units.

[0059] Also in this embodiment, a valve 19 is positioned upstream of the manifold 7 and downstream of the introducer 23. Valve 19 may be a solenoid valve or other suitable valve 19. In some examples, valve 19 may be controlled by control system 20, and allow solenoid valve to open so that the valve 19 allows water from the chemical water supply line 8 to pass over the introducer 23. If the gas generator 3 is actively producing ozone or hydroxyls through gas supply tube 18 while the solenoid valve 19 is open, then introducer 23 will draw in and dissolve some of the gas into the chemical supply line 8.

[0060] After the water is charged with ozone or hydroxyl gas from the chemical water supply line 8, the charged water flows through the flush manifold 7, and chemicals may be pumped into the flush manifold 7 (or other chemical integration system) from the chemical drums 9, that flow through the chemical supply lines 6, to the chemical pumps 5. Then the charged water will be mixed with chemicals and expelled to the flush manifold output 4. Accordingly, from there, the flush manifold output 4 will dispense the mixture into the chemical water inlet 2 on the drum 1.

[0061] Accordingly, through use of the control system 20, the valve 19 can be opened for varying amounts of time, and the gas generator 3 can be turned out for the entire portions of the time when the valve 19 is open. Also, the chemical pumps 5 may pump various chemicals into the flush manifold (e.g. detergent, bleach, etc.), at various times while valve 19 is open and the water from the chemical supply line 8 is flowing. Accordingly, varying amounts of chemicals and ozone or hydroxyl charged water may be added to the drum 1 through the chemical supply inlet 2.

[0062] In some examples, the solenoid valve will remain open for 99 seconds (the maximum for some manufacturers for each portion of the cycle) and the gas generator 3 may be generating hydroxyl gas (or ozone) at 900 ppm for the 99 seconds. This will be repeated for each stage where chemicals or water is added to the drum 1 through the chemical water supply line 8. For instance, many cycles may include a (1) detergent adding/wash phase, (2) bleach, (3) rinse, (4) spin, etc. For each of these phases, the chemical fill line 8 may remain open using the valve 19 for 99 seconds during each phase of the cycle, regardless of whether chemicals are being added by the chemical pumps 5 to the flush manifold 7. Accordingly, this may be one way to maximize the amount of hydroxyl charged water added. In other examples, (e.g. for less heavily soiled loads), the gas generator 3 may be turned on for less than the 99 seconds (e.g. 60 seconds, 70 seconds, 80 seconds, 90 seconds, etc.) for each portion of the cycle.

[0063] Additionally, the inventors have discovered one particular arrangement that is quite effective utilizes hydroxyl generators 3 (true hydroxyl generators that generate gas charged with ˜900-1000 ppm of hydroxyl gas or similar concentrations) in the arrangement of FIG. 3. Accordingly, the inventors have discovered that utilizing this, they can dramatically lower the rewash rate.

[0064] The laundry industry measures its cleaning results based on a rewash percentage. Most traditional wash processes using hot water have a rewash rate of 3-5%. Our system has consistently cleaned the same type of linen with a rewash rate of 1-2%. This success is with little to no hot water and a slight reduction in traditional wash chemistry. It goes without saying that the reduction in rewash saves a lot of time and money for the customer.

[0065] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment using gaseous introduction of a single (or combination) generator 3 that includes two gas supply lines 18 to supply both (1) the fill water supply line 14, and (2) the chemical water supply line 8. In this embodiment, illustrated is a similar system to FIG. 3, however, the chemical supply line is no longer is connected to the flush manifold 7, chemical drums 9, and chemical pumps 5. Rather, the gaseous feed line for the chemical water supply line 8 is utilized only for injecting hydroxyl radical charged water into the wash drum 1.

[0066] Additionally, the control system 20 is instead included in the wash system controls that come available with commercial units, or an addition a control system 20 may be attached to the wash drum 1 to regulate the valve 19 (e.g. solenoid valve) that controls how much chemical supply water 8 enters the wash drum after passing over the introducer 23 to add the hydroxyl gas or ozone gas. This may be beneficial, if a system is developed that only requires hydroxyl charged water, rather than chemicals as well.

Control Systems for Ozone and/or Hydroxyl Gas Introduction

[0067] Adding ozone and/or hydroxyls to the washer drum 1 through the chemical line 22 has many advantages over systems that only either: add the ozone to the fill lines, recirculate ozone using pumps, or directly injecting it into the drum 1. First, with respect to systems that only injecting ozone into the water lines 16, as described above, those systems greatly limit the amount and concentration of the ozone for the majority of the wash cycle as the ozone is generally only added in the beginning of the wash cycle. Furthermore, with the recirculation systems, the ozone may be maintained at higher levels, however, the system is quite expensive, and is prone to high maintenance requirements. Particularly, as additional plumbing is required, the pumps and recirculation system may clog with lint, and require additional electricity to run which ultimately may eliminate the efficiency gains of using an ozone laundry system.

[0068] Accordingly, the ozone and/or hydroxyls system presently disclosed has the advantage of adding dissolved ozone and/or hydroxyls to the chemical lines 22 that already add liquid and chemicals into the wash drum 1, and therefore, the addition of ozone and/or hydroxyls generally does not add additional liquid. This is advantageous, as additional liquid would generally dilute the concentration of the cleaning chemicals in the ozone and/or hydroxyls drum. Furthermore, the control and pump system for the chemical lines 22 already exists and would be installed with a laundry unit, and therefore adding an ozone and/or hydroxyls injection point along the chemical lines 22 would be not add considerably to the cost or labor of installation, except for the addition of the ozone and/or hydroxyls units. Therefore, this will allow ozone and/or hydroxyls to be injected in the laundry system through the ozone and/or hydroxyls cycle.

[0069] For example, varying amounts and concentrations of ozone and/or hydroxyls may be added to the washer drum 1 by way of the control system manipulating the timing and control of the chemical lines 22. As discussed above, the chemical pumps may be controlled by the chemical control system to dilute the chemicals with more or less water from the chemical water supply line 8. Generally, the control system sends a signal to the chemical pump 5 which controls the amount of chemicals pumped from the containers 9. In turn, the chemical pump 5 then controls or relays the control signal to the chemical water supply line 8 to determine the amount of water also mixed with the chemicals in the manifold 7. In other embodiments, the control system may be configured to directly control the chemical water supply line 8.

[0070] For many embodiments discussed herein, ozone and/or hydroxyls may be effectively added at any time the ozone and/or hydroxyls generator is operating and water is flowing through the chemical lines of the chemical injection system. Accordingly, if the control system sends a signal to turn on a chemical pump 5, but also instructions to add more water from the chemical water supply line 8 than usual, more ozone and/or hydroxyls will be introduced into the wash drum 1 than for a typical chemical injection. As another example, the dummy chemical pump 5 may also be switched on to initiate water flowing from the water inlet 8 in order to add additional ozone and/or hydroxyls into the wash drum 1 without adding more chemicals. Therefore, because the chemical line 22 is utilized, the precise amounts of ozone and/or hydroxyls enriched water that is added to the wash drum 1 may be more finely regulated. For example, it may be desired to keep the ozone and/or hydroxyls levels at 0.5 ppm, 1 ppm, 2 ppm, or other concentrations. It has been discovered that using the systems disclosed herein, for example, the ozone and/or hydroxyls concentration in the wash drum may be maintained at 1 ppm for various types of wash cycles throughout the cycle.

[0071] For instance, if the flow rate through chemical injection system is known along with the amount of ozone and/or hydroxyls injected by the ozone and/or hydroxyls introduction system into the chemical lines per ounce of water that flows through, the amount of ozone and/or hydroxyls in ounces or other units being deposited into the wash drum 1 may be calculated. Accordingly, the amount of ozone and/or hydroxyls needed to be added to appropriately raise the ozone and/or hydroxyls levels in the wash system to a desired ozone and/or hydroxyls level may be calculated. In some embodiments, a feedback system may be implemented with an ozone and/or hydroxyls sensor (or several sensors) in the wash drum 1 that send an indication of the ozone and/or hydroxyls levels in the wash drum 1 to the controller to allow the controller to determine the amount of ozone and/or hydroxyls needed to be added to the wash drum 1 to bring the ozone and/or hydroxyls levels up to the appropriate concentration. Then, the controller may then determine the precise control logic required to command the chemical/dummy pumps 5 and/or water inlet 8 to deliver the needed amount of ozone and/or hydroxyls to the wash drum 1. This disclosed system provides a thorough cleaning of wash loads by maintaining ozone and/or hydroxyls levels through the wash cycle.

[0072] Although the ozone and/or hydroxyls system has been described with respect to these two embodiments, various other embodiments may be implemented that inject ozone and/or hydroxyls into various points along the chemical line and take advantage of the already sophisticated water/chemical injection system in place.

Computer & Hardware Implementation of Disclosure

[0073] It should initially be understood that the disclosed control systems 20 herein may be implemented with any type of hardware and/or software, and may be a pre-programmed general purpose computing device. For example, the system may be implemented using a server, a personal computer, a portable computer, a thin client, or any suitable device or devices. The disclosure and/or components thereof may be a single device at a single location, or multiple devices at a single, or multiple, locations that are connected together using any appropriate communication protocols over any communication medium such as electric cable, fiber optic cable, or in a wireless manner.

[0074] It should also be noted that the disclosure is illustrated and discussed herein as having a plurality of modules which perform particular functions. It should be understood that these modules are merely schematically illustrated based on their function for clarity purposes only, and do not necessary represent specific hardware or software. In this regard, these modules may be hardware and/or software implemented to substantially perform the particular functions discussed. Moreover, the modules may be combined together within the disclosure, or divided into additional modules based on the particular function desired. Thus, the disclosure should not be construed to limit the present invention, but merely be understood to illustrate one example implementation thereof.

[0075] The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In some implementations, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to a client device (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the client device). Data generated at the client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction) can be received from the client device at the server.

[0076] Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification, or any combination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., the Internet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peer networks).

[0077] Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium can be, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. The computer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

[0078] The operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a “data processing apparatus” on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.

[0079] The term “control system” encompasses all kinds of apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multiple ones, or combinations, of the foregoing The apparatus can include special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The apparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment can realize various different computing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

[0080] A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0081] The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

[0082] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few. Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.