US 11,889,963 B2
Automated cleaning machine processing using shortened cycle times
Rachel Marie McGinness, Rosemount, MN (US); Jonathan Charles Butwinick, Apple Valley, MN (US); Paul R. Kraus, Apple Valley, MN (US); Alissa R. Ellingson, Woodbury, MN (US); Conor Sylvester Smith, Saint Louis Park, MN (US); and Paul Dominic Christian, Apple Valley, MN (US)
Assigned to Ecolab USA Inc., St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed by Ecolab USA Inc., St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed on Mar. 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/193,189.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/031,990, filed on May 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0369076 A1, Dec. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. A47L 15/42 (2006.01); A47L 15/00 (2006.01); A47L 15/44 (2006.01); D06F 33/44 (2020.01); D06F 33/70 (2020.01); B08B 3/04 (2006.01); A47L 15/46 (2006.01)
CPC A47L 15/0044 (2013.01) [A47L 15/0026 (2013.01); A47L 15/0028 (2013.01); A47L 15/0034 (2013.01); A47L 15/449 (2013.01); B08B 3/04 (2013.01); D06F 33/44 (2020.02); D06F 33/70 (2020.02); A47L 15/46 (2013.01); A47L 2401/03 (2013.01); A47L 2501/01 (2013.01); A47L 2501/06 (2013.01); A47L 2501/07 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated cleaning machine comprising:
a wash chamber configured to receive one or more articles to be cleaned, wherein the articles are not component parts of the cleaning machine and are configured to be inserted and removed from the cleaning machine;
a controller that controls execution of one or more cleaning cycles in the wash chamber of the cleaning machine to wash the one or more articles in one of a default cycle mode or a short cycle mode, the controller comprising:
at least one processor, and
at least one storage device that stores default cleaning cycle parameters associated with the default cycle mode and short cleaning cycle parameters associated with the short cycle mode, wherein the short cleaning cycle parameters include a total cycle duration that is relatively less than a total cycle duration of the default cleaning cycle;
the at least one storage device further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor to:
execute at least one cleaning cycle using the default cleaning cycle parameters to wash a first set of the one or more articles;
determine a number of cleaning cycles executed per unit time;
determining that the determined number of cleaning cycles executed per unit time reaches a short cycle threshold, wherein the short cycle threshold is a number of cycles per unit time; and
in response to determining that the determined number of cleaning cycles executed per unit time reaches the short cycle threshold, execute at least one subsequent cleaning cycle using the short cycle cleaning process parameters to wash a second set of the one or more articles in the wash chamber, wherein the second set is a different set relative to the first set.