Do home appliances –specifically dishwashers—use position sensors such as Hall-effect or Inductive sensors to detect movement or exact position of moving parts?
This is a very good and question and something most people really don’t think about. Appliances are something we interact with on a regular basis, and sensors can help improve the quality of our interactions with our devices. Sensors allow our appliances to gather data from the physical world and use that information to enhance the way a task is performed. Essentially any piece of electronic equipment that has moving parts has the potential to use a positions sensor and home appliances are a perfect example of this. In short, the answer is “yes”. Let me provide you a couple use cases where position sensors are used in dishwashers.
Use Case #1: Open/Close Detection
Dishwashers are there to make our lives easier by reducing the amount of work we have to perform. It is imperative that dishwashers have a system in place that prevents users from running our appliance without it being properly closed in order to avoid spilling soap and water all over the kitchen floor. This can be achieved by placing a Hall-effect sensor on the door frame to detect if the dishwasher door is in an open or closed state. The image below demonstrates how Hall-effect sensors can be used to implement open/close detection.
Recommended Products:
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Device |
Datasheet |
Description |
System-Level Benefits |
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Low-power (<1µA), low-voltage Hall-effect switch |
The sensitivity levels provide tight BOP, BRP response for consistent open/close results.
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Two-wire, high-precision, Hall-effect switch with current output |
Two-wire current output allows for longer cabling for off-board sensing due to the device’s inherent noise tolerance. Additionally, only 2 wires are needed from the MCU to the sensor reducing cost.
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Use Case #2: Touch Buttons
Kitchens provide some of the harshest conditions for electronics found inside our home. Appliances found in kitchens, such as dishwashers, are prone to food spills, grease buildup, or even water exposure. Inductive touch buttons provide a hermetically sealed touch button which can precisely measure the distance from the sensor coil to a metal touch button. The graphic below shows the placement of inductive touch buttons and how they are implemented mechanically.
Recommended Products:
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Device |
Datasheet |
Description |
System-Level Benefits |
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Low-power, multi-channel inductance-to-digital converter |
Equipped with button algorithm with baseline tracking, the sensor can automatically correct for any deformation in targets due to aging or mechanical drift.
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Low-power, 4-channel inductance-to-digital converter |
Contains button algorithm and baseline tracking present in the LDC211x devices. Enables users to disable baseline reset. |
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