Towards the Optimal Performance of Washing Machines Using Fuzzy Logic

Abstract

Washing machines (WMs) are common household appliances that help to save time and effort used in brushing and washing clothes. It is a common practice to use manually operated WMs, and based on their uses, WMs are classified into top and front open cloth washing machines, which operate based on an automatic control mechanism. In this paper, we present the design and simulation of an Arduino fuzzy logic-based WM control system, with an emphasis on improvement in its operating algorithm. Simulations were performed to determine the optimal time the WM takes to wash clothes, the maximum number of clothes the WM can wash per time, the acceptable dirtiness level of cloths, and the type of clothes that the machine can wash. The number of clothes to be washed, the degree of dirtiness, and the type of clothes govern the fuzzy logic control process adopted by the WM. The output voltage of the WM varies as the degree of dirtiness of the water varies from 0 to 1.95 V for very dirty water output from washed clothes and varies from 4 to 4.89 V for low-contaminated water. Another constraint considered was the load current, which increased as the number of clothes increased. The WM’s operation time is determined by the amount of voltage and load current used during its operation. As a result, the control of the WM is dependent on the dirtiness level of the clothes and the amount of load.