Sensing and Control

Results and Forecast

The smart Wash Process Sensor today serves as the sensory organs and central nervous system of the most advanced dishwasher on the market, Maytag’s IntelliSense. The bottom-line results for the consumer are:

• Up to 35% reduction in energy use,
• Up to 35% reduction in annual operating cost,
• Up to 45% reduction in annual water consumption,
• Up to 25% reduction in washing time.

These savings are possible because our smart Wash Process Sensor effectively breaks the Fixed-time wash cycle paradigm. Since the advent of the modern dishwasher, wash cycles have been preset to accommodate heavy loads of dishes with dried-on, hard-to-remove food. In essence, the typical dishwasher was blind, overwashing dishes and wasting water, energy, and time. The smart Wash Process Sensor gives Maytag’s IntelliSense the power to sense conditions, process what it sees, and adjust performance according to real, not assumed needs.

The ability to deliver an inexpensive advanced product has placed Maytag years ahead of its competitors and, importantly, exceeds new federal standards of energy and water consumption faced by the white goods industry. Production of the IntelliSense dishwasher started in late 1994, and the product reached the market in January of 1995.

While this unique and inexpensive sensor cluster was developed for Maytag’s use in an advanced dishwasher, it is clear that applications beyond the white goods market will make themselves available. Honeywell is already analyzing the potential of other markets such as water treatment facilities and refineries.