CN110791924A - System for dispensing treatment substances in a multi-dose washing machine - Google Patents
System for dispensing treatment substances in a multi-dose washing machine Download PDFInfo
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- CN110791924A CN110791924A CN201910704483.6A CN201910704483A CN110791924A CN 110791924 A CN110791924 A CN 110791924A CN 201910704483 A CN201910704483 A CN 201910704483A CN 110791924 A CN110791924 A CN 110791924A
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- dose
- treatment substance
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- tanks
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers
- D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control
- D06F33/32—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
- D06F33/37—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of metering of detergents or additives
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00
- D06F39/02—Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
- D06F39/022—Devices for adding soap or other washing agents in a liquid state
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
- D06F2105/42—Detergent or additive supply
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
- D06F2105/58—Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
- D06F34/28—Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
Abstract
The invention discloses a system for dispensing a treatment substance in a multi-dose washing machine. The system comprises: one or more multi-dose tanks adapted to contain each initial volume of liquid treatment substance; one or more volumetric dosing pumps activatable to selectively extract and dispense liquid treatment substance from one or more multi-dose tanks; an electronic control unit: activating one or more dosing pumps, determining a total dispensable quantity value from an initial volume of each of the one or more multi-dose tanks, counting, for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks, a pumping volume of the respective dosing pump during a start-up of the one or more dosing pumps, determining a total dispensed quantity value from the counted pumping volumes of each of the one or more multi-dose tanks, and selectively generating a warning of a depletion or remaining amount of the liquid treatment substance for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks based on the total dispensable quantity value and the total dispensed quantity value.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method for dispensing and controlling the residual amount of treatment substances (treatment substances) in a domestic washing machine with automatic or multi-dosing detergent.
Background
Domestic washing machines generally comprise a support and housing structure, inside which a washing tub is housed, which is provided with a front opening closable by a porthole door frontally hinged to the housing. The basket for containing the laundry to be washed is arranged inside the washing tub in a rotatable manner about a horizontal or inclined axis. The basket also defines a front opening at the opening of the washing tub to enable loading and unloading of the laundry.
The washing tub is adapted to contain washing liquid during a step of washing the laundry.
A water filling system connectable to a water main is provided to allow filling of water, detergent and additives from the water main into a tank. At the bottom of the washing tub there is a drain pipe with an associated drain pump, which removes the washing liquid from the tank and, together with the filling system, controls the liquid level in the tank.
In order to add detergent or treatment additives to the wash liquor, it is known to arrange a detergent tray in flow communication with a water filling system.
The detergent tray may be configured as a drawer that is extractable from and insertable into the housing structure and that can be manually filled for each wash with an amount of detergent and/or treatment additive sufficient for a single wash cycle.
Washing machines with multi-dose tanks are also known, containing a sufficient quantity of treatment substance for a plurality of washing cycles, and with automatic dispensing and dosing systems, called washing machines with multiple doses.
It is also known to position a detergent multi-dose tank, for example in the front door, more precisely in the porthole of the front door of a washing machine.
In order to determine the remaining amount of detergent in the multi-dose tank, it is possible to equip the laundry washing machine with a system for determining the treatment substance level based on the use of an optical sensor associated with the multi-dose tank.
In general, the use of optical sensors or sensors, while satisfactory from many points of view, represents additional cost and requires wiring in the area where the multi-dose canister is located. This undesirably limits the freedom of positioning of the multi-dose canister or requires a complex electrical wiring system, which is expensive and subject to undesirable mechanical stress, for example, when electrical cables need to be extended from the washing machine housing in the movable door.
Furthermore, optical sensor-based detergent residual quantity determination systems are not suitable for disposable cartridges of detergents, additives or other treatment substances, which are usually opaque to protect the treatment substance from light.
Disclosure of Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system and method for dosing and controlling residual levels of treatment substances (e.g., detergents, additives, enzymes, softeners, etc.) in multi-dose laundry.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system and method for dosing and controlling the amount of treatment substance remaining, which is easy to manage, has versatility in the positioning of multiple dose canisters and does not require electrical wiring at the multiple dose canisters.
Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved system and method for dosing and controlling the residual amount of treatment substance, which has characteristics such as determining the residual amount of treatment substance of a multi-dose tank and, at the same time, allows the use of mutually different multi-dose tanks, possibly containing different concentrations of treatment substance, and the possibility of alternate washing with automatic dosing from the multi-dose tanks, to carry out washing with a detergent dosing predetermined by the user for a single wash.
At least one of the objects is achieved by a system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 17. The dependent claims relate to advantageous and preferred embodiments.
According to an aspect of the invention, a system for dispensing a liquid treatment substance in a multi-dose washing machine comprises:
-one or more multi-dose tanks adapted to contain each initial volume of liquid treatment substance,
-one or more volumetric dosing pumps connected in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks and activatable to selectively extract and dispense the liquid treatment substance from the one or more multi-dose tanks,
-an electronic control unit which:
-activating the one or more dosing pumps 5,
-determining a total dispensable quantity value from the initial volume of each of the one or more multi-dose canisters,
-during activation of the one or more dosing pumps, counting for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks a pumping volume of the respective dosing pump,
-determining a total dispensed quantity value based on the counted pumping quantities for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks,
-generating a warning of the exhaustion or remaining quantity of liquid treatment substance, depending on said total dispensable quantity value and said total dispensed quantity value.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for dispensing a liquid treatment substance in a multi-dose washing machine, comprises:
-providing one or more multi-dose tanks adapted to contain each initial volume of liquid treatment substance,
-activating one or more volumetric dosing pumps in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks to selectively extract the liquid treatment substance from the one or more multi-dose tanks and dispense it,
-determining a total dispensable quantity value from the initial volume of each of the one or more multi-dose canisters,
-during activation of the one or more dosing pumps, counting for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks a pumping volume of the respective dosing pump,
-determining a total dispensed quantity value for each of the one or more multi-dose canisters from the counted pumping quantities,
-generating a warning of the exhaustion or remaining quantity of liquid treatment substance, depending on said total dispensable quantity value and said total dispensed quantity value.
Determining the total dispensed amount from referencing a count of the pumped volume of a single multi-dose canister allows the remaining amount of treatment substance in the multi-dose canister to be determined without using a sensor at the multi-dose canister itself.
This avoids the need to power or wire up the area of the multi-dose canister and thus allows the multi-dose canister to be freely positioned in or at the washing machine, for example, within a porthole door, which would otherwise create wiring problems.
Drawings
For a better understanding of the present invention and to understand its advantages, some non-limiting embodiments will be described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
figure 1 is a schematic view of a laundry washing machine comprising a dosing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
figure 2 is a schematic view of a dosing system according to an embodiment;
figures 3 and 4 show examples of multi-dose canisters of a dispensing system according to embodiments.
Detailed Description
With reference to the accompanying drawings, a system 1 for dispensing a liquid treatment substance 2 in a washing machine 3 comprises:
one or more multi-dose tanks 4 adapted to contain an initial volume V init of each liquid treatment substance,
one or more volumetric dosing pumps 5 connected in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks 4 and activatable to selectively extract the liquid treatment substance 2 from the one or more multi-dose tanks 4 and dispense the liquid treatment substance 2,
-an electronic control unit 6, said electronic control unit 6:
-activating the one or more dosing pumps 5,
-determining a total dispensable quantity Q _ tot _ init value from the initial volume V _ init of each of the one or more multi-dose tanks 4,
-counting, for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks 4, the pumping volume tp of the respective dosing pump 5 during activation of the one or more dosing pumps 5,
-determining a total dispensed quantity Q _ tot _ disp value from the pump quantity t _ p counted for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks 4,
-generating a warning of the depletion or remaining quantity of liquid treatment substance 2 as a function of said total dispensable quantity Q _ tot _ init value and said total dispensed quantity Q _ tot _ disp value.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for dispensing a liquid treatment substance 2 in a multi-dose washing machine 3 comprises:
providing one or more multi-dose tanks 4 adapted to contain each initial volume V init of liquid treatment substance,
activating one or more volumetric dosing pumps 5 in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks 4 to selectively extract the liquid treatment substance from the one or more multi-dose tanks 4 and dispense the liquid treatment substance,
-determining a total dispensable quantity Q _ tot _ init value from said initial volume V _ init of each of said one or more multi-dose tanks 4,
-counting, for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks 4, the pumping volume tp of the respective dosing pump 5 during activation of the one or more dosing pumps 5,
-determining a total dispensed quantity Q _ tot _ disp value from the counted pumping quantity t _ p for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks 4,
-generating a warning of the depletion or remaining quantity of liquid treatment substance 2 as a function of said total dispensable quantity Q _ tot _ init value and said total dispensed quantity Q _ tot _ disp value.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the value of the total allocable quantity value Q _ tot _ init may include:
volume value in volume (e.g. ml), or
The volume value, expressed in terms of fill level (e.g. cm), has a known, e.g. constant, functional dependence or ratio between the fill level and the corresponding fill volume of the multi-dose container 4, e.g. volume-constant area x fill level height, or
Preferably, the volume value, expressed in terms of the running time (e.g. seconds) of the volumetric dosing pump 5, has a known, e.g. constant, functional dependency or proportionality between the pump running time and the corresponding volume pumped by the dosing pump 5, e.g. a volume (pumped volume/time unit) constant x pumping time, or
Alternatively, the volume value, expressed in terms of the number of pumping cycles of the volumetric dosing pump 5, has a known, e.g. constant, functional dependency or proportionality between the number of pumping cycles and the corresponding volume pumped by the dosing pump 5, e.g. a volume (pumping volume/number of pumping cycles) constant x number of pumping cycles, or
Another equivalent value.
Similarly, the total dispensed quantity value Q tot disp may also comprise a volume value expressed in volume (e.g. ml), or in filling level (e.g. cm), or preferably in operating time (e.g. seconds) of the volumetric dosing pump 5, or alternatively in number of pumping cycles of the volumetric dosing pump 5, or another equivalent value.
Similarly, the pumping capacity t _ p of the dosing pump 5 may also be counted as a volume expressed in volume (e.g. ml), or as a filling level (e.g. cm) of the multi-dose tank 4, or preferably as a running time (e.g. seconds) of the volumetric dosing pump 5, or alternatively as a number of pumping cycles of the volumetric dosing pump 5, or in an equivalent manner.
Determining the total dispensable quantity value Q _ tot _ disp from the counted pumping quantities t _ p may comprise a cumulative sum of the counted pumping quantities t _ p or a cumulative subtraction of the counted pumping quantities t _ p, e.g. starting from an initial quantity value, e.g. from a summation of zero, or a subtraction starting from the total dispensable quantity value Q _ tot _ init.
Determining the total dispensed amount Q _ tot _ disp from a count referencing the pumping volume t _ p of a single multi-dose tank 4 allows the remaining amount of treatment substance 2 in the multi-dose tank 4 to be determined without the use of sensors at the multi-dose tank 4.
This avoids the need to power or wire up the area of the multi-dose canister 4 and thus allows the multi-dose canister 4 to be freely positioned in or at the washing machine 3, for example, within a porthole door, which would otherwise create wiring problems.
According to a preferred embodiment, one or more dosing pumps 5 are activated for pumping at a constant flow rate (expressed in ml/s), and the counting of the pumping volume t _ p comprises counting the activation time of the dosing pump 5.
Monitoring the amount of treatment substance 2 dispensed by the dosing pump or pumps 5 in terms of the pumping time t _ p greatly facilitates the determination of the remaining amount of treatment substance 2, since the pump activation time is generally already available in the control software of the dosing system 1 and can in any case be detected and recorded very easily.
According to an embodiment, the dispensing system 1 comprises a user interface 7 in signal connection with the control unit 6, which allows the user to input a confirmation of the refilling of the treatment substance 2 and, possibly, an indication of the initial volume V _ init of the treatment substance 2 selectively for each multi-dose tank 4.
In response to a refill confirmation of the inserted treatment substance 2, the control unit 6 automatically determines the respective total dispensable quantity value Q _ tot _ init from the indication of the initial volume V _ init of the treatment substance 2 and counts the pumping quantity t _ p of the respective multi-dose canister 4 from the beginning again (in other words, reset or initialisation). Initializing the pump amount count t _ p may, for example, include resetting the total allocated amount Q _ tot _ disp to zero.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the electronic control unit 6 and the one or more dosing pumps 5 are configured such that, during operation, the dosing pumps 5 extract the treatment substance 2 from the multi-dose tank 4 at a constant flow rate, for example in the range of 0.5ml/s to 1.0ml/s, preferably at a constant flow rate of about 0.75 ml/s.
The control unit 6 may be configured to generate a depletion warning or residual quantity Q _ res of the liquid treatment substance 2 as a function of the difference between said total dispensable quantity value Q _ tot _ init and said total dispensed quantity value Q _ tot _ disp.
For example, the control unit 6 generates a display of the remaining magnitude value Q _ res calculated according to the formula Q _ res ═ Q _ tot _ init-Q _ tot _ disp, and expressed in volume or number of remaining washing cycles or percentage or fraction referring to the total dispensable magnitude value Q _ tot _ init, for example "75%", "10%" or "1/2", "1/4".
The control unit 6 may be configured to generate a depletion warning of the treatment substance 2 as a function of a comparison between the difference between said total allocable amount Q _ tot _ init value and said total dispensed amount Q _ tot _ disp value and a predetermined depletion threshold Q _ limit _ 1.
For example, if Q _ res ═ Q _ tot _ init-Q _ tot _ disp < Q _ limit _1, the control unit 6 generates a depletion warning.
Possibly, the predetermined depletion threshold Q _ limit _1 corresponds to an amount of treatment substance 2, which amount of treatment substance 2 is lower than the amount of treatment substance required for a single washing cycle.
The control unit 6 may be configured to generate a treatment substance reserve warning as a function of a comparison between the difference between said total allocable amount Q _ tot _ init value and said total dispensed amount Q _ tot _ disp value and a predetermined depletion threshold Q _ limit _ 2.
For example, if Q _ res ═ Q _ tot _ init-Q _ tot _ disp < Q _ limit _2, the control unit 6 generates a reserve warning.
Possibly, the predetermined reserve threshold Q _ limit _2 corresponds to a residual quantity of treatment substance Q _ res which is greater than the quantity of treatment substance 2 required for a single washing cycle, but lower than the quantity of treatment substance 2 required for "n" washing cycles, for example ten washing cycles, where "n" is a value predetermined and/or settable by the user.
Advantageously, this allows the reserve warning to be tailored to the needs of the user (e.g., a user who visits the shopping mall less frequently and needs to know well in advance when the detergent is exhausted).
Preferably, the predetermined reserve threshold Q _ limit _2 corresponds to a residual amount Q _ res of treatment substance 2 which is lower than the amount of treatment substance 2 required for a fifth, preferably a tenth, of the number of wash cycles that can be performed with the multi-dose tank 4 full.
According to an embodiment, the "remaining treatment substance" and/or "reserve" and/or "depletion of treatment substance" warning comprises an acoustic and/or optical warning, for example, by means of a display and/or by means of illumination of an LED warning lamp, or blinking the LED warning lamp at different intervals, or a change in the color of the light emitted by the LED warning lamp.
According to an embodiment, the control unit 6 comprises a transceiver system 21 adapted to wirelessly connect the control unit 6 to an electronic device 23, such as a mobile phone, external to the washing machine 3. According to this embodiment, the control unit 6 can be configured or set by the user so as to send a "remaining treatment substance" and/or a "reserve" and/or a "depletion of treatment substance" warning to said external electronic device 23, for example in the form of a short message.
According to an embodiment, the control unit 6 is configured to perform or not prevent the execution of the washing cycle selected by the user even if the treatment substance 2 in at least one of the multi-dose tanks 4 is depleted.
This also allows the washing cycle to be carried out if the user does not intend or cannot refill the treatment substance 2, but still needs to wash the laundry.
Dispensing system and method using a multi-dose cartridge with a fixed initial volume V init
According to an embodiment, the one or more multi-dose canisters 4 comprise one or more exchangeable 8-cartridges, wherein the initial volume V _ init of the treatment substance 2 is fixed (i.e. the exchangeable cartridges 8 are sold on the market or supplied with a fixed initial volume V _ init of the treatment substance 2). The exchangeable cartridge 8 may comprise several different exchangeable cartridges 8 containing the same or different treatment substances 2 and having equal or different initial volumes V _ init.
In the case of a plurality of different exchangeable cartridges 8 with a fixed initial volume V _ init of treatment substance 2, the exchangeable cartridges 8 can be identified by an identification code or name ID _ code, for example by brand and/or product and/or treatment substance name.
The control unit 6 may comprise a memory 9, the memory 9 containing a list 22 of cartridges pre-stored with one or more initial volume V _ init values for one or more exchangeable cartridges 8 of a treatment substance 2 having a fixed initial volume (V _ init).
In addition, the box list 22 may contain a pre-stored identification code or name and an associated link between the pre-stored initial volume value V _ init and the corresponding pre-stored identification code or name ID _ code.
The user interface 7 may be configured to allow the user to selectively input or select for each multi-dose canister 4 the identification code ID _ code enabling the replacement of the cartridge 8 as said indication of the initial volume V _ init of treatment substance.
The control unit 6 may be configured to determine a total allocatable amount Q _ tot _ init value for each of said one or more exchangeable cartridges 8 based on said one or more initial volume V _ init values pre-stored in the cartridge list 22. For example, the control unit 6 may use a corresponding pre-stored initial volume V _ init value as the total allocable quantity value Q _ tot _ init.
In particular, the control unit 6 may be configured to determine a total allocatable quantity Q _ tot _ init value for each of the one or more exchangeable cartridges 8 based on the cartridge list 22 according to an identification code or name ID _ code selected by the user by means of the user interface 7. The identification code ID code may for example simply be the detergent brand for a washing machine.
This avoids the need for the user to insert an initial volume of treatment substance 2 for each individual multi-dose canister 4. This also allows the use of exchangeable cartridges 8 from different detergent suppliers, while facilitating the identification of the exchangeable cartridges 8 used.
Dispensing system and method using a variable initial volume V init fillable multi-dose canister
According to an embodiment, the one or more multi-dose 4 tanks comprise one or more refillable tanks 10, for example refillable by a user, if the initial volume V _ init of the treatment substance 2 is not fixed but variable. The fillable tanks 10 can comprise a plurality of different fillable tanks 10 which contain the same or different treatment substances 2 and have the same or different initial volumes V init.
Advantageously, the refillable tank 10 comprises a graduated scale 11 which allows the user to select and/or read the initial filling quantity of the treatment substance 2 filled.
The user interface 7 may be configured to allow a user to selectively input for each multi-dose tank 4 an initial filling quantity of the fillable tank 10 as said indication of the initial volume V init of the treatment substance 2.
The control unit 6 may be configured to determine for each fillable tank 10 a total allocatable quantity value Q _ tot _ init depending on an initial filling quantity or initial volume V _ init entered by a user by means of the user interface 7.
According to an embodiment, the treatment substance 2 may be provided by a detergent manufacturer, with a suggested amount of treatment substance available for a single wash cycle. These recommendations generally depend on the concentration of the treatment substance 2 and may be generalized and also embodied as "unit dose values" or "concentration values" for the purposes of this specification.
Similarly, the user interface 7 may be configured to allow the user to selectively input, for each multi-dose 4 container, a concentration value indicative of the concentration of the treatment substance 2 or a recommended unit amount of the treatment substance 2 for a single wash cycle.
The control unit 6 may be configured to selectively determine for each multi-dose tank 10 the duration of the step of activating one or more dosing pumps 5, depending on the concentration value entered by the user through the user interface 7.
This allows the use of treatment substances 2 with different concentrations and optimizes the use of treatment substances 2 according to the instructions of the detergent manufacturer and in this way coordinates the requirements of washing efficiency, resource saving and environmental compatibility.
Dispensing system and method using a single-dose container fillable with a dose pre-dosed by a user
A certain amount of treatment substance
According to an embodiment of the invention, dispensing system 1 comprises one or more single-dose compartments 12 which can be filled with a treatment substance pre-dosed by a user for a single wash, wherein one or more dosing pumps 5 are connectable in flow communication with said one or more single-dose compartments 12 and activatable to selectively extract said pre-dosed treatment substance from said one or more single-dose compartments 12.
According to an embodiment, each of the one or more single dose compartments 12 may be provided separately instead of one of the multi-dose canisters 4.
This allows using the dispensing system 1 for automatic dispensing of detergent for multiple wash cycles (multiple doses) and for dispensing of detergent pre-dosed by the user for a single wash cycle (single dose).
According to an embodiment, user interface 7 allows the user to confirm the selection confirmation of multiple dose delivery from one or more multi-dose canisters 4 and single dose delivery from one or more single dose compartments 12.
According to an embodiment, such selective confirmation between multiple doses and single dose delivery may be selectively inserted for one or more single dose compartments 12 and/or multiple dose canisters 4.
According to an embodiment, selection of a single dose delivery from one of the single dose compartments 12 confirms exclusion and replacement of a corresponding multi-dose delivery from one of the multi-dose 4 canisters.
In response to an incoming single-dose dispense selection, the control unit 6 automatically pauses the counting of the pumping volume t _ p for the respective multi-dose tank 4, keeping the total dispensable and dispensed volume values Q _ tot _ init and Q _ tot _ disp for the respective multi-dose tank 4 unchanged.
According to an embodiment, the control unit 6 automatically resumes counting the pumping volume t _ p of a respective multi-dose tank 4 in case of a previous suspension of calculating the pumping volume t _ p of at least one of the multi-dose tanks 4 and a subsequent selection to confirm a multi-dose dispensing from that multi-dose tank 4.
The user interface 7 may be configured and/or controlled by the control unit 6 to request to the user at the beginning of the washing program:
first, confirmation of the choice between the above-mentioned single-dose and multi-dose delivery, and
then, in the case of a multiple dose delivery option, confirming the choice between refilling at least one multi-dose tank 4 and continuing the procedure without refilling one of the multi-dose tanks 4, and
-in the event of confirmation of selection of refilling of at least one of the multi-dose 4 tanks, confirmation of selection between refilling of at least one refillable tank 10 with a variable initial volume V _ init and refilling by connection of at least one new replaceable cartridge 8 with a fixed initial volume V _ init.
This makes it possible to avoid errors in determining the total dispensable quantity value Q _ tot _ init in the multi-dose canister 4 and in determining the remaining quantity of treatment substance.
According to an embodiment, the dispensing system 1 comprises a tank interface 13, the tank interface 13 having one or more attachment portions 14 in flow connection with the one or more dosing pumps 5 and being adapted to be reversibly coupled to the one or more multi-dose tanks 4.
The shape of the attachment portion 14 and/or the shape of the canister interface 13 and the shape of the multi-dose canister 4 preferably allows each multi-dose canister 4 to be coupled to only one of the connection portions 14, respectively.
This allows each multi-dose tank 4 and therefore each treatment substance 2 to be unidirectionally coupled with only one of the connection portions 14 and therefore with a given dosing pump 5.
Advantageously, one or more single-dose compartments 12 are each formed around one of attachment portions 14, respectively, so that in the case of a separation of multi-dose tank 4 from attachment portion 14, free attachment portion 14 may create a flow connection between the respective single-dose compartment 12 and one or more dosing pumps 5 without further switching operation of the flow connection.
In addition, it is particularly intuitive for the user to attach the multi-dose canister 4 and/or to pour a single dose of single-dose detergent into exactly the same location as the dispensing system 1.
The invention also relates to a washing machine 3 comprising a dosing system 1.
According to an embodiment, the laundry washing machine 3 comprises a casing 15, a washing tank 16 arranged inside the casing 15 and having an opening 19, for example a front or top portion, closable by a front or upper door 17, for example a porthole door, hinged to the casing 15, for example at the front or upper portion.
The laundry washing machine 3 further comprises a basket 18 arranged inside the washing tub 16 and possibly rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis, wherein the basket 18 defines a loading opening 24, the loading opening 24 being located or locatable at the front opening 19 of the washing tub 16 for loading and unloading the laundry.
The laundry washing machine 3 further comprises a water filling system 20, which water filling system 20 is connectable to the water mains and communicates with the washing tub 16 to fill the washing tub 16 with water.
Furthermore, the laundry washing machine 3 comprises a control system with a user interface which can be implemented with a user interface 7 of the dispensing system 1 for dispensing the treatment substance 2 or which communicates with the aforementioned control unit (CTR-U) 6.
The treatment substance 2 extracted from the one or more multi-dose tanks 4 is then conveyed into the wash tank 16 and/or the laundry basket 18, for example, directly through the one or more dosing pumps (P)5 and/or through the water filling system 20.
In an advantageous embodiment, the tank interface 13 and/or the multi-dose tank 4 and/or the single-dose compartment 12 are positioned in a door 17 of the laundry washing machine 3, the door 17 being electrically non-wired, while the control unit 6 and the dosing pump or pumps 5 are located in a housing 15 outside the door 17 and are electrically powered.
The system 1 and method for dispensing a treatment substance 2 allow to arrange the tank interface 13 and/or the multi-dose tank 4 and/or the single-dose compartment 12 in a non-wiring area of the washing machine 1 without having to forego controlling the remaining level of treatment substance 2 in the multi-dose 4 tank.
As non-limiting examples, the treatment substance 2 may comprise one or more detergents, fabric softeners, enzymes, perfumes, disinfectants, detergents or additives.
For the sake of brevity, the steps of the method described in connection with the description of the dispensing system 1 and/or the laundry washing machine 3 may be further performed by equivalent, alternative or different means than the electronic control unit 6, or manually and intelligently by an operator.
Obviously, further changes and modifications may be made by the skilled person to the treatment substance dispensing system 1, to the washing machine 3 and to the treatment substance dispensing method without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims (17)
1. A system (1) for dispensing a liquid treatment substance (2) in a washing machine (3), said system (1) comprising:
one or more multi-dose tanks (4) adapted to contain each initial volume (V init) of liquid treatment substance (2),
one or more volumetric dosing pumps (5) connected in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks (4), and the volumetric dosing pumps (5) being activatable to selectively extract the liquid treatment substance (2) from the one or more multi-dose tanks (4) and dispense the liquid treatment substance (2),
an electronic control unit (6), the electronic control unit (6):
actuating the one or more dosing pumps (5),
determining a total dispensable quantity (Q _ tot _ init) value for each of the one or more multi-dose canisters (4) from the initial volume (V _ init),
counting, for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks (4), a pumping volume (t _ p) of the respective dosing pump (5) during actuation of the one or more dosing pumps (5),
determining a total dispensed amount (Q _ tot _ disp) value for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks (4) from the counted pumping amounts (t _ p),
-selectively generating a warning of the exhaustion or residual quantity of liquid treatment substance for each of said one or more multi-dose tanks (4) as a function of said total dispensable (Q tot init) value and said total dispensed (Q tot disp) value.
2. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said one or more dosing pumps (5) are activated for pumping at a constant flow rate and said count of pumping amounts (t _ p) comprises a count of activation times of said pumps (5).
3. System (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dispensing system (1) comprises a user interface (7) in signal connection with the control unit (6) and which allows a user to enter a treatment substance refill confirmation and, optionally, to selectively enter, for each multi-dose canister (4), an indication of an initial volume (V _ init) of a treatment substance (2),
wherein, in response to an input treatment substance (2) refill confirmation, the control unit (6):
-automatically determining from said indication of the initial volume (V _ init) of treatment substance the corresponding value of said total allocable quantity (Q _ tot _ init), and
resetting the total allocated amount (Q _ tot _ disp) value to zero.
4. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more multi-dose canisters (4) comprise one or more replaceable cartridges (8), wherein the initial volume (V _ init) of the treatment substance (2) is fixed and identifiable by an identification code,
wherein the control unit (6) comprises a memory (9), the memory (9) containing a list (22) of cartridges having one or more initial volume (V _ init) values pre-stored for one or more of the exchangeable cartridges (8) having a fixed initial volume (V _ init),
wherein the control unit (6) is configured to determine the total allocable amount (Q _ tot _ init) value for each of the one or more exchangeable cartridges (8) according to the one or more initial volume (V _ init) values pre-stored in the cartridge list (22).
5. System (1) according to claim 4, wherein the user interface (7) is configured to allow a user to selectively input or select, for each multi-dose canister (4), an identification code (ID _ code) of the exchangeable cartridge (8) as an indication of an initial volume (V _ init) of treatment substance, and
wherein the box list (22) further comprises links associating pre-stored initial volume (V _ init) values with respective ID code identification codes selectable via the user interface (7),
wherein the control unit (6) determines the total allocable amount (Q _ tot _ init) value for each of the one or more exchangeable cartridges (8) based on the cartridge list (22) according to an ID _ code identification code selected by the user through the user interface (7).
6. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more multi-dose tanks (4) comprise one or more fillable tanks (10) fillable by the user, wherein an initial volume (V _ init) of treatment substance (2) is not fixed, wherein the fillable tanks (10) can comprise a scale (11) indicating the initial filling amount of treatment substance (2),
wherein the user interface (7) allows the user to selectively input, for each of the multi-dose tanks (4), an initial filling quantity for a fillable tank (10) as an indication of an initial volume (V _ init) of treatment substance,
wherein the control unit (6) determines for each of the fillable tanks (10) a value of a total allocable quantity (Q _ tot _ init) depending on the initial filling quantity entered by the user.
7. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user interface (7) allows a user to selectively input or select an indicated concentration value of a treatment substance concentration for each multi-dose canister (4),
wherein the control unit (6) selectively determines, for each of the multi-dose tanks (4), the duration of the step of activating the one or more dosing pumps (5) as a function of the concentration values received through the user interface (7).
8. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (6) generates a warning of the remaining amount of treatment substance as a function of the difference between the value of the total dispensable amount (Q tot init) and the value of the total dispensed amount (Q tot disp).
9. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (6) generates a treatment substance exhaustion warning as a function of a comparison between a difference between the total dispensable amount (Q _ tot _ init) value and the total dispensed amount (Q _ tot _ disp) value and a predetermined exhaustion threshold (Q _ limit _1),
wherein the predetermined exhaustion threshold (Q _ limit _1) corresponds to a remaining amount (Q _ res) of the treatment substance (2) that is lower than an amount of the treatment substance (2) required for a single washing cycle.
10. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (6) generates a treatment substance reserve warning as a function of a comparison between a difference between the total dispensable amount (Q _ tot _ init) value and the total dispensed amount (Q _ tot _ disp) value and a predetermined reserve threshold value,
wherein the predetermined reserve threshold corresponds to an amount of a treatment substance: the amount of treatment substance is greater than the amount of treatment substance required for a single wash cycle selected or set by the user, but less than the amount of treatment substance required for "n" wash cycles, where "n" is a predetermined value and/or a value set by the user.
11. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising one or more single-dose compartments (12), said single-dose compartments (12) being fillable with a treatment substance pre-dosed by the user for a single wash, wherein the one or more dosing pumps (5) are connectable in flow communication with the one or more single-dose compartments (12) and the dosing pumps (5) are activatable to selectively extract the pre-dosed treatment substance from the one or more single-dose compartments (12).
12. The system (1) according to claim 11, wherein the user interface (7) allows the user to confirm a selection between multi-dose dispensing from the one or more multi-dose canisters (4) and single-dose dispensing from the one or more single-dose compartments (12), wherein confirming a single-dose dispensing selection from one of the single-dose compartments (12) excludes and replaces a corresponding multi-dose dispensing from one of the multi-dose canisters (4),
wherein, in response to the entered single-dose dispensing selection, the control unit (6) automatically pauses the counting of the pumping volume (t _ p) for the respective multi-dose tank (4), keeping the total dispensable (Q _ tot _ init) and total dispensed quantity values for the respective multi-dose tank (4) unchanged,
wherein the control unit (6) automatically resumes the counting of the pumped volume (t _ p) for the respective multi-dose tank (4) in case of a previous suspension of the counting of the pumped volume (t _ p) for at least one of the multi-dose tanks (4) and a subsequent selection of confirmation of a multi-dose dispensing from this multi-dose tank (4).
13. System (1) according to claim 11 or 12, comprising a tank interface (13), the tank interface (13) having one or more attachment portions (14), the attachment portions (14) being in flow connection with the one or more dosing pumps (5) and being adapted to be reversibly coupled to the one or more multi-dose tanks (4),
wherein the one or more single-dose compartments (12) are each formed around one of the attachment portions (14), respectively, such that with the multi-dose canister (4) detached from the attachment portion (14), the attachment portion (14) releases an outlet in the respective single-dose compartment (12) and fluidly connects the single-dose compartment (12) with the one or more dosing pumps (5).
14. The system (1) according to claim 13, wherein the shape of the canister interface (13) and the shape of the multi-dose canister (4) allow each of the multi-dose canisters (4) to be coupled to only one of the attachment portions (14), respectively.
15. A washing machine (3) comprising a housing (15); a washing tub (16) arranged in the housing (15) and having an opening (19), the opening (19) being closable by a movable door (17); a basket (18) arranged inside said washing tub (16) and adapted to receive laundry to be washed; a water filling system (20) connectable to a water main and communicating with the washing tub (16) to fill the washing tub (16) with water,
characterized in that said laundry washing machine (3) comprises a dispensing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said treatment substance (2) extracted from one or more multi-dose tanks (4) is conveyed into said washing tub (16).
16. The laundry machine (3) according to claim 15, wherein said multi-dose tank (4) is located in said door (17), said door (17) is not electrically wired, said control unit (6) and said one or more dosing pumps (5) are located in a housing (15) external to said door (17) and are electrically powered.
17. A method for dispensing and controlling the amount of a liquid treatment substance (2) in a multi-dose washing machine (3), the method comprising:
providing one or more multi-dose tanks (4) adapted to contain each initial volume (V init) of liquid treatment substance,
actuating one or more volumetric dosing pumps (5) in flow communication with the one or more multi-dose tanks (4) to selectively extract and dispense the liquid treatment substance from the one or more multi-dose tanks (4),
determining a total dispensable quantity (Q _ tot _ init) value for each of the one or more multi-dose canisters (4) from the initial volume (V _ init),
counting, for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks (4), a pumping volume (t _ p) of the respective dosing pump (5) during actuation of the one or more dosing pumps (5),
determining a total dispensed amount (Q _ tot _ disp) value for each of the one or more multi-dose tanks (4) from the counted pumping amounts (t _ p),
-selectively generating a warning of the exhaustion or residual quantity of liquid treatment substance for each of said one or more multi-dose tanks (4) as a function of said total dispensable (Q tot init) value and said total dispensed (Q tot disp) value.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT102018000007724 | 2018-08-01 | ||
| IT102018000007724A IT201800007724A1 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2018-08-01 | Dispensing system of treatment substances in a washing machine with multiple dosage |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN110791924A true CN110791924A (en) | 2020-02-14 |
Family
ID=63965874
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201910704483.6A Pending CN110791924A (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2019-07-31 | System for dispensing treatment substances in a multi-dose washing machine |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP3604661B1 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN110791924A (en) |
| ES (1) | ES2915419T3 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT201800007724A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN113864145A (en) * | 2020-06-30 | 2021-12-31 | 格兰富控股联合股份公司 | Metering pump system |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE102022201879A1 (en) * | 2022-02-23 | 2023-08-24 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | Laundry care device with a dosing module |
| EP4276234A4 (en) * | 2022-03-31 | 2024-01-17 | Wuxi Little Swan Electric Co Ltd | Dispenser box, detergent dispensing apparatus, washing device, and washing device kit |
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- 2019-07-26 EP EP19188665.4A patent/EP3604661B1/en active Active
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Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| IT201800007724A1 (en) | 2020-02-01 |
| EP3604661B1 (en) | 2022-04-27 |
| EP3604661A1 (en) | 2020-02-05 |
| ES2915419T3 (en) | 2022-06-22 |
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