DE102022128558A1 - Dosing system with Hall sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a dosing system (1) which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device (10) and an exchangeable container (40) which has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation, wherein in a coupled state of the container (40) the preparation can be dosed into the interior by the dosing device (10), and wherein the dosing device (10) has a detection unit in order to identify the coupled state of the container (40) and/or the container (40). The invention is characterized in that the detection unit has a first Hall sensor (27), a first magnet carrier (28) associated with the first Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another, and at least one second Hall sensor (33) and a second magnet carrier associated with the second Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another, wherein a position of the first magnet carrier (28) relative to the first Hall sensor (27) and a position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor (33) depend on the container (40) in the coupled state.

Description

The invention relates to a dosing system which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device and an exchangeable container which has at least one chamber for receiving a preparation.

The EP 2 296 520 B1 discloses such a dosing system with an exchangeable container and dosing device. The container has several chambers, each of which contains a preparation. The dosing device is placed in the interior of the dishwasher with the container in a coupled state of the container. The wash cycle can then begin, with signals being exchanged between the dosing device and the dishwasher. The preparations can thus be dosed out from the individual chambers of the container during the wash cycle at different times and in different quantities depending on various parameters.

The EP 2 296 520 B1 It can also be seen that the container is fitted with an RFID chip that can be read by a detection unit in the dosing device. The dosing device thus receives specific information about the contents or preparations in the container. The dosing device takes this information into account when determining the time and/or amount of a preparation to be dispensed. If, for example, a preparation is a highly concentrated dishwashing detergent, only a relatively small amount needs to be dispensed.

Although the RFID chip or a comparable information carrier such as an NFC chip enables the dosage of preparations from containers filled with different contents to be carried out in a targeted and efficient manner, this also has disadvantages. Firstly, the container must be equipped with such a chip, which can lead to relatively high costs, especially for a container that is only used once (disposable container). In addition, the dosing device must be equipped with a corresponding detection unit in order to be able to read these chips. Secondly, the chip or other necessary additional components such as antennas etc. can cause problems when recycling the container, which makes it difficult to recycle the container's materials.

The invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a dosing system with dosing device and container which is simply constructed, enables efficient dosing of the preparation from the container and in which the container is easy to recycle.

The object underlying the invention is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims to claim 1.

According to the invention, the detection unit has at least one first Hall sensor and at least one first magnet carrier associated with the first Hall sensor, which are arranged to be movable relative to one another. Furthermore, the detection unit has at least one second Hall sensor and at least one second magnet carrier associated with the second Hall sensor, which are also movable relative to one another. A position of the first magnet carrier relative to the first Hall sensor and a position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor depend on the container in the coupled state. The at least two Hall sensors allow different containers to be distinguished from one another or a container to be identified. Additional Hall sensors and associated magnet carriers can also be provided. For example, the dosing device can have three, four or more Hall sensors.

Unless otherwise stated, the description of the (first) magnetic carrier or the (first) Hall sensor also applies mutatis mutandis to the other magnetic carriers or the other Hall sensors.

The position of the first magnet carrier relative to the first sensor depends on the container. In one embodiment, connecting the container to the dosing device changes the position of the magnet carrier relative to the Hall sensor, which results in the magnetic field on or in the Hall sensor changing. The Hall sensor detects this change in the magnetic field and generates a correspondingly changed output signal. The dosing device can then use the output signal to deduce a specific container with specific preparations, for example based on correspondingly stored data. It is also conceivable that connecting the container to the dosing device does not result in any relative change in position. Accordingly, the Hall sensor does not detect any change in the magnetic field, which suggests a specific other container.

The magnet carrier does not necessarily have to accommodate a magnet whose position changes relative to the Hall sensor when the magnet carrier moves. The magnet carrier can also carry a piece of metal or the like, the position of which relative to the Hall sensor can change the magnetic field in or on the Hall sensor. It should be noted that connecting the container to the dosing device does not necessarily change the (absolute) position of the magnet carrier. Although a movably mounted magnet carrier and a fixed Hall sensor are preferred, it is also conceivable that the Hall sensor moves when the container is connected to the dosing device, or that the Hall sensor and magnet carrier both move at the same time.

The first magnet carrier can have a driver that projects into a container compartment of the dosing device, the container having a first activation area or a first deactivation area that are assigned to the first magnet carrier, the driver being pushed from a rest position into an activation position when the container is inserted into the container compartment if the container has the first activation area. If, however, the container is not equipped with the first activation area but with the first deactivation area, the driver is not moved when the container is inserted and remains in the rest position.

An example with three Hall sensors and three magnetic carriers is used to illustrate how the dosing device can identify different containers. The different containers have three areas depending on the number of Hall sensors, which are designed as either an activation area or a deactivation area. In the following table, a "1" stands for an activation area, i.e. the corresponding magnetic carrier is pressed into the activation position when the corresponding container is connected to the dosing device. If the number is "0", the container has a deactivation area.

For example, the container 7 has a first deactivation area, a second activation area and a third activation area. If this container 7 is inserted into the dosing device, the first magnet carrier or its carrier remains in its rest position, while the second magnet carrier and the third magnet carrier are each pressed into their activation position. The second and third Hall sensors would each output a different output signal, while the output signal of the first Hall sensor does not change. The dosing device can then use these three output signals to identify container 7, provided that the corresponding link between output signals and container 7 is stored in the dosing device. Table: Detection of different containers with three Hall sensors First activation/deactivation area Second activation/deactivation area Third activation/deactivation area Container 1 1 0 0 Container 2 0 1 0 Container 3 0 0 1 Container 4 1 1 0 Container 6 1 0 1 Container 7 0 1 1 Container 8 1 1 1

The first (or any further) deactivation area can be designed as a cutout on an edge of the container. If the container is placed in the container compartment and the driver of the first magnet carrier protrudes into the container compartment at the point where the cutout of the container is provided, the magnet carrier or its driver is not moved into the activation position by the inserted container.

Alternatively or additionally, the first activation area can be designed as a projection on the edge of the container. The container, container compartment and the driver of the first magnet carrier are in this case dimensioned so that the projection causes the driver to be pushed into its activation position when the container is inserted into the container compartment of the dosing device. Without the projection, the driver of the first magnet carrier would remain in the rest position.

In one embodiment, the first magnet carrier is mounted so that it can pivot about a rotation axis. When the container is inserted into the container compartment, the magnet carrier rotates when it is moved from the rest position to the activation position. A pivot angle of this rotation can be 20 to 70°, preferably 30 to 50°.

The container can have at least one connection piece and the dosing device can have at least one connection receptacle into which the connection piece is inserted in the coupled state, wherein the connection between the connection receptacle and the connection piece can be established by a linear closing movement of the connection piece. Preferably, the axis of rotation of the magnet carrier runs perpendicular to the direction of the closing movement.

The dosing device can have a flat housing with a front wall and a rear wall and can be designed to be able to be placed in a plate holder in the interior of the dishwasher like a crockery plate, with a first channel-like recess and a second channel-like recess being provided on the rear wall or the front wall, with the first Hall sensor being arranged between the first recess and the second recess. The recesses in the housing make it possible for the dosing device to be placed in a plate compartment of the plate holder, even if the plate compartment is delimited by upright support bars that have only a small bar spacing.

• 1 ein erfindungsgemäßes Dosiersystem mit einem Dosiergerät;
• 2 schematisch im Schnitt das Dosiersystem mit Dosiergerät und einem Behälter;
• 3 schematisch den Behälter in der Draufsicht;
• 4 das Dosiergerät in einem aufgeklappten Zustand;
• 5 im Schnitt das Dosiersystem der 1; und
• 6 das Dosiergerät der 4 im Schnitt mit unterschiedlichen Stellungen eines Magnetträgers.

The invention is explained in more detail using the embodiments shown in the figures. They show:

• 1 a dosing system according to the invention with a dosing device;
• 2 schematic cross-section of the dosing system with dosing device and a container;
• 3 schematic view of the container in plan view;
• 4 the dosing device in an unfolded state;
• 5 on average the dosing system of the 1 ; and
• 6 the dosing device of the 4 in section with different positions of a magnet carrier.

1 shows a dosing system 1 comprising a dosing device 10 and a container. The container is housed within a flat housing 11 of the dosing device 10 and in 1 not recognizable. In the 2 and 3 the dosing system 1 with the dosing device 10 and with the container designated 40 is shown schematically.

The dosing system 1 can be placed in the interior of a dishwasher and is designed to dispense one or more preparations located in the container 40 during a wash cycle. The dosing system 1 can exchange signals, data, control commands, etc. with the dishwasher so that the preparations can be dosed precisely in terms of time and quantity.

Like the 1 and 2 can be seen, the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 has a front wall 12 and a rear wall 13. The front wall 12, which is rectangular in its basic shape, and the rear wall 13, which is also rectangular in its basic shape, extend from a base 14 to an upper housing edge 15. In the vicinity of the upper housing edge 15, a film hinge 16 is provided between the front wall 12 and the rear wall 13, so that the housing 11 can be opened and a container compartment 17 (see 2 ) of the dosing device 10 is opened. The container compartment 17 serves to accommodate the container 40. When the housing 11 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17 in order to replace it with another container. The container 40 can be designed in such a way that it can hold the preparation or preparations in such a quantity that they are sufficient for several rinse cycles (for example for 20 to 30 rinse cycles). After emptying, the container 40 can be replaced with a filled container.

Out of 1 It can also be seen that a first recess 18 and a second recess 19 are provided on the rear wall 13. In the following, only the first recess 18 will be discussed in more detail. Since the second recess 19 is identical to the first recess 18 in terms of its design, the statements regarding the first recess 18 also apply mutatis mutandis to the second recess 19.

The first recess 18 starts at the base 14 and extends in the direction of the upper housing edge 15. The recess 18 is designed as an elongated, channel-like or groove-like recess, wherein a length in the longitudinal direction of the recess (direction from the base 14 to the upper housing edge 15) is significantly greater than a width of the recess transverse to the longitudinal direction. The first recess 19 has a groove base 20, the distance of which from the surface in which the rear wall 13 lies defines a depth of the first recess 18. Starting from a lower, open end 21, which is located on the base 14, to an upper, closed end 22, the depth is reduced. Accordingly, the depth at the lower end 21 is greater than the depth in the area of the upper end 22. Starting from the lower end 21, the groove bottom 20 initially runs in a straight line (i.e. the depth is initially constant there) and then merges into a curved section with decreasing depth.

The two recesses 18, 19 each serve to accommodate a holding rod that stands approximately vertically upwards or is slightly inclined to the vertical, of a plate holder of a crockery drawer that can be pulled out of the interior to put dishes in and take them out. The plate holder usually has two parallel rows of holding rods that are a certain distance apart within a row (rod spacing). The distance between the two recesses 18, 19 corresponds to the distance between the two rows, so that the dosing device 10 with the container 40 located in the housing 11 can be placed like a plate in a plate compartment of the plate holder. The dosing device 10 is supported like a plate on the holding rods that form the plate compartment. Due to the special course of the groove base 20 with the depth reducing towards the upper end 22, the dosing device 10 can be placed on the one hand in a plate holder in which the bar spacing is small and the holding rods are of medium length. On the other hand, the dosing device 10 can also be placed in a plate holder where the bar spacing and the length of the holding bars are large. In the latter case, the dosing device is supported by the upper end of the holding bar in the upper area of the recess 18, i.e. where the depth of the recess is small. As a result, even with a large bar spacing, the dosing device 10 stands upright in the plate holder and does not block adjacent plate compartments by being too tilted.

The height (distance between base 14 and upper edge 15) and the width of front wall 12 and rear wall 13 correspond to the diameter of a larger dinner plate. For example, the housing 11 can have a height of 200 to 280 mm. The width of the housing 11 can be 200 to 280 mm. The ratio of height to width can be 0.8 to 1.2.

Again 1 As can also be seen, the housing 11 has a thickness which is greatest in the area of the bottom 14 and then decreases slightly towards the upper edge 15. A maximum thickness of the housing, preferably in the area of the bottom 14, can be between 20 and 28 mm. In the schematic representation of the 2 the housing 11 is shown in a simplified form with a constant thickness. Since the maximum thickness of the housing 11 is at least a factor of 5 smaller than the height and width, the housing 11 is also referred to here as a flat housing.

While 1 the dosing system 1 standing on the floor 14, shows 2 the dosing system 2 in a lying position, with the rear wall 13 pointing downwards. In this lying position, the housing 11 can be opened by pivoting the front wall 12 about the pivot axis of the film hinge 16 (in the illustration of the 2 the pivot axis extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). When the front wall 12 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17.

From the 3 it becomes clear that the container 40, which is only shown schematically, has several chambers. In the exemplary embodiment shown, there are three chambers 41, 42, 43. Each chamber is used to hold a preparation, which can be, for example, an alkaline cleaning preparation, an enzymatic cleaning preparation, a rinse aid or a fragrance. Each chamber is assigned a connector 44, the structure of which does not differ from the structure of the other connectors 44. The chambers 41, 42, 43 are approximately the same size, but they can also differ significantly from one another in terms of their volume and shape. For example, one of the chambers can be designed to be twice as large for a preparation that is dispensed in twice the amount in one wash cycle compared to the other preparations, so that when the container needs to be replaced, all chambers are as completely emptied as possible or at least only very small residual amounts are left.

The chambers 41, 42, 43 are delimited by two housing halves or chamber walls 45, 46. Each housing half 45, 46 forms three shells or troughs, which form a chamber with the opposite shell. To produce the housing halves 45, 46, a (folded) plastic film can be used, which is drawn or blown into corresponding deep-drawing molds. The housing halves 45, 46 are welded to one another at a peripheral edge 47 and also at intermediate webs 48 between the individual chambers 41, 42, 42. The connecting pieces 44 are arranged between the two housing halves 45, 46 in a section 47a of the edge 47. These are inserted between the housing halves 45, 46 before the section 47a is welded and then welded to the housing halves 45, 46 in a liquid-tight manner. The sealing/welding of the section 47a to the connecting pieces 44 is expediently only carried out after the chambers 41, 42, 43 have been filled with the respective preparations. When filling, however, the housing halves 45, 46 are already welded together at the edge 47 (except for the gate 47a) and at the intermediate webs 48. Thermoforming enables low wall thicknesses. The required material expenditure is very low. The housing halves 45, 46 can be made of polypropylene (PP), for example. The container 40 can also be manufactured in other ways, for example by injection molding or blow molding.

The dosing device 10 has a connection receptacle 23 for each connection piece 44 (see 2 , which shows one of the connection receptacles). When the container 40 is inserted in the housing 11 of the dosing device 10, the connection piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 form a liquid-tight connection so that the preparation can pass from the chamber into a dosing chamber of the dosing device 10 assigned to the respective chamber. The dosing chamber and a dosing valve are in 2 not shown. Only a dosing compartment 24, which accommodates the dosing chamber and the dosing valve and is integrated in the rear wall 13, is in 2 The dosing compartment 24 has a dosing opening 25 for each chamber/dosing valve, through which the preparation from the relevant chamber then reaches the interior of the dishwasher via the connection piece 44/connection receptacle 23. It should be noted that when the dosing system 1 is in use, the base 14 points downwards so that the preparations from the chambers 41, 42, 43 can flow out of the relevant dosing opening 25 due to gravity when the dosing valve is open.

The connecting piece 44 has a base body with a weld-in part 49 and a plug-in part 50. The weld-in part 49 is arranged between the two thermoformed housing halves 45, 46 and welded to the peripheral edge 47.

By a linear pulling movement (in the representation of the 2 upwards), the plug-in part 50 can be pulled out of the connection receptacle 23. A corresponding pulling force can be directed through a finger ring 51 into the base body of the connection piece 44. For this purpose, the finger ring 51 can be rotated from the starting position shown into an active position. In the active position, which is shown in 2 As shown by the dashed line 51', the finger ring can be grasped by a human finger and then serves as a pulling means for releasing the connection between the connector 44 and the connection receptacle 23. In order to establish a connection between the connector 30 and the connection receptacle 37 when a new container is to be inserted into the housing 10, a pressure plate 52 is provided. It serves to hold a finger with which the plug-in part 50 can be pressed into the connection receptacle 23. The required pressure force acts in the representation of the 2 from above and is directed perpendicularly to the rear wall 13. The connector 44 and the connection receptacle 23 are designed in such a way that a membrane of the connector 44 is pierced when these two parts are plugged into one another. In addition, when plugged into one another, ventilation of the chamber is activated so that air can flow into the chamber when it is emptied. For the chamber 42, an air hose is indicated by the dashed line 53, through which air can pass from the connector 44 into the chamber 42. Air hoses are also provided for the chambers 41 and 43, but these are not shown for the sake of clarity.

4 shows the dosing device 10 in an opened state. The now opened container compartment 17 can be seen, which in the illustration of the 4 is empty. Parallel and spaced from the rear wall extends a cover plate 26 of the dosing compartment 24 (see also 2 ). Below the cover plate 26, in the dosing compartment 24, a first Hall sensor 27 and a magnet carrier 28 associated with the Hall sensor 27 are housed, which in the illustration of the 4 are however covered. Only a driver 29 of the magnet carrier 28 can be seen. The driver 29 protrudes beyond an inner edge 30 of the cover plate 26 and extends into the container compartment 17. The first Hall sensor 27 and the first magnet carrier 28 are in the 5 and 6 to recognize.

As from the 5 As can be seen, the container 40 arranged in the container compartment 17 has a tab or a projection 54 at the level of the first magnet carrier 28 on the section 47a of the edge 47, which cooperates with the driver 29 of the first magnet carrier 28. The 5 The container 40 shown differs in shape and manufacture from the container of the 3 The volume of the middle chamber 42 is significantly larger than the volumes of the outer chambers 41, 43.

If there is no container 40 in the container compartment 17, the first magnet carrier 28 assumes a position which is in the 6A and is referred to as the rest position. The rest position can be spring-loaded so that the magnet carrier 28 or the driver 29 integrally formed on the magnet carrier 28 always returns to this rest position, provided that no external mechanical forces act on the magnet carrier 28. If the container 40 is now inserted into the container compartment 17, the projection 54 presses the driver 29 in the representation of the 6 downwards so that the magnet carrier 28, starting from the rest position ( 6A) now an activation position ( 6B) From the overview of the 6A and 6 B it becomes clear that a distance between a magnet 31, which is held by the magnet carrier 28, and the first Hall sensor 27 has changed due to movement from the rest position to the activation position. Since the magnet 31 is now further away from the first Hall sensor 27 in the activation position of the magnet carrier 28, the magnetic field applied to the first Hall sensor has also changed. Due to the change in the magnetic field, the first Hall sensor 27 changes its output signal. The change in the output signal is detected by a control unit of the dosing device 10. The dosing device 10 thus receives the information that the container 40 is now located in the container compartment 17.

The first magnet carrier 28 is mounted in the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 32. The rotation axis 32 extends into the plane of the drawing of the 6 and runs perpendicular to a linear closing movement 55, by means of which the container 40 is coupled to the dosing device 10. The linear closing movement 55 not only pushes the first magnet carrier 28 from the rest position into the activation position, but at the same time also establishes the connection between the connecting piece 44 of the container 40 and the connection receptacle 23 of the dosing device 10.

The 5 It can be seen that a second Hall sensor 33 is housed in the dosing compartment 24. A further magnet carrier can be inserted into a rotary holder 34 associated with this Hall sensor 33, which in 5 but is not shown. This additional magnet carrier could be replaced by a further projection 56 (see dotted line in 5 ) which could be arranged next to the projection 54. In 3 the projections 54 and 56 are also indicated.

If the dosing device had two Hall sensors and two magnetic carriers, the dosing device could distinguish between three different containers 40. A first of these three containers would only have the projection 54, a second container would only have the projection 56, and a third container would have projection 54 and projection 56. For each of these three containers, a specific array of (modified) output signals results, based on which the dosing device can distinguish between the individual containers and adapt the dispensing to the specific container accordingly. To identify the containers, no chip or the like on the container is necessary, which could make recycling difficult. The group of Hall sensors together with the movable magnetic carriers represent a robust and cost-effective way of being able to easily distinguish between different containers.

List of reference symbols

1

Dosing system

10

Dosing device

11

Housing

12

Front wall

13

Back wall

14

Floor

15

upper housing edge

16

Film hinge

17

Container compartment

18

first recess

19

second recess

20

Groove bottom

21

lower end

22

top end

23

Connection holder

24

Dosing compartment

25

Dosing opening

26

Cover plate

27

first Hall sensor

28

first magnetic carrier

29

Driver

30

inner edge

31

magnet

32

Rotation axis

33

second Hall sensor

34

Rotation recording

40

container

41

chamber

42

chamber

43

chamber

44

Connector

45

Housing half / chamber wall

46

Housing half / chamber wall

47

Edge (Section 47a)

48

Intermediate bridge

49

Welded part

50

Plug-in part

51

Finger ring (51' finger ring in active position)

52

Pressure plate

53

Air hose

54

Projection / tab

55

Closing movement

56

Projection / tab

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 2296520 B1 [0002, 0003]

Claims (8)

Dosing system (1) which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device (10) and an exchangeable container (40) which has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation, wherein in a coupled state of the container (40) the preparation can be dosed into the interior by the dosing device (10), and wherein the dosing device (10) has a detection unit in order to identify the coupled state of the container (40) and/or the container (40), characterized in that the detection unit has: - a first Hall sensor (27) and a first magnet carrier (28) assigned to the first Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another; and - at least one second Hall sensor (33) and a second magnet carrier associated with the second Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another, wherein a position of the first magnet carrier (28) relative to the first Hall sensor (27) and a position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor (33) depends on the container (40) in the coupled state. Dosing system (1) according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the first magnet carrier (28) has a driver (29) which projects into a container compartment (17) of the dosing device (10), wherein the container (40) has a first activation region or a first deactivation region which are assigned to the first magnet carrier (28), wherein when the container (40) is inserted into the container compartment (17) • the driver (29) is pressed from a rest position into an activation position if the container (40) has the first activation region, or • the driver (29) remains in the rest position if the container (40) has the first deactivation region. Dosing system (1) according to Claim 2 , characterized in that the first deactivation region is formed as a cutout on an edge of the container (40). Dosing system (1) according to Claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that the first activation region is formed as a projection (54) on the edge of the container (40). Dosing system (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that the first magnet carrier (28) is pivotally mounted about an axis of rotation (32). Dosing system (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that the container (40) has at least one connecting piece (44) and the dosing device (10) has at least one connection receptacle (23) in which the connecting piece (44) is inserted in the coupled state, wherein the connection between the connection receptacle (23) and the connecting piece (44) can be established by a linear closing movement (55). Dosing system (1) according to Claim 5 and 6 , characterized in that the axis of rotation (32) of the first magnet carrier (28) runs perpendicular to the direction of the closing movement (55). Dosing system (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that the dosing device (10) has a flat housing (11) with a front wall (12) and a rear wall (13) and is designed to be able to be placed in a plate holder in the interior of the dishwasher like a dish plate, wherein a first channel-like recess (18) and a second channel-like recess (19) are provided on the rear wall (13) or the front wall (12), wherein the first Hall sensor (27) is arranged between the first recess (18) and the second recess (19).

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