DE1097413B - Dispensing device for dispensing measured amounts of a water treatment agent to the washing liquid of washing machines, in particular dishwashers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing measured amounts of a water treatment agent for washing liquid from washing machines, in particular dishwashers.

The drying process in washing machines can be reduced by adding small amounts of a conditioning agent to the last rinse water can be significantly improved. This increases in laundry washing machines Treatment means the mobility of the water, and the water separates more easily from the laundry when they are removed from the machine. In dishwashing machines this is achieved by adding a Treatment agent achieved a significant improvement by reducing the surface tension of the rinse water of the process in at least two important points. By increased drainage of the water The drying time of the plates or other objects is shortened. Even in areas with hard Water significantly reduces the formation of stains on glasses and silverware, because this staining is largely due to the evaporation of water droplets on the objects and from the deposition of the solids of the water on them. By using A treatment agent in the rinse water minimizes the amount of remaining water and there will therefore be an almost proportional decrease in staining on the Objects achieved.

In a known dispensing device is below a container containing the treatment agent arranged a basin, with a valve the entry of the treatment agent from the container into the Basin controls, which is provided with an outlet pipe.

Another known metering device consists of a diaphragm pump, the outlet of a metered Effects amount of the treatment agent from a container into the tub of the washing machine.

The invention therefore relates to a dispensing device which consists of a liquid storage container with a removable filling cap and a dispensing chamber with a pump for dispensing a measured amount of a liquid water conditioner in a wash tub.

The characteristic feature of the metering device according to the invention is that the pump is formed by a heat-sensitive bimetal membrane that forms a wall of the metering chamber with is in heat exchange relationship with an electrical heating element and takes on a shape when heated, which reduces the volume of the chamber and causes a measured amount of liquid to be expelled into the tub.

Allocation device
for the allocation of measured amounts of a water treatment agent

for washing liquid in washing machines, in particular dishwashers

Applicant:

General Electric Company,
Schenectady, NY (V. St, A.)

Representative: Dr.-Ing. A. v. Kreisler,

Dr.-Ing. K. Schönwald,

Dipl.-Chem. Dr. phil. H. Siebeneicher

and Dr.-Ing. Th. Meyer, patent attorneys,

Cologne 1, Deichmannhaus

Claimed priority:
V. St. v. America December 22, 1955

Leonard Joseph Martiniak, Chicago, 111.,
and Jack Edminster Bebinger, Brookfield, 111.

(V. St. A.),
have been named as inventors

Therefore, while on the one hand the snap action of the membrane presses a measured amount of the treatment agent into the washing machine, on the other hand When the membrane returns to its starting position, a measured amount of the treatment agent is extracted sucked into the container. The electrical heating element for heating the membrane is in a circuit arranged with a control switch which is operated by the operation regulator. To a particular one Time, the control switch energizes the heating element for a sufficient period of time to to heat the membrane so that it snaps into the other position. During a subsequent period the switch is operated so that it de-energizes the heating element, so that the membrane can cool down and return to the starting position.

The invention therefore provides a metering device for introducing a measured amount of a Water treatment agent in the washing tub of the

009 699/477

Machine, being introduced at a certain point during the operation of the machine he follows.

In the drawing shows

Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned side view of a typical automatic dish washing machine according to the invention,

2 shows a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an allocation device according to the invention,

3 shows a circuit diagram of the machine.

in Fig. 1 is the lower part of a household dishwasher shown in section. It consists of an outer housing 1, which is provided with a hinged door 2 below, which can be pivoted from a vertical closed position into a horizontal open position. In the When the door is open, the inside of a washing tub 3 is accessible, which has an open front, but is otherwise completely closed. A dish rack 4 is in and out of the Tub displaceable by appropriate devices, such. B. (not shown) side rails that be supported by the side walls of the tub. When door 2 is in the open position, the frame 4 can be pulled forward on the inner panel 5 of the door, whereby it is through one or several rollers 6 is performed. The whole frame can be removed from the door to go through the open front to get full access to the interior of the tub 3.

The lower part of the door panel 5 is provided with a shell 7 for receiving a granular cleaning agent Mistake. When the door is in the open position, the tray 7 with the detergent filled. At the beginning of the washing process, the detergent is rinsed out of the bowl and mixes with the wash water in the tub to form a wash solution. The tub 3 is also provided with a lower sump part 8, in which an impeller 9 of a corresponding shape is arranged is. The impeller is mounted on the shaft 10 of a motor 11 in the motor chamber 12 below the tub is arranged. Also in the motor chamber is a conventional one operated by a solenoid 18 Water valve 14 is provided, the water via an inlet pipe 15 from a (not shown) hot water tank is fed.

The water is discharged through a pipe 16 which is equipped with a filling attachment (shown schematically in FIG. 3) 17 is connected when the solenoid 18 moves the valve 14 from the usually closed position moved to the open position. In the chamber 12 a drain valve is also provided, the inlet of which 19 is connected to the sump 8. A flexible hose 20 connects the inlet 19 to one Odor trap 21. By means of a solenoid 22, the central part of the hose 20 is removed from its normal position Outflow position shown in FIG. 1 in a position above the level of the inlet 19 lifted, whereby a Drainage of liquid through the hose is prevented. The impeller 9 is equipped with fan blades 9 ' provided that an inevitable during the drying phase following the washing and rinsing process Create air circulation in the washing tub.

The illustrated dishwasher machine is typical of the many thousands that are in use and does not itself form part of the invention.

The subject of the invention is the introduction of a water conditioning agent, e.g. a wetting agent, in the tub to mix with the water in the same at a given time the operation of the machine. In the illustrated embodiment, the wetting agent added to the last rinse water to prevent the water in the tub from running out To lighten objects and thereby reduce the staining on the objects that caused by evaporation of water droplets remaining on the objects during the drying phase will. A non-ionic, capillary-active one has proven to be suitable for use in a dishwasher Means such as B. a synthetic detergent made of polyoxypropylene glycol, obtained by Polymerization of propylene oxide and reaction with ethylene oxide, other types of water conditioning agents shown superior.

As FIG. 2 shows, a wetting agent distributor according to the invention consists of a container 25 with a vent pipe 26. The container is arranged in the lower wall of the sump 8 at a point at which the removable cap 27 can be easily removed and the container 25 filled when the door 2 is in the open position and the frame 4 is removed. The cap 27 carries one with it a part 28 provided with a bore, which has a valve seat 29 which is connected to a ball valve 30 cooperates, which is pressed by a spring 31 against the seat. The drilling is in the immediate vicinity Connection to a tube 32 which extends over the entire length of the container 25 and through a Gasket 33 passes through which is in a housing formed in the lower wall 35 of the container 34 is arranged. The seal 33 consists of a flexible lip, which the removal and the Re-introduction of the tube 32 allowed without destroying the effectiveness of the seal. The container has a threaded filler neck 36 that passes through the rubber ring 37, which surrounds an opening in the lower part of the sump 8. The rubber ring 37 is secured by a nut 38 pressed against a shoulder 39 of the filling attachment 36 to establish a fluid-tight connection with the sump wall to manufacture. The cap 27 is screwed onto the filling attachment 36, preferably with an intermediate layer a sealing ring 40 to prevent leakage of liquid from the sump 8 into the container 25 avoid.

The lower wall 35 of the container 25 forms a rigid upper wall of a basin 41. The lower wall of the basin 41 is formed by a bimetallic membrane 42, the lamellae have different expansion coefficients, so that the membrane has the concave shape shown in the cold state and in the The convex shape indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2 snaps when heated. A ball check valve 43 fastened to a shoulder 44 of the wall 35 regulates the entry of liquid from the container 25 into the basin 41.
The energy released during the transition of the membrane 42 from the concave to the convex position causes a quantity of liquid to be expelled from the basin 41 through the pipe 32 into the washing tub 3. The seal 33 and the ball check valve 43 prevent; that liquid flows from the basin 41 into the container 25. The return of the membrane 42 to the normal concave position creates a negative pressure in the basin 41 which causes liquid to flow from the container 25 into the basin 41. The flow occurs mainly through the non-return

valve 43 and is only supplemented to a lesser extent by a flow past the seal 33. The ball valve 30 prevents liquid from flowing out of the pipe 32 into the basin.

The actuation of the membrane 42 takes place in a precise time dependence on the operation of the machine by heat radiation of the resistance heating element 45, which is arranged in a sealed chamber 46 is. This is attached to the lower part of the basin 41 in a liquid-tight manner. The heating element 45 is of two insulating supports 47 carried by cables 48 and 49 with a timer of the control circuit are connected as described below.

The heating element 45 is designed so that it radiates a significant amount of heat to the considerable Heat loss of the membrane 42 to overcome the body of liquid in the basin 41 rapidly, whereby the heat capacity of the liquid, of course, due to its volume and the ambient temperature of the distributor is affected.

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a time-dependent control circuit of the operation of a Dish washing machine according to the invention. For the sake of simplicity it is assumed that the consecutive Operations include only a wash and a final rinse, although common several washing and / or rinsing processes follow one another. According to Fig. 3, the operation includes a pre-wash, a single wash and a final rinse, during which the impeller is operated to positively circulate the rinse water in the tub. It then follows a Air drying process. The wetting agent can be in the washing machine during all using operations carried out by water are introduced. In the illustrated embodiment however, it is only introduced into the tub during the last rinsing process.

The time switch 50 can be of any type. Such a switch is provided with a motor 51 which, via a slip clutch and a transmission enclosed in a housing 52, drives a camshaft on which several cams C ₁ to C ₅ are arranged. The camshaft also carries an adjusting knob 53 which has a pointer which, when a work process is completed, comes into register with a mark on a control panel (not shown) which is attached to the outside of the housing 1 of the machine. It is assumed that the motor 51 is started by turning the knob 53 by hand through an angle of about 10 ° and that the motor then actuates the camshaft over the remaining 350 ° in exactly 30 minutes.

The cams C ₁ to C ₅ operate individual switches S ₁ to S ₅ , which for this purpose have contact fingers which are in engagement with the periphery of the cams and in a known manner according to the outline of the cams establish or break the connection with an associated spring contact . Each of the contact fingers is connected to a common line 54 of a power source for 60-period alternating current of 110 volts.

When button 53 is manually placed in the "on" division, cam C ₁ causes switch S _{1 to complete} its circuit, whereupon the engine is started by the circuit that includes line 54, switch S ₁ and Lines 55 and 56 includes. This circuit remains closed during the entire process. About 10 seconds after the closure of the switch .S ₁ , the cam C ₂ closes its switch S ₂ , whereby the circuit of the solenoid 18 via the lines 57 and 56 is closed. The excitation of the solenoid 18 opens the water valve 14 so that water is let into the tub 3 via the filling attachment 17. At this point, the solenoid 22 of the drain valve is not energized and the hose 20 is in a position to allow the water to drain freely. The purpose of the pre-rinse is to remove the coarsest dirt from the plates and other objects in the washing tub ίο and to remove cold water that is roughly present in the same from the inlet pipe. This process takes about 45 seconds, after which the cam C ₂ lowers the contact finger of the switch S _{2 in} order to open the same, as indicated by the schematic cam outline. The motor 11 is not in operation during this pre-purge. After a period of about 10 seconds, which allows the rinsing water to drain from the tub, the motor 11 is started by closing the switch ^ ₃ by means of the cam C ₃ . The circuit comprises lines 58, 59 and 56. At about the same time, cam C ₄ closes switch S ₄ to energize solenoid 22 of the drain valve via the circuit comprising lines 60 and 56. The solenoid 22 raises the hose 20 to the non-drain position. Then the cam C ₂ actuates the switch .S _{2 again} to let water into the tub. The water valve 14 remains open for a predetermined period of time in order to supply the required amount of water. For an average dishwasher this is about 8 liters and it takes about 45 seconds to fill. The motor 11 remains in operation for the duration of the washing process for a period of 5 minutes and of course the solenoid 22 of the drain valve which keeps the hose 20 in the raised position also remains energized. At the end of the washing process, the switches ^ and .S _{4 are} opened again or the motor 11 and the solenoid 22 are de-energized so that the dirty water can drain from the tub. Shortly thereafter, the switches .S ₃ and .S _{4 are} closed again, or the motor 11 and the solenoid 22 are energized again, so that the hose 20 is raised again into the non-drainage position. The cam C ₂ then closes the switch S ₂ for a further period of 45 seconds so that an amount of approximately 8 liters of hot rinsing water can be supplied to the tub 3 via the water valve 14. The switch S ₂ opens again to de-energize the solenoid 18 and cut off the water supply.

The valve 14 then remains closed during the remainder of the operation. The rinsing water is forced into circulation in the tub by the impeller 9. Simultaneously with the closure of the switch S ₂ , the cam C ₅ closes the switch S ₅ and thus the circuit of the heating element 45, which comprises the lines 49, 48 and 56. The switch S ₅ remains closed long enough so that the heat radiation of the heating element 45 can move the membrane 42 from its normal concave position into the convex position. The strong pumping action of the membrane 42 drives a certain amount of the wetting agent through the pipe 32 into the tub 3, where it mixes with the rinse water. The energization of the heating element 45 for a period of seconds is, on average, sufficient to heat the membrane. After this time has elapsed, switch S ₅ is opened again and the mem-

I 097413

bran 42 returns to its starting position after a short time; return.

The membrane sucks a certain amount of the wetting agent through the valve 43 into .das. Basin 41. Valve 30 closes to prevent liquid from escaping through tube 32. The solenoid 22 of the drain valve remains energized for the duration of the rinsing process for a period of 5 minutes, whereupon the switch S ₄ ^ de-energizes the solenoid so that the rinsing water can flow out of the wash tub. The motor 11 is preferably also switched off at this point in time in order to prevent the rinsing water from circulating during the drainage. During the remainder of the machine's operation, the solenoid 22 is no longer energized, but the motor 11 is started again to circulate dry air in the tub.

The action of the wetting agent is to reduce the surface tension of the water, so that the water droplets run off the objects easily after the rinsing process is complete, instead of to concentrate on it and to remain on it. The water droplets therefore arrive with the Rinse water into the drain pipe. During the following drying process, a minimum of Drops of water are on the objects that. can evaporate on it. Since - as already mentioned - the mineral and other foreign components, The water droplets will stain glasses and other objects the washed and dried glasses, plates and other items are essentially free of There can be stains when the user opens the door at the end of the whole work cycle to take the objects out take out of the tub. .

Although the invention has been described with particular reference to dishwasher machines is the use of a wetting agent in the final rinse water of laundry machines in equally advantageous. Especially in centrifugal laundry washing machines the addition of the wetting agent increases the mobility of the rinse water with the result that the spinning process considerably more water is removed from the laundry than under normal conditions, i.e. H. if that Rinse water has not been treated to reduce its surface tension.

In any type of machine, the application of the invention will shorten the drying time. In Dish washers is made possible by the significant reduction in the amount of debris left on items Water reduces the time it takes for the remaining water to evaporate. In Laundry washing machines are made possible by the improved extraction of water by spinning or taking Print the amount of water remaining and the amount required to dry the laundry completely Time decreased.

Claims (2)

PATENT CLAIMΕΙ. Allocation device for the allocation of - measured amounts of a water treatment agent for washing liquid from washing machines, in particular from dishwashers, consisting of .from a liquid storage container with a removable filling cap and from a dispensing chamber, which is a pump for dispensing a measured amount of a liquid water treatment agent contains in a washing tub, characterized in that the pump by a heat-sensitive Bimetal membrane (42) is formed, which forms a wall of the chamber (41), with a electrical heating element (45) is in a heat exchange relationship and when heated assumes a shape, which reduces the volume of the chamber and expels a measured. Liquid amount in the pan (3) causes. 2. Allocation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the removable filling cap (27) an additional means for fastening the container (25) to the tub (3). Considered publications:
Swiss Patent No. 300 519;
U.S. Patent No. 2,221,487. 1 sheet of drawings 1 009 699/477 1.61