DK2532295T3

DK2532295T3 - Household appliance with a water valve

Info

Publication number: DK2532295T3
Application number: DK12006693.1T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Albert Johann Loichinger
Original assignee: V-Zug Ag
Priority date: 2012-09-25
Filing date: 2012-09-25
Publication date: 2017-02-20
Also published as: SI2532295T1; EP2532295B1; PL2532295T3; EP2532295A1

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a household appliance as well as to a method for operating a household appliance.

Background

Household appliances with liquid-based cleaning mechanisms often have a so-called water switch. For example, a washing machine has a water switch which guides a water flow to the different detergent chambers. In dish washers, a water switch can be provided for guiding a water flow to the different spraying arms in the vat.

Such water switches can be understood as electrically controllable actuators and are normally supported in a movable way in their position in order to close or open the respective outflow. In this way it is possible for a water switch to be transferred by means of an electric signal of a controller from its first position, in which it guides water from an inlet only into a first outlet, into a second position, in which the water switch only allows water flow into a second outlet, however not into the first outlet anymore. The positions may also be reached in the transition area. A sensor is normally provided in order to precisely adjust the position of the water switch, which detects a reference position of the water switch. With the reference position as a basis, any position may be reached in a controllable way based on the reference position and the motor rotations and, as the case may be, a gear transmission, because an actuation of the water switch is normally carried out by means of a synchronous motor. Usually, a stationary mechanical position switch interacts for example with the water switch such that in case of a contact of the position switch with the water switch, the reference position is determined.

Such a position switch is however an additional component which has to be wired and monitored. Insofar, there is the desire for a less complex reference position detection for a water switch in a household appliance . EP 1 183 985 A2 relates to a valve for a dish washer with a hollow space which is limited by a valve body, with an inlet for rinsing liquid and at least an outlet which can be closed by means of a closing element arranged in a movable way inside the hollow space. At least a sensor is attached to the valve body, by means of which the closing element can be detected in at least one position inside the hollow space. In this way, at least one switching position of the valve can be monitored and controlling the dish washer may be carried out or corrected depending on the detected valve position. FR 2 789 451 A1 shows a valve for choosing fluid transfer paths in a circuit section where the fluid flows sequentially from the bottom to the top. DE 10 2007 041299 A1 describes a dish washer and a method for operating the dish washer. The dish washer comprises a rinsing container, two spraying devices, one rerouting device, one electric drive which is adapted to bring the rerouting device in different positions by means of its motor, a controlling device for controlling the electrical actuator and one recirculating pump which transports liquid to one of the two and/or to both spraying device(s) depending on the preset position of the rerouting device. The controlling device is adapted to drive the electrical drive in such a way that its electric motor first brings the rerouting device in a preset initial position and subsequently the motor turns about a preset anqle and in this way it brings the rerouting device in one of the positions without checking its current position. DE 10 2007 017274 Al relates to a method and a device for position detection of a closing element of a rerouting device in a dish washer, wherein a previously defined reference position of the closing element is determined by means of a signal value of the circulation pump .

According to WO 88/23292 A2, lye is discharged on the floor of a laundry treatment chamber by means of a pump and is fed back into it via a pipe above the laundry located inside the treatment chamber. The washing machine is furthermore connected to a fresh water feed-in pipe which can be opened or closed by a valve controlled by a sensor device suitable for determining a volume flow present in the flow direction of the pump. An additional sensor element can be saved for the controller of the fresh water supply in such a way that a body is arranged in the pipe, which can be actuated by the volume flow present inside the pipe, which sensor element protrudes into the measurement path of a turbidity sensor or releases it, respectively, depending on the presence or absence of a volume flow. Finally, the valve is switched into its opening or closing position by the turbidity sensor.

Description of the invention

This objective is reached by a household appliance with the features of claim 1. The household appliance has a water guiding system. Therein, an inlet is typically guided to a branching point, from which branching point multiple, thus at least two, outlets are outgoing. Preferably, the inlet and the outlets are formed as pipes. Typically, the inlet is charged with water at least for a time interval in operation of the household appliance, wherein a cleaning agent has potentially already been added to the water used for cleaning e.g. textiles or dishes depending on the device type. A water switch is now arranged between the inlet and the outlets, preferably at or in the vicinity of the branching point. The water switch serves to guide water supplied from the inlet into a choice of outlets. The respective choice of the outlets preferably depends on the operation program. In this way, such a choice of the outlets may not have an outlet if no outlet shall guide water during a certain program phase. In this case, the water switch preferably assumes a position in which all outlets are closed by the water switch, and preferably by a closing component of the water switch. Another choice may comprise only one outlet, such that the supplied water is guided further via this outlet, whereas other outlets are simultaneously closed by the water switch. However, such a choice may also comprise multiple or all outlets, such that the supplied water is split between these multiple or all outlets.

The household appliance furthermore has a turbidity sensor. This turbidity sensor is intended for measuring a turbidity of water in the water guiding system. Water in the water guiding system may particularly be rinsing water which e.g. flows through a water circuit multiple times and in this way is contacted with the objects to be cleaned multiple times for cleaning the same, wherein components of the water circuit are amongst others also the above mentioned water guiding system as well as the vat with the objects to be cleaned. Such an operation lowers consumption of the household appliance. However, after a certain time, the rinsing water may not have a sufficient cleaning capability anymore due to the recurring absorption of dirt. The above turbidity sensor may serve to determine such a contaminated state of the rinsing water by detecting a turbidity in the water, and preferably by detecting a degree of turbidity.

The turbidity sensor is an optical sensor with an optical sender and an optical receiver.

Particularly, the turbidity sensor may also be formed as fork or reflex light barrier. The dirt particles present in the water absorb or reflect the light of the sensor such that the received light power can be evaluated as measure of turbidity of the water in the above embodiment. Depending on a turbidity of water determined in this way, an associated controller can modify the operation of the household appliance, and e.g. extract and discharge the used water, or supply fresh water, or increase the detergent concentration in the water by adding detergent or influence the cycles or the temperature courses. These are only some representative examples illustrating how the operation of the household appliance can be influenced due to a detected turbidity degree .

The water switch and the turbidity sensor are arranged with respect to one another in such a way that at least a reference position of the water switch is detectable by the turbidity sensor. The turbidity sensor is consequently not only used to detect the turbidity of water passing by, but also serves to detect at least a specific position of the water switch, the so-called reference position, which can serve as starting point, as mentioned, for shifting the water switch in combination with a defined number of rotations of the drive from the reference position or another position in a desired position in order to e.g. release a certain outlet.

Other means for detecting the reference position of the water switch may be avoided by means of the invention. The turbidity sensor assumes two functions because it can detect due to its arrangement with respect to the water switch, and particularly with respect to its closing component, a single, however possibly also multiple positions of the movable component(s) of the water switch.

The closing component has a protrusion interacting with the turbidity sensor. In case of an optical turbidity sensor, an optical path between an optical sender and optical receiver is influenced by the protrusion only when the water switch is in the reference position. Here, the protrusion may also serve e.g. as interrupter for the optical path between sender and receiver. Due to the fact that the receiver preferably detects a shadowing of the sent light, a shadowing arising due to the protrusion is high as compared to shadowing arising due to water turbidity, such that it is detected from the shadowing arising due to the protrusion if the received light power decreases below a preset threshold value.

The closing component of the water switch is supported in a rotatable way. It can have one or more openings allowing passage of water from the inlet into one or more outlets, insofar as the water switch is positioned such that the respective opening matches one inlet of the associated outlet. Preferably, the at least one opening isn't arranged symmetrically with respect to a rotation axis of the closing component, such that a passage flow into the respective outlet(s) is made possible or closed in different positions of the closing component.

The above mentioned protrusion as means for interaction with the turbidity sensor can be arranged at the circumference in case of a rotatably arranged closing component with preferably circular circumference. Here, the closing component may have the shape of a plate, the circumference of which is only approximately circular due to the protrusion. Alternatively, also a hole pattern may assume this function in the water switch. Coded hole patterns allowing detection of rotation direction are also conceivable. This coding can e.g. be executed by a long and a short neighbouring shadowings of the light barrier.

If the household appliance is e.g. formed as dish washer, the inlet is preferably connected to a pump which pumps water from a sump of the vat to different spraying arms. The water guiding system with the water switch may assume the distribution of the water into the spraying arms, wherein a first spraying arm is connected to a first outlet of the water guiding system, and a second spraying arm with a second outlet of the water guiding system. In an alternative, the household appliance may also be formed as washing machine.

Furthermore, the objective is reached by a method according to the features of claim 11. An operation of the household appliance is controlled depending on a measured turbidity of water in the water guiding system of the household appliance. The reference position of the water switch, which is provided for guiding water in the water guiding system between the inlet and the choice of multiple outlets, is detected by the measured turbidity. Preferably, the water switch is transferred into a defined position based on the determined reference position.

The above method steps may be carried out in the mentioned order or in an arbitrary order, if technically reasonable.

Preferred embodiments which are disclosed in relation with the household appliance shall be assumed as also related to the method, and vice versa.

Short description of the drawings

Further embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention result from the dependent claims and the now following description by means of the figure. It is shown in:

Fig. 1 an opened water guiding system with a water switch seen from the top, according to an embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 2 a schematic water guiding system in a household appliance in longitudinal section according to an embodiment of the invention.

Way(s) of carrying out the invention

Fig. 1 shows a cut open water guiding system 1 with a water switch 2 in a top view, according to an embodiment of the invention. The water guiding system 1 is cut open in the area of a branching point 15. A non-visible inlet feeds the branching point 15 from the bottom towards the drawing plane. Above the branching point 15, thus showing out from the drawing plane, a variety of outlets would be connected, in the present example three outlets which are separated from the inlet by the water switch 2. A plate-shaped closing component 21 of the water switch can particularly be seen, which separates the inlet from the outlets. The closing component 21 is rotatably supported about an axle 26. The closing component 21 has three openings/breakthroughs 23, 24 and 25 which establish a continuous connection of the respective outlet with the inlet, if it is matched to the outlets by rotating the closing component 21, such that water supplied via the inlet is guided into the respective outlet. However, it is not necessary that the closing component 21 has to enable in such a position the access to all three outlets at the same time via the openings 23-25. Due to this reason, positions of the closing component 21 may exist, in which only one of the outlets is connected to the inlet by means of the branching point 15. Practically, the geometry of the closing component 21 depends on distribution patterns for the supplied water. If an operating program of the household appliance reguires e.g. the simultaneous charging of multiple outlets, the closing component 21 is geometrically formed in such a way that in a position of the closing component 21 two or more of its openings correspond to the respective outlets. Thus, when the closing component 21 is turned, also its openings 23-25 rotate along and can be brought into correspondence with one or more outlets.

The closing component 21 of the water switch 2 has in this embodiment a protrusion 22 which protrudes from the otherwise circular circumference of the closing component 21. In the present position of the closing component 21, the protrusion 22 covers at least partially an optical receiver 32 which is attached in the branching point 15. An optical sensor arranged above the drawing plane, which is not shown, transmits a light signal to the optical receiver 32. This light signal, which defines an optical path between the sender and the receiver 32, is interrupted in the shown position of the closing component 21 at least partially by the protrusion 22. This interruption manifests itself in the signal transmitted by the optical receiver 32 as drop in the received light power. Insofar, a reference position of the closing component 21, and therefore of the water switch 2, can be detected by evaluating this signal of the so-called turbidity sensor. Besides the detection of the reference position of the closing component 21, the sensor also serves as turbidity sensor for detecting a turbidity of the water passed between the sender and the receiver 32, wherein the operation of the household appliance, e.g. its program course, can be influenced based on the detected turbidity.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic water guiding system 1 in a household appliance in a longitudinal section view according to an embodiment of the invention. Here, only the inlet 11 is visible as a pipe, through which water is supplied to the branching point 15 and therefore to the water switch 2. The inlet 11 opens into the branching point 15 in which the closing component 21 is arranged. The closing component 21 closes or opens paths, in this example three outlets 12, 13 and 14. Only the outlet 12 lies in the chosen section plane. The outlets 13 and 14 shall be arranged shifted with respect to the section plane, which is illustrated by the hatching. It has been noticed that the outlets 12-14 don't only have different radii, but they can also be arranged radially with respect to the axle for the water switch 2.

In the present example, the closing component 21 has a current position where an opening 23 is matched to the outlet 12, such that the water supplied via inlet 11 is guided into the outlet 12. It is assumed that the inlets to the other two outlets 13 and 14 are closed in this position of the closing component 21 by the same.

Furthermore, a drive 27 for the axle 26 and consequently the closing component 21 are shown in Fig. 2. Preferably, the drive 27 is a drive with a step motor and a gear for endlessly rotating the closing component 21. The drive 27 is controlled by a controller 4. Thus, if another outlet than the outlet 12 shall receive the supplied water, the controller 4 issues a signal to the drive 27 to rotate the closing component 21 during a defined time and hence about a specific angle, in order to subsequently release the other outlet in the new position by an associated opening, and at the same time to close again the outlet 12 by the closing component 21.

The controller 4 receives a signal from the turbidity sensor 3 which is now shown in section and has an optical receiver 32 and an optical sender 31. The arrow 33 shows an optical path between the sender 31 and the receiver 32. If the protrusion 22 of the closing component 21 interrupts the optical path 33, a significant loss of signal strength of the receiver is detected by the controller 4, such that in this case the reference position of the closing component 21 where the protrusion 22 passes by the turbidity sensor 3 can be derived. This reference position is now used by the controller 4 for precisely positioning the closing component 21.

The turbidity sensor 3 also issues its signal for another purpose to the controller 4. If the water passing by the turbidity sensor 3 is contaminated and contains e.g. many particles, these particles cause a shadowing and therefore a signal with lower strength to the receiver 32. Such a determined clouding of the passing by water may lead to a changed operation of the household appliance. In this way, due to this it is possible to add fresh water into the water circuit, the program intervals and the temperature course can be influenced, etc. The interaction of the closing component 21 with the turbidity sensor 3 is preferably such that the signal generated by the interaction with the water switch differs guantitatively significantly from the signal which was generated by clouding of water.

While in present application preferred embodiments of the invention are described, it is clearly noted that the invention is not limited thereto and may also be executed in other ways within the scope of the now following claims. Particularly, the arrangement of the inlet and the outlets of the water switch may be carried out in arbitrary angles.

Claims

A domestic appliance, in particular a dishwasher, with a water supply system (1) having an inlet (11) and several outlets (12,13,14), with a water valve (2) between the inlet (11) and the outlets (12,13,14) for the purpose of controlled conducting water from the inlet (11) to a selection of the outlets (12.13.14) having a closure member (21) for closing at least one of the outlets (12.13.14) to water from the inlet (11) in a first position of the water valve, said closure member (21) being rotatably mounted and having at least one opening (23,24,25) for passage of water from the inlet (11) to at least one further of the outlets (12.13.14) in the closure member (21) ) first position, and which closure member (21) has a projection (22), with a cloud sensor (3) for measuring a water cloud in the water line system (1), which is configured as an optical sensor with an optical transmitter (31) and an optical receiver (32), with a control unit (4) for controlling the operation of the home appliance depending on the measured cloudiness at which the water valve The flange (2) and the cloud sensor (3) are arranged in such a manner that at least one reference position of the water valve (2) can be detected by the cloud sensor (3), the projection (22) in the reference position (2) of the water valve (2). ) affects an optical path (33) between the optical transmitter (31) and the optical receiver (32).

Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the projection (22) in the reference position of the water valve (2) interrupts the optical path (33) between the optical transmitter (31) and the optical receiver (32).

Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cloud sensor (3) is designed as a fork photocell or as a reflex photocell.

Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the closure portion (21) is formed plate-shaped with a circular circumference with the projection (22) at its circumference.

The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the closure portion has two elements covering an optical path (33) between the optical transmitter (31) and the optical receiver (32) in different ways to detect a direction of rotation of the closure portion. .

Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance is a dishwasher, wherein the inlet (11) is connected to a pump and wherein at least one first outlet (12,13,14) of the water supply system (1) is connected to a first spray arm, and a second outlet (12,13,14) of the water line system is connected to another spray arm.

Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (4) is designed to record the reference position of the water valve (2) in the event that a signal from the cloud sensor (3) indicates a cloudiness greater than a threshold value.

Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the water valve (2) has an actuator (27) with a synchronous motor with a defined rotation direction for endless rotation of the closing part (21).

Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (4) is designed to perform at least one of the following activities, depending on the measured cloudiness: - supply of fresh water to a water circuit containing the water supply system (1); supply of detergent to the water cycle; - withdrawing water from the water cycle.

Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (4) is designed to set the water valve (2) in a defined position depending on the recognized reference position.

A method of operating a home appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, in particular a dishwasher, wherein a home appliance operation is controlled depending on a measured cloudiness of water in the home appliance water line system (1), the reference position (2) of the water valve (2), which is provided to direct water into the water line system (1) between the inlet (11) and the plurality of outlets (12,13,14) is recorded by the measured haze.

The method of claim 11, wherein the water valve (2) is transferred to a defined position on the basis of the registered reference position.