EP0401449A1 - Dispensing and metering device for washing or cleaning machines - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a distribution and metering device for chemical additives in liquid or paste contained in a tank, intended for washing or cleaning installations, especially manual dishwashing equipment or industrial or domestic dishwashers fitted with devices (4, 5, 6) for securing the installation, especially to a wall, and comprising a metering pump (10) connected to the tank (13), the operation of which is controlled by a motor (14), especially an electric motor, operating in turn together with an electronic circuit (15). The features of this device are that it comprises at least one battery (16) supplying its own electric power independently of any outside system. The invention applies to metering and distributing cleaning products.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for distributing and dosing liquid or pasty chemical additives intended for washing or cleaning installations, in particular manual diving tanks or industrial or domestic dishwashers from a tank. containing the product to be distributed.

In the field of hygiene and dishwashing, the necessary products and additives can be added either manually or in a more sophisticated manner by means of dose dispensing devices comprising dosing pumps of different types.

Such metering pumps, associated with dishwashers, are sometimes inserted with the motor, in particular the electric motor and the electronic circuit controlling their operation in a housing located outside the washing machine itself, which is provided with fixing elements allowing it to be fixed in particular to a wall.

Such devices have the drawback of being relatively sophisticated and therefore expensive and of requiring planning, for their connection to the network of lines which may have great lengths, which is not without posing significant problems. problems from the point of view of cost price, aesthetics, or even safety, especially when these lines have to be drilled on tiled walls or allow the supply of washing machines located in an outdoor room.

Furthermore, manual distribution, in addition to its impractical nature, is also not satisfactory from the point of view of cost price. Experience has shown, in fact, that the staff responsible for washing and cleaning always tend to use too much product; this overconsumption leads to a non-negligible increase in the cost of washing and cleaning operations.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a dispensing and metering device for manual or automatic washing or cleaning installations, of the aforementioned type, the electricity supply of which is particularly simple and inexpensive, while giving every satisfaction from the point of view of the cost price and in particular of the consumption of products.

This device is fitted with fastening elements, in particular to a wall, and comprises a metering pump connected to the reservoir and the operation of which is controlled by a motor, in particular an electric motor itself cooperating with an electronic circuit.

According to the invention, this device is characterized in that it comprises at least one battery or a battery allowing its own electrical supply, independently of any external network.

This configuration has the advantage of allowing all the control elements to be integrated linked to the metering pump completely independently and avoid any conductive current piping, which is particularly advantageous in humid places; depending on the circumstances and the size of the installation to be supplied, one can, of course, opt for devices comprising one or more rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, connected in series or in parallel.

For the device according to the invention to give full satisfaction, it is of course essential that its user can easily access the battery or batteries to recharge or replace them.

To this end, and according to another characteristic of the invention, the device comprises two boxes mounted side by side on a rear wall carrying the fastening elements and each provided with a liftable cover.

According to another characteristic of the invention, one of the boxes or first box contains the metering pump and the motor while the other box or second box contains the electronic circuit as well as the cell or batteries or the battery or batteries.

Of course, in accordance with the invention, the fastening elements can be constituted by simple holes cooperating with elements such as nails or dowels.

However, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the fixing elements are constituted by a slide cooperating with a fixing rail secured to the wall.

Furthermore, the covers of the housings as well as the rear wall carrying the fastening elements are made of a conventional material which conch: synthetic material, metal ...

According to another characteristic of the invention, the electronic circuit includes a dosing potentiometer making it possible to adjust, in a variable manner, the duration of operation of the engine and consequently the quantity of product sucked in by the pump and distributed to the washing installation and of cleaning.

This dispensing operation is preferably simply controlled by means of a start push button or a switch.

In view of the above, the simple fact of pressing the control button therefore results in the dispensing of a predetermined dose of washing or cleaning product; in the long run, this results in substantial savings in terms of consumption of this product.

To check this, it is particularly advantageous to provide, according to another characteristic of the invention, a counter, in particular a pulse counter, capable of recording the number of implementations of the metering pump.

This pump is preferably a peristaltic pump, but it is also possible to use diaphragm and piston pumps.

A particularly advantageous variant of the device according to the invention is intended to cooperate with conventional industrial or domestic dishwashers, the washing cycle of which is controlled automatically from existing programming members.

Such dishwashers are provided with baskets intended to receive the dishes to be washed as well as on the one hand, a washing circuit comprising projection arms in particular movable sending jets under pressure on the dishes placed in the baskets and a washing tank connected to the dosing pump by a distribution pipe, and on the other hand, a rinsing circuit connected to an external network of water pipes via a rinsing solenoid valve and comprising rinsing arms sending jets under pressure on the dishes placed in the baskets.

In such machines, one begins to fill the washing tank with water added with washing or cleaning product at a predetermined concentration, which is used to carry out several cleaning cycles: each of these cycles breaks down into a washing operation. during which the water contained in the washing tank circulates in a closed circuit in the washing circuit and a rinsing operation during which the rinsing solenoid valve is opened and the water coming from the external network is projected onto the dishes placed in the baskets and then automatically fall back into the washing tub.

Since the washing tank has a capacity which corresponds exactly to the quantity of water added with washing or cleaning product supplied during filling, part of the water it contains is automatically discharged to the outside at during the rinsing operation to compensate for the supply of water from the external network.

For this reason, at the end of each cycle, the concentration of detergent or cleaning agent in the washing tub is slightly lower than the predetermined concentration, and it is necessary to restore it by adding a certain amount. quantity of this product.

Another object of the invention is to allow this concentration to be automatically restored. predetermined.

To this end, and according to another characteristic of the invention, the device is provided with adjustment members associated with the flushing solenoid valve to control the operation of the engine for a predetermined time and consequently the distribution in the washing tub. a quantity of detergent or cleaning product determined so as to compensate for the loss of this product following the addition of water during the rinsing operation.

Consequently, in accordance with the invention, the passage of water through the rinsing solenoid valve automatically causes the device to dispense a quantity of washing or cleaning product making it possible to restore the initial concentration thereof in the washing tub.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the electronic circuit is equipped with a dosing potentiometer cooperating with a push button or a manually controlled switch to control the starting of the engine and to variably adjust its operating time, thus as an automatically controlled adjustment potentiometer forming an integral part of the adjustment members and making it possible to adjust the duration during which a predetermined quantity of washing or cleaning product is dispensed so as to dose this quantity as a function of the volume of water of the wash tank and the necessary concentration.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, this adjustment potentiometer cooperates with a magnetic field contactor sensitive to the passage of water in the flushing solenoid valve and cooperates with the adjustment potentiometer to control the starting of the engine and its operation. pen for a predetermined duration.

As a result, the adjustment members are constituted by the second potentiometer and by the magnetic field contactor which is fixed in the immediate vicinity of the rinsing solenoid valve in order to be able to detect the magnetic field at the level thereof.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the speed of rotation of the motor is variable.

This variation naturally entails automatically the variation in the quantity of washing and cleaning product dispensed during the predetermined times.

This characteristic is also particularly advantageous, since it makes it possible to vary the predetermined concentration in the washing tub, for example, as a function of the degree of '' dirt '' of the dishes to be washed.

Of course, the aforementioned device may include other members, in particular a timer or an optical battery voltage warning device indicating that the battery voltage reaches a minimum, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.

• - la figure 1 est une vue de face de ce dispositif
• - la figure 2 est une coupe de ce dispositif selon l'axe II-II (figure 1),
• - la figure 3 est une coupe de ce dispositif selon l'axe III-III (figure 1),
• - la figure 4 est une représentation schématique de ce dispositif associé à un lave-vaisselle à un seul bac.

The characteristics of the device which is the subject of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• - Figure 1 is a front view of this device
• FIG. 2 is a section of this device along the axis II-II (FIG. 1),
• FIG. 3 is a section of this device along the axis III-III (FIG. 1),
• - Figure 4 is a schematic representation of this device associated with a dishwasher with a single tank.

According to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the object device of the invention is integrated in two boxes 1 and 2 mounted side by side on a rear wall 3 comprising elements for fixing to a wall shown in hatched form. These fixing elements consist of a slide 4 which cooperates with a fixing rail 5 which is fixed to the wall by means of screws 6 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Each of the housings 1 or 2 is constituted by a main part 7, 7 ′ provided at its front part with a cover 8, 8 ′ mounted articulated around an axis 9, 9 ′ making it possible to raise it.

This device is intended to allow the distribution of preset doses of washing or cleaning product to installations such as manual immersion tanks or industrial or domestic dishwashers from a metering pump 10 in particular of a peristaltic pump by means of distribution pipes 11 and supply 12 of washing or cleaning product; the supply line 12 is connected to a reservoir 13 containing the product to be dispensed which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4.

According to Figures 1 and 3, the housing 2 contains the metering pump 10 as well as its control motor 14 while, according to Figures 1 and 2, the housing 1 contains an electronic circuit 15 for controlling the motor 14 and a set of batteries 16 allowing the device to supply its own electrical power independently of any external network.

According to FIG. 2, the electronic circuit 15 essentially carries a dosing potentiometer 17 which cooperates with a start button 18 of the engine 14 to control the operation of the latter for a predetermined period corresponding to the distribution by the pump 8 of a preset dose of washing or cleaning product.

An optical warning device 19 is moreover sensitive to the voltage of the batteries 16 and gives a signal when the latter has reached a predetermined minimum.

It is also possible to provide, in circuit 15, members making it possible to vary the speed of rotation of the motor 14 or alternatively timing members.

The control motor 14 is generally constituted by an electric motor, although one can also envisage the use of magnets as motor elements.

According to Figure 1, there is also provided a pulse counter 20 which records the number of commands to trigger the metering pump 8 and therefore allows to have a precise idea of the consumption of washing or cleaning product.

According to FIG. 4, the above-mentioned device is intended to cooperate with a dishwasher bearing the general reference I, the cleaning cycles of which are controlled automatically from programming members not shown.

This dishwasher is conventionally provided with basket compartments 21 as well as a washing circuit A and a rinsing circuit B.

The washing circuit A comprises movable water spraying arms 22 which project pressurized water onto the dishes placed in the baskets 21 and a washing tank 23 with a capacity which is generally close to 80 liters and is connected, on the one hand to the metering pump 10 by the distribution pipe 11, and on the other hand, to the projection arms 22 by a circulation pipe 24 comprising a pump 25.

The washing tub 23 is moreover provided with a drainage system 26 for automatically discharging the liquid overflow.

The rinsing circuit B is connected to an external network of water pipes 27 by means of a rinsing solenoid valve 28 and comprises rinsing arms 29 which also send jets under pressure on the dishes placed in the baskets. 21.

The water projected by the projection arms 22 of the washing circuit A or by the projection arms 29 of the rinsing circuit B, automatically falls back into the washing tank 23.

The control of the succession of washing cycles and rinsing cycles is carried out automatically from the programming members not shown.

The operation of the dishwasher 1 is schematically as follows:

At the start of a series of cleaning cycles, each consisting of a washing cycle followed by a rinsing cycle, the washing tank 23 is filled from the external network 27 and then added to it by the pipe dispenser 11, a predetermined dose of washing or cleaning product so as to obtain in this tank 23 a predetermined concentration which is generally close to 2 g / l.

To carry out this addition, the user manually presses the start button 18 which automatically controls the starting of the engine 14 and, consequently, the start of the dispensing of washing or cleaning product in the pipe 11 by through the pump 10.

Simultaneously the command of the button 18 is transmitted to the dosing potentiometer 17 which regulates the operating time of the engine 14, this time corresponding to the distribution in the washing tank 23 an amount of washing and cleaning product corresponding to obtaining the predetermined concentration of this product.

When this manual prior operation has been carried out, the user can actually start the machine from the programming members not shown and arrange the dishes in the baskets 21 to carry out a series of cleaning cycles.

As already indicated, each of these cycles is broken down into a cleaning operation and a rinsing operation, the progress of these operations being automatically controlled from the programming members.

During the washing operation, the pump 25 is started, and the water added with washing or cleaning product being in the washing tank 23 enters, according to the arrow a, into the circulation line 24 then reaches the projection arms 22 of the washing circuit A from which it is projected onto the dishes in the baskets 21; this is a closed circuit operation since the water coming from the arms 22 automatically falls back into the washing tub 23.

When this circulation in a closed circuit in the washing circuit A of the water with washing or cleaning product coming from the washing tub 23 has lasted for a predetermined time, the programming members stop the pump 25 of the circuit A and open the flushing solenoid valve 28 of the flushing circuit B; the washing circuit A is then no longer supplied, but, the arms 29 of the rinsing circuit B receive, according to the arrow b, running water coming from the external network 27; this water, the quantity of which is generally of the order of four liters per rinsing cycle, first falls on the dishes contained in the baskets 15 and then in the washing tub 23. Simultaneously, and to avoid overflow in this tub 23, an amount of water added with detergent or cleaning product equivalent to the amount of clean water added during rinsing (approximately four liters) is automatically evacuated by the evacuation system 26. As a result, at the end of the rinsing operation, the concentration of washing or cleaning product in the washing tank 23 has significantly decreased and must therefore be restored by adding this product again before implementing a new cleaning cycle in the machine I with new dishes placed in the baskets 21.

The device according to the invention allows this addition to be carried out automatically by means of adjustment members. These consist of a magnetic field contactor 30 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 4) which is connected to the electronic circuit 15 and is fixed in the immediate vicinity of the solenoid valve 28 of the rinsing circuit B; this contactor cooperates directly with a second adjustment potentiometer 31 (FIG. 2) provided in the electronic circuit 15.

When the programming members control the start of a rinse cycle by sending water from external network 27 into circuit B, the variation in magnetic field following the passage of water through the rinse solenoid valve 28 is immediately detected by the magnetic field contactor 24 which sends back to the electronic circuit 15 a signal c which automatically controls the starting of the motor 14 and is transmitted to the potentiometer of setting 31 which controls the operating time of the motor 14 so as to cause the distribution by the pump 8, in the washing tub 23, of a quantity of washing and cleaning product corresponding to that discharged by the members 26 during of the rinsing operation.

The above-mentioned operating times of the motor 14 controlled from potentiometers 17 and 31 can be adjusted by means of members not shown.

Claims (10)

1) Device for distributing and dosing liquid or pasty chemical additives, intended for washing or cleaning installations, in particular manual diving tanks or industrial or domestic dishwashers from a tank containing the product to be distributing, device provided with fastening elements (4, 5, 6), in particular on a wall, and comprising a metering pump (10) connected to the reservoir (13) and the operation of which is controlled by a motor (14), in particular an electric motor itself cooperating with an electronic circuit (15), device characterized in that it comprises at least one battery or a battery (16) allowing its own electrical supply, independently of any external network. 2 °) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two boxes (1, 2) mounted side by side on a rear wall (3) carrying the fastening elements (4, 5, 6) and provided, each , with a liftable cover (8, 8 ′). 3 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the fastening elements are constituted by a slide (4) cooperating with a fastening rail (5) in particular integral with the wall. 4 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one of the boxes (2) or first box contains the metering pump (10) and the motor (14) while the other box (1) or second housing contains the electronic circuit (15) as well as the battery or batteries or the battery (s) (16). 5 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the circuit electronic (15) includes a dosing potentiometer (17) allowing variable adjustment of the engine running time (14) and consequently the quantity of product sucked by the pump (10) and distributed to the washing installation and cleaning. 6 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a counter (20), in particular a pulse counter capable of recording the number of implementations of the metering pump (10 ). 7 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, more particularly intended to cooperate with dishwashers (I) industrial or domestic, whose cleaning cycles are controlled automatically from existing programming bodies and which are provided with baskets (21) intended to receive the dishes to be washed as well as, on the one hand, a washing circuit (A) comprising projection arms (22) in particular mobile sending jets under pressure on the dishes arranged in the baskets (21) and a washing tank (23) connected to the metering pump (10) by a distribution pipe (11), and on the other hand, a rinsing circuit (B) connected to a external network (27) of water pipes via a rinsing solenoid valve (28) and comprising rinsing arms (29) sending jets under pressure on the dishes placed in the baskets (21), after filling of the washing tank (23) of water with added washing product ge or cleaning at a predetermined concentration, each cycle breaking down into a washing operation during which the water contained in the washing tub (23) circulates in a closed circuit in the washing circuit (A) and a washing operation flush during which the flush solenoid valve (28) is open and the water coming from the external network (27) is projected onto the dishes placed in the baskets (21) then automatically falls back into the washing tub (23), part of the water contained in the latter being, then, automatically evacuated to the outside to compensate for the supply of water from the external network (27), device characterized in that it is provided with adjustment members (30, 31) associated with the rinsing solenoid valve (28) to control the operation of the motor (14) for a predetermined time and consequently the distribution in the washing tub (23) of a quantity of detergent or cleaning product determined so as to compensate for the loss in this product following the water supply during the rinsing operation. 8 °) Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the electronic circuit (15) is equipped with a dosing potentiometer (17) cooperating with a push button or a manually controlled switch (18) to control the start-up of the motor (14) and variably adjust its operating time, as well as of an adjustment potentiometer (31) with automatic control forming an integral part of the adjustment members and making it possible to adjust the duration during which a predetermined quantity of product washing or cleaning is distributed so as to dose this quantity according to the volume of water in the washing tank (23) and the required concentration. 9 °) Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the adjustment members comprise a magnetic field contactor (30) sensitive to the passage of water in the rinsing solenoid valve (28) and cooperating with the adjustment potentiometer (31 ) to control the starting of the motor (14) and its operation for a predetermined period. 10 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the speed of rotation of the motor (14) is variable.

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