EP2323532A1

EP2323532A1 - Water-conducting household appliance, in particular dishwasher or washing machine

Info

Publication number: EP2323532A1
Application number: EP09780602A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bernd Heisele; Helmut Jerg; Roland Rieger; Michael Rosenbauer
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2008-07-23
Filing date: 2009-07-15
Publication date: 2011-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 2029-07-15
Also published as: AU2009273325B2; US20110126869A1; RU2509522C2; WO2010010015A1; JP2011528596A; EP2323532B1; CN102098951B; DE102008040647A1; RU2011103119A; NZ589936A; US8858728B2; CN102098951A; PL2323532T3; AU2009273325A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a water-conducting household appliance, in particular a dishwasher or washing machine, designed to carry out at least one washing program (I, II, III), especially a low-temperature program. According to the invention, a special cleaning program (S) for cleaning the washing container (1), particularly by applying washing liquid thereto, is carried out when there is a start signal (S_V).

Description

Water-conducting household appliance, in particular dishwashing or washing machine

The invention relates to a water-conducting domestic appliance, in particular a dishwashing machine or washing machine, according to the preamble of claim 1.

With water-bearing household appliances, a reduction in energy consumption is of great importance. Such an energy reduction can be realized, for example, by reduced process temperatures.

For example. For example, a generic dishwasher has a control device in which at least one washing program, in particular a low-temperature program operating at reduced process temperatures, for example below 50 ° C., is stored. The low-temperature program is activated by the user by manually operating a selection element. By means of the low-temperature program, the control device performs a rinse cycle or a rinse cycle for cleaning a ware.

In particular, the continuous use of low-temperature programs, such as a so-called soft wash or a glass program in which maximum temperatures of about 50 ° C are achieved, has the result that adhere to the interior of the washing container fatty dirt films. To eliminate such greasy dirt films, the user must use a special machine cleaner. Here is the

Dishwasher without dishes at least 65 ° C to operate. Alternatively, the customer may from time to time independently a high-temperature program, eg. A 65 ° C or an intense 70 ° C program.

In both cases, the device cleaning is at the discretion of the user. Too frequent equipment cleaning increases the energy consumption. In contrast, the cleaning result of items to be washed is impaired if the appliance is cleaned too rarely.

The object of the invention is to provide a water-conducting household appliance, in particular a dishwasher or washing machine, in which with As low as possible energy expenditure permanently a perfect cleaning result can be achieved.

The object is solved by the features of claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims.

The invention relates to a water-conducting household appliance, in particular dishwashing or washing machine, designed to carry out at least one washing program, in particular a low-temperature program. In this case, the at least one washing program may comprise a plurality of program steps, such as e.g. Pre-rinsing, cleaning, intermediate rinsing, rinsing and drying, which are carried out successively to clean and dry ware. To carry out the program steps, a controller may be provided, in which the individual wash programs are stored.

According to the invention, it is provided that, upon the presence of a start signal, a special cleaning program for cleaning the rinsing container, in particular by applying rinsing liquid, is carried out. With the start signal, the special cleaning program is thus activated internally within the device without the user having to make a decision. Therefore, the special cleaning program can always take place when there are actual or expected dirt deposits in the hydraulic circuit of the water-conducting domestic appliance. To clean the washing container, which also includes the arranged in the bottom portion of the washing container of a dishwasher sump with a sieve assembly for cleaning circulating rinsing liquid, the washing is charged on the inside with heated and circulated by a circulation pump rinsing liquid, the heated rinse liquor collects in the sump, after she has passed through the screen assembly.

To generate the start signal, a control device of the water-conducting domestic appliance is assigned a signal-generating device by means of which the start signal can be generated in different ways. According to a particularly simple embodiment, the signal generating means may comprise a counter unit, the z. B. counts on the occurrence of certain relevant events by at least one count and generates a start signal when reaching a limit count. A meaningful signal generation can take place when the counter unit counts up depending on the number of rinses carried out and / or the temperature profile of previous rinses and / or the degree of contamination of the ware. In general, all influencing factors which have an influence on the contamination of the hydraulic circuit of the water-conducting domestic appliance can be taken into consideration here. Alternatively, it is also possible to deduce the selected program and thus the temperature profile by detecting the amount of water that has flowed into the water-bearing domestic appliance.

For a more accurate assessment of the degree of contamination in the hydraulic circuit of the household appliance may preferably be detected more of the above-mentioned factors. The measured influencing variables can also be assigned different counts. As a result, the influencing variables can be weighted according to their significance for the device impurities to each other. By way of example, a rinse performed with a high temperature program may be assigned a count of one. On the other hand, a rinse performed with a low-temperature program can be assigned a count of 2 because, due to the reduced process temperatures, the contamination of the household appliance is accelerated.

The invention is particularly easy to implement technically when the counter unit increases its count for each executed rinse by the number 1 and the limit count is in a range of 1 to 5, in particular at 3. In this case, without taking into account other factors, such as the wash program temperature profile or the Spülgut-impurity level, only the number of performed rinse cycles is detected. By way of example, after three normal rinses have already taken place, the control device can carry out a special cleaning rinse cycle on the basis of the special cleaning program.

As an alternative or in addition to the counter unit, the signal generating device may include a contamination sensor, such as a pad sensor, the fatty Detect dirt films in pollution-prone areas of the water-bearing household appliance. Such dirt-prone areas are in the case of the dishwasher, the bottom portion of the washing or the sump area, in which the contamination sensor may be arranged by way of example. When a limit impurity level is exceeded, a start signal can be generated by means of the contamination sensor. Alternatively, a deposit formation can also take place by detecting the sieve occupancy. For this purpose, the load bearing of the electric motor driving the circulation pump is detected and evaluated.

In contrast to the counter unit mentioned above, there is a closed control loop here with the contamination sensor and the control device.

Usually, the water-conducting household appliance may have different washing programs that are user-selectable. In the case of a dishwasher, these are for example a low-temperature program, in which the rinsing liquid can be heated to a range of about 50 ° C, a normal program at Spülflüssigkeits temperatures in the order of up to 65 ° C, and a high-temperature program in which the Rinse liquid temperatures can rise to about 70 ° C. Preferably, the special cleaning program can be identical to the user-selectable high-temperature program, whereby a total of the data or storage costs can be reduced in the control device.

According to the invention, the control device can automatically activate the special cleaning program, that is to say without user intervention. The control device can thus perform an impending rinse with the special cleaning program regardless of a user selected wash program. When the start signal is present, therefore, the special cleaning program is superior to the user-selected washing program and runs automatically in the background.

As already mentioned above, at least the soiling-prone areas of the water-conducting domestic appliance are involved in the special cleaning rinse cycle

Irrigating fluid is applied, whose temperature is sufficiently high to

To dissolve grease deposits or dirt films. The rinsing liquid is preferably Temperature of a magnitude that allows lipid cleavage, ie in a range of about 65 to 70 ° C.

The special cleaning program can thus differ from a normal washing program by significantly higher process temperatures in at least one or more partial program sections.

However, the special cleaning program may also differ with respect to a flow guidance of the rinsing liquid in the hydraulic circuit compared to a normal rinse program. In the case of a dishwasher, it is known that both a cleaning agent is added to the rinsing liquid at the beginning of a cleaning program step, and the rinsing liquid is also heated to a high cleaning temperature. The cleaning temperature is chosen such that normally results in a mixing temperature of the order of 50 ° C in the washing compartment of the washing. This mixture temperature results from the temperature of the items to be washed, the temperature of the washing liquid and the temperature of the washing container.

In the special cleaning program, by contrast, in a preferred process control, in particular during the heating phase up to the cleaning temperature, an upper spray level can be deactivated. Thus, the entire hydraulic circuit takes place exclusively via a Spülflabennennhe lower spray level. The provided in the upper spray level items is therefore not involved in the hydraulic circuit during the heating phase. Accordingly, the upper ware does not contribute to a temperature reduction of the rinse liquid, thereby increasing the mixture temperature resulting near the rinse pan bottom, as compared to a mixture temperature resulting in a normal rinse cycle.

Alternatively and / or additionally, a higher hydraulic or mechanical removal rate in one or more spray levels can also be achieved by increasing the circulation pump speeds. At higher circulating pump speeds, the amount of flushing fluid must be adjusted accordingly. On the one hand, the so-called low-temperature program mentioned above is, for example, a so-called gentle wash or a jar program, which work with reduced process temperatures. In addition, a low-temperature program within the meaning of the invention also means a washing program, as can be used in a dishwashing machine with an external drying system.

In such a dishwasher, during the drying step, the moisture-laden air from the washing compartment z. B. passed into an external sorption column with zeolite, in which the moisture is removed from the air. The dried air is then returned to the washing room.

In such an external drying process, the heating of the rinsing liquid falls in the upstream rinse step to about 60 to 70 ° C away. Such heating of the rinsing liquid in the rinsing step is known to assist in drying the ware according to the condensation principle. In contrast, in a dishwasher with an external drying system, the rinsing liquid is not heated during the final rinse step, but is due to the heat of the wash a mixture temperature in the order of about 30 ° C a.

In the following, two embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the attached figures.

Show it:

1 shows a schematic block diagram of a dishwasher for carrying out the rinsing method according to the invention;

2 shows a detailed view of the control device of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 in a view corresponding to FIG. 2, the control device according to the second embodiment; FIG. and Fig. 4 is a temperature-time diagram in which a normal washing program and a special cleaning program is shown.

In Fig. 1 is shown schematically as an exemplary embodiment of a water-conducting household appliance, a dishwasher with a, a washing compartment delimiting washing container 1. In the washing compartment of the washing container 1, a not shown, to be cleaned dishes in dish racks 3, 5 are arranged. In the washing container 1 shown, two spraying arms 7, 8 provided in different spraying levels are arranged by way of example, via which the items to be washed are supplied with washing liquid. In Spülbehälterboden a pump pot 1 1 is provided with a coarsely indicated sieve assembly 10. From pump sump 1 1, a circulation line 9 is guided away with circulating pump 13 arranged therein.

The circulation line 9 is fluidly connected via supply lines 14, 15 with the spray arms 7, 8. Downstream of the circulation pump 13 is a heating element 12, referred to as a water heater, such as a continuous flow heater.

On the sump 1 1 also a fresh water supply line 16 and a drain line 17 is connected, in which a drain pump 18 is arranged to pump out rinsing liquid from the washing compartment 1.

Downstream of the heating element 12, a branch point 21 is provided in the circulation line 9, at which the two supply lines 14, 15 branch off. In the branching point 21, a water switch formed as a three-way switching valve 25 is provided. In the switching position of the water distributor 25, not shown, the circulation line 9 is connected to the supply line 15 and the supply line 14 is decoupled from the hydraulic circuit. By appropriate switching operation during the rinse cycle, therefore, a change operation can take place in which the rinsing liquid acts on the upper or lower spray arm 7, 8, the items to be washed or the Spülbehälter-side walls.

The program sequences illustrated in the temperature-time diagram have the individual partial program steps of a rinse cycle, namely, pre-rinse V, cleaning R, Intermediate rinsing Z, rinsing K and drying T up. These partial program steps are carried out by means of a control device 27 which is connected to the respective device components via signal lines 26 shown in dashed line.

The control device 27 are also assigned three actuators 28, 29, 30. By means of the actuators 28, 29, 20 can be selected user side, whether the controller 27 is to perform a rinse cycle or a rinsing cycle with a low-temperature program I, a normal program Il or a high-temperature program III.

2, the control device 27 is shown according to the first embodiment as a block diagram. The control device 27 has an input unit 31 which is in signal communication with the actuators 28, 29, 30 for selecting the wash program. In addition to the input unit 31, a memory unit 33 is provided, in which the low-temperature program I, the normal program Il and the high-temperature program IM are stored. In addition, a special rinsing program S is stored in the storage unit 33. The storage unit 33 is in signal communication with a control unit 35, which executes the rinse cycle by means of one of the rinse programs I, II, IM or S after the start of the dishwasher.

According to FIG. 2, the control device 27 additionally has a signal generating device 37, which generates a start signal S _{v in} the event of contamination in the hydraulic circuit of the dishwasher and conducts it to the storage unit 33. In the present exemplary embodiment, the signal generating device 37 has a counter unit 39 and a downstream comparison unit 41. The comparison unit 41 forwards the start signal Sv to the memory unit 33 if a count n of the counter unit 39 reaches a predetermined limit count n _G.

In a particularly easy-to-implement embodiment, the counter unit 39 is only in signal connection with the input unit 31. For each rinse carried out, the counter unit 39 increments its counter reading n by the number "1." The limit counter reading n _G can be, for example, 3. For each third rinse, the comparison unit 41 generates the start signal S _v . In the presence of the start signal Sv, the special cleaning program S is stored in the control unit 35 independently of the user-selected wash program I, II or IM. It is therefore started without special selection by the customer a special cleaning rinse, which may differ compared to a user-selectable wash program with respect to the process temperatures and / or flow control or flow rate of the washing liquid.

The emergence of dirt films depends on the number of rinses executed in addition to other factors, such as the temperature profile of each used to carry out the rinsing programs I, II, IM or the degree of contamination of the dishes.

According to a modification of the first exemplary embodiment, the counter reading n in the counter unit 39 can be increased not only as a function of the number of rinses already carried out, but also as a function of the additional influencing variables mentioned above. For this purpose, according to FIG. 2, an impurity sensor 43, which detects the degree of contamination of the ware to be cleaned by way of example, may be provided. If the detected contamination level exceeds a limit value, the count n of the counter unit 39 can be increased by a first count value. Likewise, the counter reading n of the counter unit 39 can be increased after execution of a rinse cycle by a second count.

In the modification described above, both the influencing variable "number of rinses" and the influencing variable "contamination level of the items to be washed" are taken into account when increasing the count n of the counter unit. The first and second count values can be of different sizes, whereby a weighting of the two influencing variables takes place.

By way of example, a device cleaning method with a limit count n _G of FIG. 3 will be explained below. In this case, only the number of rinses already carried out is to be detected by the counter unit 39, without also including the type of rinsing program used, that is to say low-temperature program I, normal program II or high-temperature program, or other influencing variables. Thus, for a first rinse by the user by means of the actuator 28, the low temperature program I selected and stored in the control unit 35, which performs the rinse cycle with the low temperature program I. At the same time, the counter reading n in the counter unit 39 is set from 0 to 1. In the subsequent rinse, the user can select by way of example by means of the actuating element 29, the normal program Il. The counter unit 39 therefore increases its counter reading n from 1 to 2. At the same time, the memory unit 33 stores the normal program Il in the control unit II in the control unit 35, so that the rinse cycle takes place by means of the normal program II selected by the user.

For a subsequent third rinse, the user can select the high temperature program IM. The counter unit 39 therefore increases its count n from 2 to 3, whereby the comparison unit 41 generates the start signal Sv and sends it to the memory unit 33. In this case, the storage unit 33 does not deposit the user selected high-temperature program IM in the control unit 35, but rather the special cleaning program S. Therefore, the third rinse takes place - without special selection by the user - by means of the special cleaning program S.

In FIG. 3, as an alternative to FIG. 2, the control device 27 according to the second exemplary embodiment is shown. The control device 27 according to FIG. 3 corresponds in terms of structure and mode of operation of the control device 27 of the first embodiment. In this respect, reference is made to their description.

However, the control device 27 of the second embodiment has a different realized signal generating device 37. This is not equipped with a counter unit, but merely has the contamination sensor 43, which is provided by way of example as a coating sensor for detecting greasy dirt films in the dirty floor area of the washing container. The pad sensor 43 is integrated together with the control unit 35 in a closed control loop, in which the pad sensor 43 detects an actual start signal and forwards it to the comparator unit 41. In the comparator unit 41, the detected actual Start signal compared with a threshold value and when the limit is exceeded, the start signal S _v generated and forwarded to the memory unit 33.

With the control loop, the actual degree of contamination in the hydraulic circuit of the dishwasher is detected.

In the temperature-time diagram of Fig. 4, the program flow of the low-temperature program I and the special cleaning program S shows. The low-temperature program I corresponds to a conventional dishwasher program in which, after pre-rinsing, the rinsing liquid temperature is heated at the beginning of the cleaning step R by the water heater 12 to the cleaning temperature T _R. The cleaning temperature T _R is in a range of 50 ° C. In the subsequent post-wash cycle, the rinsing liquid temperature cools down again. During the rinsing step K, the rinsing liquid temperature is again heated by the water heater 12 to the rinse temperature T _κ , which is in a range of 65 ° C and supported by the subsequent drying process T. The drying process can take place - in accordance with the solid line - according to the known condensation principle, in which the moisture-laden air condenses on the side walls of the washing compartment. Alternatively, according to the dashed line, an external drying system, for example a sorption column, can be provided, in which the air to be dried is led out of the washing container 1 into the external sorption column and is dehumidified there. In this way, heating of the rinsing liquid during the rinsing step K can be dispensed with.

When carrying out the special cleaning program S, in contrast to the low-temperature program I shown, the rinsing liquid temperature is increased to a cleaning temperature T _RS which lies in a range between 65 and 75 ° C. In this way it is achieved during the recirculation cycle that split by the increased cleaning temperature T _RS fixed dirt films and can be discharged from the soiling prone areas of the hydraulic circuit of the dishwasher. Alternatively and / or in addition to the increased cleaning temperature T _RS during the heating phase .DELTA.t _H in the special cleaning program S, the upper spray arm 7 are put out of operation. For this purpose, the water diverter 25 is moved as shown in FIG. 1 in the second switching position, not shown, in which the flow connection to the upper spray arm 7 is interrupted. Thus, the entire hydraulic circuit is carried out only via the lower spray arm 8, which acts only with the rinsing liquid on the floor area and the washware provided in the lower dish rack 5. This special rinsing liquid guide increases the mixing temperature which results near the bottom of the rinsing container - in comparison to a normal rinsing program.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 washing container

3 crockery basket

5 crockery basket

7 spray arm

8 spray arm

9 circulation line

10 sieve arrangement

11 pump pot

12 heating element

13 circulation pump

14 supply line

15 supply line

16 fresh water supply line

17 drain line

18 lye pump

21 branch point

25 three-way switching valve

26 signal line

27 control device

28 actuator

29 actuator

30 actuator

31 input unit

33 storage unit

35 control unit

37 signal generating device

39 counter unit

41 comparator unit

43 pollution sensor

I low temperature program

Il normal program In the high-temperature program n Counter reading n _G Limit counter reading

V prewash

R Cleaning

T drying

Z intermediate rinse

K rinse

Δt _H heating phase

T _k rinse temperature

TR, cleaning temperature

TRS cleaning temperature

Sv start signal

Claims

1. A water-conducting household appliance, in particular dishwashing or washing machine, designed to carry out at least one washing program (I, II, IM), in particular a low-temperature program, characterized in that for the presence of a start signal (Sv) a special cleaning program (S) for cleaning the washing container ( 1), in particular by exposure to rinsing liquid is performed.

2. Water-conducting household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that a control device (27) is associated with a signal generating means (37) with which the start signal (Sv) can be generated.

3. Water-conducting household appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the signal-generating device (37) has a counter unit (39) which at

Reaching a limit count (n _G ) generates the start signal (Sv).

4. Water-conducting household appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that the counter unit (39) as a function of at least one detected influencing variable, which influences the degree of contamination of the household appliance, counts up.

5. Water-conducting household appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that the number of rinses carried out and / or a temperature profile of the rinsing program used in previous rinsing programs (I, II, IM) and / or the degree of contamination of the ware by means of the control device (27) as an influencing variable is detectable.

6. Water-conducting household appliance according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the signal generating device (37) an impurity sensor (43), in particular a pad sensor, which generates the start signal (Sv) when a limit impurity level is exceeded ,

7. Water-conducting domestic appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the covering sensor is arranged in the hydraulic circuit of the water-conducting household appliance.

8. Water-conducting domestic appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the control device (27) a low-temperature program (I), a normal program (II) and / or a high-temperature program (IM) are stored, which are user-selectable.

9. Water-conducting household appliance according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the special cleaning program (S) identical to the

High temperature program (IM) is.

10. Water-conducting domestic appliance according to one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the counter unit (39) increases its count (s) for each executed rinse by a count value "1", and / or the limit

Count (n _G ) in a range of 1 to 5, in particular at 3, is located.

11. Water-conducting household appliance according to one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that for a weighting of the detected influencing variables, the control device (27) associated with each of these differently sized counts.

12. Water-conducting household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control device (27) automatically and / or independent of a user selected washing program (I, M, Ml) performs the special cleaning program (S).

13. Water-conducting domestic appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the special cleaning program (S) at least the polluting areas of the water-bearing household appliance can be acted upon with rinsing liquid whose temperature is preferably sufficiently high for dissolving fat deposits, and in particular in a range of 65 to 75 ° C is.

14. Water-conducting household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a dishwasher, the rinsing liquid in a partial program step (R) during a heating phase (.DELTA.t) can be heated to a cleaning temperature (T _R ), and that for the execution of the special cleaning program (S) In particular, during the heating phase (.DELTA.t _H ) an upper spray level (7) is disabled, and the entire

Hydraulic circuit via a lower spray level (8).

15. Water-conducting household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the special cleaning program (S), a circulating pump connected in the hydraulic circuit (13) is operable at a higher speed.

16. rinsing method for a water-conducting household appliance, in particular for a dishwashing or washing machine, according to one of the preceding claims.