US20190085495A1

US20190085495A1 - Dispenser for a washing machine

Info

Publication number: US20190085495A1
Application number: US16/134,990
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrea Sudkemper; Bianca Krueger; Michael Finke
Original assignee: Miele und Cie KG
Current assignee: Miele und Cie KG
Priority date: 2017-09-21
Filing date: 2018-09-19
Publication date: 2019-03-21
Also published as: EP3460118A1; DE102017121883A1

Abstract

A dispenser for a washing machine includes: at least one dispensing channel for dispensing a liquid into a chamber of the dispenser, the at least one dispensing channel having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a reducer for reducing a cross section of the at least one dispensing channel arranged between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a ventilation opening for pressure equalization arranged between the reducer and the outlet opening.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

Priority is claimed to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2017 121 883.1, filed on Sep. 21, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The invention relates to a dispenser for a washing machine.

BACKGROUND

In order to reduce the amount of water in a softener channel or capsule channel of a dispenser, the relevant channel can have a varying cross section. Adjusting the required amount of water can be very complex, depending on the size of the channel component.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a dispenser for a washing machine, comprising: at least one dispensing channel configured to dispense a liquid into a chamber of the dispenser, the at least one dispensing channel having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a reducer configured to reduce a cross section of the at least one dispensing channel arranged between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a ventilation opening for pressure equalization arranged between the reducer and the outlet opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. Other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a channel for a capsule-flushing process in a washing machine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a channel for a chlorine-flushing process in a washing machine; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a portion of a dispenser according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In light of the above, the present invention provides an improved dispenser for a washing machine.
The invention offers the advantage that, by using a reducer in combination with a ventilation opening, laundry treatment agents can be flushed out of a dispenser of a washing machine using a constant amount of water. Furthermore, the amount of water can be adjusted according to requirements in a simple manner by using differently shaped reducers.
A dispenser for a washing machine is proposed, the dispenser comprising the following feature:
at least one dispensing channel for dispensing a liquid into a chamber of the dispenser, the dispensing channel having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a reducer for reducing a cross section of the dispensing channel arranged between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a ventilation opening for pressure equalization arranged between the reducer and the outlet opening.
A dispenser can be understood to mean a detergent dispenser comprising a pre-wash, main wash or softener compartment as chambers, for example. The washing machine can also be a washer-dryer. The liquid may be water or suds, for example. The outlet opening can lead into the chamber. A reducer can be understood to mean a discoid or strut-shaped element, for example. A ventilation opening can be understood to mean an opening that allows the dispensing channel to be fluidically coupled to surroundings of the dispensing channel.
According to one embodiment, when the liquid is dispensed, the ventilation opening can be arranged in the region of a zone sheltered from the flow by the reducer. A region of a zone sheltered from the flow can be understood to mean a region behind the reducer which faces the outlet opening. In this way, pressure differences in the dispensing channel can be prevented particularly efficiently.
It is also advantageous when the reducer is arranged in the region of a largest cross section of the dispensing channel. In this way, the cross-sectional narrowing achieved by means of the reducer can be changed, according to the dimensions of the reducer, over as large a region as possible.
According to another embodiment, the dispenser can comprise at least one dirty suds water channel for branching off dirty suds water. The dirty suds water channel can branch off from the dispensing channel at a branch-off point located between the reducer and the inlet opening. A volumetric flow of liquid that passes through the outlet opening is thus significantly smaller than a volumetric flow of liquid that passes through the inlet opening.
It is also advantageous when the reducer forms a wall portion of the dirty suds water channel. The structure of the dispenser can thus be simplified.
According to another embodiment, a cross section of the dirty suds water channel can be larger than a largest cross section of the dispensing channel, or, additionally or alternatively, than a cross-sectional narrowing of the dispensing channel formed by the reducer. Reliable functioning of the dispensing channel can thus be ensured.
In particular, the dispensing channel and the dirty suds water channel can be oriented perpendicularly with respect to one another. The structure of the dispenser can also be simplified by this embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a channel 100 for a capsule-flushing process in a washing machine. The channel 100 has a cross-sectional narrowing 102 in order to reduce an amount of water flowing through the channel 100. A flow direction of the water is denoted by four arrows. Reference sign 104 denotes the reduced amount of water for the flushing process. Branched-off dirty suds water is denoted by reference sign 106.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a channel 200 for a chlorine-flushing process in a washing machine. In contrast to FIG. 1, the channel 200 comprises a reducer 202 for producing a cross-sectional narrowing 204. As in FIG. 1, the cross-sectional narrowing 204 reduces the amount of water flowing through the channel 200, the flow direction of which water is again denoted by four arrows. As can be seen in FIG. 2, a vacuum is formed in the zone sheltered from the flow by the reducer 202 at a point 206. Dirty suds water branched off from the channel 200 is denoted by reference sign 208. The reduced amount of water required for the flushing process is denoted by reference sign 210.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a portion of a dispenser 300 according to one embodiment. The dispenser 300 for a washing machine comprises a dispensing channel 302 for dispensing a liquid 304, for example water or suds, into a chamber of the dispenser 300, for example into a main wash, pre-wash or detergent compartment. Similarly to the channel described above with reference to FIG. 2, the dispensing channel 302 comprises a reducer 306 for producing a cross-sectional narrowing 308 by means of which the amount of liquid flowing through the dispensing channel 302 is reduced. A flow direction of the liquid 304 is denoted by four horizontal arrows.
The reducer 306 is arranged between an inlet opening 310 for letting in the liquid 304 and an outlet opening 312. The outlet opening 312 discharges the liquid 304, more precisely an amount of liquid 314 reduced by the reducer 306, into the chamber in order to flush said chamber. In contrast to FIG. 2, however, the dispensing channel 302 comprises a ventilation opening 316 for pressure equalization with surroundings of the dispensing channel 302. It is particularly advantageous when the ventilation opening 316 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 3, in the region of a zone sheltered from the flow by the reducer 306, i.e. adjacently to a side of the reducer 306 which faces the outlet opening 312. Pressure fluctuations can thus be reliably equalized.
The dispenser 300 additionally comprises a dirty suds water channel 320 for branching off dirty suds water 322, which channel branches off from the dispensing channel 302 at a branch-off point 324 located between the reducer 306 and the inlet opening 310. By way of example, a cross section of the dirty suds water channel 320 is larger than a largest cross section of the dispensing channel 302 and is several times larger than the cross-sectional narrowing 308.
According to one embodiment, the reducer 306 is positioned in a portion of the dispensing channel 302 that represents the largest cross section of the dispensing channel 302.
According to another embodiment, the reducer 306 forms a wall portion of the dirty suds water channel 320.
By way of example, the two channels 302, 320 in FIG. 3 are oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to one another. Alternatively, the two channels 302, 320 can also be oriented at any desired angle with respect to one another.
The ventilation opening 316 behind the reducer 306 in the water route, for example in a pre-wash channel, makes it possible to reduce a suction effect. For example, the dispenser 300 is designed to dispense chlorine bleach via a pre-wash compartment. In this case, the cross-sectional narrowing 308 is for example designed such that the amount of water introduced into the pre-wash compartment is reduced to 5 L/min. By using the reducer 306 in combination with the downstream ventilation opening 316, a defined reduction in the amount of water over a free flow path can take place without fluctuating amounts of water. The dispensing channel 302 is integrated in a cover of the dispenser 300, for example.
The ventilation opening 316 has the function of preventing unequal pressure ratios in the dispensing channel 302 between the free flow path and the nozzles. This prevents, for example, first 5 L/min, and then 7 L/min, depending on the pressure difference, being conducted into the pre-wash compartment. In the absence of the ventilation opening 316, a sporadically occurring vacuum would cause water that should actually be cut off to be suctioned in downstream of the reducer 306. If too much water enters the pre-wash compartment, the pre-wash compartment will overflow and the suds can leak out of the front of the washing machine. Positioning the ventilation opening 316 downstream of the reducer 306 allows the occurrence of a vacuum to be reliably prevented. Therefore, no more additional water can be suctioned in. The amount of water defined by the cross-sectional narrowing 308 is constant. For example, it can thus be ensured that only a constant and reproducible specified amount of water, e.g. 5 L/min, is let into the pre-wash compartment, and that the pre-wash compartment does not overflow towards the front.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments.
The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “A and B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise. Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for a washing machine, comprising:

at least one dispensing channel configured to dispense a liquid into a chamber of the dispenser, the at least one dispensing channel having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a reducer configured to reduce a cross section of the at least one dispensing channel arranged between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a ventilation opening for pressure equalization arranged between the reducer and the outlet opening.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein, when the liquid is dispensed, the ventilation opening is arranged in a region of a zone sheltered from a flow of the liquid by the reducer.

3. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the reducer is arranged in a region of a largest cross section of the at least one dispensing channel.

4. The dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising at least one dirty suds water channel configured to branch off dirty suds water,

wherein the at least one dirty suds water channel branches off from the at least one dispensing channel at a branch-off point located between the reducer and the inlet opening.

5. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the reducer forms a wall portion of the at least one dirty suds water channel.

6. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein a cross section of the at least one dirty suds water channel is larger than a largest cross section of the at least one dispensing channel and/or than a cross-sectional narrowing of the at least one dispensing channel formed by the reducer.

7. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the at least one dispensing channel and the at least one dirty suds water channel are arranged perpendicularly with respect to one another.