WO2023156134A1

WO2023156134A1 - Metering system for dispensing at least one flowable preparation into an interior of a washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2023156134A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/051389
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arnd Kessler; Ingo Hardacker; Robert RUIZ HERNANDEZ; Sergio LINZ; Dirck Seynaeve; Jan DE PAEPE
Original assignee: Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa
Priority date: 2022-02-21
Filing date: 2023-01-20
Publication date: 2023-08-24
Also published as: EP4230785A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a metering system (1) for dispensing at least one flowable preparation into an interior of a washing machine, the system comprising at least one metering device (2) and at least one container (3) which can be coupled to the metering device (2) and is intended for storing the at least one flowable preparation, wherein the metering device (2) comprises: at least one electrical power source for operating the metering device (2); at least one metering unit (4) for dispensing a predefined amount of the at least one flowable preparation; at least one sensor unit (15) for monitoring the metering unit (4); and at least one control unit coupled to the metering unit (4) and to the sensor unit (15), wherein the metering unit (4) has a pump (5) for dispensing the at least one flowable preparation and wherein the metering system (1) is suitable for being freely positioned within the interior of the washing machine.

Description

Dosing system for dispensing at least one free-flowing preparation into an interior of a washing machine

The invention relates to a dosing system for dispensing at least one free-flowing preparation into an interior of a washing machine, comprising at least one dosing device and at least one container that can be coupled to the dosing device for storing the at least one free-flowing preparation.

Such dosing systems are used to be able to dose free-flowing preparations such as detergents in a user-friendly manner and to automate the dosing process as far as possible and to be able to optimize the washing result.

WO 201 1/134690 A1 shows a dosing system for use in the interior of a washing machine. A preparation stored in the system for treating laundry in the washing machine is dispensed from a container by an actuator by moving a closure element.

WO 2017/167658 A1 describes a dosing device for use in the interior of a washing machine, which has valves that can be opened when required for dosing. In drum washing machines, the laundry is applied to the container wall of the tub in various phases of the washing process by increasing the drum speed. The speeds reach 400 rpm to 1600 rpm. A high centrifugal force acts on the dosing device in the tub. The free-flowing preparations that are stored in the dosing device are also affected. Depending on the position inside the tub, the valves for the product outlet are exposed to high pressure forces (overpressure or underpressure), especially during the centrifugal process. Movable valves with elastic seals are not designed for such a pressure load. The use of valves for dosing free-flowing preparations in dosing devices for use in tubs of washing machines is therefore disadvantageous with regard to reliable dosing and maintaining the functionality of the dosing device. In addition, simple closure elements and valves are not suitable for achieving high dosing accuracy, even when dispensing very small amounts of the free-flowing preparation.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a dosing system for dispensing at least one free-flowing preparation into an interior of a washing machine, which offers high dosing accuracy with simultaneous functional reliability even when exposed to high mechanical forces. To solve the problem, a dosing system according to the invention is

Features of claim 1 proposed.

Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a dosing system for dispensing at least one free-flowing preparation into an interior of a washing machine is provided, which comprises at least one dosing device and at least one container that can be coupled to the dosing device for storing the at least one free-flowing preparation. The flowable preparation can be, for example, a detergent, detergent component, fragrance, bleach or solvent. The container that can be coupled to the dosing device is preferably designed in such a way that it offers sufficient space for storing the at least one free-flowing preparation, sufficient for several washing processes, particularly preferably sufficient for 5 to 25 washing processes. The dosing device has at least one electrical energy source for operating the dosing device. For example, it can be designed in the form of one or more batteries or rechargeable batteries, for example lithium polymer batteries, and supplies the other components of the dosing device with electrical energy. The dosing device also comprises at least one dosing unit for dispensing a predefined amount of the at least one free-flowing preparation, at least one sensor unit for monitoring the dosing unit and at least one control unit coupled to the dosing unit and the sensor unit. The dosing unit has a pump for dispensing the at least one free-flowing preparation. In addition, the dosing unit can preferably have a motor and a gear for driving the pump. The electrical energy source of the dosing device can supply the motor with electrical energy in order to ensure that the dosing process runs smoothly.

The dosing system is suitable for free positioning within the interior of the washing machine, preferably it is suitable for free positioning within the tub of a drum washing machine. It is preferably designed to be stable enough to withstand spin cycles inside the washing machine of 100 rpm, particularly preferably of up to 1600 rpm, without being damaged. The design of the dosing unit with a pump makes it suitable for continuing to dose reliably under the influence of gravity of >1g and at the same time to seal the dosing system against the undesired escape of the free-flowing preparation and against the ingress of air and/or water. To protect it, it can have, for example, one or more protective housings for individual components of the dosing system in order to protect sensitive components from damage caused by mechanical effects. According to one proposal of the invention, the pump is designed as a peristaltic pump. Peristaltic pumps offer the advantage that they function reliably even under the influence of high external forces, such as those that occur inside the tub during a washing process. With a dosing unit configured in this way, it can be ensured that reliable, precise dosing is possible at all times. In addition, high dosing accuracy can be achieved with peristaltic pumps even with very small dispensing quantities in the milliliter range and in the sub-milliliter range.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the peristaltic pump comprises a rotary body mounted eccentrically within a receptacle for conveying the at least one free-flowing preparation through a pump hose. The pump hose is mounted around the body of rotation in the receptacle. Due to the eccentric mounting on an axis, for example in the form of a pump shaft, the part of the rotating body which has the greatest extent starting from the axis compresses a part of the pump hose to the maximum. If the rotating body, driven by the axis connected to the gearing and the motor of the dosing unit, is rotated about the latter, the point of maximum load on the pump hose moves along with the rotation. The rotating body continuously conveys the flowable preparation located in the pump hose through it. An exact flow rate can be determined by the rotational speed and frequency of rotation of the rotating body and can be adjusted by the control unit as required.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the rotary body can be controlled by the control unit using at least one signal transmitted by the sensor unit. The sensor unit can detect the position of the rotary body and transmit this to the control unit for comparison. The control unit can then in turn issue a control command to the dosing unit that is adapted to the desired delivery quantity of the free-flowing preparation and the current angular position of the rotary body, so that the dosing accuracy is constantly high.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the sensor unit has at least one Hall sensor and the rotating body has at least one magnet. The position of the eccentric rotating body can be detected easily and precisely by means of the Hall sensor. As soon as the magnet located at a predetermined position on the body of rotation passes through the detection range of the Hall sensor, the precise position of the body of rotation can thus be determined. In combination with a predetermined rotational speed, it is possible to have the rotating body always re-rotate into a desired position and thus to meter out exactly the desired quantity of the free-flowing preparation, which is specified by the control unit to the metering unit. In a preferred embodiment, the magnet is located in the area of the rotating body that maximally compresses the pump hose. This configuration is characterized by its functional reliability even when high forces are applied, for example when the speed of the tub is increased.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the rotating body can be moved by the control unit into a valve position for the tight closure of the peristaltic pump. In order to avoid undesired dosing and/or damage to the dosing system, the sealing of the dosing unit must be ensured. It must be avoided that the environmental influence in the form of overpressure or negative pressure situations, which arise depending on the position of the dosing system in the rotating tub, cannot have a retroactive effect on the dosing system. In particular, the container for storing the free-flowing preparation must be protected to avoid damage. Undesirable metering out when negative pressure is applied must also be avoided, as must the entry of air and/or washing water into the container when excess pressure is applied. This can advantageously be solved by the rotating body. In the valve position, this can be used to seal off the dosing system. In the valve position, the rotating body is at a standstill and the maximum compression of the pump hose is preferably in a region of the receptacle that is as far away as possible from an inlet of the pump hose into the receptacle and its outlet from the receptacle. For this purpose, the motor of the metering unit continues to run after the end of a metering process until the desired standstill and valve position is reached. In order to be able to determine a position that is as precise as possible, the motor preferably runs on until the magnet passes the Hall sensor again and can be positioned precisely from there. With a certain switching hysteresis, it is thus ensured that the rotating body and its valve position come to a standstill in a region of the receptacle in which a secure seal against external influences can take place.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the receptacle for the peristaltic pump is narrowed in places. In this exemplary embodiment, the load on the pump hose due to compression is reduced in a targeted manner in that the maximum load and thus also the best sealing occurs only in a predetermined partial area of the receptacle. In the area of the receptacle that is narrowed, the compression of the pump tube is increased compared to the other areas. The service life of the pump hose can be extended in an advantageous manner due to the increased compression only in places, which increases the service life of the dosing system overall, since replacing individual small components of the dosing system is unprofitable in practice and often simply not possible for the user. The receptacle is preferably designed to be essentially round and is narrowed in places by reducing its radius in some areas. The pump hose, which is placed around the rotary body, runs essentially on a circular path along the inner wall of the receptacle. The constriction of the receptacle is preferably in the area that occurs when dosing proceeds from the inlet in the conveying direction of the free-flowing preparation towards the outlet of the pump hose is approx. 180°-300°. With the help of the Hall sensor and the magnet as well as a predefined period of time to reach this area, an optimal valve position of the rotary body and thus the maximum sealing of the dosing system can be ensured.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the container is suitable for the separate storage of at least two free-flowing preparations. This offers the advantage of being able to provide several free-flowing preparations during a washing process with a single dosing system. For this purpose, the container can have, for example, several cavities in which the free-flowing preparations are stored separately. However, it is also conceivable that the dosing system has several separate containers for storing free-flowing preparations.

For example, it is then possible to provide a dosing unit with several pumps or several dosing units each with one pump in order to dispense several separately stored free-flowing preparations from the container into the tub of the washing machine, which increases the user-friendliness of the dosing system. In this way it is possible, for example, to dose free-flowing preparations one after the other and separately in different sections of the washing process, without these being able to adversely affect their effectiveness, such as detergents and fragrances. In addition, it is possible to meter out two or more free-flowing preparations within one section of the washing process, so that they react with one another and can develop their optimal interaction only in the tub.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the peristaltic pump has a double head. This offers the advantage that two free-flowing preparations can be dispensed with just one dosing unit, one motor, one gear and one pump shaft. This offers the advantage that the dosing unit takes up as little space as possible in the dosing device, although several free-flowing preparations can be dosed out, since the double installation of motor, gear or pump shaft is therefore superfluous.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the peristaltic pump includes a bidirectional freewheel. For example, when using the double head in combination with the bidirectional freewheeling, a single dosing of two free-flowing preparations can be guaranteed with only one pump. Due to the freewheeling, a trouble-free change is possible, so that depending on the direction of rotation of the pump shaft, only the first or a second pump head of the double head is in operation and the first or the second free-flowing preparation is dosed. At the same time, the bidirectional free-running prevents the other free-flowing preparation from being accidentally discharged at the same time or from backflow from occurring. According to a further proposal of the invention, the dosing system comprises an essentially spherical outer shell, which is suitable for accommodating the dosing device and the container. The spherical design offers the advantage that the distribution of forces on the dosing system is even, which increases the service life of the dosing system. It is also advantageous to design the dosing system in such a way that the container for storing the free-flowing preparation can be detachably coupled to the dosing system. As soon as the container or a cavity of the container has been emptied, the container can be removed and refilled or replaced by the user. The outer shell also has an opening for each free-flowing preparation for the purpose of dosing it out.

Further details of the dosing system according to the invention are explained below with reference to the exemplary embodiments in the drawing. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a dosing system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the dosing system according to FIG. 1 without a protective housing;

Figure 3 Cross section through the dosing system like. Figure 1;

Figure 4 Cross section through a pump of the dosing system like. Figure 1; and

Figure 5 likes a cross section through a pump of the dosing system. 1 with a region-wise narrowed recording.

FIG. 1 shows a dosing system 1 according to the invention with a dosing device 2 and a container s. A dosing unit 4 has a pump 5, which is designed as a peristaltic pump in this exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the pump 5 is also designed as a double-head pump with a double-head 6 . This enables separate dosing of two free-flowing preparations that are stored in different cavities of the container 3 that are separate from one another. At each outlet 8 a free-flowing preparation is dispensed into the interior of the washing machine, which is conducted from the container 3 via an inlet 9 into a pump hose 7 . A motor 10 of the dosing unit 4 drives the pump 5 . The motor 10 is protected from harmful external influences by a protective motor housing 12 . The pump 5 is also protected by a protective pump housing 11 . The dosing system 1, which preferably has an outer cover (not shown) to protect the container 3 and the dosing device 2, is placed in the tub of the washing machine by the user together with the laundry to be washed. The dosing system 1 preferably has an interface for receiving dosing commands. For example, the dosing system 1 by means of a Smartphone app can be controlled by the user. Various washing programs and dosages can be set in the app. In addition, two-way communication is advantageous, for example, the dosing system 1 can have additional sensors that detect the exact position of the dosing system 1 in the washing machine, the presence of water and the amount of laundry in the tub and transmit this information. In this way, a precise dosing can be implemented depending on the amount of laundry, the free-flowing preparation, the washing program and the individual treatment step of the washing process.

FIG. 2 shows the dosing system 1 according to FIG. 1 in a view without a protective housing, so that a sensor unit 15 that extends over the double head 6 is visible. A Hall sensor 16 is provided for each pump head of the double head 6 , which detects the rotary position of the rotary body 13 by means of a magnet 14 attached to a rotary body 13 . The motor 10 is connected to a gear 17 and a bidirectionally acting freewheel 18, which enables a pump shaft 19 to be moved with a change of direction, so that the pump 5 with the double head 6 takes two liquid preparations from the container 3 via the pump hoses 7 can dispense individually and separately from each other.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the dosing system 1 according to FIG. The container 3 is detachably coupled to the dosing device 2 in a container receptacle 20 . This has the advantage that the container 3 can be exchanged or refilled and used again in the dosing system 1 . When fixed in the container receptacle 20, a leak-proof connection of the container 3 to the dosing device 2 is ensured. The flowable preparation can only escape from the container 3 via the inlet 9 and reach the pump 5 via the pump hose 7 when the latter is driven by the motor 10 and the pump shaft 19 and sucks the flowable preparation out of the container 3 . The two rotating bodies 13a, b each have magnets 14a, b, which are detected by the two Hall sensors 16a, b in each case in order to precisely detect the position of the rotating bodies 13a, b when the Hall sensors 16a, b pass. A consistently high dosing accuracy is thus ensured for both flowable preparations to be dosed.

4 and 5 each show a cross section through a pump 5 of the dosing device 2. FIG. 4 shows a receptacle 22 of the pump 5 for the pump hose 7a of a first free-flowing preparation with a constant segment radius of pump segments 21ah. In the area of the pump segment 21a, the flowable preparation running via the inlet 9a into the pump tube 7a enters the pump 5, in the area of the pump segment 21h it leaves it again. Due to the circular movement of the eccentrically mounted rotary body 13, the free-flowing preparation is pressed inside the pump tube 7a through the pump segments 21ah. In the area of the pump segments 21 b, 21 c and 21 d the free-flowing preparation, which enters the pump 5 in the pump segment 21a, is sucked out of the container 3 fixed in the container receptacle 20 and discharged again in the region of the pump segments 21 anyway. Except in the area of the pump segments 21a and 21h, the rotary body 13 loads the pump hose 7a alternately during its rotation. In the areas of compression, it also seals the pump tube 7a against the environment. The sensor unit can use the magnet 14 to precisely detect the position of the rotary body 13, which is important for the dosing accuracy. While the first free-flowing preparation, which enters the pump 5 via the inlet 9a, is being metered, the pump head, which is connected to the second free-flowing preparation via the pump tube 7b with the inlet 9b, stands still. In this way, an inadvertent dispensing of the second free-flowing preparation together with the first free-flowing preparation from the dosing system 1 can be prevented.

In Figure 5, the receptacle for the pump 5 of the dosing device 2 in the pump segments 21e-g has a segment radius that is smaller than the area of the pump segments 21ad and 21h, so that a step 23 extends over this area of the wall of the receptacle 22. The maximum load on the pump tube 7 occurs in this area. In the remaining segments, there is reduced compression and thus reduced load on the pump tube 7, which extends the service life of the pump tube. In addition, the sealing is best ensured in these segments. With the help of the Hall sensor, which uses the magnet 14 to determine the exact position and forwards this signal to a control unit, the rotary body 13 can be rotated further after the end of the dosing process using the pump shaft 19 until it comes to a standstill in the narrowed area of the receptacle 22 and there a takes valve position. The sealing of the dosing system 1 can best be ensured in this area, since the compression of the pump hose 7 is maximized here.

Reference character list:

1 dosing system

2 dispenser

3 containers

4 dosing unit

5 pump

6 double head

7 pump hose

8 outlet

9 inlet

10 engine

11 pump protection housing

12 engine protection housing

13 body of revolution

14 magnets

15 sensor unit

16 hall sensor

17 gears

18 freewheel

19 pump shaft

20 container pickup

21 pump segment

22 recording

23 level

Claims

Patent Claims:

1. Dosing system (1) for dispensing at least one free-flowing preparation into an interior of a washing machine, which is suitable for free positioning within the interior of the washing machine, comprising at least one dosing device (2) and at least one container (3) that can be coupled to the dosing device (2). ) for storing the at least one free-flowing preparation, wherein the dosing device (2) has at least one electrical energy source for operating the dosing device (2), at least one dosing unit (4) for dispensing a predefined quantity of the at least one free-flowing preparation, at least one sensor unit (15) for monitoring the dosing unit (4) and at least one control unit coupled to the dosing unit (4) and the sensor unit (15), and wherein the dosing unit (4) has a peristaltic pump (5) for dispensing the at least one free-flowing preparation.

2. Dosing system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the peristaltic pump comprises a rotary body (13) mounted eccentrically within a receptacle (22) for conveying the at least one free-flowing preparation through a pump hose (7).

3. Metering system (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the rotary body (13) can be controlled by the control unit by means of at least one signal transmitted by the sensor unit (15).

4. Metering system (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sensor unit (15) has at least one Hall sensor (16) and the rotary body (13) has at least one magnet (14).

5. dosing system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the rotary body (13) can be moved by the control unit in a valve position for tight closure of the peristaltic pump.

6. dosing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receptacle (22) of the peristaltic pump is narrowed in places. Dosing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (3) is suitable for the separate storage of at least two free-flowing preparations. Dosing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the peristaltic pump comprises a double head (6). Dosing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the peristaltic pump comprises a bidirectional freewheel (18). Dosing system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the dosing system (1) comprises a substantially spherically designed outer shell which is suitable for receiving the dosing device (2) and the container (3).