WO2024088694A1

WO2024088694A1 - Metering system with a hall sensor

Info

Publication number: WO2024088694A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/077064
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert RUIZ HERNANDEZ; Sergio LINZ; Arnd Kessler
Original assignee: Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa
Priority date: 2022-10-27
Filing date: 2023-09-29
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Also published as: DE102022128558A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a metering system (1) that can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher and which comprises a metering device (10) and a replaceable container (40) which has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation. In a coupled state of the container (40), the preparation can be metered into the interior by means of the metering device (10), and the metering device (10) has a detection unit in order to identify the coupled state of the container (40) and/or in order to identify the container (40). The invention is characterized in that the detection unit has a first Hall sensor (27), a first magnet carrier (28) which is paired with the first Hall sensor (27), said first Hall sensor and first magnet carrier being movable relative to each other, at least one second Hall sensor (33), and a second magnet carrier which is paired with the second Hall sensor (27), said second Hall sensor and second magnet carrier being movable relative to each other, wherein the position of the first magnet carrier (28) relative to the first Hall sensor (27) and the position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor (33) are based on the container (40) in the coupled state.

Description

“Dosing system with Hall sensor”

The invention relates to a dosing system which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device and an exchangeable container which has at least one chamber for receiving a preparation.

EP 2 296 520 B1 discloses such a dosing system with an exchangeable container and dosing device. The container has several chambers, each of which contains a preparation. The dosing device is placed in the interior of the dishwasher with the container in a coupled state of the container. The wash cycle can then begin, with signals being exchanged between the dosing device and the dishwasher. The preparations can thus be dosed out from the individual chambers of the container during the wash cycle at different times and in different quantities depending on various parameters.

EP 2 296 520 B1 also states that the container is provided with an RFID chip that can be read by a detection unit of the dosing device. The dosing device thus receives specific information about the contents or preparations that are in the container. The dosing device takes this information into account when determining the time and/or the amount of a preparation to be dispensed. If, for example, a preparation is a highly concentrated dishwashing detergent, only a relatively small amount needs to be dispensed.

Although the RFID chip or a comparable information carrier such as an NFC chip enables the dosage of preparations from containers filled with different contents to be carried out in a targeted and efficient manner, this also has disadvantages. Firstly, the container must be equipped with such a chip, which can lead to relatively high costs, especially for a container that is only used once (disposable container). In addition, the dosing device must be equipped with a corresponding detection unit in order to be able to read these chips. Secondly, the chip or other necessary additional components such as antennas etc. can cause problems when recycling the container, which makes it difficult to recycle the container's materials.

The invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a dosing system with dosing device and container which is simply constructed, enables efficient dosing of the preparation from the container and in which the container is easy to recycle. The object underlying the invention is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims to claim 1.

According to the invention, the detection unit has at least one first Hall sensor and at least one first magnet carrier associated with the first Hall sensor, which are arranged to be movable relative to one another. Furthermore, the detection unit has at least one second Hall sensor and at least one second magnet carrier associated with the second Hall sensor, which are also movable relative to one another. A position of the first magnet carrier relative to the first Hall sensor and a position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor depend on the container in the coupled state. The at least two Hall sensors allow different containers to be distinguished from one another or a container to be identified. Additional Hall sensors and associated magnet carriers can also be provided. For example, the dosing device can have three, four or more Hall sensors.

Unless otherwise stated, the description of the (first) magnetic carrier or the (first) Hall sensor also applies mutatis mutandis to the other magnetic carriers or the other Hall sensors.

The position of the first magnet carrier relative to the first sensor depends on the container. In one embodiment, connecting the container to the dosing device changes the position of the magnet carrier relative to the Hall sensor, which results in the magnetic field on or in the Hall sensor changing. The Hall sensor detects this change in the magnetic field and generates a correspondingly changed output signal. From the output signal, the dosing device can then deduce a specific container with specific preparations, for example based on correspondingly stored data. It is also conceivable that connecting the container to the dosing device does not result in a relative change in position. Accordingly, the Hall sensor does not detect any change in the magnetic field, which can be used to deduce a specific other container.

The magnet carrier does not necessarily have to accommodate a magnet whose position changes relative to the Hall sensor when the magnet carrier moves. The magnet carrier can also carry a piece of metal or the like, the position of which relative to the Hall sensor can change the magnetic field in or on the Hall sensor. It should be noted that connecting the container to the dosing device does not necessarily change the (absolute) position of the magnet carrier. Although a movably mounted magnet carrier and a fixed Hall sensor are preferred, it is also conceivable that the Hall sensor moves when the container is connected to the dosing device, or that the Hall sensor and magnet carrier both move at the same time. The first magnet carrier can have a driver that projects into a container compartment of the dosing device, the container having a first activation area or a first deactivation area that are assigned to the first magnet carrier, the driver being pushed from a rest position into an activation position when the container is inserted into the container compartment if the container has the first activation area. If, however, the container is not equipped with the first activation area but with the first deactivation area, the driver is not moved when the container is inserted and remains in the rest position.

An example with three Hall sensors and three magnetic carriers is used to illustrate how the dosing device can identify different containers. The different containers have three areas depending on the number of Hall sensors, which are designed as either an activation area or a deactivation area. In the following table, a "1" stands for an activation area, i.e. the corresponding magnetic carrier is pressed into the activation position when the corresponding container is connected to the dosing device. If the number is "0", the container has a deactivation area.

For example, the container 7 has a first deactivation area, a second activation area and a third activation area. If this container 7 is inserted into the dosing device, the first magnet carrier or its carrier remains in its rest position, while the second magnet carrier and the third magnet carrier are each pressed into their activation position. The second and third Hall sensors would each output a different output signal, while the output signal of the first Hall sensor does not change. The dosing device can then use these three output signals to determine container 7, provided that the corresponding link between output signals and container 7 is stored in the dosing device.

Table: Detection of different containers with three Hall sensors

The first (or any further) deactivation area can be designed as a cutout on one edge of the container. If the container is placed in the container compartment and the If the driver of the first magnet carrier is inserted into the container compartment at the point where the cutout of the container is provided, the magnet carrier or its driver is not moved into the activation position by the inserted container.

Alternatively or additionally, the first activation area can be designed as a projection on the edge of the container. The container, container compartment and the driver of the first magnet carrier are dimensioned such that the driver is pressed into its activation position due to the projection when the container is inserted into the container compartment of the dosing device. Without the projection, the driver of the first magnet carrier would remain in the rest position.

In one embodiment, the first magnet carrier is mounted so that it can pivot about a rotation axis. When the container is inserted into the container compartment, the magnet carrier rotates when it is moved from the rest position to the activation position. A pivot angle of this rotation can be 20 to 70°, preferably 30 to 50°.

The container can have at least one connection piece and the dosing device can have at least one connection receptacle into which the connection piece is inserted in the coupled state, wherein the connection between the connection receptacle and the connection piece can be established by a linear closing movement of the connection piece. Preferably, the axis of rotation of the magnet carrier runs perpendicular to the direction of the closing movement.

The dosing device can have a flat housing with a front wall and a rear wall and can be designed to be able to be placed in a plate holder in the interior of the dishwasher like a crockery plate, with a first channel-like recess and a second channel-like recess being provided on the rear wall or the front wall, with the first Hall sensor being arranged between the first recess and the second recess. The recesses in the housing make it possible for the dosing device to be placed in a plate compartment of the plate holder, even if the plate compartment is delimited by upright support bars that have only a small bar spacing.

The invention is explained in more detail using the embodiments shown in the figures. They show:

Figure 1 shows a dosing system according to the invention with a dosing device;

Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of the dosing system with dosing device and a container;

Figure 3 shows a schematic plan view of the container;

Figure 4 the dosing device in an unfolded state; Figure 5 shows in section the dosing system of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 shows the dosing device of Figure 4 in section with different positions of a magnet carrier.

Figure 1 shows a dosing system 1 comprising a dosing device 10 and a container. The container is housed within a flat housing 11 of the dosing device 10 and cannot be seen in Figure 1. Figures 2 and 3 show a schematic representation of the dosing system 1 with the dosing device 10 and with the container designated by 40.

The dosing system 1 can be placed in the interior of a dishwasher and is designed to dispense one or more preparations located in the container 40 during a wash cycle. The dosing system 1 can exchange signals, data, control commands, etc. with the dishwasher so that the preparations can be dosed precisely in terms of time and quantity.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 has a front wall 12 and a rear wall 13. The front wall 12, which is rectangular in its basic shape, and the rear wall 13, which is also rectangular in its basic shape, extend from a base 14 to an upper housing edge 15. A film hinge 16 is provided between the front wall 12 and the rear wall 13 near the upper housing edge 15, so that the housing 11 can be opened and a container compartment 17 (see Figure 2) of the dosing device 10 is opened. The container compartment

17 serves to hold the container 40. When the housing 11 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17 in order to replace it with another container. The container 40 can be designed in such a way that it can hold the preparation or preparations in such a quantity that they are sufficient for several rinse cycles (for example for 20 to 30 rinse cycles). After emptying, the container 40 can be replaced with a filled container.

From Figure 1 it can also be seen that a first recess 18 and a second recess 19 are provided on the rear wall 13. In the following, only the first recess 18 will be discussed in more detail. Since the second recess 19 is similar in design to the first recess

18 is identical, the statements regarding the first recess 18 also apply mutatis mutandis to the second recess 19.

The first recess 18 starts at the bottom 14 and extends in the direction of the upper housing edge 15. The recess 18 is designed as an elongated, channel-like or groove-like recess, wherein a length in the longitudinal direction of the recess (direction from the bottom 14 to the upper housing edge 15) is significantly greater than a width of the recess transverse to the longitudinal direction. The first recess 19 has a groove bottom 20, the distance of which from the surface in which the Rear wall 13 defines a depth of the first recess 18. Starting from a lower, open end 21, which is located on the floor 14, to an upper, closed end 22, the depth is reduced. Accordingly, the depth at the lower end 21 is greater than the depth in the area of the upper end 22. Starting from the lower end 21, the groove base 20 initially runs in a straight line (i.e. the depth is initially constant there) and then changes into a curved section with decreasing depth.

The two recesses 18, 19 each serve to accommodate a holding rod that stands approximately vertically upwards or is slightly inclined to the vertical, of a plate holder in a crockery drawer that can be pulled out of the interior to put dishes in and take them out. The plate holder usually has two parallel rows of holding rods that are a certain distance apart within a row (bar spacing). The distance between the two recesses 18, 19 corresponds to the distance between the two rows, so that the dosing device 10 with the container 40 located in the housing 11 can be placed in a plate compartment of the plate holder like a plate. The dosing device 10 is supported like a plate on the holding rods that form the plate compartment. Due to the special course of the groove base 20 with the depth reducing towards the upper end 22, the dosing device 10 can be placed in a plate holder in which the bar spacing is small and the holding rods are of medium length. On the other hand, the dosing device 10 can also be placed in a plate holder where the bar spacing and the length of the holding bars are large. In the latter case, the dosing device is supported by the upper end of the holding bar in the upper area of the recess 18, i.e. where the depth of the recess is small. As a result, even with a large bar spacing, the dosing device 10 stands upright in the plate holder and does not block adjacent plate compartments by being too tilted.

The height (distance between base 14 and upper edge 15) and the width of front wall 12 and rear wall 13 correspond to the diameter of a larger dinner plate. For example, the housing 11 can have a height of 200 to 280 mm. The width of the housing 11 can be 200 to 280 mm. The ratio of height to width can be 0.8 to 1.2.

As can also be seen from Figure 1, the housing 11 has a thickness that is greatest in the area of the base 14 and then decreases slightly towards the upper edge 15. A maximum thickness of the housing, preferably in the area of the base 14, can be between 20 and 28 mm. In the schematic representation of Figure 2, the housing 11 is shown in a simplified form with a constant thickness. Since the maximum thickness of the housing 11 is at least a factor of 5 smaller than the height and width, the housing 11 is also referred to here as a flat housing.

While Figure 1 shows the dosing system 1 standing on the floor 14, Figure 2 shows the dosing system 2 in a lying position with the rear wall 13 pointing downwards. In this lying position, the housing 11 can be opened by folding the front wall 12 around the Pivot axis of the film hinge 16 is pivoted (in the illustration in Figure 2, the pivot axis extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). When the front wall 12 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17.

From Figure 3 it is clear that the container 40, which is only shown schematically, has several chambers. In the exemplary embodiment shown, there are three chambers 41, 42, 43. Each chamber serves to hold a preparation, which can be, for example, an alkaline cleaning preparation, an enzymatic cleaning preparation, a rinse aid or a fragrance. Each chamber is assigned a connecting piece 44, the structure of which does not differ from the structure of the other connecting pieces 44. The chambers 41, 42, 43 are approximately the same size, but they can also differ significantly from one another in terms of their volume and shape. For example, one of the chambers can be designed to be twice as large for a preparation that is dispensed in twice the amount in one wash cycle compared to the other preparations, so that when the container needs to be replaced, all chambers are as completely emptied as possible or at least only very small residual amounts are left.

The chambers 41, 42, 43 are delimited by two housing halves or chamber walls 45, 46. Each housing half 45, 46 forms three shells or troughs, which form a chamber with the opposite shell. To produce the housing halves 45, 46, a (folded) plastic film can be used, which is drawn or blown into corresponding deep-drawing molds. The housing halves 45, 46 are welded to one another at a peripheral edge 47 and also at intermediate webs 48 between the individual chambers 41, 42, 42. The connecting pieces 44 are arranged between the two housing halves 45, 46 in a section 47a of the edge 47. These are inserted between the housing halves 45, 46 before the section 47a is welded and then welded to the housing halves 45, 46 in a liquid-tight manner. The sealing/welding of the section 47a to the connecting pieces 44 is expediently only carried out after the chambers 41, 42, 43 have been filled with the respective preparations. When filling, however, the housing halves 45, 46 are already welded together at the edge 47 (except for the gate 47a) and at the intermediate webs 48. Thermoforming enables low wall thicknesses. The required material expenditure is very low. The housing halves 45, 46 can be made of polypropylene (PP), for example. The container 40 can also be manufactured in other ways, for example by injection molding or blow molding.

The dosing device 10 has a connection receptacle 23 for each connection piece 44 (see Figure 2, which shows one of the connection receptacles). When the container 40 is inserted in the housing 11 of the dosing device 10, the connection piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 form a liquid-tight connection so that the preparation can pass from the chamber into a dosing chamber of the dosing device 10 assigned to the respective chamber. The dosing chamber and a dosing valve are not shown in Figure 2. Only a dosing compartment 24, which accommodates the dosing chamber and the dosing valve and is integrated in the rear wall 13, is shown in Figure 2. The dosing compartment 24 has For each chamber/dosing valve, there is a dosing opening 25 through which the preparation from the relevant chamber then passes into the interior of the dishwasher via the connection piece 44/connection receptacle 23. It should be noted that when the dosing system 1 is in use, the base 14 points downwards so that the preparations from the chambers 41, 42, 43 can flow out of the relevant dosing opening 25 due to gravity when the dosing valve is open.

The connecting piece 44 has a base body with a weld-in part 49 and a plug-in part 50. The weld-in part 49 is arranged between the two thermoformed housing halves 45, 46 and welded to the peripheral edge 47.

The plug-in part 50 can be pulled out of the connection receptacle 23 by a linear pulling movement (upwards in the illustration in Figure 2). A corresponding pulling force can be directed into the base body of the connection piece 44 by a finger ring 51. For this purpose, the finger ring 51 can be rotated from the starting position shown into an active position. In the active position, which is shown in Figure 2 by the dashed line 51', the finger ring can be grasped behind by a human finger and then serves as a pulling means for releasing the connection between the connection piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23. In order to establish a connection between the connection piece 30 and the connection receptacle 37 when a new container is to be inserted into the housing 10, a pressure plate 52 is provided. It serves to accommodate a finger with which the plug-in part 50 can be pressed into the connection receptacle 23. The required pressure force acts from above in the illustration in Figure 2 and is directed perpendicular to the rear wall 13. The connector 44 and the connector receptacle 23 are designed in such a way that a membrane of the connector 44 is pierced when these two parts are plugged into one another. In addition, when plugged into one another, ventilation of the chamber is activated so that air can flow into the chamber when it is emptied. For chamber 42, an air hose is indicated by the dashed line 53, through which air can pass from the connector 44 into the chamber 42. Air hoses are also provided for chambers 41 and 43, but these are not shown for the sake of clarity.

Figure 4 shows the dosing device 10 in an unfolded state. The now open container compartment 17 can be seen, which is empty in the illustration in Figure 4. A cover plate 26 of the dosing compartment 24 extends parallel and at a distance from the rear wall (see also Figure 2). Below the cover plate 26, in the dosing compartment 24, a first Hall sensor 27 and a magnet carrier 28 assigned to the Hall sensor 27 are housed, although these are hidden in the illustration in Figure 4. Only a driver 29 of the magnet carrier 28 can be seen. The driver 29 protrudes beyond an inner edge 30 of the cover plate 26 and extends into the container compartment 17. The first Hall sensor 27 and the first magnet carrier 28 can be seen in Figures 5 and 6.

As can be seen from Figure 5, the container 40 arranged in the container compartment 17 has a tab or a recess at the height of the first magnet carrier 28 on the section 47a of the edge 47. a projection 54 which interacts with the driver 29 of the first magnet carrier 28. The container 40 shown in Figure 5 differs in terms of shape and manufacture from the container in Figure 3. The volume of the middle chamber 42 is significantly larger than the volumes of the outer chambers 41, 43.

If there is no container 40 in the container compartment 17, the first magnet carrier 28 assumes a position which is shown in Figure 6 A and is referred to as the rest position. The rest position can be spring-loaded so that the magnet carrier 28 or the driver 29 integrally formed on the magnet carrier 28 always returns to this rest position as long as no external mechanical forces act on the magnet carrier 28. If the container 40 is now inserted into the container compartment 17, the projection 54 presses the driver 29 downwards in the illustration in Figure 6 so that the magnet carrier 28, starting from the rest position (Figure 6 A), now assumes an activation position (Figure 6 B). From a combination of Figures 6 A and 6 B, it is clear that a distance between a magnet 31, which is held by the magnet carrier 28, and the first Hall sensor 27 has changed due to movement from the rest position to the activation position. Since the magnet 31 is now further away from the first Hall sensor 27 in the activation position of the magnet carrier 28, the magnetic field applied to the first Hall sensor has also been changed. Due to the change in the magnetic field, the first Hall sensor 27 changes its output signal. The change in the output signal is detected by a control unit of the dosing device 10. The dosing device 10 thus receives the information that the container 40 is now located in the container compartment 17.

The first magnet carrier 28 is mounted in the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 so that it can rotate about an axis of rotation 32. The axis of rotation 32 extends into the plane of the drawing in Figure 6 and runs perpendicular to a linear closing movement 55, by means of which the container 40 is coupled to the dosing device 10. The linear closing movement 55 not only pushes the first magnet carrier 28 from the rest position into the activation position, but at the same time also establishes the connection between the connection piece 44 of the container 40 and the connection receptacle 23 of the dosing device 10.

Figure 5 shows that a second Hall sensor 33 is housed in the dosing compartment 24. A further magnet carrier can be inserted into a rotary holder 34 associated with this Hall sensor 33, but this is not shown in Figure 5. This further magnet carrier could be activated by a further projection 56 (see dotted line in Figure 5), which could be arranged next to the projection 54. The projections 54 and 56 are also indicated in Figure 3.

If the dosing device had two Hall sensors and two magnetic carriers, the dosing device could distinguish between three different containers 40. A first of these three containers would only have the projection 54, a second container would only have the projection 56 and a third Container would have projection 54 and projection 56. For each of these three containers, a specific array of (modified) output signals results, based on which the dosing device can distinguish between the individual containers and can adapt the dosing to the specific container accordingly. To identify the containers, no chip or the like is required on the container, which could make recycling more difficult. The group of Hall sensors, together with the movable magnetic carriers, represents a robust and cost-effective way of being able to easily distinguish between different containers.

List of reference symbols

I Dosing system

10 Dosing device

I I Housing

12 Front wall

13 Rear wall

14 Floor

15 upper housing edge

16 Film hinge

17 Container compartment

18 first recess

19 second recess

20 Groove bottom

21 lower end

22 upper end

23 Connection holder

24 Dosing compartment

25 Dosing opening

26 Cover plate

27 first Hall sensor

28 first magnet carrier

29 Carrier

30 inner edge

31 Magnet

32 Rotation axis

33 second Hall sensor

34 Rotary recording

40 containers

41 Chamber

42 Chamber

43 Chamber

44 Connector

45 Housing half / chamber wall

46 Housing half / chamber wall

47 Margin (Section 47a)

48 Intermediate bridge 49 Welded part

50 plug-in part

51 finger ring (51 ‘ finger ring in active position)

52 Pressure plate 53 Air hose

54 projection / tab

55 Closing movement

56 projection / tab

Claims

Dosing system (1) which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device (10) and an exchangeable container (40) which has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation, wherein in a coupled state of the container (40) the preparation can be dosed into the interior by the dosing device (10), and wherein the dosing device (10) has a detection unit in order to identify the coupled state of the container (40) and/or the container (40), characterized in that the detection unit has:

- a first Hall sensor (27) and a first magnet carrier (28) associated with the first Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another; and

- at least one second Hall sensor (33) and a second magnet carrier associated with the second Hall sensor (27), which are movable relative to one another, wherein a position of the first magnet carrier (28) relative to the first Hall sensor (27) and a position of the second magnet carrier relative to the second Hall sensor (33) depends on the container (40) in the coupled state. Dosing system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first magnet carrier (28) has a driver (29) which projects into a container compartment (17) of the dosing device (10), wherein the container (40) has a first activation region or a first deactivation region which are associated with the first magnet carrier (28), wherein when the container (40) is inserted into the container compartment (17)

• the driver (29) is pressed from a rest position into an activation position when the container (40) has the first activation area, or

• the driver (29) remains in the rest position when the container (40) has the first deactivation region. Dosing system (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first deactivation region is designed as a cutout on an edge of the container (40). Dosing system (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the first activation region is designed as a projection (54) on the edge of the container (40). Dosing system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first magnet carrier (28) is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis of rotation (32). Dosing system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the container (40) has at least one connecting piece (44) and the dosing device (10) has at least one connection receptacle (23) in which the connecting piece (44) is inserted in the coupled state, wherein the connection between the connection receptacle (23) and the connecting piece (44) can be established by a linear closing movement (55).

7. Dosing system (1) according to claim 5 and 6, characterized in that the axis of rotation (32) of the first magnet carrier (28) runs perpendicular to the direction of the closing movement (55).

8. Dosing system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the

Dosing device (10) has a flat housing (11) with a front wall (12) and a rear wall (13) and is designed to be able to be placed in a plate holder in the interior of the dishwasher like a dish plate, wherein a first channel-like recess (18) and a second channel-like recess (19) are provided on the rear wall (13) or the front wall (12), wherein the first Hall sensor (27) is arranged between the first recess (18) and the second recess (19).