WO2010040673A2 - Washing appliance comprising an extractable and insertable detergent tray - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to make it easy to accurately dose detergent in a washing appliance, in particular a washing machine or a dishwasher, comprising an extractable and insertable detergent tray (22), at least one flushing pump (32-1, 32-2) is integrated in the area of the detergent tray (22), while the drive unit of the flushing pump (32-1, 32-2) is arranged within the appliance. The flushing pump (32-1, 32-2) is driven by a driving element (38) that is mounted on the appliance and is rotatably driven by a motor, and by a toothed wheel (42-1, 42-2) which is mounted on the tray, is effectively connected to a pump drive shaft, and engages with the driving element (38) when the detergent tray is in the inserted state while disengaging from the driving element (38) when the detergent tray (22) is extracted.

Description

 Cleaning device with a pull-out and retractable detergent drawer

The invention relates to a cleaning device such. For example, a washing machine or a dishwasher.

Conventional washing machines typically comprise a water-carrying line system for circulating a cleaning liquid (water or "wash liquor") and a pull-out and retractable detergent drawer for flushing at least one cleaning agent ("detergent") into the cleaning liquid.

The line system forms a substantially closed water circuit with a controllable inlet, a controllable circulating pump and a controllable drain (with drain pump). Part of this water cycle is also a receiving space for the laundry to be cleaned.

The detergent drawer usually comprises several chambers for holding various cleaning agents (eg "detergent" and "softener"). The user of the washing machine first pulls out the detergent drawer (eg from a front panel of the washing machine), fills the chambers with the desired amount of detergent or detergents, pushes the detergent drawer back in and starts the operation of the washing machine.

During operation of the washing machine, a program control unit is then typically used at certain times in the program sequence to flush out the cleaning agents out of the chambers and into the line system, namely by means of a fresh water jet directed into the respective chamber.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with a pull-out and retractable detergent drawer, in which, despite simple design, a good metering of the detergent is possible.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a cleaning device according to claim 1. The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments of the invention. The basic idea of the invention is to integrate at least one rinsing pump in the area of the drawer for draining and insertable drawer, but to implement the drive largely on the device side and to mechanically couple it to the pump when the detergent drawer is inserted.

For the realization of this basic idea is essential according to the invention that is provided for driving the Ausspülpumpe a device side mounted and motor rotatably driven drive member and a drawer side stored, standing with a pump drive shaft Ausspülpumpe in operative connection gear, which is in inserted detergent drawer in engagement with the drive member and which comes out of engagement with the drive member when removing the detergent drawer.

With the invention, all the advantages of a flushing pump integrated in the area of the detergent drawer can be achieved, without causing any additional effort for creating an electrical contacting system between the stationary body of the cleaning appliance and the movable detergent drawer.

A particular advantage of the invention is that due to the outsourcing of the actual pump drive, so for example an electric motor, and possibly a transmission, only little space in the detergent drawer is claimed. In the invention, only the pump (s) must be integrated into the detergent drawer.

The invention can be advantageously used in particular for program-controlled cleaning devices. In one embodiment, it is a washing machine or a dishwasher, or another water-conducting household appliance.

The one or more cleaning agents can be in a conventional manner z. B. be provided in liquid, viscous or granular form. In particular, for rinsing a granular detergent from the chamber in question can be provided that the associated flushing pump not directly the detergent but the

Cleaning fluid (eg., Water) pumps, so that the detergent in the

To convey pipeline system.

In one embodiment it is provided that the device-mounted drive member a

Drive gear or a drive screw is. A drive worm can very advantageously have a worm axis extending in the insertion direction of the detergent drawer. In a preferred embodiment, such a drive screw at a free end with a taper, so z. B. conical. Thus, the engagement with the gear or wheels when inserting the drawer can be facilitated.

The device-mounted drive member may be driven directly or indirectly (in particular via a transmission) by means of an electric motor.

In one embodiment, it is provided that the gear wheel mounted on the drawer side and the drive member mounted on the apparatus side are arranged such that their mutual engagement occurs when the detergent drawer is inserted at the rear end side of the detergent drawer. Alternatively, this procedure also z. B. be provided on the underside or the top of the detergent drawer.

In particular, for the preferred case in the invention that the detergent drawer has a plurality of chambers for storing a plurality of detergent, an embodiment is interesting in which the detergent drawer comprises a plurality of Ausspülpumpen. Thus, for example, a particularly advantageous embodiment can be realized in which the detergent drawer comprises a plurality of chambers each with associated flushing pumps and a plurality of drawer-mounted, each in operative connection with one of the plurality of pump drive shafts gears.

The plurality of pumps may be the same or different. Various properties of the filled into the chambers detergent, in particular z. Different viscosities, may require that different torques be provided to the pump drive shafts for the pumps. Such differences can be taken into account by appropriate adaptation of a transmission between the actual drive (eg electric motor) and the rotatably mounted drive element (eg drive screw) and / or between the gear and the pump drive shaft. It should be noted that already the gears themselves act as part of the drive train as a "gear", so that by appropriate choice of the number of teeth different pump torques can be realized. The gears or their tooth numbers must therefore not be identical. If a plurality of gears are provided on the detergent drawer, it is conceivable that each drawer-side gear is assigned its own device-side and selectively rotatably drivable drive member to separately drive the gears or the respective rinsing pumps associated with the gears.

However, this advantage of a separate driveability of several gears does not necessarily require the arrangement of a corresponding plurality of separately drivable drive members. Rather, measures are conceivable to ensure a selective drivability of multiple gears even if they are in the pushed-in detergent drawer in engagement with the same drive member (or with each other). One possible measure is that means for selectively influencing the operative connection of the individual gears with the associated pump drive shafts are provided. For example, actuators arranged on the device side (eg rotatable control disks, displaceable push rods, etc.) could be provided, with the detergent drawer inserted, selectively decoupling individual ones of the respective pump drive shafts (so that the pump drive shaft would not be in the case of a rotary drive of the respective gear) is rotated).

Accordingly, for an embodiment in which the device-mounted drive member engages upon insertion of the detergent drawer with a plurality of gears, both variants with only simultaneous drive of the pumps and variants with selective drive of the pump conceivable.

In one embodiment, it is provided that at least a part of the drawer-mounted gears is in operative connection with the respective pump drive shaft via a freewheel. This means that upon rotation of a respective gear in a particular direction of rotation, the associated pump drive shaft is rotated and thus the pump in question is operated, whereas upon rotation of the gear in the opposite direction of rotation, the associated pump drive shaft is not rotated and thus does not operate the pump in question becomes.

This is a particularly advantageous in practice and thus preferred embodiment can be realized in which a device-side mounted drive member with inserted detergent drawer with two gears is engaged, which are in operative connection via respective freewheels with the respective pump drive shafts. Thus, it is advantageously possible, depending on the direction of rotation of the drive member, either a pump or to drive the other pump, so to selectively operate the two pumps. The direction of rotation of the drive member "encodes" to a certain extent the desired selection of the pump to be operated.

If the detergent drawer thus comprises a plurality of chambers, each with associated flushing pump, then two pumps can be selectively controlled in this simple manner by means of one and the same drive member. If the detergent drawer has a total of more than two pumps to be selectively operated, this simple embodiment of the "direction of rotation coding" requires one or more further drive members.

Quite generally according to an embodiment it can be provided that a plurality of device-mounted and each motor-driven rotary drive members are provided, which each engage with at least one of the drawer-mounted gears during insertion of the detergent drawer.

The invention will be further described by means of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. They represent (partly schematized):

1 is a perspective view of a washing machine,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the washing machine of Fig. 1 at extended

Detergent drawer,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the washing machine of Fig. 1 with inserted

Detergent drawer,

4 is a view of the inserted detergent drawer from above,

5 is a view of the drawn-out detergent drawer from above,

6 is a side view of the extended detergent drawer,

7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 of a detergent drawer according to a further embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a corresponding to FIG. 4 view of a detergent drawer according to another embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a domestic washing machine 10 of largely conventional design, namely with an approximately cuboid device body 12, in the interior of a not shown in the figures line system (water cycle) with a controllable inlet, a cleaning room for receiving the laundry, a controllable circulating pump and a controllable drain (with drain pump) is housed.

During operation of the washing machine 10, the material to be cleaned (here: laundry) is located in a motor-driven rotary laundry drum, which is accommodated in the cleaning room, which forms part of the pipe system.

On a front panel 14 is a hinged front hinged cleaning room door 16, via which a user bring the laundry in the laundry drum and after completion of an automatic washing program, the cleaned laundry can be removed from the washing machine 10 again.

Further, located on the front panel 14, a control panel 18 with controls and indicators 20 and a pull-out and retractable detergent drawer 22nd

2 shows the washing machine 10 in a side view with the detergent drawer 22 drawn out. In this situation, the user can place a detergent (eg powder) and a fabric softener (eg liquid) in respective receiving chambers provided for this purpose and open at the top Fill in 30-1 and 30-2. Then, the drawer 22 can be inserted by the user back into the device body 12 and a desired wash program can be started.

FIG. 3 shows the washing machine 10 with the drawer 22 inserted. The cleaning agents located in the chambers 30-1 and 30-2 are flushed out of the respective chambers and into the line system and thus the circulated cleaning liquid at predetermined times ,

In the detergent drawer 22 are rinsing pumps 32-1 and 32-2 (each associated with one of the chambers 30-1 and 30-2) integrated. The control of the rinsing pumps 32-1 and 32-2 is carried out in accordance with the user-selected washing program to at certain times a dosing of the detergent in the water or the Make washing liquor. The two pumps can z. B. communicating with the chambers communicating intake to convey liquid cleaning agent directly to an outlet of the drawer 22. Alternatively, the two pumps z. B. pump water or wash, which rinses the detergent to such an outlet.

4 shows in a schematic plan view, somewhat more detailed, the arrangement of the two chambers 30-1 and 30-2 open at the top in the detergent drawer 22 and the rinsing-out pumps 32-1, 32-2 together with the components essential for the pump drive.

To drive the pumps 32-1, 32-2, a device-mounted stationarily mounted electric motor 34 is provided, from which a motor output shaft 36 is rotatably connected to a drive worm 38.

In the retracted state of the detergent drawer 22 this is almost completely taken up in a space provided in the interior of the device body 12 receiving space, which is bounded towards the rear (in Fig. 4 right) by a wall 40 which is penetrated by the output shaft 36. This wall 40 may, for. B. also be used for pivotal mounting of the output shaft 36. The drive screw 38 adjoining the output shaft 36 at the front is therefore located inside the drawer receiving space and, in the illustrated embodiment, has a worm axis extending in the insertion or withdrawal direction of the drawer 22.

By driving the motor 34, a rotation of the drive worm 38 can be effected, which, when the drawer 22 is pushed in, is transferred to two toothed wheels 42-1, 42-2 arranged in engagement with the drive worm 38 and suitably arranged on the drawer 22. The gears 42-1 and 42-2 are mounted in the illustrated example about orthogonal to the screw axis extending axes of rotation at the top of a rear end portion of the drawer, and are in operative connection with a respective (not shown) pump drive shaft of the pump 32-1 and 32nd -2 (A rotation of the pump drive shaft causes the pump to operate).

FIG. 5 is a representation corresponding to FIG. 4, but with the detergent drawer 22 drawn out. From this it can be seen that the toothed wheels 42-1 and 42-2 extend out of the drawer 22 (to the left in FIGS. 4 and 5) the engagement with the drive worm 38 has arrived. A drive of the pumps 32-1 and 32-2 is thus not possible with the drawer 22 pulled out, but also not necessary.

In particular, since the drive motor 34 is not integrated in the drawer 22, there remains much space for forming the accommodation chambers 30-1, 30-2 and the pumps 32-1, 32-2.

The drive motor 34 is advantageously located outside of the drawer receiving space in a "dry" area of the cleaning device, in this case the washing machine 10. It may advantageously be permanently connected electrically, i. when pulling out the drawer 22, it does not have to be electrically separated in the region of a complicated contacting arrangement (or provided with a "movable" electrical contact arrangement).

By inserting the drawer 22 into the drawer receiving space or a drawer slide, the pumps 32-1, 32-2 are mechanically coupled to the drive motor 34 and the drive member 38 connected thereto.

Although both gears 42-1, 42-2 are always driven in rotation when the drawer 22 is inserted during operation of the motor 34 and the drive worm 38, the associated wetting pumps 32-1, 32-2 can be selectively operated in the illustrated embodiment. This is due to the fact that the gear wheels 42-1, 42-2 are not in operative connection with the respective pump drive shaft for both directions of rotation either directly or via a simple transmission gear, but via a respective freewheel 44-1 or 44-2. A rotation of a gear is thus transmitted only in one direction of rotation to the relevant pump drive shaft.

Fig. 6 illustrates in a side view of the detergent drawer 22 the arrangement of the components 30-1, 32-1, 44-1 and 42-1. These are the chambers 30-1 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 with associated flushing components. The other chamber 30-2 together with associated flushing components is concealed in FIG.

The two freewheels 44-1 and 44-2 have freewheel directions selected in such a way that, depending on the direction of rotation of the drive worm 38, either the gear 42-1 freewheels or the gear 42-2 runs free, whereas the respective other gear 42-2 or 42-1 via the associated freewheel and possibly accommodated in a pump housing further transmission components drives the relevant pump drive shaft, so that the pump in question is operated. At the end of the wash program can thus z. B. a detergent and a fabric softener independently, ie at different times by operating the same device-side drive components (motor 34 and drive screw 38) are metered into the piping of the washing machine 10. By adjusting the rotational speed of the drive worm 38 and / or its rotational operating time, a dosage adjustment can advantageously be accomplished (eg depending on the amount of water and / or amount of laundry).

In summary, in the described embodiment, two pumps each freewheel are integrated in a pump housing in the region of the drawer. In the simplest case, the pump drive shafts z. B. up, possibly sealed, through a housing cover and are provided at the upper shaft ends with the gears (rotatably connected). Alternatively, the gears may be arranged at shaft ends of a transmission input shaft, which forms a transmission for driving the pump drive shaft together with other gears in the interior of the housing.

In the described embodiment, the intervention of drawer-side drive components, ie here the gears 42-1, 42-2 with the device-side drive component, so the drive screw 38, takes place at the top of the detergent drawer 22. Alternatively or additionally, such an intervention, for example, on the Bottom or the rear end of the drawer 22 done.

Furthermore, deviating from the illustrated embodiment, a separate housing-side drive member such as the drive screw 38 shown could be provided for each of the drawer-side gears, or could several drive members such as the drive shaper 38 only provided in the illustrated embodiment be provided, each with one or more gears in engagement reach.

In the following description of further embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for equivalent components, each supplemented by a small letter to distinguish the embodiment. In this case, essentially only the differences from the embodiment (s) already described are discussed and, moreover, reference is hereby explicitly made to the description of previous exemplary embodiments. Fig. 7 illustrates in a view corresponding to Fig. 4, a modification of the embodiment described above, in which two gears 42a-1 and 42a-2 are driven by a common drive member in the form of another gear 38a, the axis of rotation coaxial with the axes of rotation of Gears 42a-1, 42a-2 is arranged and which meshes with inserted drawer 22 with two drawer-side gears 42a-1, 42a-2.

8 shows a modification of the example according to FIG. 7, which is that a device-side gear 38b used to drive two drawer-side gears 42b-1 and 42b-2 only has one (here: 42b-2) when the drawer 22b is inserted. the two drawer-side gears mesh and thus is in direct engagement therewith, whereas such engagement is accomplished indirectly only with the other (here: 42b-1) of the two drawer-side gears, that the two drawer side gears mesh with each other.

Both for the embodiment of FIG. 7 and the embodiment of FIG. 8 is essential that both drawer-side gears by means of the same device-side drive member (here: gear 38a and 38b) are driven simultaneously with the drawer inserted. As in the above embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6 can be achieved by each associated freewheels between the drawer-side gears and the associated Ausspülpumpen that depending on the direction of rotation of the drive member (38 a and 38 b) only one Ausspülpumpe is operated.

In the described embodiments, in particular the following advantages may result:

^■ Reduction of the number of components (eg only one motor for two pumps).

^■ Cost reduction through elimination of a complex electrical contact system.

^■ No electrical components in the damp room. This brings advantages in terms of quality, service life and corrosion.

^■ No sealing against steam and condensation necessary. This allows a cost reduction.

^■ Less space required in the drawer (no motor required directly on the pump and in the drawer). ■ No electrical parts that can be touched by the operator. This increases security.

^■ Increased quality due to fewer components (better system failure behavior).

^■ Low electrical wiring effort (only one motor instead of two motors). LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 washing machine

12 device body

14 front panel

16 door

18 control panel

20 operating and display elements

22 detergent drawer

30-1, 30-2 chambers

32-1, 32-2 Rinsing pumps

34 electric motor

36 output shaft

38 drive screw

40 wall

42-1, 42-2 gears

44-1, 44-2 freewheels

Claims

claims 1. cleaning device (10), in particular washing machine or dishwasher, with a pull-out and retractable detergent drawer (22) for flushing a detergent into a cleaning liquid, wherein the detergent drawer (22) at least one chamber (30-1, 30-2) for receiving the cleaning agent and a rinsing pump (32-1, 32-2) for rinsing the cleaning agent out of the chamber (30-1, 30-2) out and in a line system of the cleaning device (10) into it, and wherein for driving the flushing pump (32-1, 32-2) a device side mounted and motor rotatably driven drive member (38) and a drawer side mounted, with a pump drive shaft in operative connection gear (42- 1, 42-2) is provided, which is in the inserted detergent drawer in engagement with the drive member (38) and when pulling the detergent drawer (22) from the engagement with the drive member (38) passes. 2. Cleaning device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the device-mounted drive member (38) is a drive gear. 3. Cleaning device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the device-mounted drive member (38) is a drive worm. 4. Cleaning device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drawer-mounted gear (42-1, 42-2) and the device-mounted drive member (38) are arranged such that their intervention when pushed Detergent drawer (22) takes place at the rear end side of the detergent drawer (22). 5. Cleaning device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drawer-mounted gear (42-1, 42-2) and the device-mounted drive member (38) are arranged such that their engagement with inserted detergent drawer (22) the underside of the detergent drawer (22) takes place. 6. Cleaning device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drawer-mounted gear (42-1, 42-2) and the device-mounted drive member (38) are arranged such that their intervention when pushed Detergent drawer (22) takes place at the top of the detergent drawer (22). 7. Cleaning device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detergent drawer (22) a plurality of chambers (30-1, 30-2) each having associated Ausspülpumpen (32-1, 32-2) and a plurality of drawer-mounted, each with a the several pump drive shafts in operative connection Gears (42-1, 42-2) includes. 8. cleaning device (10) according to claim 7, wherein the device-side mounted drive member (38) upon insertion of the detergent drawer (22) with a plurality of the gears (42-1, 42-2) engages. 9. cleaning device (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at least a portion of the drawer-mounted gears (42-1, 42-2) via a freewheel (44-1, 44-2) is in operative connection with the respective pump drive shaft. 10. Cleaning device (10) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a plurality of device-mounted and each motor-driven rotary drive members (38) are provided, each with at least one of the drawer-mounted gears in engagement with the insertion of the detergent drawer (22) into engagement (42-). 1, 42-2).