Dishwasher, method for operating a dishwasher, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11826003-B2
Application number	US-201917269275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A household dishwasher includes a washing chamber, a control apparatus for running a washing program from a number of washing programs, a metering system having a supply unit for receiving an individual dose of a first cleaning agent and supplying the individual dose into the washing chamber at a metering point in time while running the washing program, and an automatic metering apparatus for automatically metering a plurality of metering quantities from a supply of a second cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber at the metering point in time, and a sensor apparatus configured to detect a state of the metering system and to emit a sensor signal depending on the detected state of the metering system. The control apparatus runs the washing program depending on the sensor signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A household dishwasher, comprising:
a washing chamber;
a control apparatus configured to run a washing program from a number of washing programs;
a metering system comprising a supply unit configured to receive an individual dose of a first cleaning agent and to supply the individual dose into the washing chamber at a metering point in time during the washing program, and an automatic metering apparatus comprising a receiving unit configured to receive a supply of a second cleaning agent, the automatic metering apparatus configured to automatically meter a plurality of metering quantities from the supply of the second cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber at the metering point in time; and
a sensor apparatus comprising a first sensor configured to detect a presence of the first cleaning agent in the supply unit and a second sensor configured to detect a filling state of the second cleaning agent in the receiving unit, the sensor apparatus configured to detect a state of the metering system via at least the first sensor and the second sensor and to emit a first sensor signal associated with the first sensor and a second sensor signal associated with the second sensor, wherein the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal are indicative of the detected state of the metering system,
wherein the control apparatus is configured to run the washing program depending on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

2. The household dishwasher of claim 1 , wherein the state of the metering system comprises a manual state in which the individual dose of the first cleaning agent is present in the supply unit, and an automatic state in which at least one of the metering quantities of the second cleaning agent is present in the supply and no first cleaning agent is present in the supply unit, and wherein said control apparatus is configured to activate the supply unit for supplying the first cleaning agent at the metering point in time and/or to activate the automatic metering apparatus for metering the metering quantity of the second cleaning agent when the metering system is in the manual state and to activate the automatic metering apparatus for metering the metering quantity of the second cleaning agent when the metering system is in the automatic state.

3. The household dishwasher of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface configured to emit user information depending on the sensor signal.

4. The household dishwasher of claim 1 , wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive a removable storage container for storing the supply of the second cleaning agent, and wherein the second sensor of said sensor apparatus is further configured to to detect a presence of the storage container in the receiving unit of the automatic metering apparatus.

5. The household dishwasher of claim 1 , wherein the sensor apparatus further comprises a third sensor configured to to detect a type of the first cleaning agent and/or a type of the second cleaning agent, and wherein said control apparatus is further configured to run the washing program depending on a third sensor signal associated with the third sensor, the third sensor signal indicative of the detected type of the first cleaning agent and/or the second cleaning agent.

6. The household dishwasher of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor of the sensor apparatus is further configured to detect a quantity of the first cleaning agent, and wherein said control apparatus is configured to compare the detected quantity with a target quantity for the first cleaning agent and to run the washing program depending on the comparison.

7. A method for operating a household dishwasher having a metering system which is configured to receive an individual dose of a first cleaning agent and to supply the individual dose into a washing chamber of the household dishwasher at a metering point in time during a washing program and which is configured to receive a supply of a second cleaning agent and to meter a plurality of metering quantities of the second cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber at the metering point in time during the washing program, said method comprising:
detecting with at least a first sensor and a second sensor of a sensor apparatus a state of the metering system, wherein the first sensor is configured to detect a presence of the first cleaning agent in the metering system, and wherein the second sensor is configured to detect a filling state of the second cleaning agent in the metering system;
the sensor apparatus emitting a first sensor signal associated with the first sensor and a second sensor signal associated with the second sensor, wherein the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal are indicative of the detected state of the metering system; and
running the washing program depending on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

8. A computer program product for operating a household dishwasher, said computer program product comprising a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into a program-controlled facility and executed by the program-controlled facility, causes the program-controlled facility to perform the steps of:
detecting with at least a first sensor and a second sensor of a sensor apparatus a state of a metering system which is configured to receive an individual dose of a first cleaning agent and to supply the individual dose into a washing chamber of the household dishwasher at a metering point in time during a washing program and which is configured to receive a supply of a second cleaning agent and to meter a plurality of metering quantities of the second cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber at the metering point in time during the washing program, wherein the first sensor is configured to detect a presence of the first cleaning agent in the metering system, and wherein the second sensor is configured to detect a filling state of the second cleaning agent in the metering system;
the sensor apparatus emitting a first sensor signal associated with the first sensor and a second sensor signal associated with the second sensor, wherein the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal are indicative of the detected state of the metering system; and
running the washing program depending on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh
• Reckitt Benckiser Brands Ltd

Inventors

• Schiele Alexander
• Schultz Jakob
• Walther Georg
• Miller Daniel
• Buogo Alberto
• Muentzenberger Addie
• Späte Anne-Katrin

Classifications

• A47L15/449 Primary

  Metering controlling devices (A47L15/4229 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47L15/0055

  Metering or indication of used products, e.g. type or quantity of detergent, rinse aid or salt; for measuring or controlling the product concentration · CPC title

• A47L15/4409

  by tipping containers or opening their lids, e.g. with the help of a programmer · CPC title

• A47L15/4418 Primary

  in the form of liquids (A47L15/4409, A47L15/4436, A47L15/4445 take precedence) · CPC title

• A47L15/4463

  Multi-dose dispensing arrangements · CPC title