EP0725182A1 - Water supply device for household appliance with water flow - Google Patents

Abstract

Water feed equipment is provided for an appliance operable with water comprising two valve-controlled water inlets operable at a time to direct a respective jet of water towards the entrance of a respective one of two collecting channels and operable in common to direct respective jets of water toward a point of intersection for formation of a jet toward the entrance of a third collecting channel, and a further valve-controlled water inlet operable by itself to direct a respective water jet toward the entrance of a fourth channel and operable in common with one of the first two jets to direct a jet toward a point of intersection with the jet from that one inlet for formation of a further resultant jet which is directed towards the entrance of a fifth collecting channel.

Description

The invention is based on a water supply device for a water-carrying household appliance, in particular for a detergent dispenser in a washing machine, with more than two inlet valves belonging to a pair, which can be controlled as a function of the program and whose outputs are directed towards a junction, individually controlled with direct jets Aim at the entrance of one catchment channel and, when controlled together, form a resulting beam that aims at the entrance of a middle catchment channel.

Such a water supply device is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 19 13 868. In it, the outputs of two controllable inlet valves are arranged at an angle to one another in such a way that they achieve the above-described effect when actuated individually or together. In this case, the resulting jet is used to rinse out a softener chamber of a detergent rinsing device arranged under the water supply device. As soon as a further detergent chamber is to be provided in the detergent dispenser, a further inlet valve must be provided which acts directly on this chamber.

If, according to DE 38 22 392 A1, fresh water is to be branched off for purposes other than rinsing out detergent compartments, a further fresh water valve is regularly required; because the diversion of fresh water according to DE 38 22 392 A1 interferes with the fresh water supply to the detergent chambers. Therefore, this known fresh water branch has not proven itself. An additional fresh water path would therefore only be safely controlled by another special inlet valve.

The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in the case of a water supply device mentioned at the beginning in which at least five fresh water paths can be controlled by three inlet valves.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that one of the direct jets in the flow direction behind the intersection of the direct jets with a jet of a further inlet valve forms a further junction with three downstream collecting channels. In this way, five collecting channels with three inlet valves can be acted on individually. Further increases in the utilization of the principle known from DE 19 13 868 A1 are also conceivable; For example, seven collecting channels can be controlled individually with four inlet valves or nine collecting channels with five inlet valves. However, since the formation of the resulting rays creates stray rays that are caught by neighboring collecting channels, the sequence in which the inlet valves are switched on must be such that scattering rays can only reach collecting channels whose assigned chambers have already been operated in the washing machine program.

Accordingly, the water supply device according to the invention is developed in a particularly advantageous manner in that three controllable inlet valves are provided, of which the output of the third valve is guided together with the collecting channel for the one jet to a second intersection with three subsequent collecting channels. In this case, the resulting jet of the second intersection can be assigned a softener chamber, the rinsing of which does not require as high a pressure as the rinsing of prewash and main detergent compartments, the powdered detergent of which has to be rinsed out at a higher pressure than liquid softener which is already liquid when it is rinsed out the chamber contents only have to be lifted over a storage wall or over a suction lifter mountain. Scattered rays that are caught by the other two collecting channels then only wash, for example, only chambers that were previously rinsed out (e.g. pre-wash chamber or post-wash chamber) or are connected to a fresh water path that leads directly into the tub.

In an advantageous development of the device according to the invention on a detergent dispenser, four pipe sockets are attached to the rear wall of a cover part for a housing of a detergent drawer with four chambers for storing hand-dosed detergent portions, of which two adjacent pipe sockets are at an acute angle to one another Aim at the intersection, which is in the area of a free air gap that serves to protect against back suction. This arrangement is known per se and customary, however, in cooperation with the outlet of the third valve, it serves to form a second crossing with three downstream collecting channels.

In a particularly advantageous manner, such a detergent dispenser can be designed such that the central collecting channel of the first intersection in the cover part in a distribution chamber with spray openings for a bleaching chamber arranged underneath, one of the collecting channels for the direct jets from the one pipe socket to a third pipe socket an immediate supply of fresh water and the other collecting channel for the direct jet from the other pipe socket is led to a second intersection, the other supply line of which is a collecting channel of the fourth nozzle and the outputs of three collecting channels for one distribution chamber each with spray openings for three others arranged below it Detergent dispensers are. This embodiment of a detergent dispenser is extremely cost-effective because of the use of only three inlet valves for five outlets, four of which act on detergent compartments of a detergent drawer, while the fifth outlet is used for the direct supply of fresh water to the tub of such a washing machine, the prefilled fresh water of which faster wetting of the laundry is used for example from the loading opening of a front loading washing machine.

By utilizing the principle of the hydraulic water switch (resulting jet from intersecting water jets) and using two hydraulic water switches in a row, the number of controllable water paths increases to five. These five waterways can be used Rinsing of four chambers and a direct water supply to the tub can be used. The chamber arrangement and the arrangement of the hydraulic water switches with the associated water supply should be such that the water losses which occur when the hydraulic water switches are used and flow off on the direct paths are passed through chambers which have already been flushed out at an earlier point in time. Three of these five fresh water paths can be controlled directly and without water loss when operating one feed valve each. Advantageously, there are no moving parts in the water supply and in the distribution system (with the exception of the supply valves that are required anyway). Therefore there is practically no risk of interference. At the same time, the control of five water ways according to the invention contains a possibility for separate and program step-independent laundry pre-loading by direct feeding into the tub of the machine.

Fig. 1

ein Schaltungschema für die Zulaufventile und die Frischwasserwege,

Fig. 2

eine Beschaltungstabelle für das in Fig. 1 gezeigte Prinzip,

Fig. 3

eine beispielsweise Ausgestaltung eines Deckelteils für eine Waschmittel-Einspüleinrichtung mit einer Waschmittelschublade gemäß dem in Fig. 1 dargestellten Erfindungsprinzip und

Fig. 4

eine Waschmittelschublade mit vier Waschmittelkammern in einer Ansicht von oben.

The principle of the invention and an exemplary embodiment of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Show it

Fig. 1

a circuit diagram for the inlet valves and the fresh water paths,

Fig. 2

1 a wiring table for the principle shown in FIG. 1,

Fig. 3

an example embodiment of a cover part for a detergent dispenser with a detergent drawer according to the principle of the invention shown in FIG. 1 and

Fig. 4

a detergent drawer with four detergent compartments in a view from above.

The principle of the invention shown in FIG. 1 schematically shows the supply of an input line E for fresh water, which is led to a valve block V. Electrically switchable valves 1 to 3 are arranged within the valve block, the outputs 4 to 6 of which are led to the water supply device 7 according to the invention. The outputs 5 and 6 meet at a first intersection 8, to which collecting channels A3 and A5 and a transfer channel 9 are connected. The outlet 4 of the valve 1 and the transfer duct 9 meet a second intersection 10 to which the collecting ducts A1, A2 and A4 are connected. The collecting channels A4 and A5 are provided for the resulting beams that form at the intersection 10 and 8, respectively, when the valves 1 and 2, for example. valves 2 and 3 are switched on at the same time. Always then, two approximately equally strong beams collide directly within the crossing point and form a resultant beam that strikes the central collecting channels A4 and A2, respectively. The resulting jet reaches about 50% of the flow rate of the two input jets, while the remaining amount is divided approximately in half between two scattered jets collected in the adjacent channels (see FIG. 2). The five fresh water outlets of the collecting channels A1 to A5 can be used for any purpose, but especially for detergent dispensing from at least four compartments of a detergent dispenser.

2 shows a circuit table from which it is apparent how much fresh water hits the respective collecting channel when one or two valves of the valves provided according to FIG. 1 are open. For use in a detergent dispenser, a suggestion is also given as to which detergent chambers can be acted upon by the respective fresh water path. The prewash chamber VWK is connected to the collecting duct A1, the main detergent chamber to the collecting duct A2 and a free connection piece 15 (FIG. 3) to the collecting duct A3. They each receive the full, direct beam from the output of one of valves 1 to 3.

When valves 1 and 2 are actuated, the collecting channel A4 collects the main part of the fresh water supplied in the form of a resulting jet of more than 50% of the fresh water quantity supplied and directs this fresh water into a fabric softener chamber WSK. The scattered jets, each with less than 25% of the fresh water supplied, pass through the VWK prewash chamber and the HWK main detergent chamber, both of which have already been rinsed out before the WSK softener chamber is loaded and therefore the scattered water does not cause any undesirable side effects.

When valves 2 and 3 are actuated, the main part of the fresh water reaches the collecting channel A5 as a resultant jet of more than 50% and thus into a bleaching chamber BK, while the collecting channels A2 and A3 each collect less than 25% of the fresh water supplied as scattered rays and lead into the main detergent chamber or in the free nozzle 15. Both stray water components are also at the main loading the bleach chamber BK is harmless because the main detergent chamber had also been rinsed out before the bleach was supplied and because the direct supply of fresh water via the nozzle 15 into the tub of a washing machine is equally harmless.

A correspondingly executed example for the water supply device shown schematically in FIG. 1 is explained with reference to a detergent dispenser drawer for a front loading washing machine in FIGS. 3 and 4. The detergent drawer 17 shown in plan view in FIG. 4 is guided in a manner not shown in a housing which is closed above the inserted drawer with a cover part 16 provided with hollow chambers (FIG. 3). The detergent drawer 17 contains four detergent compartments for hand-dosed detergent portions, namely VWK for prewash, HWK for main detergent, WSK for fabric softener and BK for bleach. When the detergent drawer 17 is pushed into the housing, the detergent compartments are located under the distribution chambers VKV for prewash detergent, VKH for main detergent, VKW for fabric softener and VKB for bleach, which are arranged in the projection. Through the holes 18 at the bottom of the distribution chambers, the fresh water supplied flows into the detergent chambers below and rinses the detergent contained therein backwards into a cavity (not shown) which is connected to the tub by an elastic line.

On the rear wall 19 of the cover part 16, four pipe sockets 11 to 15 and 20 are attached, two of which are adjacent pipe sockets 12 and 13 at an acute angle to one another Aim at a first intersection 8, which lies in the area of a free air gap which serves to secure the back suction. This free air gap is realized in that a breakthrough 21 is provided in the bottom of the channel containing the intersection 8, through which air can flow if there is a negative pressure on one of the feeding nozzles 12 or 13. A single pipe socket 11 leads together with the transition channel 9, which is fed by pipe socket 12, to a second intersection 10 and has its own suction opening 22. The socket 14 is coupled to the cavity, not shown, for the tub and serves in a manner not shown for Ventilation of a so-called water mountain in the pumping channel of the washing machine. The large nozzle 20 is a blocked blind nozzle and is used for unspecified contingencies.

Fresh water from the pipe socket 11 shoots into the collecting channel A1 and from there into the distribution chamber VKV for prewashing agents. Fresh water supplied only to the pipe socket 12 shoots via the transfer duct 9 into the collecting duct A2 and from there into the distribution chamber VKH for main detergent. Fresh water supplied only to the pipe socket 13 shoots into the collecting channel A3 and is fed directly to the socket 15, to which a hose line to the tub can be connected, which opens, for example, in the area of the loading door of a front-loading washing machine.

Together, the fresh water supplied to the pipe socket 11 and 12 meets at the intersection 10 and forms a resulting jet 23 which shoots into the collecting channel A4 and fills the distribution chamber VKW for fabric softener from there. Feeded together with fresh water Pipe sockets 12 and 13 guide their water jets to the crossing point 8 and form a resulting jet 24 which shoots into the collecting channel A5 and fills the distribution chamber VKB for bleaching agents from there.

The invention is not restricted to the diagram in FIG. 1 and the associated wiring table in FIG. 2, nor to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The application of the invention is suitable for all water-bearing household appliances in which more than three output channels are to be occupied with a few controllable inlet valves. The example shown schematically in FIG. 1 with three inlet valves and five outlet channels can also be expanded to four or five inlet valves without departing from the basic idea of the invention. With four inlet valves, seven outlet channels can be occupied and with five inlet valves nine outlet channels. For example, in the case of four inlet valves, the outer valves can each be used to discharge transition channels analogously to transition channel 9 of valve 2 in FIG. 1, both of which meet at a third crossing point. This can in turn occupy three collecting channels. Similarly, the circuitry can be set up for five inlet valves. A higher number of inlet valves and crossing points is no longer recommended, because otherwise the pressures in the collecting channels further away from the inlet valves are too low.

Furthermore, the wiring of the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 3 and 4 is not binding; because another use or arrangement of the collecting channels is easily conceivable. The pipe socket 15 can also be dispensed with and the collecting channel A3 can be discharged directly into the cavity below if this fresh water line does not have to be led into the processing tank via a different route than the other fresh water routes.

Claims (4)

Water supply device for a water-bearing household appliance, in particular for a detergent dispenser in a washing machine, with more than two, one pair of associated, program-dependent controllable inlet valves, the outputs of which are directed at an intersection of beams, individually controlled with direct jets aimed at the entrance of each collecting channel and jointly controlled form a resulting jet which points to the entrance of a central collecting channel, characterized in that one of the direct jets in the direction of flow behind the intersection (8) of the direct jets with a jet of a further inlet valve (1) has a further junction (10 ) with three downstream collecting channels (A1, A2 and A4). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that three controllable inlet valves (1 to 3) are provided, of which the outlet connection (11) of the third valve (1) together with a transfer duct (9) for the one direct jet to a second crossing ( 10) with three downstream collecting channels (A1, A2 and A4). Device according to claim 2 on a detergent dispenser, characterized in that on the rear wall (19) of a cover part (16) for a housing of a detergent drawer (17) with four chambers (VWK, HWK, WSK and BK) for storing hand-dosed detergent -Portions four pipe sockets (11, 12, 13 and 15) are attached, of which two adjacent pipe sockets (12, 13) at an acute angle to each other aim at a first intersection (8), which lies in the area of a free air gap (21) which serves to protect against back suction. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the central collecting channel (A5) of the first crossing (8) in the cover part (16) into a distributor chamber (VKB) with spray openings (18) for a bleaching agent chamber (BK) arranged underneath, one (A3) the collecting channels for the direct jets from one pipe socket (13) to a third pipe socket (15) for an immediate supply of fresh water and the other collecting channel for the direct jet from the other pipe socket (12) as a transfer channel (9) to a second crossing (10) is guided, the other supply line is connected to the fourth nozzle (11) and the outputs of three collecting channels (A1, A2 and A4) for one distribution chamber each (VKV, VKH and VKW) with spray openings (18) for three others detergent compartments located below (VWK, HWK and WSK).

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