A dishwasher includes a washing chamber, and an automatic metering device configured automatically meter a plurality of metering quantities from a supply of cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber. The automatic metering device is held in a vibration-insulated manner.

A dosing device or system for dispensing tablets, which can include at least one active ingredient for an automatic washing process, into an automatic washing machine, wherein the dosing device or system is for dispensing one or more, but not all, of the tablets at once into the automatic washing machine, and wherein the dosing device or system can be for dispensing only one tablet at once.

A valve system has an apparatus formed with a plurality of material inlet ports, a flushing inlet port, and an outlet port and respective supplies of at last two different liquid materials. The supplies are each connected to a respective one of the material inlet ports, and a supply of flushing medium is connected to the flushing inlet port. A rotor at the apparatus is formed with a passage and shiftable between a plurality of positions in each of which a respective one of the inlet ports is connected to the outlet port. A controller moves the rotor between the positions such that, after each time the rotor is in a position connecting one of the material inlet ports to the outlet port and material has passed through the passage, the rotor is moved into a position connecting the passage with the flushing inlet port for flushing out the passage.

A dishwasher and method for making and/or using the same utilize one or more walking tubular spray elements that may be used to effectively increase the spray coverage area of the tubular spray elements through rotation and/or movement of the walking tubular spray elements in directions other than about the longitudinal axes thereof.

Disclosed herein is a chemical dosing system for an appliance, such as a laundry washing machine or a dishwashing machine, having a water inlet, the system comprising a meter for determining the volume of water supplied to the appliance, a pump for dispensing a quantity of a chemical to the appliance and a control unit arranged to receive a signal from the meter and to cause to be dispensed to the appliance a volume of chemical that is proportional to the quantity of water supplied to the appliance. The disclosed system may enable a correct quantity of chemical to be automatically dispensed to many types of appliance, without the need to know anything about the appliance, or to derive electrical signal from the appliance.

Disclosed herein is a chemical dosing system for an appliance, such as a laundry washing machine or a dishwashing machine, having a water inlet, the system comprising a meter determining the volume of water supplied to the appliance, a pump for dispensing a quantity of a chemical to the appliance and a control unit arranged to receive a signal from the meter and to cause to be dispensed to the appliance a volume of chemical that is proportional to the quantity of water supplied to the appliance. The disclosed system may enable a correct quantity of chemical to be automatically dispensed to many types of appliance, without the need to know anything about the appliance, or to derive an electrical signal from the appliance.

The embodiments are and include an apparatus, system and method for a liquid level monitoring dispenser for association with a liquid filled consumable. The apparatus, system and method may include: a receiver for receiving the consumable upon inversion thereof; at least one electrical contact within the receiver for communicative association with conductive strips on the consumable; a sensing module communicative with the at least one electrical contact and having associated therewith firmware for converting signals associated with the conductive strips and received at the electrical contact to an indication of the liquid level; a communications module for communicating the liquid level to at least a user display and over at least one network; a power module for powering at least the sensing module and the communications module; and at least one dispensing output in fluid communication with the consumable and capable of dispensing the liquid from the consumable to modify the liquid level.

The invention relates to a dosing device (100) for dosing a detergent tablet (202) provided by a storage cartridge (200) to which the dosing device (100) is attachable, the dosing device (100) comprising a scoop (120) and a plug (130), wherein the scoop (120) is configured to pick up a detergent tablet (202) from the storage cartridge (200), lift the detergent tablet (202) to an opening (124) in the scoop (120) and transport the detergent tablet (202) to a receiving chamber (132) formed in the plug (130) when the scoop (120) is turned in a first turning direction about a rotational axis (X) that crosses a gravitational vector (G), and the plug (130) is configured to release the detergent tablet (202) from the receiving chamber (132). Also a water-bearing household appliance (1) comprising the dosing device (100) along with methods for dosing a detergent tablet (202) are disclosed.

The invention relates to a low cost sensor array suitable for use in a ware washing machine, preferably a dish washing machine. The invention also relates to a standalone detergent dispensing device comprising the low cost sensor array. The sensor systems are intended to allow monitoring of wash cycles such that controlled sequential dosing of reagents in wash cycles can be optimized. A device comprising such a sensor system may then be able to sense the conditions of the wash and dose reagents in their optimal sequence in the wash.

Systems and methods are described, which relate to the control of additive dispensers to provide defined amounts of one or more additive compounds to water to produce customized water. A given additive dispenser may include multiple inputs and/or outputs. Predefined water profiles may be stored in memory. A given water profile may define the amounts of additives to be delivered by the additive dispensers to achieve desired water characteristics. A controller may determine actual water characteristics of input water based on corresponding sensor data, and may compare the actual water characteristics to desired water characteristics in order to determine the amount of additive or additives that should be delivered to the input water to achieve the desired water characteristics. The additive dispensers may be network-enabled and may include transceivers configured to receive instructions related to production of customized water from a user device.