DEVICE FOR INSTALLATION ON AN INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE OF A WASHING MACHINE DRUM

Abstract

A device for installation on an inner circumferential surface-of a washing machine drum, comprising a housing, a voltage source and at least one electrode which is connected to the positive terminal of the voltage source and acts as an anode, it being possible for a washing liquor to flow through the device and said device comprising at least one inlet for introducing washing liquor into the device and at least one outlet for discharging washing liquor from the device. The inlet and the outlet are arranged on the device such that, when the device is in use position, said inlet and outlet are directly above the inner circumferential surface of the washing machine drum and the inlet is in a plane of which the surface normal extends. Use of this device and a related method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A device for installation on an inner circumferential surface of a washing machine drum, comprising a housing, a voltage source, at least one electrode which is connected to a positive terminal of the voltage source and acts as an anode, at least one inlet for introducing washing liquor into the device, at least one outlet for discharging washing liquor from the device, wherein it is possible for a washing liquor to flow through the device and wherein the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet are arranged on the device in such a way that, when the device is in its use position, said inlet and outlet are directly above the inner circumferential surface of the washing machine drum and the at least one inlet is in a plane of which the surface normal extends, when the device is in its use position, substantially orthogonally to the axis of rotation of the washing machine drum, and the at least one electrode is arranged within the device in such a way that its longitudinal extent extends substantially in parallel with the surface normal of the plane in which the at least one inlet is located.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing surrounds a first receiving space and a second receiving space, the at least one electrode being received in the first receiving space and the voltage source being received in the second receiving space, and it being possible for washing liquor to flow through the first receiving space and said first receiving space being separated from the second receiving space in a liquid-tight manner.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises two or more electrodes, each electrode being connected to a terminal of the voltage source.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein all electrodes of the device are connected to the positive terminal of the voltage source and act as anodes.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the device further comprises a mechanism for establishing electrical contact with the washing machine drum.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode is in the form of a tube through which washing liquor can flow.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the tube has a circular, elliptical or polygonal cross section.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the tube has a diameter, and the diameter varies over the length of said tube.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the diameter of the tube is widened in the manner of a funnel at the end of said tube that faces the at least one inlet and/or the at least one outlet.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one sensor for recording and at least one variable selected from the group consisting of conductivity, temperature, state of motion, acceleration and sound.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a control unit and/or an electronic control system to which the signals from the at least one sensor are supplied and which controls and/or regulates voltage source according to the signals from the sensors.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage source is in the form of a battery or secondary battery.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a generator.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one interface for optical communication and/or acoustic communication and/or radio communication.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein fastening means is provided, by which the housing of the device can be detachably fastened on an inner circumferential surface of a washing machine drum.

16. A method for activating a mediator species while a washing machine is in operation, comprising the steps of installing a device according to claim 1 on an inner circumferential surface of a washing machine drum of the washing machine in such a way that the at least one inlet of the device is in a plane of which the surface normal extends substantially orthogonally to the axis of rotation of the washing machine drum; providing the mediator species in the washing liquor; operating the device and the washing machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The invention is explained in greater detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention,

[0045] FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view of the device from FIG. 1;

[0046] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a device according to the invention in its use position, installed on an inner circumferential surface of a washing machine drum.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of a device according to the invention, denoted as a whole by reference sign 1. The device 1 comprises a housing 2 made of a plastics material, which in turn comprises three housing components 2a, 2b and 2c. The housing component 2b is arranged between the housing components 2a and 2c.

[0048] The device 1 comprises, in the region of an end face 5, nine inlets 6 for introducing washing liquor into the device 1. The inlets 6 are in a common plane E formed by the end face 5. In the embodiment of the device 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the end face 5 is formed by the housing components 2b and 2c. On a side which is opposite the end face 5 and is the remote side in the views of FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 1 comprises nine outlets (not visible) for discharging washing liquor from the device 1, with each inlet 6 being arranged in alignment with one outlet.

[0049] The housing 2 surrounds a first receiving space 3 and a second receiving space 4, the first receiving space 3 and the second receiving space 4 being separated from one another in a liquid-tight manner. The first receiving space 3 is delimited by the housing components 2b and 2c, while the second receiving space 4 is delimited by the housing components 2a and 2b The housing component 2b is thus used as a liquid-tight partition between the two receiving spaces 3 and 4.

[0050] A plurality of electrodes is received in the first receiving space 3, which electrodes are not shown in the drawings for the sake of clarity. The electrodes are designed as tubes of a circular cross section, through which washing liquor can flow and the longitudinal extent of which extends substantially in parallel with the surface normal N of the plane E in which the inlets 6 are located. The surface normal N is orthogonal to the plane E. The electrodes, which are in the form of tubes, thus extend within the first receiving space 3 substantially in a direction indicated by the arrow R. During operation of the device 1, washing liquor can flow into the first receiving space 3 through the inlets 6. Within the receiving space 3, the washing liquor flows along the electrodes at which an electrochemical activation reaction, which is described in greater detail below, takes place. The activated washing liquor is then guided out of the device 1 again from the outlets and is available for the rest of the washing process. Due to the liquid-tight separation between the first receiving space 3 and the second receiving space 4 by the housing component 2b, no washing liquor can enter the second receiving space 4.

[0051] A voltage source, which is also not shown for reasons of clarity, is arranged in the second receiving space 4. Here, the voltage source is in the form of a secondary battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The electrodes in the first receiving space 3 are connected to the negative or the positive terminal of the voltage source by means of corresponding line connections, with substantially the same number of electrodes being connected to the positive terminal as to the negative terminal of the voltage source. The line connections are guided through the housing component 2b, said connections being guided therethrough such that no liquid can get from the first receiving space 3 into the second receiving space 4. The electrodes connected to the positive terminal of the voltage source act as anodes, while the electrodes connected to the negative terminal of the voltage source act as cathodes.

[0052] In addition to the voltage source, an electronic control system (also not shown) is also received in the second receiving space 4, by means of which system the voltage supplied by the voltage source can be regulated.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a purely schematic view of a device 1 in its use position, installed on an inner circumferential surface 7 of a washing machine drum 8 of a washing machine 9. As can also be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 1 is convex on its outside in the region of the housing component 2a so that it can be inserted into the curvature of a washing machine drum 8 by said housing component 2a. The inlets 6 and also the outlets of the device 1 are arranged in such a way that, when the device 1 is in its use position, said inlets and outlets are directly above the inner circumferential surface 7 of the washing machine drum 8. Furthermore, the inlets 6 are in a plane E of which the surface normal N extends, when the device 1 is in its use position, substantially orthogonally to the axis of rotation W of the washing machine drum 8, as can be seen from FIG. 3. The device 1 is fastened in a fixed, but detachable, manner on the inner circumferential surface 7 of the washing machine drum 8 by means of a mechanical tensioning mechanism and thus moves together with the washing machine drum 8 while the washing machine 9 is in operation.

[0054] As a result of the special structural design of the device 1, i.e. in particular as a result of the inlets 6 located directly above the inner circumferential surface 7 and their arrangement in a plane E of which the surface normal N extends, when the device 1 is in its use position, substantially orthogonally to the axis of rotation W of the washing machine drum 8, and as a result of the electrodes of which the longitudinal extent extends substantially in parallel with the surface normal N, particularly when passing through the sump which collects washing liquor in the lower region of the washing machine drum 8 while the washing machine 9 is in operation, the device 1 installed on the inner circumferential surface 7 of the washing machine drum 8 can scoop up a comparatively large amount of washing liquor from the sump, and this scooped-up washing liquor is then immediately guided along the anodes which extend as an extension of the inlets 6.

[0055] If the washing machine 9 is operated using a washing liquor containing a mediator species, with a direction of rotation w assumed in FIG. 3, the device 1 scoops up a certain amount of washing liquor, particularly when passing through the sump which collects washing liquor in the lower region of the washing machine drum 8. The washing liquor passes through the inlets 6 into the first receiving space 3 of the device 1 and flows along the anodes which extend as an extension of the inlets 6. The mediator molecules initially present in reduced form in the washing liquor are oxidized at the anodes of the device 1. The washing liquor enriched in this way with oxidized mediator molecules exits again from the outlets of the device 1. The oxidized mediator molecules can in turn oxidize dye molecules in the washing liquor or on textiles, are therefore bleach-active, and are themselves returned to the reduced species so that they are available again for renewed oxidation.

[0056] The design according to the invention of the device 1, which, when in its use position, uses the rotation of the washing machine drum (8) to scoop up washing liquor, thus provides for particularly efficient convection of the mediator species to the anode surfaces. In this way, sufficient activation of the mediator species and thus a corresponding bleaching effect can be ensured even with small amounts of mediator species.