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

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.

Claims

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.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantageous embodiments and features of the invention form the subject matter of the subclaims and the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below. The invention is described in more detail below by means of preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a household dishwasher; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household dishwasher.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(4) Elements which are identical or functionally identical have been provided in the figures with the same reference characters unless indicated otherwise.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a household dishwasher 1. The household dishwasher 1 comprises a washing container 2 which is closable by a door 3, in particular in a water-tight manner. To this end, a sealing facility may be provided between the door 3 and the washing container 2. The washing container 2 is preferably cuboidal. The washing container 2 may be arranged in a housing of the household dishwasher 1. The washing container 2 and the door 3 may form a washing chamber 4 for the washing of washing items.

(6) The door 3 is shown in the open position in FIG. 1. The door 3 may be closed or opened by pivoting about a pivot axis 5 provided at a lower end of the door 3. A loading opening 6 of the washing container 2 may be closed or opened by means of the door 3. The washing container 2 has a bottom 7, a ceiling 8 arranged opposite the bottom 7, a rear wall 9 arranged opposite the closed door 3 and two opposingly arranged side walls 10, 11. The bottom 7, the ceiling 8, the rear wall 9, and the side walls 10, 11 may be produced, for example, from a stainless steel sheet. Alternatively, the bottom 7 may be produced, for example, from a plastic material.

(7) The household dishwasher 1 further comprises at least one receptacle for washing items 12 to 14. Preferably a plurality of receptacles for washing items 12 to 14, for example three thereof, may be provided, wherein the receptacle for washing items 12 may be a lower receptacle for washing items or a lower basket, the receptacle for washing items 13 may be an upper receptacle for washing items or an upper basket and the receptacle for washing items 14 may be a cutlery drawer. As FIG. 1 also shows, the receptacles for washing items 12 to 14 are arranged one above the other in the washing container 2. Each receptacle for washing items 12 to 14 is optionally able to be displaced into or out of the washing container 2. In particular, each receptacle for washing items 12 to 14 is able to be pushed or retracted in an insertion direction E into the washing container 2 and is able to be pulled or extended out of the washing container 2 counter to the insertion direction E in an extension direction A.

(8) The household dishwasher 1 also has a control apparatus 100. The control apparatus 100 is configured, in particular, as a central control unit which is responsible for activating all of the controllable components or units of the household dishwasher 1.

(9) In this exemplary embodiment, a metering system 110 which comprises a supply unit 112 and an automatic metering apparatus 114 is also arranged on the inner face of the door 3. The supply unit 112 is designed to receive an individual dose of a first cleaning agent. For example, to this end the supply unit 112 has a cavity which is closable by means of a closure element, for example a flap. The supply unit 112 is configured by the control apparatus 100 to open the flap in order to release the individual dose of the first cleaning agent contained in the cavity.

(10) The automatic metering apparatus 114 in this example comprises a receiving unit (not shown) for receiving a removable storage container which is designed to store a second cleaning agent. The storage container receives, for example, a quantity of the second cleaning agent which corresponds to 50 metering quantities, wherein a metering quantity comprises, for example, 5 ml or even 5 g of the second cleaning agent. The automatic metering apparatus 114 also has, for example, a metering unit which is designed to meter the metering quantity of the second cleaning agent from the storage container. For example, the storage container is pivotably or rotatably arranged in the receiving unit. Alternatively, the receiving unit may be pivotably or rotatably arranged. The metering unit, for example, is thus designed to pivot or rotate the storage container in order to meter the metering quantity. For example, the metering quantity of the second cleaning agent is metered by rotating the storage container by a rotational angle of between 180°-360° in a specific rotational direction. If a quantity of the second cleaning agent which is greater than the metering quantity is desired, this may be achieved by repeated actuation of the automatic metering apparatus 114.

(11) The household dishwasher 1 has a sensor apparatus 120 which is designed to detect a state of the metering system 110. For example, the sensor apparatus 120 has three sensors: a first sensor which is designed to detect a presence of the first cleaning agent in the supply unit 112; a second sensor which is designed to detect a type of the first cleaning agent; and a third sensor which is designed to detect a filling state of the second cleaning agent in the storage container. The state of the metering system 110 is provided in this example by all of the sensor data detected by the three sensors. The sensor apparatus 120 is also designed to emit the detected state as a sensor signal, in particular to the control apparatus 100.

(12) The control apparatus 100 is designed to receive the sensor signal and, for example, is also designed to deduce from the received sensor signal the state of the metering system 110. The control apparatus 100 is also designed to run a washing program depending on the received sensor signal, i.e. in particular depending on the state of the metering system 110.

(13) For example, a user loads the household dishwasher 1 with washing items and fills the supply unit 112 with an individual dose of the first cleaning agent. Then the user starts a normal washing program. The sensor apparatus 120 detects that the first cleaning agent is present in the supply unit 112 and emits the sensor signal. In the embodiments, the sensor apparatus 120 may also be designed, for example, to detect a quantity of the first cleaning agent in the supply unit 112. The control apparatus 100 starts the normal washing program. At a metering point in time of the normal washing program, which in particular is at the start of a cleaning sub-program step, the control apparatus 100 activates the metering system 110 and/or the supply unit 112, so that the individual dose of the first cleaning agent is supplied thereby into the washing chamber 4. If the quantity of the first cleaning agent is too small, for example, it may be provided that at a second metering point in time the control apparatus 100 additionally activates the automatic metering apparatus 114 for dispensing a metering quantity of the second cleaning agent. The second metering point in time may be identical to the first metering point in time but may also be after the first metering point in time.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household dishwasher 1, for example the household dishwasher 1 of FIG. 1. In a first method step S1 a sensor apparatus 120 (see FIG. 1) detects a state of a metering system 110 of the household dishwasher 1. To this end, the sensor apparatus 120 may have a plurality of individual sensors. These sensors, for example, may emit an analog voltage signal, the voltage value thereof depending in a manner known per se on a measured variable, or a voltage signal which has two different levels and thus differentiates between two clearly defined states. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors may also emit a digital data signal.

(15) In a second method step S2 the sensor apparatus 120 emits the detected state of the metering system 110 as a sensor signal. The sensor signal may comprise an analog voltage signal and/or a digital data signal. The sensor signal is designed, in particular, such that the detected state of the metering system 110 may be deduced from the sensor signal.

(16) In a third method step S3 the control apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1) runs a washing program depending on the sensor signal. In particular, it is to be understood thereby that the control apparatus 100 receives the sensor signal and deduces therefrom the state of the metering system 110. This may be carried out, for example, by evaluating the sensor signal or scanning the sensor signal. Depending on the state of the metering system 110, the control apparatus 100 selects whether the supply unit 112 or the automatic metering apparatus 114 is to be used for the supply of cleaning agent. To this end, for example, a look-up table, in which it is predetermined which washing program is to be run in one respective state, may be stored in the control apparatus 100. Alternatively or additionally, it may be provided that the control apparatus 100 evaluates a calculation formula which outputs an optimized washing program, depending on the state. The optimized washing program may comprise, in particular, in this case individually adapted parameters such as a running time, a water quantity and/or water temperature, a target quantity of cleaning agent, one or more metering points in time for supplying the first and/or second cleaning agent, and the like.

(17) Whilst the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, it may be modified in many different ways.