Cleaning apparatus with illuminated door handle

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning articles is proposed. The cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning chamber for receiving the articles. The cleaning apparatus has at least one application device for applying at least one cleaning fluid to the articles in the cleaning chamber. The cleaning apparatus has at least one door for opening the cleaning chamber and for loading and unloading the cleaning chamber with articles. The door has at least one at least partially transparent handle. The cleaning apparatus has at least one illuminating device. The illuminating device is designed to illuminate the handle at least partially and illuminate the cleaning chamber and/or an inner side of the door in an opened state of the door.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus for cleaning articles, comprising: a cleaning chamber configured to receive the articles; at least one application device configured to apply at least one cleaning fluid to the articles in the cleaning chamber; at least one door configured to open the cleaning chamber for loading and unloading the articles in the cleaning chamber, the door having at least one at least partially transparent handle; and at least one illuminating device configured to illuminate the handle at least partially and to illuminate one or both of the cleaning chamber and an inner side of the door in an opened state of the door, wherein the cleaning apparatus is configured to carry out a cleaning program, wherein the cleaning fluid is applied to the articles in at least one program step of the cleaning program, wherein the illuminating device is configured to indicate at least one item of information about the cleaning program on at least one of the handle and an interior space of the cleaning chamber via a light signal, wherein the information about the cleaning program is selected from the group consisting of: an item of information about abnormal running of the cleaning program; an item of information about at least one current program step of the cleaning program; a warning about at least one faulty state of the cleaning apparatus; an item of information about an unforeseen interruption of the cleaning program; an item of information about an unforeseen interruption of at least one program step of the cleaning program; an item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door during a course of the cleaning program; an item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door during a course of at least one program step of the cleaning program; an item of information about an error-free sequence of the cleaning program; an item of information about an achievement of certain preset hygiene parameters; an item of information about maintenance of certain preset procedural parameters of the cleaning program; an item of information about an error-affected sequence of the cleaning program; and an item of information about inadequate fulfillment of predetermined parameters of the cleaning program.

2. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the cleaning program is the item of information about abnormal running of the cleaning program, and wherein the item of information about abnormal running of the cleaning program is an item of information about an interruption of the cleaning program.

3. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the cleaning program is the warning about at least one faulty state of the cleaning apparatus, and wherein the warning about at least one faulty state of the cleaning apparatus is a warning with respect to a faulty, missing or incorrect medium of the cleaning apparatus.

4. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the cleaning program is the item of information about an unforeseen interruption of at least one program step of the cleaning program, and wherein the item of information about an unforeseen interruption of at least one program step of the cleaning program includes an identification of the interrupted program step.

5. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the cleaning program is the item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door during the course of at least one program step of the cleaning program, and wherein the item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door includes an identification of the program step during the opening of the door.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further details and features of the invention emerge from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments, in particular in conjunction with the subclaims. The respective features may be realized here by themselves alone or together in combination with one another. The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments are schematically represented in the figures. The same reference numerals in the individual figures thereby denote elements that are the same or functionally the same or correspond to one another with regard to their functions.

(2) Specifically:

(3) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a front view of a cleaning apparatus with a handle in the unilluminated state (FIG. 1A) and in the illuminated state (FIG. 1B);

(4) FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation of the cleaning apparatus according to FIGS. 1A and 1B; and

(5) FIG. 3 shows a sectional representation of the cleaning apparatus with a fitting space in a cover of the cleaning apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(6) A front view of a cleaning apparatus 110 according to the invention is represented in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The cleaning apparatus 110 may for example be designed as a dishwashing machine, but some other design, for example as a tray washing machine, as a cleaning apparatus for cleaning containers for receiving human excretions, in particular as a cleaning and disinfecting unit and/or as a bedpan washer, are also possible in principle.

(7) The cleaning apparatus 110 has a door 112, designed for example in the way represented as a front flap, in particular as a downwardly opening front flap. The door 112 may, however, also in principle be designed in some other way. For loading and unloading a cleaning chamber 114, which is shown for example in FIG. 2, with articles, the door 112 can be opened. The opening and/or closing of the door 112 may take place for example manually with a handle 116. The handle 116 may for example be designed as a round handle 116, for example in the form of a knob. The handle 116 may be fastened to the door 112 with non-positive engagement and/or with positive engagement and/or with cohesive attachment. The handle 116 may be produced from transparent material. For example, the handle 116 may be at least partially produced from glass and/or at least partially produced from transparent plastics material, for example frosted glass, in particular polymethylmethacrylate.

(8) The cleaning apparatus 110 is designed to illuminate the handle 116. The handle 116 is shown in an unilluminated state in FIG. 1A and in an illuminated state in FIG. 1B. The handle 116 may have a matt surface in certain portions and/or at least one diffusor, in order to achieve an illumination of the handle 116 that is as uniform as possible. For example, the handle 116 may be designed as frosted or with a special finish. Furthermore, the handle may have at least one optical element for focusing and/or defocusing light, for example a lens and/or a Fresnel lens. Such a design is particularly advantageous because it allows the radiating angle of light at the handle 116 to be as wide as possible, in particular as far as possible 180. This makes it possible that an operator looking at the handle 116 of the cleaning apparatus from the side can discern an operating state that is indicated on the handle 116.

(9) The illumination of the handle 116 may be designed to indicate an item of information about an operating state of the cleaning apparatus 110. For example, information may be an item of information about abnormal running of a cleaning program. However, an indication of many other items of information about an operating state of the cleaning apparatus 110 is also possible.

(10) Furthermore, the cleaning apparatus 110 may have a housing 118, which entirely or partially encloses the cleaning chamber 114. The housing 118 may close off the cleaning apparatus 110 with respect to the outside and protect it from external influences. On a front side of the housing 118, the cleaning apparatus 110 may have at least one operator control panel 120. This operator control panel 120 may be an interface with a control of the cleaning apparatus 110, by way of which an operator of the cleaning apparatus 110 can transfer parameters, for example a selection of a cleaning program, to the control. The operator control panel 120 may also comprise a display 122, in which at least one item of information about the cleaning program can be presented. For example, the information about the cleaning program may comprise an item of information about an operating state of the cleaning apparatus 110, for example an item of information about a cleaning program that has already ended or has just finished.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation of the cleaning apparatus 110. The door 112 may for example be designed as a double-walled sheet-metal door, for example as a front flap. The cleaning apparatus 110 has an illuminating device 124. The illuminating device 124 is designed to illuminate the transparent handle 116 at least partially. The illuminating device 124 may be fitted in a cover 126 of the cleaning apparatus 110 in a fitting space 128, as represented in FIG. 2, and illuminate the handle 116 indirectly.

(12) In this embodiment, the illuminating device 124 may be designed to couple light into the door 112 in a closed state of the door 112. Such an embodiment is advantageous because short cable routes are possible from the illuminating device 124 to the control of the cleaning apparatus 110, arranged for example in the cover 126 of the cleaning apparatus 110. Alternatively, the illuminating device 124 may be built into the door 112 in the fitting space 128 (this variant is not represented) and illuminate the handle 116 directly.

(13) The illuminating device 124 may be designed to illuminate the handle 116 at least partially in an opened state of the door 112. The illuminating device 124 is also designed to illuminate the cleaning chamber 114 in an opened state of the door 112, for example during a loading or unloading of the articles. The cleaning chamber 114 comprises an application device 130 for applying at least one cleaning fluid to the articles. The cleaning fluid may be any cleaning liquid, for example water or water with chemical additives. The application device 130 may be designed in the form of a spraying arm. A different design, for example as at least one nozzle, is also possible in principle.

(14) The illuminating device 124 may also comprise at least one source of illumination 132, for example at least one semiconductor light source, in particular at least one light-emitting diode. The at least one light-emitting diode may be designed as a white-light emitting light-emitting diode and/or as at least one multi-color light-emitting diode, in order to emit light of different colors according to choice. Particularly advantageous is a design of the source of illumination 132 with a plurality of light sources of different emission properties. In this way, the illuminating device 124 can indicate different colors and/or color progressions. Furthermore, the illuminating device 124 may be designed to emit the white and/or colored signals emitted by the source of illumination 132 in a pulsed manner. For example, the illuminating device 124 may emit at least two pulsed light signals with different pulse patterns; for example, the illuminating device 124 may flash in at least two different modes. It is in this way possible to indicate for example different operating states by different pulse patterns.

(15) The cleaning apparatus 110 may generally have in this or in other exemplary embodiments for example at least one control 146, for example a control for carrying out one or more cleaning programs. The control 146 may for example comprise at least one data processing device. The control 146 may in particular also be designed to control the illumination of the handle 116, for example colors and/or time sequences of the illumination. In particular, the cleaning apparatus 110, for example by means of the control 146, may be designed to indicate by a corresponding illumination of the handle 116 at least one item of information about the cleaning program by means of at least one light signal. For example, the information about the cleaning program may be selected from the group consisting of: an item of information about abnormal running of the cleaning program, in particular an interruption of the cleaning program; an item of information about at least one current program step of the cleaning program; an item of information about at least one operating state of the cleaning apparatus 110; a warning about at least one faulty state of the cleaning apparatus 110, in particular a warning with respect to a faulty, missing or incorrect medium of the cleaning apparatus 110; an item of information about an unforeseen interruption of the cleaning program; an item of information about an unforeseen interruption of at least one program step of the cleaning program, including optionally an identification of the interrupted program step; an item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door 112 during the course of the cleaning program; an item of information about an unforeseen opening of the door 112 during the course of at least one program step of the cleaning program, including optionally an identification of the program step during the opening of the door 112; an item of information about an error-free sequence of the cleaning program, an item of information about the maintenance of certain preset procedural parameters of the cleaning program, an item of information about the achievement of certain preset hygiene parameters, an item of information about an error-affected sequence of the cleaning program, an item of information about inadequate fulfillment of predetermined parameters of the cleaning program. These various items of information may be transmitted for example by way of light signals of different types, it being possible for example for the light signals to be prescribed respectively for an item of information to be transmitted. For example, a corresponding list of which information is to be indicated by which light signal may be stored in the control 146, and the source of illumination 132 may be activated correspondingly.

(16) The light signals of the source of illumination 132 may be emitted by an emission area 134 of the illuminating device 124 at an edge of a housing 118 of the cleaning apparatus 110 that is facing the door 112. The light emitted by the emission area 134 may be coupled into the handle 116 according to choice or be deflected toward the cleaning chamber 114. For example, when the door 112 is closed, the light may be coupled into the handle 116 directly and/or by way of at least one optical waveguide 138. The optional, at least one, optical waveguide 138 may for example be arranged entirely or partially in the door 112 and/or may also be arranged entirely or partially in the housing 118. The optical waveguide 138 may for example have at least one entry area 140, by way of which light of the source of illumination 132 can be coupled in directly or indirectly. The optical waveguide 138 may be designed in one piece with the handle 116, as represented in FIG. 2, or else it may be designed as a separate component.

(17) The cleaning apparatus 110 is also designed in such a way that, when the door 112 is open, light of the source of illumination 132 can radiate onto an inner side of the door 112 and/or can be deflected into the cleaning chamber 114, for example by a reflector 136 in the inner side of the door 112. When a source of illumination 132 is fitted in the fitting space 128 in the cover 126 of the cleaning apparatus 110, light emitted by the emission area 134 can be at least partially transported to the handle 116, for example by the optical waveguide 138.

(18) The handle 116 may for example have a luminous area 142. This luminous area 142 may be designed in particular as a diffusor and/or may in some other way have scattering properties, for example in that this luminous area 142 is designed as a matt surface of the handle 116. In particular, the luminous area 142 may be designed as a planar surface. It is particularly preferred if the luminous area 142 has a normal to the surface 144 that is not aligned perpendicularly in relation to the door 112 and preferably points obliquely upward when the door 112 is closed, that is to say with an upward directional component in the vertical direction. In this way it can be made easier for example for an operator to see the handle 116, and in particular the luminous area 142.

(19) FIG. 3 shows a sectional representation of the cleaning apparatus 110 with the fitting space 128 in the cover 126 and the handle 116 in the door that can be illuminated by the illuminating device 124 and the optical waveguide 138.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(20) 110 Cleaning apparatus 112 Door 114 Cleaning chamber 116 Handle 118 Housing 120 Operator control panel 122 Display 124 Illuminating device 126 Cover 128 Fitting space 130 Application device 132 Source of illumination 134 Emission area 136 Reflector 138 Optical waveguide 140 Entry area 142 Luminous area 144 Normal to the surface 146 Control