Dishwasher, In Particular Domestic Dishwasher With A Rotatably Mounted Optical Detection Means

Abstract

A dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher, includes a washing compartment for accommodating items to be washed, a container delimiting the washing compartment, a pump for circulating washing liquid in the container, a wash program control apparatus for executing at least one wash program and for activating the pump, and at least one optical detector connected to the wash program control apparatus for optically detecting at least one compartment section or segment of the washing compartment. The wash program control device adjusts the wash program based on the state in the washing compartment detected by the optical detector. The optical detector is rotatably mounted inside the container so that different compartment sections or segments of the washing compartment are detected by the optical detector in dependence on or as a function of the position and/or the location of the optical detector.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A dishwasher or domestic dishwasher, comprising: a washing compartment or accommodating items to be washed, said washing compartment segments; a container delimiting said washing compartment; a pump for circulating washing liquid in said container; at least one optical detector for optically detecting at least one of said compartment segments of said washing compartment, said at least one optical detector being mounted rotatably within said container for detecting different compartment segments of said washing compartment as a function of at least one of a position or a location of said at least one optical detector; and a wash program control apparatus for executing at least one wash program and for activating said pump, said wash program control apparatus being connected to said at least one optical detector, and said wash program control apparatus adjusting said at least one wash program based on a state in said washing compartment detected by said at least one optical detector.

13. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein said container has a top wall, a top rinse arm is mounted rotatably on said top wall, said top rinse arm has at least one washing liquid outlet opening, and said at least one optical detector is fastened to said top rinse arm.

14. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein said top rinse arm is driven in response to the washing liquid being conveyed by said pump and exiting from said at least one washing liquid outlet opening.

15. The dishwasher according to claim 12, which further comprises a dish rack mounted in said container, and a rack rinse arm mounted rotatably on said dish rack, said rack rinse arm having at least one washing liquid outlet opening, and said at least one optical detector being fastened to said rack rinse arm.

16. The dishwasher according to claim 15, wherein said rack rinse arm is driven in response to the washing liquid conveyed by said pump and exiting from said at least one washing liquid outlet opening.

17. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein said container has a bottom wall, a bottom rinse arm is mounted rotatably in said bottom wall, said bottom rinse arm has at least one washing liquid outlet opening, and said at least one optical detector is fastened to said bottom rinse arm.

18. The dishwasher according to claim 17, wherein said bottom rinse arm is driven in response to the washing liquid conveyed by said pump and exiting from said at least one washing liquid outlet opening.

19. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein: said container has a top wall, a bottom wall and a dish rack mounted in said container; a top rinse arm is mounted rotatably on said top wall, a bottom rinse arm is mounted rotatably in said bottom wall, and a rack rinse arm is mounted rotatably on said dish rack; said rinse arms each have at least one respective washing liquid outlet opening; and said at least one optical detector is fastened to and manually releasable from at least one of said rinse arms.

20. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein: said container has a top wall, a bottom wall and a dish rack mounted in said container; a top rinse arm is mounted rotatably on said top wall, a bottom rinse arm is mounted rotatably in said bottom wall, and a rack rinse arm is mounted rotatably on said dish rack; said rinse arms each have at east one respective washing liquid outlet opening; and said at least one optical detector is at least one of form-lockingly or materially fixed to at least one of said rinse arms.

21. The dishwasher according to claim 20, wherein said at least one optical detector cannot be non-destructively released from said at least one of said rinse arms.

22. The dishwasher according to claim 21, wherein plastic is injection molded around said at least one optical detector during production of at least one of said rinse arms.

23. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein said at least one optical detector has at least one electrical image sensor.

24. The dishwasher according to claim 23, wherein said at least one electrical image sensor is at least one of a camera, a digital camera, a webcam or a network camera.

25. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein said at least one optical detector is connected to said wash program control apparatus (9) by a communication connection.

26. The dishwasher according to claim 25, wherein said communication connection is a wireless communication connection.

27. The dishwasher according to claim 26, wherein said wireless communication connection has at least one of an inductive or capacitive interface, an optical interface, an NFC interface, a WLAN connection, a Bluetooth radio connection or an HF radio connection.

28. The dishwasher according to claim 12, wherein said wash program control apparatus is configured to adjust said wash program based on: a state of a degree of soiling, as detected by said at least one optical detector, of items to be washed being present in said washing compartment including at least one of dishes or flatware, or a state of a degree of soiling of the washing liquid, or a state of at least one of a nature or a configuration of a load of items to be washed including at least one of dishes or flatware, in a dish rack disposed in said washing compartment.

Description

[0026] One specific exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in more detail in the description which follows with reference to the accompanying figures. Specific features of this exemplary embodiment may represent general features of the invention, irrespective of the context in which they are mentioned, also whether they are considered individually or in combination

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary domestic dishwasher with inventively rotatably mounted optical detection means, and

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary rinse arm in isolation, an inventive optical detection means fastened in a manually releasable manner thereto, and

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an inventive wireless communication connection between the wash program control apparatus and the optical detection means

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a domestic dishwasher 1. The domestic dishwasher 1 has a container 2. The container 2 delimits a washing compartment 3 of the domestic dishwasher 1. The container 2 comprises side walls, a top wall 4 and a bottom wall 5, which contains a washing liquid sump. Arranged in the bottom wall 5 or in the washing liquid sump below a filter insert 16 is an electric pump 6. The pump 6 is connected to an upper supply line 7 and a lower supply line 8. The pump 6 is connected to a washing program control apparatus 9 so that inter alia the conveyed quantity or conveying speed of washing liquid can be controlled for example by changing the rotation speed of a motor (not shown) driving the pump 6. The wash program control apparatus 9 can also be designed to control or regulate the pump 6, in particular in the form of a heating pump, or its heating means (not shown) in respect of temperature, in particular in respect of the temperature of the conveyed washing liquid.

[0031] The domestic dishwasher 1 also has an upper dish rack 10 and a lower dish rack 11. A rack rinse arm 13 is mounted rotatably below the upper dish rack 10 and a bottom rinse arm 14 is mounted rotatably below the lower dish rack 11. In the present exemplary embodiment a top rinse arm 12 is also mounted rotatably on the top wall 4 of the container 2. The bottom rinse arm 14 is supplied with washing liquid by way of the lower supply line 8 and the rack rinse arm 13 is supplied with washing liquid by way of the upper supply line 7.

[0032] The present exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1 therefore shows a dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher 1, which has a washing compartment 3, which is designed to accommodate items 17 to be washed, such as dishes 17a and/or flatware 17b, which has a container 2 delimiting the washing compartment 3 and a pump 6 which is designed to circulate washing liquid in the container 2. The domestic dishwasher 1 also has a wash program control apparatus 9, which is designed to execute at least one wash program and to activate the pump 6. According to the invention the optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c connected to the wash program control apparatus 9 are designed to optically detect at least one compartment segment of the washing compartment 3, the wash program control apparatus 6 being designed to adjust the wash program based on the states in the respective region of the washing compartment 3 detected by the optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c. The exemplary three optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c shown in FIG. 1 are each mounted in such a manner that they can be rotated separately in the container 2, such that different parts or compartment segments of the washing compartment 3 are detected by the respective optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c as a function of the position and/or location of the respective optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, in the present exemplary embodiment the container 3 has a top wall 4, on which the top rinse arm 12 is rotatably mounted. In the present exemplary embodiment the top rinse arm 12 has a number of washing liquid outlet openings 12a. The top rinse arm 12 is driven in response to the washing liquid conveyed by the pump 6 and exiting from at least one of the washing liquid outlet openings 12a, the optical detection means 15a being fastened to the top rinse arm 12.

[0034] In the present exemplary embodiment the rack rinse arm 13 is also mounted rotatably on the upper dish rack 10. In the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, the rack rinse arm 13 has a number of washing liquid outlet openings 13a. The rack rinse arm 13 is driven in response to the washing liquid conveyed by the pump 6 and exiting from the at least one washing liquid outlet opening 13a, the optical detection means 15b being fastened to the rack rinse arm 13.

[0035] In the present exemplary embodiment the container 3 also has a bottom wall 5, in which the bottom rinse arm 14 is rotatably mounted. In the present exemplary embodiment the bottom rinse arm 14 has a number of washing liquid outlet openings 14a. The bottom rinse arm 14 is driven in response to the washing liquid conveyed by the pump 6 and exiting from at least one of the washing liquid outlet openings 14a, the optical detection means 15c being fastened to the bottom rinse arm 14.

[0036] In the present exemplary embodiment the optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c are fastened to the top rinse arm 12, the rack rinse arm 13 and/or the bottom rinse arm 14 in such a manner that they can be released manually therefrom.

[0037] The optical detection means 15a, 15b, 15c respectively and optionally can have at least one electrical image sensor, in particular a camera, a digital camera, a webcam and/or a network camera.

[0038] The wash program control apparatus 9 is designed to adjust the wash program based on the state of a degree of soiling, as detected by the optical detection means 15, 15a-15c, of items 17 to be washed present in the washing compartment 3, such as dishes 17a and/or flatware 17b, the state of a degree of soiling of the washing liquid and/or the state of the nature and/or arrangement of a load of items 17 to be washed, such as dishes 17a and/or flatware 17b in a dish rack 10, 11 arranged in the washing compartment 3 of the dishwasher 1.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary optical detection means 15, which has a fluid-tight housing 19 and in the present exemplary embodiment two releasable fastening means 20. The fastening means 20 are connected to the housing 19. In this embodiment the fastening means 20 have elastic loops, which can be tensioned around the rinse arm 12, 13, 14, as shown in FIG. 2, to fasten the optical detection means 15 to the rinse arm 12, 13, 14 in a releasable manner. Manual releasability of the fastening means 20 means in particular that a user of the dishwasher can remove the optical detection means 15 from the rinse arm 12, 13, 14 manually and reattach it without needing tools for the purpose.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows schematically that the optical detection means 15 is connected to the wash program control apparatus 9 by means of a communication connection 18.

[0041] In the present exemplary embodiment the communication connection 18 is configured as a wireless communication connection 18a.

[0042] The wireless communication connection 18a can have an inductive or capacitive interface, an optical interface, an NFC interface, a WLAN connection, a Bluetooth radio connection and/or an HF radio connection.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0043] 1 Domestic dishwasher [0044] 2 Container [0045] 3 Washing compartment [0046] 4 Top wall [0047] 5 Bottom wall [0048] 6 Pump [0049] 7 Upper supply line [0050] 8 Lower supply line [0051] 9 Wash program control apparatus [0052] 10 Upper dish rack [0053] 11 Lower dish rack [0054] 12 Top rinse arm [0055] 12a Washing liquid outlet opening [0056] 13 Rack rinse arm [0057] 13a Washing liquid outlet opening [0058] 14 Bottom rinse arm [0059] 14a Washing liquid outlet opening [0060] 15, 15a-15c Optical detection means [0061] 16 Filter insert [0062] 17 Items to be washed [0063] 17a Dishes [0064] 17b Flatware [0065] 18 Communication connection [0066] 18a Wireless communication connection [0067] 19 Housing [0068] 20 Fastening means