U.S. patent application number 12/444944 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-27 for household appliance having a collecting apparatus for leakage water.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH. Invention is credited to Edwin Bolduan, Alexander Schlitzer.
Application Number | 20100126235 12/444944 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38692038 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100126235 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bolduan; Edwin ; et
al. |
May 27, 2010 |
HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE HAVING A COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR LEAKAGE
WATER
Abstract
The invention relates to a home appliance 1 for care of laundry
items, with a collection facility 5 for leakage water arranged on
the floor 4 of the home appliance 1 and a float 81 arranged in the
collection facility 5, which, depending on the water level W in the
collection facility 5, is embodied for electrical contacting of a
switch 8, with the float 81 being arranged in a first subarea 5a of
the collection facility 5 which is separated by a water-retaining
wall 52 from a second partial area 5b of the collection facility
5.
Inventors: |
Bolduan; Edwin; (Berlin,
DE) ; Schlitzer; Alexander; (Berlin, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE
GMBH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
38692038 |
Appl. No.: |
12/444944 |
Filed: |
October 4, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
October 4, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP07/60566 |
371 Date: |
December 17, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/208 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 15/4212 20130101;
D06F 39/081 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
68/208 |
International
Class: |
D06F 39/12 20060101
D06F039/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 10, 2006 |
DE |
10 2006 047 952.1 |
Claims
1-8. (canceled)
9. A household appliance for care of laundry items, the household
appliance comprising: a floor; a collection facility for leakage
water arranged on the floor; and a float arranged in the collection
facility, wherein the float electrically contacts a switch
depending on a water level in the collection facility, wherein the
collection facility includes a water-retaining wall that separates
a first subarea of the collection facility from a second subarea of
the collection facility, and wherein the float is arranged in the
first subarea of the collection facility.
10. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
water-retaining wall is integrated into the collection
facility.
11. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, comprising: a
device for catching water running down onto the device from above
and for directing the water into the collection facility for
leakage water.
12. The household appliance as claimed in claim 11, wherein the
device exclusively introduces the leakage water into the second
subarea of the collection facility.
13. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
water-retaining wall has a curve-shape.
14. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein a height
of the water-retaining wall is between 3 mm and 10 mm.
15. The household appliance as claimed in claim 14, wherein a
height of the water-retaining wall is 5 mm.
16. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
water-retaining wall is essentially a same height over an entire
length of the water-retaining wall.
17. The household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
household appliance is one of a washing machine and a washer-dryer.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a home appliance for care of
laundry items, especially a washing machine or a washer-dryer, with
a collection facility for leakage water on the floor of the home
appliance and a float arranged in the collection facility which is
embodied for electrical contacting of a switch depending on the
water level in the collection facility.
[0002] A home appliance with a corresponding overflow device and a
so-called aquastop switch, with which a stop valve in the cold
water feed pipe is able to be put into its closed position if a
specific volume of leakage water has collected in the collection
vessel and float rises in order to trigger this aquastop switch, is
known from DE 199 36 420 B4.
[0003] A problem which can arise with a known generic home
appliance is that with relatively low amounts of leakage water,
said water can accumulate below the float and can cause the float
to stick or to become calcified. The functionality, especially the
aquastop function of the float, can be adversely affected by
this.
[0004] The object of the present invention is thus to create a home
appliance for care of laundry items from which such impaired
functioning is excluded.
[0005] The object is achieved by a home appliance which has the
features claimed in claim 1.
[0006] An inventive home appliance is embodied for the care of
laundry items and comprises a collection facility for leakage water
which is arranged on the floor of the home appliance. In addition
the home appliance comprises at least one float which is arranged
in the collection facility for leakage water. This float is
embodied so that it is embodied for electrically contacting a
switch of the home appliance depending on the water level in the
collection facility. In particular this switch is switched via a
switch circuit so that a stop valve of a cold water feed pipe is
able to be moved into its closed position for the home appliance.
The float is arranged in a first subarea or of the collection
facility with said first subarea being separated from a second
subarea of the collection facility by a water-retaining wall.
[0007] This embodiment allows the collection facility to be
subdivided into at least two subareas and the functionality of the
float to be improved since sticking or calcification of the float
as a result of a relatively small amount of leakage water
collecting beneath the float can be prevented in this way.
[0008] Preferably the water-retaining wall is integrated into the
collection facility. The integral embodiment makes simple
manufacturing possible, which also allows costs to be reduced.
Above and beyond this the integral embodiment of this
water-retaining wall in the collection facility also enables a
mechanically-stable arrangement to be created.
[0009] Preferably the home appliance includes a device for catching
water running over the top of the device down onto it and for
diverting the water into the collection facility. The precise
collection and introduction of the water into the collection
facility can be guaranteed by this device. Preferably at least
parts of this device are embodied from plastic. This enables a
relatively light element to be produced which in addition can also
be manufactured at low cost. For example the device can be embodied
as an injection-molded part. The plastic embodiment also enables a
wear-resistant component to be provided since water cannot attack
the plastic material.
[0010] Preferably the device is embodied or arranged so that the
water caught can be introduced into the second subarea, especially
exclusively into the second subarea of the collection facility.
This embodiment makes it possible to ensure that only a relatively
small amount of leakage water occurring does not reach the first
subarea and thus sticking or calcification of the float is reliably
prevented. Only when a larger volume of leakage water has collected
in the second subarea and is retained by the water-retaining wall
can an overflow into the first subarea then occur. Preferably the
water-retaining wall is embodied so that water collected in the
second subarea flows away or over this water-retaining wall and
reaches the first subarea of the collection facility. This means
that only relatively large amounts of leakage water are directed
into the first subarea which no longer cause sticking or
calcification of the float.
[0011] In addition this also enables it to be guaranteed that a
premature triggering for small amounts of leakage water no longer
occurs.
[0012] The water-retaining wall is preferably curved or at least
embodied in the shape of a curve in some areas.
[0013] It has proved especially advantageous for water-retaining
wall to have a height of between 3 mm and 10 mm, especially around
5 mm. The retaining wall preferably has a height which is embodied
smaller than a side delimiting wall of the collection facility.
This guarantees that initially a specific volume of leakage water
is collected in the second subarea and only when this volume is
sufficient for a sticking or a calcification to be prevented does
it overflow, preferably over the retaining wall, into the first
subarea, yet an overflow of the collection facility is still
prevented. An escape of collected leakage water from the collection
facility can be avoided in this way. Damage to or adverse effects
on the function of the home appliance by the overflow of leakage
water can also be prevented by this.
[0014] Preferably the water-retaining wall is essentially the same
height over its entire length. This on the one hand enables an even
overflow to be guaranteed. There can however also be provision for
the water-retaining wall to be a different height over at least
part of its overall length. The water-retaining wall can thus be
embodied as required and individually depending on the required
construction of the home appliance.
[0015] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in
more detail below with reference to the schematic drawing. The
figures show:
[0016] FIG. 1 a perspective view of housing parts of a home
appliance;
[0017] FIG. 2 a perspective part section of a home appliance;
[0018] FIG. 3 a further perspective part section of a home
appliance; and
[0019] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 a cross-sectional view through the part
sections according to FIG. 3 in each case.
[0020] In the figures the same elements or those with the same
function have been labeled with the same reference symbols.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows parts of a housing of a home appliance for care
of laundry items embodied as a washing machine 1. The washing
machine 1 comprises side panels 2 and 3 as well as a floor element
4.
[0022] A collection facility 5 for leakage water is embodied in the
floor element 4. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the collection
facility 5 is embodied by a recess in the floor element 4 and thus
forms a type of collecting bowl. The collection facility 5 is
delimited by side walls 51.
[0023] In addition the collection facility 5 features a
water-retaining wall 52 which is integrated into the floor element
4 and thereby also into the collection facility 5. The
water-retaining wall 52 is embodied in the shape of a curve in the
exemplary embodiment and adjoins the side wall 51 of the collection
facility 5. The water-retaining wall 52 is embodied as a raised
structure and therefore extends upwards.
[0024] The collection facility 5 is divided by this water-retaining
wall 52 into a first subarea 5a and a second subarea 5b. In the
first subarea 5a there is furthermore a spherical positioning
structure 53 which is embodied to accommodate a float 81, cf: FIG.
5. This float 81 is be placed approximately on this positioning
structure 53, so that the float 81, depending on the water level in
the collection facility 5, especially in the first subarea 5a, can
only move vertically upwards and downwards, but is essentially not
able to be moved in the horizontal plane.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a perspective diagram of a subarea or of the
housing of the washing machine 1 shown in FIG. 1. A first channel 6
is arranged in the area of the side wall 2 and of the floor element
4 which an exemplary embodiment is embodied from plastic. This
first channel 6 is embodied for catching water running from above
the channel 6 down into it and for directing the water into the
collection facility 5 for leakage water. Leakage water can occur in
the washing machine 1 if a fault in the controller and/or a
mechanical fault occurs in which parts of the washing machine 1
start to leak. For example leaks can occur in this case in the
water feed system or from connections of flexible water hoses to
any sort of hard support services on water-conducting containers or
from connections of sensors or actuators in the tub or other water
conducting contains within the washing machine.
[0026] In addition bad seals on the housing of the washing machine
1 which above all appear on the front outer side of the relevant
washing machine 1 can lead to the escape of leakage water. These
types of bad seals can for example occur at rubber hoses which
connect the loading opening in the housing of a front-loading
washing machine 1 with an opening lying behind it of the
swung-suspension tub. Furthermore escape of water from a front wall
opening for a detergent dispensing drawer of the washing machine 1
can lead to leakage water.
[0027] This leakage water dripping or running respectively on to
the channel 6 is directed via spout-shaped projections 61 and 62
into a water guidance system which comprises recesses in the floor
element 4 to the collection facility 5. This routing system in
floor element 4 is embodied so that the collected water is directed
exclusively into the second subarea 5b of the collection facility
5.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective diagram of a further part section
of the washing machine 1. This section shows the embodiment at the
transition between the side wall 3 and the floor element 4 and thus
on the opposite side to the diagram shown in FIG. 2.
[0029] Here too a second channel 7 is arranged, which is also
embodied from plastic. The second channel 7 is essentially embodied
in the same way as the first channel 6 and includes a spout-type
projection 71. The caught water is likewise directed into the
second subarea 5b of the collection facility 5 via this projection
71.
[0030] In addition a switch 8 is arranged on a pedestal 72 which is
also embodied from plastic and which is connected to the channel 7.
This switch 8 enables, after electrical contacting with the float
81 not shown, cf. FIG. 5, which is arranged below the pedestal 72,
via a circuit not shown, for a stop valve to be put into its closed
position to interrupt the further feed of water from the domestic
water supply to the washing machine 1. This allows the aquastop
functionality to be guaranteed.
[0031] The float 81 arranged below the pedestal 72 is thus located
in a first subarea 5a of the collection facility 5. The
water-retaining wall 52 prevents leakage water collected in the
second subarea 5b being able to reach the first subarea even in
initially small volumes and reaching the float 81 there, which can
cause the latter to stick or calcify with the small volumes of
leakage water. The height of this water-retaining wall 52 is around
5 mm and is lower than the height of the side wall 51 of the
collection facility 5. The water-retaining wall 52 is embodied to
be essentially the same height over its entire curved length. The
leakage water located and collected in the second subarea 5b is
retained up to the height of this water-retaining wall 52 and can
only then overflow over the water-retaining wall 52 and get into
the first subarea 5a. Through this water-retaining wall 52 which,
depending on the mechanical design of the collection facility 5,
can also be embodied as completely circular and represents the
delimitation of the first subarea 5a, with small volumes of leakage
water prevents a constant filling and drying off of the collection
facility leading to a calcification or sticking between the float
81 and the floor area of the collection facility 5 and can thus
lead to the aquastop functionality not functioning.
[0032] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a sectional diagram along the line AA
in accordance with FIG. 3. FIG. 4 shows only the pedestal 72, FIG.
5 additionally shows the float 81 positioned below the pedestal 72.
This float is a flat cylinder made of light, especially foam
plastic floating on water which sits loosely with a corresponding
recess on the positioning structure 53.
[0033] A situation is shown in each of these sectional diagrams in
which a leakage water W has accumulated in the second subarea 5b
and has been retained by the water-retaining wall of 52 and is
prevented from penetrating into the first subarea 5a. The float 81
sitting on the positioning structure 53 is thus protected against
small amounts of leakage water getting underneath it, and sticking
and calcification can be prevented in this way. If the water rises
further it runs over the water-retaining wall 52 into the subarea
5a as well, which lifts the float 81 and contacts the switch 8 (cf.
FIG. 3) at some point.
* * * * *