U.S. patent application number 13/980752 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-21 for integrated device for dispensing washing agents for a washing machine, particularly a dishwasher.
This patent application is currently assigned to BITRON S.P.A.. The applicant listed for this patent is Giuseppe Marone. Invention is credited to Giuseppe Marone.
Application Number | 20130306115 13/980752 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43976433 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130306115 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marone; Giuseppe |
November 21, 2013 |
INTEGRATED DEVICE FOR DISPENSING WASHING AGENTS FOR A WASHING
MACHINE, PARTICULARLY A DISHWASHER
Abstract
The dispensing device (1) comprises a first releasing device (2)
for a detergent, including a receptacle (4) and an associated
openable cover (5), and a second releasing device (3) for a rinsing
agent. These releasing devices (2, 3) are intended to be activated
at successive times in a washing cycle by successive energizations
of a single electrically operable actuator (11) which is
mechanically coupled thereto in such a way that a first
energization of the actuator (11) is able to modify the state of
the first releasing device (2) without changing the state of the
second releasing device (3), and a successive energization of the
actuator (11) is such as to cause the activation of the second
releasing device (3). The actuator (11) is coupled to the cover (5)
of the first releasing device (3) through a disengageable and
re-engageable retaining mechanism (17-20), configured in such a way
that a first energization and the successive de-energization of the
actuator (11) cause the passage of the cover (5) to a pre-opening
condition and an increased opening condition, respectively.
Inventors: |
Marone; Giuseppe; (Nichelino
(Torino), IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Marone; Giuseppe |
Nichelino (Torino) |
|
IT |
|
|
Assignee: |
BITRON S.P.A.
Torino
IT
|
Family ID: |
43976433 |
Appl. No.: |
13/980752 |
Filed: |
February 8, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
February 8, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB12/50565 |
371 Date: |
July 19, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 15/4409
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/93 |
International
Class: |
B08B 3/00 20060101
B08B003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 8, 2011 |
IT |
TO2011A000101 |
Claims
1. Integrated dispensing device (1) for dispensing washing agents
in a washing machine, in particular a dishwashing machine,
comprising a first releasing device (2) for a detergent, including
a receptacle (4) for the detergent and an associated openable cover
(5), and a second releasing device (3) for a rinsing agent; the
releasing devices (2, 3) being intended to be activated at
successive times in a washing cycle by successive energizations of
a single electrically operable actuator (11) which is mechanically
coupled thereto in such a way that a first energization of the
actuator (11) is able to modify the state of the first releasing
device (2) without changing the state of the second releasing
device (3), and a successive energization of the actuator (11) is
such as to cause the activation of the second releasing device (3),
the integrated dispensing device (1) being characterized in that
the actuator (11) is coupled to the cover (5) of the first
releasing device (3) through a disengageable and re-engageable
retaining mechanism (17-20), configured in such a way that a first
energization and the successive de-energization of the actuator
(11) cause the passage of said cover (5) to a pre-opening condition
and an increased opening condition, respectively.
2. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator
(11) is coupled to the cover (5) of the first releasing device (2)
through a rocker lever (15-17), one arm (17) of which has an
engaging formation (18) adapted to successively engage with first
and second retaining members (19, 20), respectively, of the cover
(5), when the cover (5) is in the closed condition and,
respectively, in the pre-opening condition.
3. Dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the engaging
formation (18) is essentially shaped like a hammer head, and has
two ends (18a, 18b) protruding transversely with respect to the arm
(17).
4. Dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator
(11) comprises an electrically operable movable member (14), the
movable member (14) being coupled to a valve device (7) of the
second releasing device (3) through a drive device (21, 10) adapted
to allow the opening of said valve device (7) only when the movable
member (14) travels through a distance exceeding a predetermined
value.
5. Dispensing device according to claim 4, wherein the actuator
(11) and its movable member (14) are positioned to be inclined at a
predetermined angle to the horizontal direction, the upper part of
the actuator (11) being coupled to the cover (5), the lower part of
the actuator (11) being coupled to the releasing device (3).
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a device for dispensing
washing agents for a washing machine, particularly for a
dishwasher.
[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a dispensing
device comprising a first releasing device for a detergent,
including a receptacle for the detergent and an associated openable
cover, and a second releasing device for a rinsing agent, the
releasing devices being intended to be activated at successive
times in a washing cycle by successive energizations of a single
electrically operable actuator which is mechanically coupled
thereto in such a way that a first energization of the actuator is
able to modify the state of the first releasing device without
changing the state of the second releasing device, and a successive
energization of the actuator is such as to cause the activation of
the second releasing device.
[0003] There is a wide range of known integrated dispensing devices
of the type defined above, for dispensing, typically, a powder
detergent and subsequently a liquid rinsing agent, also known as
"rinse aid". An example of a dispensing device of the type defined
above is described in patent application EP 0 602 572 A1. This
prior art device comprises a single electrically operable actuator
coupled to the closing cover of the detergent releasing device and
to the rinsing agent releasing device by means of a rather
complicated mechanism, including a plurality of levers, two of
which are coupled together by means of a heart-shaped cam
device.
[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a
dispensing device of the type defined above which has a highly
simplified structure and can be produced in a reasonably economical
way.
[0005] A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing
device of this type which can enable the dispensing of the
detergent to be divided into stages, for example for a pre-wash
stage and subsequently for the actual washing stage.
[0006] These and other objects are achieved according to the
invention by means of an integrated dispensing device for washing
agents of the type defined initially, characterized in that the
aforesaid actuator is coupled to the cover of the first releasing
device by means of a releasable retaining mechanism configured in
such a way that a first energization and the successive
de-energization of the actuator can cause the passage of the cover
to a pre-opening condition and an opening condition,
respectively.
[0007] In one embodiment, when the cover of the first releasing
device is in the aforesaid pre-opening condition, the associated
detergent receptacle remains substantially closed, and therefore
the detergent is not released into the wash chamber of the machine.
In this case, the complete dispensing of the detergent takes place
as a result of the de-energization of the actuator immediately
after the aforesaid first energization.
[0008] In another embodiment, when the cover of the first releasing
device is in the aforesaid pre-opening condition, the associated
detergent receptacle is open, but to a lesser degree, such that
only a limited quantity of the detergent contained therein can be
dispensed into the wash chamber of the machine. In this case, the
dispensing of the detergent by the first releasing device is
completed on the de-energization of the actuator immediately after
the first energization.
[0009] In this second embodiment, it is therefore possible to
supply detergent in a limited quantity in a pre-wash stage, with
subsequent dispensing for the actual washing stage.
[0010] In the second embodiment described above, the actuator
remains energized between the first energization of the actuator
and the immediately successive de-energization. It is also possible
for the actuator to be made in such a way that a reduced amount of
electrical energy is required to maintain its state of
energization.
[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the device
according to the invention will be made clear by the following
detailed description, which is provided purely by way of
non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in
which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of an integrated
dispensing device according to the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of
FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing in a schematic way an
embodiment of a retaining mechanism which, in an integrated
dispensing device according to the invention, couples the actuator
to the cover of the first releasing device;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a partial view, in cross section taken along the
line IV-IV of FIG. 3, showing the aforesaid retaining device in a
first operating condition;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic and partly sectional view showing the
procedures for coupling the actuator device of an integrated
dispenser according to the invention to the detergent releasing
device and to the rinsing agent releasing device, in a first
operating condition;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 5, and shows
a second operating condition;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, and shows the
condition of the aforesaid retaining mechanism resulting from a
first energization of the actuator device;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 7, and shows the
condition of the aforesaid retaining mechanism following the first
energization of the actuator device;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 6, and shows
a further operating condition of the actuator; and
[0021] FIG. 10 is a time diagram illustrating the procedures for
energizing the actuator device and the integrated dispensing device
according to the invention.
[0022] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the number 1 indicates the whole of an
integrated dispensing device for washing agents for a dishwasher,
made according to the present invention.
[0023] The integrated dispensing device 1 comprises a housing 1a of
moulded plastic material, in which a releasing device 2 for
dispensing a detergent, particularly a powder detergent, and an
adjacent second releasing device 3 for dispensing a rinsing agent
are formed in a known way.
[0024] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the releasing
device 2 for the detergent comprises an essentially bowl-shaped
receptacle 4 (FIG. 2) associated with a cover 5 (FIG. 1). This
cover is, for example, mounted rotatably about an axis indicated by
A-A in FIG. 1. The cover 5 could also be coupled to the body 1a in
a translatable or rotatable-translatable way.
[0025] In a known way, the cover 5 is associated with a resilient
member such as a torsion spring which tends to cause the cover to
move from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to an open position
by oscillation about the axis A-A in the direction of the arrow B
of FIGS. 1 and 3.
[0026] The releasing device 2 for the rinsing agent is also of a
known type. It comprises a receptacle 6 (FIG. 2) for containing a
quantity of rinsing agent corresponding to a plurality of
doses.
[0027] The dispensing of the rinsing agent into the wash chamber of
the dishwasher is controlled by means of a shut-off valve indicated
as a whole by 7 in FIGS. 2, 5, 6 and 9. In a known way, this valve,
which is normally closed, is interposed on a conduit adapted to
enable the receptacle 6 to communicate with the wash chamber of the
machine.
[0028] Conveniently, the valve 7 is positioned near the lower part
of the receptacle 6 for the rinsing agent.
[0029] With reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, the valve 7 comprises a
valve seat 8, and a plug 9 carried by an operating rod 10, whose
axial position is controllable by means of an actuator device
indicated as a whole by 11 (FIGS. 2, 5, 6 and 9).
[0030] The actuator 11 is of the electrically operable type and, as
described more fully below, also controls the activation of the
release device 2 for the detergent.
[0031] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the actuator device
11 is of the solenoid type, and comprises a winding or solenoid 12,
an associated frame 13 of material capable of conducting a magnetic
flux, and a core 14 which is movable within the solenoid.
[0032] The frame 13 and the winding 12 are mounted in a fixed
position in the housing 1a of the integrated dispensing device 1,
these elements being conveniently inclined, in a substantially
vertical plane, with respect to the horizontal direction, at an
angle which is advantageously in the range from 30.degree. to
60.degree., and preferably approximately 45.degree.. The core 14 is
axially movable with respect to the above elements within the
solenoid 12, in a corresponding inclined direction.
[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 13 has an upper
branch 13a in which an aperture 13b is formed. A portion 13c of the
frame 13, surrounding the aperture 13b, has an essentially
trunco-conical outwardly projecting shape (FIGS. 5, 6 and 9). In a
corresponding way, the end portion 14a of the core 14 facing the
formation 13c of the frame 13 is also of essentially trunco-conical
shape.
[0034] A point 15a of a lever 15 extends through the aperture 13b
of the magnetic frame 13, the lever extending radially from the
periphery of a shaft 16 mounted rotatably in the housing 1a of the
integrated dispensing device 1 about a fixed axis indicated by C-C
(see also FIG. 3), in a position conveniently close to the axis A-A
of oscillation of the cover 5.
[0035] In FIG. 2, the assembly comprising the shaft 16, the lever
15, the actuator 11 and the valve device 7 is shown in an inclined
position. In FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, the same assembly is shown in a
rotated position, wherein the axis of the movable core 14 is
vertical, in order to facilitate the illustration of the relative
movements included in its operation.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 3, in the illustrated exemplary
embodiment a radial arm 17, terminating in a hammer head formation
18, extends from the shaft 16.
[0037] In the proximity of the arm 17, two retaining members 19 and
20, substantially parallel to and facing each other, of which the
first is shorter than the second, extend from the cover 5 of the
releasing device of the detergent 3. These retaining elements 19
and 20 have respective bevelled retaining catches 19a, 20a at their
distal ends, these catches essentially facing each other.
[0038] As shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hammer head
formation 18 has two opposite bevelled ends 18a and 18b, facing the
retaining element 19 and the retaining element 20 respectively.
When the cover 5 of the releasing device 2 for the detergent is
closed (FIGS. 1 and 3) and the actuator 11 is de-energized (FIG.
5), the end 18a of the hammer head formation 18 is engaged with the
catch 19a of the retaining element 19 of the cover 5, as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4. The hammer head formation 18 therefore retains the
cover 5 in the closed condition. In this condition, as shown in
FIG. 5, the point 15a of the lever 15 bears on the end 14a of the
movable core 14 until the actuator 11 is de-energized.
[0039] This core 14 is also coupled to the shut-off valve 7, in the
way which will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and
9.
[0040] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the lower end of
the core 14 has a radially projecting disc-shaped formation 14b,
which extends between two opposing retaining arms 21a extending
from a plate-like element 21 which is integral with the operating
rod 10. The retaining arms 21a are essentially parallel to each
other and to the axis of the core 14, and their distal ends are
provided with respective retaining catches 21b which face each
other. A helical spring 22 tends to move the plate-like element 21
away from the actuator 11 by pushing it towards bearing surfaces
formed by a casing 23 (FIG. 2) which encloses the whole device 11.
The terminal disc-shaped formation 14b of the core 14 extends
between the plate-like element 21 and the retaining catches 21b,
with an ample clearance in the direction of the axis of the core
14. Additionally, when the actuator 11 is de-energized (FIGS. 2 and
5) the disc-shaped formation 14b bears against the plate-like
element 21, in a position spaced apart from the retaining catches
21b. The integrated dispensing device according to the invention as
described above operates, essentially, in the following manner.
[0041] At the start of a washing cycle of a dishwasher, the
integrated dispensing device is in the conditions shown in FIGS. 1
to 5. The cover 5 of the detergent releasing device is retained in
the closed position by the engagement of the end 18a of the hammer
head element 18 with the retaining catch 19a (FIGS. 3 and 4), and
the core 14 bears on the plate-like element 21 (FIGS. 2 and 5),
which is held against the stop surfaces of the casing 23 by the
spring 22. The valve 7 which controls the supply of the rinsing
agent is closed.
[0042] During the washing cycle, at a time indicated by t.sub.1 in
FIG. 10, a control unit for the operation of the dishwasher causes
a first energization of the actuator 11 by sending a current to the
solenoid 12. The core 14 is then "pulled" upwards against the
action of gravity. The movement of the core 14 causes a rotation of
the lever 15 (in the anticlockwise direction as seen by an observer
of FIGS. 5 and 6) and a corresponding rotation of the shaft 16,
together with the arm 17 and the associated hammer head formation
18. The end 18a of the hammer head formation 18 is then disengaged
from the retaining catch 19a, and the cover 5, being pushed by the
spring which tends to move it away from the closed position,
undergoes a small degree of rotation, in the direction indicated by
the arrow B in FIG. 3, about the axis A-A, until the end 18b of the
hammer head formation 18 engages with the retaining catch 20a (FIG.
7). The cover 5 is then retained again, in a new position defined
above as the "pre-opening" position.
[0043] The extent of the movement of the cover 5 depends on the
length of the retaining element 20 relative to that of the
retaining element 19.
[0044] The condition of retention of the cover 5 shown in FIG. 7
corresponds to the condition of the actuator 11 shown in FIG. 6, in
which the movable core 14 has been moved upwards by the
energization of the solenoid 12, but its disc-shaped formation 14b,
which has approached the retaining catches 21b, is still at a
certain distance from these catches. In this condition, therefore,
the valve 7 controlling the supply of the rinsing agent remains in
the initial closed condition.
[0045] At a successive time, indicated by t.sub.2 in FIG. 10, the
control unit of the machine causes the first de-energization of the
solenoid 12. The core 14 returns to the condition of FIGS. 2 and 5,
by gravity and/or by the action of resilient means associated with
the lever 15, while the shaft 16 and the associated arms 15 and 17
rotate (in a clockwise direction as seen by an observer of FIGS. 5
and 6) under the action of an associated return spring (not
shown).
[0046] This rotation of the shaft 17 causes the end 18b of the
hammer head formation 18 to be disengaged from the retaining catch
20 and causes the final release of the cover 5 which is free to
reach its fully open position, under the action of the resilient
means associated with it.
[0047] The de-energization of the solenoid 12 of the actuator 11
does not change the condition of the control valve 7 for the
dispensing of the rinsing agent, which remains closed.
[0048] At a successive time, indicated by t.sub.3 in FIG. 10, the
control unit of the dishwasher causes a second de-energization of
the solenoid 12: the core 14 is again "pulled" upwards and causes a
rotation of the lever 15, the shaft 16 and the arm 17 with the
hammer formation 18. This rotation of the arm 17 and of the hammer
head formation 18 can now move through a greater angle than in the
rotation resulting from the first energization of the solenoid 12,
since the rotation of the hammer head formation 18 is no longer
limited by the presence of the retaining element 20, 20a. The
second energization of the solenoid 12 therefore causes a greater
upward travel of the core 14, such that its terminal disc-shaped
formation 14b engages the catches 21b of the plate-like element 21
and pulls the latter, together with the shaft 10 and the plug 9,
away from the valve seat 8. The valve 7 is thus opened in order to
dispense a dose of rinsing agent.
[0049] The dispensing of the rinsing agent continues until a
successive time, indicated by t.sub.4 in FIG. 10, in which the
control unit of the machine causes a second de-energization of the
solenoid 12 of the actuator 11 and the return of the core 14, the
plate-like element 21, the shaft 10 and the plug 9 to their
respective initial positions, thus closing the rinsing agent
dispensing valve 7.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to send additional
pulses (for energization and de-energization) to the solenoid 12 in
order to cause additional dispensing of rinsing agents if
required.
[0051] At the end of the washing cycle, the cover 5 of the
detergent releasing device can be returned manually to the closed
position, after a new quantity of detergent has been placed in the
associated receptacle 4 (FIG. 2). When the cover 5 is closed, the
chamfers or bevels of the retaining catches 20a, 19a and the
corresponding chamfers or bevels of the ends 18a, 18b of the hammer
head formation 18 make it possible to restore the initial situation
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0052] Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the
same, the forms of embodiment and the details of construction may
be varied widely with respect to those described and illustrated,
which have been given purely by way of non-limiting example,
without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as
defined by the attached claims.
* * * * *