Dishwasher and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a dishwasher and a control method thereof, wherein the dishwasher comprises an inner tank, a water level monitoring component, a water suction pump and a switch valve, wherein the inner tank has a water inlet; the water level monitoring component is used to monitor the water level in the inner tank; the water suction pump has a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, the first liquid outlet is connected to the water inlet; the switch valve has a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, the second liquid outlet is connected to the first liquid inlet; a controller communicates with the water level monitoring component, the water suction pump and the switch valve. The dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the present application adds a water suction pump, so that both the faucet and the water container can be used as the water source of the dishwasher, so that the installation position of the dishwasher is not limited by the water source, and the user is convenient to use and maintain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of kitchen appliances, and in particular to a dishwasher and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the popularity of household dishwashers, a variety of dishwashers with different installation methods have appeared on the market, such as built-in dishwashers, free-standing dishwashers, small household desktop dishwashers, etc.

[0003] Most traditional dishwashers use an external water inlet pipe connected to a faucet, using the water pressure of tap water to supply water to the dishwasher. However, the disadvantage of this water inlet method is that there must be a faucet at the location where the dishwasher is to be installed. For families that have already renovated their homes and there is no faucet at the location where the dishwasher will be installed, this will become an installation obstacle for the dishwasher. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a dishwasher and a control method thereof, aiming to achieve water source diversity of the dishwasher.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a dishwasher is proposed according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, comprising an inner tank, a water level monitoring component, a water suction pump and a switch valve, wherein the inner tank has a water inlet; the water level monitoring component is used to monitor the water level in the inner tank; the water suction pump has a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, and the first liquid outlet is connected to the water inlet; the switch valve has a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, and the second liquid outlet is connected to the first liquid inlet; and a controller communicates with the water level monitoring component, the water suction pump and the switch valve.

[0006] The dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the present application adds a water suction pump, so that the faucet and the water container can be used as the water source of the dishwasher, so that the installation location of the dishwasher is not restricted by the water source, and the user is convenient to use and maintain.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the water volume monitoring component is a flow meter or a liquid level sensing element, the flow meter has a third liquid inlet and a third liquid outlet, the third liquid outlet is connected to the water inlet, and the first liquid outlet is connected to the third liquid inlet.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the bottom of the inner container has a downwardly protruding water collecting cup, and the water inlet is formed on the water collecting cup.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the water suction pump is a diaphragm pump.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a prompting component for outputting corresponding prompting information according to the monitoring information of the water volume monitoring component, and the prompting component communicates with the controller.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the water volume monitoring component, the water suction pump and the switch valve are all installed on the inner tank.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a connecting pipe is further included, one end of which is connected to the third liquid inlet, and the other end of which is located outside the dishwasher.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, a control method for a dishwasher is provided. The dishwasher comprises an inner tank, a water volume monitoring component, a water suction pump and a switch valve. The control method comprises the following steps:

[0014] Obtaining a water inlet instruction, controlling the switch valve to open and the water volume monitoring component to be in a working state;

[0015] The water volume change value of the inner tank is obtained, and if the water volume change value is equal to zero, the water suction pump is controlled to operate.

[0016] The control method provided by the present invention starts a water suction pump to transport water in a water container or water from a tap to the inner tank of the dishwasher if the water volume change value of the inner tank is zero after a certain period of time after the water inlet command is issued, so that the installation position of the dishwasher is not restricted by the water source, and the user is convenient to use and maintain.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, obtaining the water volume change value comprises the following steps:

[0018] Monitoring the liquid level of the inner tank to determine the water volume change value;

[0019] Alternatively, one or more electrical characteristics of the water volume monitoring component or the water suction pump are monitored to determine the water flow rate of the first liquid outlet of the water suction pump. If the water flow rate is zero, the water volume change value is zero.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes: after the water suction pump is turned on for a certain period of time, if the water volume change value is less than or equal to a set value, a water shortage prompt is issued.

[0021] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0023] Figure 1A schematic structural diagram of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a dishwasher is shown;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a method for controlling a dishwasher in an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure Number:

[0027] Dishwasher 10, inner tank 100, mounting support 110, water collecting cup 120, water inlet 121, water level monitoring component 200, third liquid inlet 210, third liquid outlet 220, water suction pump 300, first liquid inlet 310, first liquid outlet 320, switch valve 400, second liquid inlet 410, second liquid outlet 420. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the description involving orientation, such as the orientation or position relationship indicated by top, bottom, etc., is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the invention, if there is a description of first and second, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0032] Refer to the following Figure 1 to Figure 2 The dishwasher 10 provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is described. The dishwasher 10 includes an inner tank 100, a water level monitoring component 200, a water suction pump 300 and a switch valve 400.

[0033] The inner tank 100 is a bearing cavity for washing dishes and washing water, and has a mounting support 110 at its lower part. The mounting support 110 is fixedly connected to the housing (not shown) of the dishwasher 10 to support the inner tank 100. Electrical components (not shown) and water pipes (not shown) can be selectively mounted on the mounting support 110. The inner tank 100 is a box body with an opening upward. The bottom wall of the inner tank 100 has a water collection cup 120 protruding downward. The water collection cup 120 is a transfer hub for water inlet and outlet of the dishwasher 10. The water collection cup 120 is provided with a water inlet 121, which is also used as a water outlet.

[0034] It should be noted that the water inlet 121 of the inner liner 100 and the water outlet of the inner liner 100 can be combined into one, or can be set independently of each other; the water inlet 121 of the inner liner 100 and the water outlet of the inner liner 100 can also be located at other positions of the inner liner 100; the inner liner 100 can also be provided with a water collecting cup 120, and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0035] The water volume monitoring component 200 is used to monitor the water volume in the inner tank 100. The water suction pump 300 has a first liquid inlet 310 and a first liquid outlet 320. The first liquid outlet 320 is connected to the water inlet 121 through a water pipe. The switch valve 400 has a second liquid inlet 410 and a second liquid outlet 420. The second liquid outlet 420 is connected to the first liquid inlet 310 through a water pipe. The switch valve 400 is an electromagnetic sliding valve or an electromagnetic rotary valve.

[0036] The controller (not shown in the figure) communicates with the water quantity monitoring device 200, the water suction pump 300 and the switch valve 400, for example, wirelessly or wired, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection or an infrared connection, etc. The controller includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the control method mentioned in the following embodiments are implemented. Specifically, the memory can be a high-speed RAM memory or a stable memory (non-volatile memory), such as a disk memory. The memory can optionally be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor. The memory as a computer storage medium can include a control program for the dishwasher 10, and the processor can be used to call the control program for the dishwasher 10 stored in the memory, and perform the relevant operations of the control method for the dishwasher 10 in the following embodiments.

[0037] The dishwasher 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the present application adds a water suction pump 300, so that both the tap and the water container can be used as the water source of the dishwasher 10, so that the installation position of the dishwasher 10 is not restricted by the water source, and the user is convenient to use and maintain.

[0038] When the user wants to change the placement of the dishwasher 10 and there is no tap water at the placement location, the lift and thrust of the water suction pump 300 are used to send water in the external water container into the inner tank 100 of the dishwasher 10 through the water pipe. The water container can be separated from the dishwasher 10 by a certain distance, thereby getting rid of the problem that the dishwasher 10 can only be connected to the tap. The overall structure of the machine is simple, and production and maintenance are also more convenient.

[0039] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the water quantity monitoring component 200 is a flow meter, and the flow meter has a third liquid inlet 210 and a third liquid outlet 220, the third liquid outlet 220 is connected to the water inlet 121, and the first liquid outlet 320 is connected to the third liquid inlet 210. The flow meter can accurately measure the water passing through it, and feed back the water inlet information to the controller of the dishwasher 10. The controller determines whether water flows into the inner tank 100 and the amount of water in the inner tank 100 according to the information monitored by the flow meter, and issues corresponding work instructions. It should be understood that the water quantity monitoring component 200 can also be a liquid level sensing element, which can monitor the water level of the inner tank 100 and feed back the water level information to the controller of the dishwasher 10. The controller determines whether water flows into the inner tank 100 and the amount of water in the inner tank 100 according to the information monitored by the liquid level sensing element, and issues corresponding work instructions.

[0040] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the water suction pump 300 is a diaphragm pump. By utilizing the one-way water flow performance of the diaphragm pump, when it is not started, the tap water can use its own water pressure to pass through the water suction pump 300 to complete the tap water inlet mode. When the water source is a water container, the water suction pump 300 is started, and the head and thrust of the water suction pump 300 are used to send the water in the water container into the cavity of the dishwasher 10. Using a diaphragm pump as the water suction pump 300 is simple and energy-saving. It can be understood that the water suction pump 300 can also be other pumps, such as a centrifugal pump and a gear pump. Regardless of whether the water source is a faucet or a water storage container, when the dishwasher 10 receives a water inlet instruction, the water suction pump 300 is controlled to work.

[0041] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a prompting member (not shown in the figure) is further included for outputting corresponding prompting information according to the monitoring information of the water quantity monitoring member 200, and the prompting member communicates with the controller. When the water volume of the inner tank 100 reaches the threshold, the prompting information is a green light and / or a voice broadcast "the water is full"; after receiving the water inlet instruction for a period of time, the water volume change value of the inner tank 100 is zero, then the prompting information is a yellow light and / or a voice broadcast "the water source is out of water". By adding a prompting member, the user can obtain the water inlet status, thereby improving the user experience. The prompting member can be an LED light, a speaker or a vibrator, etc.

[0042] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the water volume monitoring component 200, the water suction pump 300 and the switch valve 400 are all installed on the inner tank 100, with a compact structure and reasonable layout. It can be understood that the water volume monitoring component 200, the water suction pump 300 and the switch valve 400 can also be installed at other positions of the dishwasher 10, such as on the casing.

[0043] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a connecting pipe (not shown) is further included, one end of which is connected to the third liquid inlet 210, and the other end is located outside the dishwasher 10, so as to avoid the need for users to purchase matching water pipes, thereby further improving the user experience. The other end of the water inlet pipe can be connected to tap water or placed in a water container.

[0044] Specifically, if Figure 3 As shown, according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, a control method of a dishwasher 10 is provided. The dishwasher 10 includes an inner tank 100, a water volume monitoring component 200, a water suction pump 300 and a switch valve 400. The control method includes the following steps:

[0045] Obtaining a water inlet instruction, controlling the switch valve 400 to open and the water volume monitoring component 200 to be in a working state;

[0046] The water volume change value of the inner tank 100 is obtained. If the water volume change value is equal to zero, the water suction pump 300 is controlled to work.

[0047] The control method provided by the present invention starts the water suction pump 300 to transport the water in the water container or the water from the tap to the inner tank 100 of the dishwasher 10 after a certain period of time after the water inlet command is issued, so that the installation position of the dishwasher 10 is not restricted by the water source, and the user is convenient to use and maintain.

[0048] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, obtaining the water volume change value includes the following steps:

[0049] Monitoring the liquid level of the inner tank 100 to determine the value of the water volume change;

[0050] Alternatively, one or more electrical characteristics of the water volume monitoring component 200 or the water suction pump 300 are monitored to determine the water flow rate of the first liquid outlet 320 of the water suction pump 300. If the water flow rate is equal to zero, the water volume change value is equal to zero, wherein the electrical characteristics refer to parameters such as current or voltage, so that it is possible to automatically obtain whether water flows into the inner tank 100, and automatically select the water supply mode according to the monitoring results to improve the user experience. An electrical characteristic sensor is set at the liquid level sensing element, the water outlet of the water suction pump 300, the water inlet 121 of the flow meter and / or the water outlet of the flow meter, and the electrical characteristic sensor communicates with the controller. In one example, the power supply provides power to the water suction pump 300, and the sensor can measure one or more of the current consumed by the water suction pump 300 or the voltage provided to the water suction pump 300. When the water volume monitoring component 200 is a liquid level sensing element, the liquid level of the inner tank 100 at different times is subtracted to obtain the water volume change value. It should be noted that the pressure of the water outlet of the water suction pump 300 may also be monitored to determine whether the water source is tap water or a water container, thereby controlling the working state of the water suction pump 300 .

[0051] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, it also includes: after the water suction pump 300 has been working for a certain period of time, if the water volume change value is less than or equal to a set value, and the set value is greater than or equal to zero, a water shortage prompt is issued, thereby actively reminding the user that the water source is insufficient, thereby improving the user experience.

[0052] It should be noted that the conveying medium of the water suction pump 300 may be other cleaning products, such as detergent, solvent, bleach, soap, etc., in addition to water. The cleaning product may include liquid, gas or a combination thereof.

[0053] The working mode of the dishwasher 10 is as follows: the controller receives a water inlet instruction, the switch valve 400 and the flow meter are both started, and after a certain period of time (for example, 10 seconds), the water volume change value of the inner tank 100 is zero, then it is judged that the water source is a water container, and then the water suction pump 300 is turned on. If the water volume change value is found to be zero after the water suction pump 300 is turned on for a certain period of time, a water shortage prompt is issued. Specifically, when the dishwasher 10 is connected to the faucet for water supply, the dishwasher 10 is started, the controller receives a water inlet instruction, the switch valve 400 is opened, and water enters the inner tank 100 through the switch valve 400, the water suction pump 300 and the flow meter. At the same time, the flow meter feeds back a water inlet signal to the controller. When the designed water volume is reached, the switch valve 400 stops and the water inlet is completed. When there is no tap water to be connected to the connecting pipe of the dishwasher 10, the outer end of the connecting pipe is placed in a water container, the dishwasher 10 is started, the main board sends a water inlet instruction, and the water inlet valve is started. No water passes through the flow meter within a certain period of time, the main board does not receive the water inlet signal, the controller receives the water inlet command, the switch valve 400 is started, after the switch valve 400 is started for a period of time, it is found that the water volume change value of the inner tank 100 is zero, then the water suction pump 300 is started, the water suction pump 300 uses its own suction force to suck the water in the water container into the connecting pipe, and finally enters the inner tank 100. At the same time, the flow meter feeds back the water inlet signal to the controller. When the designed water volume is reached, the switch valve 400 and the water suction pump 300 stop, and the water inlet is completed.

[0054] After the water suction pump 300 has been working for a certain period of time, the water volume change value of the inner tank 100 is less than or equal to the set value, that is, the water volume of the water container is insufficient or there is no water in the faucet, the controller issues a prompt of insufficient water volume in the water source, at which time the user can press the pause button on the operation panel of the dishwasher 10 to add water to the water container or check whether there is water flowing out of the faucet, and the user can manually add water, change a water container or change a faucet connection, etc. to eliminate the phenomenon of insufficient water volume. After the user eliminates the insufficient water volume, the user can restart the dishwasher or resume the operation of the dishwasher

[0055] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0056] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or system including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or system. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or system including the element.

[0057] The serial numbers of the embodiments of the present invention are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments. The patent scope of the present invention is not limited by this. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

[0058] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes a number of instructions for a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a dishwasher, characterized in that: The dishwasher comprises an inner tank, a water level monitoring component, a diaphragm pump, a switch valve and a controller. The water source of the dishwasher is tap water or water in a water container. The controller communicates with the water level monitoring component, the diaphragm pump and the switch valve. The inner tank has a water inlet. The water level monitoring component is used to monitor the water level in the inner tank. The diaphragm pump has a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, and the first liquid outlet is connected to the water inlet. The switch valve has a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, and the second liquid outlet is connected to the first liquid inlet. The water level monitoring component is a flow meter or a liquid level sensing element. The flow meter has a third liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet. The invention relates to a method for controlling a plurality of liquid tanks, wherein the first liquid outlet is connected to the third liquid inlet and the third liquid outlet is connected to the third liquid inlet. The controller determines whether water flows into the inner tank and the amount of water in the inner tank according to the information monitored by the flow meter. The controller determines whether water flows into the inner tank and the amount of water in the inner tank according to the information monitored by the liquid level sensing element. An electrical characteristic sensor is arranged on the liquid level sensing element, the first liquid outlet of the diaphragm pump, the third liquid inlet of the flow meter and / or the third liquid outlet of the flow meter. The electrical characteristic sensor communicates with the controller. The control method comprises the following steps: S1: Obtaining a water inlet instruction, controlling the switch valve to open, the water volume monitoring component to be in a working state, and the diaphragm pump to not start; S2: After a certain period of time, one or more electrical characteristics of the water volume monitoring component or the diaphragm pump are monitored, wherein the electrical characteristics include current parameters or voltage parameters, to determine the water flow rate of the first liquid outlet of the diaphragm pump. If the water flow rate is zero, the water volume change value is zero, and it is determined that the water source is a water container; Alternatively, the pressure of the first liquid outlet of the diaphragm pump is monitored to determine whether the water source is tap water or a water container, wherein when the pressure of the first liquid outlet of the diaphragm pump is greater than zero, it is determined that the water source is tap water; S3: When the water source is a water container, the diaphragm pump is controlled to work, and water enters the inner tank through the switch valve and the diaphragm pump; When the water source is tap water, the diaphragm pump is not started. When the diaphragm pump is not started, the tap water can use its own water pressure to pass through the diaphragm pump, and the water enters the inner tank through the switch valve and the diaphragm pump, completing the tap water inlet mode.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dishwasher further includes a prompting member, which communicates with the controller. The control method further includes: after the diaphragm pump is turned on for a certain period of time, if the water volume change value is less than or equal to a set value, a water shortage prompt is issued.

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