PERFORMING A CLEANING CYCLE ON A WATER-PULLED HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for performing a cleaning cycle of a water-bearing household appliance, in which a cleaning process of the household appliance is carried out using a cleaning solution. The invention also relates to a household appliance with internal water-bearing components, wherein the household appliance is configured to automatically clean at least one of the water-bearing components using a cleaning solution, wherein the household appliance has at least one user interface, a data processing unit, and a pumping unit for pumping water, and wherein the household appliance is further configured to perform the method. The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to ovens with a steam treatment function.

[0002] DE 10 2011 017 021 A1 discloses a cleaning device for food intake or preparation appliances, in particular cooking, grilling, keeping warm, or fermentation appliances, comprising: a metering device for generating a cleaning mixture, at least one container for receiving the cleaning mixture, a coupling device for connecting the cleaning device to a food intake or food preparation appliance to be cleaned, and a control device for controlling the cleaning device in such a way that it generates the cleaning mixture according to a predetermined composition and transfers the cleaning mixture into the food intake or food preparation appliance to be cleaned.

[0003] EP 3 076 086 A1 discloses a household cooking appliance and a method for operating it. The household cooking appliance has a cooking chamber, at least one metering device for successively adding several treatment additives to water to form a respective treatment agent, wherein the cooking chamber can be treated successively by the several treatment agents, and a receiving means for jointly receiving the treatment agents after the respective treatment of the cooking chamber, wherein the household cooking appliance has a first tank that can be filled with water by the user, the metering device is configured to add the treatment additives to the appliance, and the receiving means is designed as a tank that can be emptied by the user.The method is used to operate a household cooking appliance, wherein water from a first user-fillable tank is transferred into a cooking chamber and a first treatment additive is added to the cooking chamber to form a first treatment agent with the water.

[0004] EP 3 511 079 A1 discloses a cleaning system for cleaning a cavity of a food or beverage preparation device. The cavity is connected to a pipe system. The pipe system conveys a liquid to the cavity. When the liquid flow stops, any remaining liquid in the pipe system is removed by passing a gas (for example, air) through the pipe system or through a valve located at a high point in the pipe system.

[0005] DE 10 2014 209 732 A1 discloses a method for cleaning water-carrying components of a household appliance, wherein the water-carrying components comprise at least one water collection container and at least one pump for emptying the at least one water collection container. The method comprises at least the following steps: filling the at least one water collection container with an active cleaning agent; allowing the active cleaning agent to stand in the at least one water collection container for a predetermined contact time to clean the water collection container; and emptying the at least one water collection container from the appliance side. A water-carrying household appliance comprises water-carrying components, including at least one water collection container and at least one pump for emptying the at least one water collection container. The water-carrying household appliance is configured to carry out the method.

[0006] DE 10 2015 107 615 A1 discloses a cleaning method for a cooking appliance with at least one reservoir for a liquid cleaning agent, which can be supplied to at least one interior of the cooking appliance to be cleaned and discharged from the interior after cleaning, comprising the following automated steps: dry, in particular airtight, storage of cleaning chemicals in a storage device, and metered or portioned emptying of cleaning chemicals from the storage device into the reservoir by moving at least one chamber defined towards an opening of the reservoir. A cooking appliance for carrying out a cleaning method is also disclosed.

[0007] DE 10 2006 016 757 A1 discloses a method for determining at least one characteristic quantity of at least one first fluid that can be supplied to a container of a fluid receiving device, wherein the method comprises the steps of: determining several levels of the first fluid in the container after different fillings of the container with predetermined quantities of the first fluid and / or determining several quantities of the first fluid that are necessary to achieve predetermined levels of the first fluid in the container at the different fillings, determining at least one first change of at least two levels of the first fluid between the fillings, at least one second change of at least two quantities of the first fluid that are necessary to achieve the predetermined levels of the first fluid in the container between the fillings and / or at least one third change of at least two relations.formed from at least one level of the first fluid and at least one quantity of the first fluid, and determining the characteristic size of the first fluid using the first change, the second change and / or the third change; as well as a fluid receiving device and a cooking device for carrying out this method.

[0008] It is the Task The present invention aims to overcome at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art and, in particular, to provide a particularly user-friendly way to carry out a cleaning process of a water-bearing household appliance.

[0009] This problem is solved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments can be found in particular in the dependent claims.

[0010] The problem is solved by a method for carrying out a cleaning process of a water-bearing household appliance, in which (a) depending on the cleaning agent concentrate used to carry out the cleaning process, the household appliance calculates a quantity of water to be used in order to produce a cleaning solution with a predetermined concentration of the cleaning agent concentrate together with the cleaning agent concentrate, (b) the household appliance pumps this quantity of water into a user-provided container that is fluidically connected to the household appliance, (c) a cleaning process of the household appliance is carried out using the cleaning solution, and (d) after the cleaning process has been completed, the used cleaning solution is pumped from the household appliance back into the user-provided container. wherein between steps (b) and (c) the further step is carried out that the cleaning solution produced in the container is automatically sucked into the household cooking appliance.

[0011] This method offers the advantage that the user no longer needs to mix the cleaning solution himself, and the cleaning solution is also reliably within a specified concentration range.

[0012] Because the cleaning solution is automatically drawn into the appliance between steps (b) and (c), the advantage of exceptional user-friendliness is achieved, as the user no longer needs to manually transfer the cleaning solution into the appliance. A further advantage is that any residual water in the appliance can also be easily transferred into the container, which would otherwise have to be drained from the appliance before the cleaning process.

[0013] The water-bearing household appliance is a cooking appliance.

[0014] The cleaning process may include the cleaning operation carried out in step (c) as such and possibly further operations such as a rinsing operation.

[0015] The cleaning agent concentrate can be in the form of, for example, a tablet, a liquid, granules, a powder, etc.

[0016] The calculation of the water quantity in step (a) can be carried out in such a way that the concentration of the cleaning solution lies within a predefined concentration range. This calculation can be performed, for example, using stored tables.

[0017] The water quantity in step (b) can be supplied by draining, filling, or pumping. The container is a self-service, easily handled vessel. The procedure is particularly simple and inexpensive because the cleaning solution is mixed in a user-provided container. Such a container does not need to be provided by the appliance, saving components and space. The user only needs to ensure that the container has a sufficient filling volume.

[0018] With the cleaning solution present in the household appliance, it can carry out a cleaning, in particular descaling, of its internal water-carrying components in step (c) in a generally known manner.

[0019] Following step (d), the user can dispose of the used cleaning solution, e.g., by emptying the container into a drain. This advantageously allows for the removal of the used cleaning solution in a particularly simple manner, especially for household appliances without a wastewater connection.

[0020] One configuration involves prompting the user to specify a cleaning concentrate to be used before step (a). This can include specifying the type of cleaning concentrate (e.g., manufacturer, product name, and / or active ingredient), the quantity of the cleaning concentrate (e.g., in grams or milliliters), and / or the dosage form (e.g., liquid, granules, or tablets, etc.) on the appliance. This information can be entered via a user interface on the appliance, e.g., through a menu. In particular, a user can be offered a selection of saved cleaning concentrates. These cleaning concentrates can be stored by a user and / or a manufacturer.The fact that the amount of water is calculated depending on the cleaning agent concentrate to be used to carry out the cleaning process can therefore include the fact that the amount of water is calculated depending on the specification of the cleaning agent concentrate to be used.

[0021] However, this step can also be omitted when performing a cleaning cycle, for example, if only one cleaning concentrate is available or a specific cleaning concentrate from a list of cleaning concentrates is marked as the default setting. The first case can occur, for instance, if a user has specified only one cleaning concentrate (e.g., regarding its type, method of addition, and / or quantity) when starting the appliance or before performing a cleaning cycle and does not change this for subsequent cleaning cycles. In this case, the amount of water is automatically calculated in step (a) for subsequent cleaning cycles as well, without the user needing to enter any further information beforehand. The first case can also occur, for example, if a specific cleaning concentrate has been specified by a manufacturer but can be changed by the user.The second case can occur, for example, if several cleaning agent concentrates or their specifications are stored or saved, but one of them is marked as the default setting.

[0022] A user can add to the group of cleaning concentrates or adjust other default settings, for example, via a settings menu. In a training session, the user can configure whether or not to be prompted to specify a cleaning concentrate before performing a cleaning process.

[0023] One embodiment involves measuring the amount of water pumped into the container using a sensor in step (b). This offers the advantage of directly and particularly precisely determining the amount of water added. A prior measurement of the water quantity within the appliance before filling the container is no longer necessary.

[0024] It is a further development step to measure the amount of water pumped into the container using at least one flow meter. This is particularly advantageous for a user-provided container that is placed, for example, outside the appliance or within a treatment compartment of the appliance (e.g., in a cooking chamber).

[0025] One embodiment involves measuring the amount of water pumped into the container in step (b) within the household appliance and then pumping it into the container (particularly without further measurement). This advantageously eliminates the need for direct measurement of the water pumped into the container, which is especially cost-effective, particularly if the upstream measurement can be performed using means already present in the appliance.

[0026] One design involves measuring the amount of water dispensed by the appliance by determining its weight. This offers the advantage that the amount of water supplied can be determined using inexpensive sensors (e.g., force or pressure sensors). For example, the weight of a water reservoir inside the appliance can be measured, and the amount of water dispensed can be calculated from its tare weight.

[0027] One design involves measuring the amount of water dispensed by the appliance using at least one level sensor in a water reservoir located within the appliance. This also offers the advantage that the amount of water supplied can be determined using inexpensive sensors (e.g., a float switch).

[0028] One embodiment involves, in step (b), pumping the water at least once from at least one water reservoir of the household appliance with a known capacity into the container. This achieves the advantage that the required amount of water can be easily supplied to the container even using an internal water reservoir with a relatively small capacity compared to the typical amount of water needed, which is particularly cost-effective. For example, if the household appliance has a water reservoir with a capacity of 100 ml and 500 ml of water are to be added to the container to mix the cleaning solution, the household appliance can fill this reservoir five times, with the water being emptied into the container each time, or similarly.

[0029] One design feature is that, before step (b), the user is prompted to connect the maintenance hose to the cleaning port of the household appliance and to insert the maintenance hose into the container. This is particularly user-friendly.

[0030] One configuration involves step (d) being followed by step (f) in which the appliance performs a rinsing cycle with fresh water, and the resulting rinsing liquid is also pumped into the container. This achieves the advantage that any remaining cleaning solution can be removed from the appliance and easily disposed of.

[0031] The task is also solved by a household cooking appliance with internal water-bearing components, the household appliance being designed to carry out the procedure as described above in order to automatically clean at least one of the water-bearing components using a cleaning solution, for which the household appliance has: a user interface through which a user can specify a cleaning agent concentrate to be used for a cleaning process; a data processing device for calculating a quantity of water to be added to the cleaning agent concentrate to obtain a cleaning solution of the desired concentration; a conveying device for conveying the calculated quantity of water into a container; and a user-accessible cleaning connection, which is connected to the conveying device, is located in a wall of the cooking chamber, and to which a maintenance hose can be connected by the user, which can be inserted into a container provided by the user.

[0032] The household appliance is designed to operate the conveying system in such a way that Before the cleaning process begins, the calculated amount of water is pumped from the household cooking appliance through the cleaning port, and subsequently the cleaning solution is automatically drawn into the household cooking appliance through the cleaning port, and after the cleaning process is complete, the used cleaning solution is pumped out of the household cooking appliance through the cleaning port.

[0033] The cleaning port allows water to be added to the container and, if necessary, the cleaning solution to be drawn from the container into the appliance. The appliance must be equipped with at least one pump for this purpose. This offers the advantage of allowing the user to easily establish a fluid connection between the container and the appliance. Since the appliance is also designed to draw the cleaning solution from the container into itself, the user no longer needs to manually add the cleaning solution.

[0034] Because the appliance has such a cleaning port, a user-provided container can be easily connected to the cooking appliance, even if it is a built-in unit. The container can then be placed inside the cooking chamber for cleaning, thus achieving a space-saving arrangement.

[0035] This design incorporates a household appliance consisting of an oven with a cooking chamber and an evaporator located outside the cooking chamber. This evaporator includes a water reservoir in the form of a heated evaporation chamber, equipped with a level sensor to detect when the chamber is at least full. This design offers the advantage of user-friendly cleaning, particularly descaling, of the evaporator. Furthermore, the evaporation chamber can also be used as a water reservoir for pre-measuring a specific quantity of water. Additionally, this design allows any residual water in the evaporation chamber to be included in the total amount of water to be dispensed into the container, thus eliminating the need to empty the evaporator beforehand.

[0036] One design feature is that the appliance has a direct water connection. This offers the advantage that the user does not need to check whether there is a sufficient amount of water in the appliance to mix the cleaning solution. Alternatively, the appliance may not have a direct water connection, but instead, for example, a sufficiently large water tank that can be filled by the user, and in particular, a removable one.

[0037] The properties, features and advantages of this invention described above, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more easily understood in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings.

[0038] In step S6, the control unit 9 actuates the pumping unit 13 to pump the water in the evaporation chamber 5 through the cleaning port 12 and the maintenance hose 14 into the vessel 15. Thus, the minimum amount of water that can be supplied to the vessel 15 corresponds to the filling volume of the evaporation chamber 5, for example, 100 ml. If the calculated minimum amount of water that must be supplied to the vessel to maintain the specified concentration range is greater than the filling volume of the evaporation chamber 5, steps S5 to S6 are repeated several times until the calculated amount of water is reached, as indicated by the dotted arrow. The control unit 9 can already take into account in step S3 that the calculated amount of water can only be added to the vessel 15 in increments of 100 ml.

[0039] Step S6 offers the particular advantage that residual water located in the evaporation chamber 5 is also taken into account and conveyed into the vessel 15, so that a separate draining of the residual water can be dispensed with.

[0040] In step S7, possibly after a certain delay time, the cleaning solution formed in the vessel 15 from the cleaning concentration and the added water is controlled by the control unit 9 so that it draws the cleaning solution from the vessel 15 and pumps it into the evaporation chamber 5.

[0041] In step S8, a cleaning process is now carried out using the cleaning solution, through which the evaporation chamber 5 is cleaned, in particular descaled.

[0042] After the cleaning process has been completed, the control unit 9 in step S9 controls the conveying unit 13 to convey the used cleaning solution back into the vessel 15.

[0043] In step S10, the control unit 9 reopens the shut-off valve 7 to fill the evaporation chamber 5 with fresh water and thus rinse it.

[0044] In step S11, the control unit 9 activates the pumping unit 13 again to pump the rinsing fluid into the vessel 15 as well.

[0045] In step S12, the control unit 9 controls the user interface 10 to inform the user that the cleaning process has ended.

[0046] In step S13, the user can now remove and empty the container 15 and disconnect the maintenance hose 14 from the cleaning connection.

[0047] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

[0048] In general, "ein", "eine", etc. can be understood to mean singular or plural, especially in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more", etc., unless this is explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "exactly one", etc. Reference symbol list

[0049] 1 Oven 2 Cooking chamber 3 Door 4 Evaporator 5 Evaporation chamber 6 Fixed water connection 7 Shut-off valve 8 Level sensor 9 Control unit 10 User interface 11 Side wall of cooking chamber 12 Cleaning connection 13 Conveyor device 14 Maintenance hose 15 Container S1-S13 Procedure steps

Claims

1. Method (S1-S13) for performing a cleaning procedure of a water-guiding household cooking appliance (1), in which (a) a quantity of water is calculated by way of the household cooking appliance (1) depending on a cleaning agent concentrate to be used for performing the cleaning procedure in order to make (S3), together with the cleaning agent concentrate, a cleaning solution with a prespecified concentration of the cleaning agent concentrate, (b) this quantity of water is conveyed (S5-S6) by way of the household cooking appliance (1) into a vessel (15), which is provided by a user and is fluidically connected by the user to the household cooking appliance (1), (c) a cleaning procedure of the household cooking appliance (1) is performed (S8) by means of the cleaning solution and (d) after the cleaning procedure is performed, the spent cleaning solution is conveyed (S9) from the household cooking appliance (1) back into the vessel (15) provided by the user, wherein, between steps (b) and (c), the further step of automatically drawing (S7) the cleaning solution generated in the vessel (15) into the household cooking appliance (1) is performed.

2. Method (S1-S13) according to claim 1, in which, prior to step (a), a user is prompted (S2) to specify the cleaning agent concentrate to be used and then, in step (a), the quantity of water is calculated.

3. Method (S1-S13) according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in step (b), the quantity of water conveyed into the vessel (15) is measured by way of a sensor.

4. Method (S1-S13) according to one of claims 1 to 2, in which, in step (b), the quantity of water in the household cooking appliance (1) conveyed into the vessel (15) is measured (S5) and is then conveyed (S6) into the vessel (15).

5. Method (S1-S13) according to claim 4, in which the quantity of water measured in the household cooking appliance (1) is measured by ascertaining the weight of the quantity of water.

6. Method (S1-S13) according to claim 4, in which the quantity of water measured in the household cooking appliance (1) is measured (S5) by means of at least one fill level sensor (8) of a water tank (5) situated in the household cooking appliance (1).

7. Method (S1-S13) according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in step (b), water is conveyed (S5, S6) at least once out of at least one water tank (5) of the household cooking appliance with a known fill level into the vessel (15).

8. Method (S1-S13) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the household cooking appliance (1) has a cleaning connection (12) which is accessible to the user, to which the user can connect a maintenance hose (14) which can be inserted into the vessel (15).

9. Method (S1-S13) according to claim 8, in which, prior to step (b), the user is prompted to connect the maintenance hose (14) to the cleaning connection (12) and to insert (S4) the maintenance hose (14) into the vessel.

10. Method (S1-S13) according to one of claims 8 to 9, in which the cleaning connection (12) is arranged in a wall (11) of a cooking compartment (2) of the household cooking appliance (1).

11. Method (S1-S13) according to one of the preceding claims, in which step (d) is followed by a step (f), in which the household cooking appliance (1) performs (S10) a rinse procedure with fresh water and the resultant washing fluid is also conveyed (S11) out of the household cooking appliance (1) back in to the vessel (15).

12. Household cooking appliance (1) with internal water-guiding components (5), characterised in that the household cooking appliance (1) is configured to perform the method according to one of the preceding claims (S1-S13) in order to clean at least one of the water-guiding components (5) automatically by means of a cleaning solution, to which end the household cooking appliance (1) has: - a user interface (10), via which a user can specify a cleaning agent concentrate to be used for a cleaning procedure; - a data processing facility (9) for calculating a quantity of water that is to be added to the cleaning agent concentrate in order to make a desired concentration of cleaning solution; - a conveying facility (13) for conveying water; and - a cleaning connection (12) which is accessible to the user, which is connected to the conveying facility (13) and is arranged in a wall (11) of the cooking compartment (2) and to which a maintenance hose (14) can be connected by a user, which hose can be inserted into a vessel (15) provided by the user; wherein the household cooking appliance (1) is configured to operate the conveying facility (13) such that - prior to the cleaning procedure being performed, the quantity of water calculated is conveyed out of the household cooking appliance (1) through the cleaning connection (12) and - the cleaning solution is then automatically drawn into the household cooking appliance (1) through the cleaning connection (12), and - after the cleaning procedure is performed, the spent cleaning solution is conveyed out of the household cooking appliance (1) through the cleaning connection (12).

13. Household cooking appliance (1) according to claim 12, wherein the household cooking appliance (1) is an oven with a cooking compartment (2) and an evaporator (4) arranged outside the cooking compartment (2), which evaporator (4) has a water tank in the form of an evaporation compartment (5) which can be heated, which water tank is provided with a fill level sensor (8) for detecting at least one filled evaporation compartment (5).

14. Household cooking appliance (1) according to one of claims 12 to 13, wherein the household cooking appliance (1) has a fixed water connection (6).