Washing machine or washer-dryer, and method for treating laundry in a washing machine or washer-dryer

Abstract

The invention relates to a washing machine or washer-dryer comprising: - a tub (1) for receiving liquid, - a drum (2) rotatably mounted in the tub (1) for receiving laundry (10), - a liquid tank (3) configured to store at least twice the nominal load of the washing machine or washer-dryer and to which a pump for conveying the liquid into the tub (1) is assigned, - a circulation system (4) configured to convey the liquid from a first area of ​​the tub (1) to a second area of ​​the tub (1), and - a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit (5) integrated into the circulation system (4) and configured to bind and / or mineralize dirt present in the liquid. The invention further relates to a corresponding method for treating laundry (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a washing machine or washer-dryer and a method for treating laundry in a washing machine or washer-dryer.

[0002] Water is a precious resource. While in Germany a relatively large amount of drinking water is used on average every day for washing, cleaning and cooking, and average water consumption is relatively high, many people do not have access to potable and consistently available drinking water.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to develop water-saving washing technologies that require only one-third or less of the water used today per wash cycle—generally around 50 liters for a typical household load. However, reducing the amount of water used in the wash and especially the rinse cycles can lead to insufficient rinsing of the detergent. Detergent residue can then remain on the laundry. To counteract this, there are requirements for the rinsing performance of the washing process, at least in Europe.

[0004] The invention thus addresses the problem of providing a washing machine or washer-dryer and a method for treating laundry in a washing machine or washer-dryer that require as little water as possible for a washing process, but at the same time are able to remove detergent residues from the laundry to a sufficient extent during the washing process.

[0005] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a washing machine or washer-dryer with the features of claim 1 and a method with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are described in the following dependent claims.

[0006] The advantages achievable with the invention are that only the amount of water carried out with the laundry plus the amount of water required for backflushing the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit is used per wash or rinse cycle. For example, with a 4 kg load and a residual moisture content of 50%, this amounts to only 2 to 4 kg of water. The residual water can be recovered through a drying process and added to the liquid tank. Rinse water can be further treated. For example, drying allows the water to be recovered, while the dirt remains separate and can be disposed of accordingly. This ensures the safe and environmentally friendly removal of water-soluble dirt and detergent components. A column arrangement of washing machines and dryers can be advantageous in this regard. Furthermore, rinsing effects can be achieved, i.e.,Residual detergent residue on the laundry that cannot be removed with conventional rinsing processes. Since no wastewater is produced, no microplastics are released into the environment. The washing machine or washer-dryer requires neither water nor wastewater connections and can therefore be installed independently.

[0007] The invention relates to a washing machine or washer-dryer, comprising a tub for receiving liquid, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub for receiving laundry, a liquid tank designed to store at least twice the nominal load of the washing machine or washer-dryer and to which a pump for conveying the liquid into the tub is assigned, a recirculation system designed to convey the liquid from a first area of ​​the tub to a second area of ​​the tub, and a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit integrated into the recirculation system and designed to bind and / or mineralize dirt present in the liquid.

[0008] The first area is preferably a lower area of ​​the tub, while the second area is preferably an upper area of ​​the tub. Position and direction specifications refer to a standard operating position of the washing machine or washer-dryer.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit is designed as a capacitive deionization unit. The capacitive deionization unit preferably has carbon electrodes. When a voltage is applied, the capacitive deionization unit is able to bind charged dirt from the liquid conveyed through the recirculation system, thereby treating and / or cleaning the liquid and removing micro-contaminants such as microplastics.

[0010] Alternatively or additionally, the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit is preferably configured as a photocatalytic unit designed to perform an EOAP (Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Process). The photocatalytic unit is capable of completely or substantially completely mineralizing organic water constituents, thereby treating and / or purifying the liquid conveyed through the recirculation system and removing micropollutants such as microplastics. In the EOAP process, highly reactive hydroxyl radicals are used to completely mineralize and thus remove organic substances dissolved in the water. Furthermore, inorganic peroxide compounds can be generated from inorganic substances dissolved in the water.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the washing machine or washer-dryer further comprises a filter arranged between the tub and the circulation system. Preferably, the filter is a coarse dirt filter. This prevents or at least reduces the entry of coarse dirt into the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit. This provides an additional cleaning device for purifying the liquid pumped through the circulation system.

[0012] Preferably, the washing machine or washer-dryer also has a dosing unit designed to automatically dose detergent into the tub and / or drum. This prevents overdosing by the user of the washing machine or washer-dryer.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the liquid tank is designed to store a maximum of ten times, preferably three to five times, the nominal load capacity of the washing machine or washer-dryer. This quantity of liquid is sufficient to carry out a washing process.

[0014] Preferably, the washing machine or washer-dryer further comprises a housing in which the tub, the drum, the circulation system, and the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit are arranged. The liquid tank can be located internally to the housing. Alternatively, the liquid tank can be located externally to the housing.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the washing machine or washer-dryer is designed without a water connection. That is, there are no water inlets or outlets. This provides a self-contained, stand-alone washing machine or washer-dryer.

[0016] The invention further relates to a method for treating laundry in a washing machine or washer-dryer with a tub and a drum rotatably arranged in the tub, wherein the method comprises: a) Supplying liquid from a liquid tank located externally or internally to the washing machine into the tub, b) Pumping the supplied liquid from a first area of ​​the tub to a second area of ​​the tub, c) Dosing detergent into the tub, d) Washing the laundry using the supplied liquid and the dosed detergent, and e) Binding and / or mineralizing the dirt present in the pumped liquid by pumping the supplied liquid from the first area to the second area following step d).

[0017] In step a), a pump associated with the liquid tank is preferably activated to supply the liquid from the liquid tank to the first area of ​​the lye container.

[0018] In step b), a pump associated with the recirculation system is preferably activated to pump the liquid from the first area to the second area of ​​the lye container.

[0019] Step c) preferably involves automated dosing by means of a dosing unit. However, step c) can also involve the addition of detergent added by the user to the washing machine or washer-dryer.

[0020] Step d) is preferably carried out according to a selected washing program. Afterwards, the liquid is preferably pumped into the liquid tank.

[0021] In step e), the dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit is activated, binding and / or mineralizing any dirt present in the liquid. The laundry is also rinsed as the liquid is pumped through the tub. The rinsing process is preferably stopped when a defined final value is reached, which can be different for various wash programs stored in the washing machine or washer-dryer. For example, the final value for a wash program for allergy sufferers might be lower than for wash programs for non-allergy sufferers. Preferably, a target residual moisture level is set for the final rinse, which depends on the selected wash program.In the case of a capacitive deionization unit as a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit, step e) preferably comprises applying a voltage to the capacitive deionization unit to purify the liquid and optionally backflushing the capacitive deionization unit when the electrodes are saturated, discarding or collecting the liquid for further processing, switching off the capacitive deionization unit when a defined end value is reached, and backflushing the capacitive deionization unit, discarding or collecting the liquid for further processing. In the case of a photocatalytic unit as a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit, step e) preferably comprises switching on the photocatalytic unit to purify the liquid and switching off the photocatalytic unit when a defined end value is reached.

[0022] Following step e), the pump associated with the recirculation system is preferably deactivated. Then, preferably using the pump associated with the liquid tank, the liquid is pumped from the lye container into the liquid tank.

[0023] Preferably, following step e), the laundry is spun and / or dried. The spinning is carried out until a predetermined residual moisture level is reached, while the liquid is simultaneously pumped into the liquid tank. Due to the small number of spin cycles, preferably one at the end of the washing process, the laundry is subjected to relatively little mechanical stress. In the washer-dryer, or optionally an additional dryer for the washing machine, the laundry is preferably dried after spinning until a predetermined dryness level is reached, while the liquid is simultaneously pumped from the tub into the liquid tank.

[0024] An embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It is shown schematically and not to scale. Fig. 1 is a sketched representation of a washing machine or washer-dryer according to the invention; Figs. 2 to 5 are each a sketched representation of the in Fig. 1 shown washing machine or washer-dryer, which performs a step of a method according to the invention.

[0025] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a sketched representation of a washing machine or washer-dryer according to the invention. The washing machine or washer-dryer has a tub 1 for holding liquid and a drum 2 rotatably mounted in the tub 1 for holding laundry 10. It also has a liquid tank 3 designed to store at least twice the nominal load of the washing machine or washer-dryer. A pump (not shown) is associated with the liquid tank 3, designed to pump liquid into and out of the liquid tank 3. Furthermore, the washing machine or washer-dryer has a circulation system 4 designed to transfer the liquid from a first, in this case lower, area of ​​the tub 1 to a second, in this case upper, area of ​​the tub 1.A pump 6 is assigned to the circulation system 4, which is designed to pump the liquid from the first section of the washing tub 1, via the circulation system 4, into the second section of the washing tub 1. The washing machine or washer-dryer also has a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit 5, which is integrated into the circulation system 4 and is designed to bind and / or mineralize dirt present in the liquid.

[0026] Fig. 2 bis 5 Each shows a sketched representation of the in Fig. 1 The washing machine or washer-dryer shown performs a step of a method according to the invention. The liquid is in the Fig. 2 bis 5 Shown hatched.

[0027] Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows the flow of liquid from liquid tank 3 into tub 1. For this process, the pump assigned to the liquid tank and pump 6 are activated. They pump the liquid from liquid tank 3 via the overflow system 4 into tub 1. Detergent is also automatically dosed into tub 1 by a dosing unit (not shown). The washing of the laundry 10 using the supplied liquid and the dosed detergent is carried out in a wash cycle, which is executed according to a selected wash program.

[0028] Then, as in Fig. 3 shown, the liquid from the alkali container 1 is pumped into the liquid tank 3.

[0029] In Fig. 4 Binding and / or mineralization of the dirt present in the pumped liquid is carried out by pumping the supplied liquid from the first area to the second area of ​​the lye tank during a rinsing cycle for washing the laundry 10. For this purpose, the recirculation system 4 with the pump 6 and the dirt binding and / or mineralization unit 5 are activated.

[0030] Then, as in Fig. 5 shown, a spin cycle of the laundry 10 is performed, with the pump assigned to the liquid tank 3 being activated to pump the liquid from the tub 1 into the liquid tank 3. Reference symbol list

[0031] 1. Washing tub 2. Drum 3. Liquid tank 4. Recirculation system 5. Dirt binding and / or mineralization unit 6. Pump 10. Washing

Claims

1. A washing machine or washer-dryer, comprising - a tub (1) for holding liquid, - a drum (2) rotatably mounted in the tub (1) for holding laundry (10), - a liquid tank (3) which is designed to store at least twice the amount of liquid of a nominal load of the washing machine or washer-dryer and to which a pump is assigned for conveying the liquid into the tub (1), - a flooding system (4) which is designed to convey the liquid from a first region of the tub (1) into a second region of the tub (1), and - a dirt-binding and / or mineralization unit (5) which is integrated into the flooding system (4) and is designed to bind and / or mineralize dirt contained in the liquid.

2. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe dirt binding and / or mineralization unit (5) is designed as a capacitive deionization unit, which preferably has carbon electrodes.

3. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dirt binding and / or mineralization unit (5) is designed as a photocatalysis unit which is designed to carry out an EOAP.

4. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a filter, preferably a coarse dirt filter, which is arranged between the lye container (1) and the flooding system (4).

5. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a dosing unit designed to automatically dose detergent into the tub (1) and / or the drum (2).

6. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe liquid tank (3) is designed to store a maximum of ten times the amount of liquid, preferably three to five times the amount of liquid of the nominal load of the washing machine or washer-dryer.

7. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a housing in which the lye container (1), the drum (2), the flooding system (4) and the dirt binding and / or mineralization unit (5) are arranged, wherein the liquid tank (3) is arranged internally or externally to the housing.

8. Washing machine or washer-dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the washing machine or washer-dryer is designed without a water connection.

9. A method for treating laundry (10) in a washing machine or washer-dryer having a tub (1) and a drum (2) rotatably arranged in the tub (1), the method comprising: a) supplying liquid from a liquid tank (3) arranged externally or internally to the washing machine into the tub (1), b) conveying the supplied liquid from a first region of the tub (1) into a second region of the tub (1), c) dosing detergent into the tub (1), d) washing the laundry (10) by means of the supplied liquid and the dosed detergent, and e) binding and / or mineralizing the dirt contained in the conveyed liquid while conveying the supplied liquid from the first region to the second region following step d).

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in thatfollowing step e) the laundry (10) is spun and / or dried.

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