Chemical dosing system
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of chemical dosing systems in commercial dishwashing and laundry machines is complex and time-consuming due to the need for engineers to determine the correct chemical quantities and cycle stages, requiring knowledge of various appliance types and water hardness, which can lead to incorrect dosing and increased costs for chemical suppliers.
Innovation Solution
An external chemical dosing system that uses a meter to determine the volume of water supplied to the appliance, a pump or valve to dispense chemicals, and a control unit to control the dispensing based on the cycle stage and water volume, allowing for standardized installation across different appliance types without requiring access to electrical circuits or specialist knowledge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If engineers manually determine and set up chemical dosing for each appliance type, then chemical dosing accuracy can be achieved, but installation complexity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing system automatically determines the appliance type and cycle stage by monitoring water supply patterns itself, without requiring external engineers to manually configure it. The system self-adapts to different appliance types (dishwashers, laundry machines) by detecting water volume and supply rate characteristics, eliminating the need for specialist knowledge during installation while maintaining dosing accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The dosing system is designed to work universally across multiple appliance types through a single standardized installation interface. By monitoring water supply characteristics, the same dosing unit can adapt to dishwashers, laundry machines, and other water-using appliances without requiring type-specific configuration, simplifying deployment while maintaining precision
2Measurement precision
If engineers gain knowledge of various appliance types and water hardness to correctly dose chemicals, then dosing accuracy improves, but installation time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects and adapts to water hardness and appliance characteristics during operation by monitoring water supply patterns. This eliminates the need for engineers to manually assess water hardness or gain knowledge of specific appliance types, as the system performs these functions autonomously, reducing installation time to simple connectivity while maintaining dosing accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors water supply volume and rate, using this feedback to automatically adjust chemical dosing parameters. This closed-loop approach allows the system to adapt to different appliance types and water conditions in real-time without requiring pre-configuration by engineers, thereby maintaining accuracy while minimizing installation time
3Quantity of substance
If external dosing systems are used for commercial machines greater than 20 kg, then correct chemical quantity can be dosed, but system complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing system automatically determines the required chemical quantity by monitoring water supply characteristics specific to each appliance type and size. For commercial laundry machines, it detects the larger water volumes and adjusts dosing accordingly without requiring manual input about machine capacity, simplifying the interface while ensuring correct dosing quantities
Solution Approach 2:
The same external dosing system design can serve both small domestic machines and large commercial machines by universally monitoring water supply patterns. The system adapts its dosing strategy based on detected water volume and supply rate, eliminating the need for different hardware configurations for different machine sizes while maintaining dosing accuracy
4Measurement precision
If dosing systems require access to electrical circuits for control, then precise cycle-stage dosing can be achieved, but installation difficulty and warranty risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses water supply characteristics as an intermediary signal to determine cycle stage, replacing the need for direct electrical circuit access. By monitoring water flow patterns, volume, and pressure as intermediate indicators of appliance operation state, the system can infer cycle stage without electrical connections, simplifying installation while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces electrical control mechanisms with mechanical/hydraulic monitoring of water supply. Instead of using electrical signals from appliance circuits to detect cycle stage, it uses physical water flow characteristics (volume, rate, pressure) as the control input, eliminating the need for electrical access while preserving cycle-stage detection accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a chemical dosing system for an appliance, such as a laundry washing machine or a dishwashing machine, having a water inlet, the system comprising a meter determining the volume of water supplied to the appliance, a pump for dispensing a quantity of a chemical to the appliance and a control unit arranged to receive a signal from the meter and to cause to be dispensed to the appliance a volume of chemical that is proportional to the quantity of water supplied to the appliance. The disclosed system may enable a correct quantity of chemical to be automatically dispensed to many types of appliance, without the need to know anything about the appliance, or to derive an electrical signal from the appliance.