Dishwasher Dosing Unit Layout to Prevent Agent Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dosing devices for pourable cleaning agents in dishwashers are costly to produce and prone to agent migration, leading to potential overdosing, and face issues with clumping and blockages due to their integrated design, which complicates handling and operational safety.
Innovation Solution
The dosing unit is arranged on a support body separately from the storage container, allowing for easy replacement and cleaning, with a housing design that includes a dosing space and channel separated by a barrier, enabling direct access for maintenance and preventing agent clumping by controlling the flow through a dosing barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the dosing unit is integrated as part of the storage container, then the structure is compact and complete, but the production cost increases and agent migration occurs leading to overdosing
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing device is divided into separate functional modules: the storage container (with storage chamber) is separated from the dosing unit (with dosing chamber). The storage container can be independently manufactured and filled, while the dosing unit remains on the support body. This segmentation reduces production complexity and cost while preventing agent migration between chambers.
2Device complexity
If the dosing unit is integrated with the storage container, then the structure is compact, but cleaning and maintenance become difficult due to agent clumping and blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing unit is separated from the storage container, allowing the dosing chamber to be accessed independently. The dosing unit can be removed from the support body and disassembled for thorough cleaning, while the storage container remains separate and can be refilled without contamination risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The dosing unit is extracted as a separate removable component from the storage container assembly. This allows the dosing chamber to be taken out for cleaning and maintenance without affecting the storage container, enabling easy access to all surfaces that may accumulate cleaning agent residues.
3Device complexity
If the storage container is designed with both storage chamber and dosing chamber, then the dosing function is complete, but agent migration from storage to dosing chamber causes overdosing
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container provides only the storage chamber, while the dosing chamber is provided separately by the dosing unit mounted on the support body. This spatial separation eliminates the direct fluid connection that causes agent migration, ensuring that cleaning agent is only transferred to the dosing chamber during controlled dosing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A controlled transfer mechanism (closure unit and channel system) acts as an intermediary between the storage chamber and dosing chamber. The closure unit controls when the cleaning agent outlet is open or closed, preventing uncontrolled migration while allowing controlled transfer during dosing.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a dosing device for the metered introduction of a pourable cleaning agent into a treatment chamber of a program-controlled cleaning device, in particular a dishwasher, with a storage container serving to accommodate the cleaning agent and a support body (12) mounted so that it can be rotated by a motor and which accommodates the storage container in an exchangeable manner, and with a Dosing unit (14) which provides a dosing chamber (29) opening into a dosing opening (19), the storage container having a storage chamber which is fluidically connected to the dosing chamber (29) when dosing is required. In order to further develop a dosing device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that, due to the design, there is increased operational reliability with improved handling at the same time, the invention proposes a dosing device of the type mentioned at the outset that is characterized in that the dosing unit is arranged on the support body in an exchangeable manner.