Dishwasher Filter Occupancy Control for Partial Water Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reducing water consumption in water-bearing household appliances, such as dishwashers, are complex and costly, particularly due to the use of aqua sensors for detecting contamination levels.
Innovation Solution
A method that detects the degree of filter occupancy in the dishwasher's hydraulic circuit using sensors or motor characteristics to determine when to partially discharge the washing liquid, allowing the remaining liquid to be reused in subsequent steps, thereby reducing fresh water supply needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If an aqua sensor is used to detect the degree of contamination of the rinsing liquid, then water consumption can be reduced through partial pumping, but the device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The circulating pump serves dual functions: it circulates washing liquid during wash cycles and simultaneously acts as a sensor for detecting filter occupancy by monitoring its own power consumption. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate aqua sensors while enabling partial pumping based on contamination detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulating pump is designed to perform multiple functions: liquid circulation during washing, contamination detection through power monitoring, and triggering partial pumping operations. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by eliminating dedicated sensor components.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the degree of filter occupancy is monitored using power consumption of the circulating pump, then exceptional states can be detected, but the measurement precision for contamination detection may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The control device continuously monitors the power consumption of the circulating pump and uses this feedback to determine filter occupancy status. When the measured power consumption falls outside a predefined range, the system triggers a partial pumping operation to clear the filter, ensuring accurate contamination detection through iterative feedback control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach simplifies water management, reduces water consumption, and eliminates the need for expensive sensors by leveraging the speed and power characteristics of the circulating pump to decide on partial pumping, thus optimizing water usage across wash cycles.
Implementation Method 1
the degree of filter occupancy of a filter system connected in the hydraulic circuit of the household appliance is detected
Implementation Method 2
a filter system connected in the hydraulic circuit of the household appliance
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a water conducting household device, particularly a dishwashing machine, wherein a filter surface coverage of a filtration system (10, 12) connected in the hydraulic circuit of the household device is registered. According to the invention, upon registering the falling short of a specified threshold filter surface coverage, rinsing fluid is only partially discharged out of the household device.