Dosing of a solid detergent in a domestic dishwashing machine

Abstract

A domestic dishwashing machine includes a dishwashing container, a door, pivotably mounted on the dishwashing container, for closing a dishwashing chamber formed in the dishwashing container, and a dosing system, arranged at the door, for a solid detergent, for example, in tablet form. The dosing system may include an annular magazine having a rotatably arranged rotor which delimits a plurality of radially outwardly open storage compartments, distributed in the circumferential direction, which are each to receive a detergent tablet. In some embodiments, a chute is arranged beneath the rotor, and the chute allows a detergent tablet which has fallen into the chute to fall freely to an outlet opening at which the detergent tablet can pass into the dishwashing chamber. By rotation of the rotor, a storage compartment filled with a detergent tablet can move into a position radially opposite a dosing opening, at which the chute begins.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A domestic dishwashing machine comprising:
 a dishwashing container;   a door, mounted on the dishwashing container so as to be pivotable about a horizontal door pivot axis close to the floor, for closing a dishwashing chamber formed in the dishwashing container; and   a dosing system, arranged at the door, for a solid detergent, wherein the dosing system comprises:
 a rotor arranged in a magazine chamber so as to be rotatable about a rotor axis, which rotor delimits a plurality of radially outwardly open storage compartments, distributed in the circumferential direction about the rotor axis, which are each to receive a portion of a solid detergent; 
 a dosing opening in a boundary wall of the magazine chamber, wherein, by rotation of the rotor, each of the storage compartments can be brought individually in succession into a position radially opposite the dosing opening in order to empty the storage compartment in question through the dosing opening; and 
 a chute connected to the magazine chamber through the dosing opening, 
   wherein the rotor is arranged with its rotation plane substantially parallel to a main plane of the door and the dosing opening is arranged beneath the rotor, such that, when the door is closed and when one of the storage compartments is moved into a position radially opposite the dosing opening, a portion of the solid detergent stored in the storage compartment in question is able to fall, solely by the force of gravity, out of the storage compartment in question through the dosing opening and into the chute.   
     
     
         2 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the chute defines a fall section, which extends downwards from the dosing opening to an outlet opening, for the free fall of a portion of the solid detergent in the chute, wherein the chute opens at the outlet opening from the door into the dishwashing chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the chute is arranged so as to be unmovable relative to the dosing opening. 
     
     
         4 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a drive mechanism for driving the rotor in rotation such that its direction of rotation can be changed, and a control unit which is adapted to control the drive mechanism with a changing direction of rotation of the rotor. 
     
     
         5 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the control unit is adapted to control the drive mechanism such that, for emptying one of the storage compartments, the storage compartment in question is moved to and fro at least once. 
     
     
         6 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the dosing system comprises a sensor system which allows the presence of a portion of the solid detergent in a storage compartment to be detected before the storage compartment in question is moved into an emptying position relative to the dosing opening,
 wherein the control unit is adapted to control the drive mechanism such that, after one of the storage compartments has been moved into the emptying position, the storage compartment in question is moved back into the detection range of the sensor system.   
     
     
         7 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a drive mechanism for driving the rotor in rotation, a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism, and a sensor system, coupled with the control unit, which allows the presence of a portion of the solid detergent in a storage compartment to be detected,
 wherein the control unit is adapted, if it is detected that a portion of the solid detergent has remained in one of the storage compartments after that storage compartment has been moved at least once into an emptying position relative to the dosing opening, to control the drive mechanism to move a further one of the storage compartments into the emptying position.   
     
     
         8 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the control unit is adapted, if it is detected that a portion of the solid detergent has remained in one of the storage compartments, to emit at least one of an audible indication and a visual indication for an operator. 
     
     
         9 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dosing system further comprises:
 a blower for generating a stream of blowing air into at least one of the magazine chamber and the chute;   a shut-off member which is arranged so as to be movable to and fro between a shut-off position and a freeing position and which, in the freeing position, frees the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is able to fall through to the outlet opening and, in the shut-off position, shuts off the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is unable to fall through to the outlet opening; and   a control unit for the blower, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the blower to generate blowing air at least during a phase in which the shut-off member is in the freeing position.   
     
     
         10 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dosing system comprises a pusher for urging a portion of the solid detergent stored in one of the storage compartments radially outwards in the fall direction, wherein the pusher is in the form of a spring-operated pusher or an electromagnetically operated pusher. 
     
     
         11 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dosing system further comprises an electrically controllable drive mechanism for driving the rotor in rotation, and a magazine cover for closing an access to the magazine chamber, wherein the magazine cover is configured to be removed from the magazine chamber without separating a mechanical drive connection between the drive mechanism and the rotor and, when the magazine cover has been removed, each of the storage compartments is accessible through the access for filling with a portion of the solid detergent. 
     
     
         12 . The domestic dishwashing machine as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the rotor is secured against axial removal from the magazine chamber by at least one fastening member, the release of which requires an auxiliary tool. 
     
     
         13 . A domestic dishwashing machine comprising:
 a dishwashing container;   a door, mounted on the dishwashing container so as to be pivotable about a horizontal door pivot axis close to the floor, for closing a dishwashing chamber formed in the dishwashing container; and   a dosing system, arranged at the door, for a solid detergent, wherein the dosing system comprises:
 a magazine for storing the solid detergent; 
 a chute for conveying, by gravity, a portion of the solid detergent removed from the magazine to an outlet opening; 
 a shut-off member which is arranged so as to be movable to and fro between a shut-off position and a freeing position and which, in the freeing position, frees the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is able to fall through to the outlet opening and, in the shut-off position, shuts off the chute at a shut-off point located downwards of the beginning of the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is unable to fall through to the outlet opening; 
 an electrically controllable actuator for driving the shut-off member; and 
 a control unit adapted to control the actuator such that, while a dishwashing program of the dishwashing machine is running, the shut-off member is in the shut-off position for most of the duration of the program but, on removal of a portion of the solid detergent from the magazine, the removed portion is allowed to fall freely in the chute from the beginning of the chute to the outlet opening. 
   
     
     
         14 . A dosing system for a domestic dishwashing machine, comprising:
 a rotor arranged or able to be arranged in a magazine chamber so as to be rotatable about a rotor axis, wherein the rotor forms a plurality of storage compartments arranged distributed in the circumferential direction about the rotor axis, which storage compartments are each to receive a portion of a solid detergent;   a chute for conveying, by gravity, a portion of the solid detergent removed from one of the storage compartments to an outlet opening; and   a sensor system configured to detect the presence of a portion of the solid detergent in one of the storage compartments and, independently thereof, detect the presence of a portion of the solid detergent in the chute.   
     
     
         15 . The dosing system as claimed in  claim 14 , further comprising a shut-off member which is arranged so as to be movable to and fro between a shut-off position and a freeing position and which, in the freeing position, frees the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is able to fall through to the outlet opening and, in the shut-off position, shuts off the chute at a shut-off point located downwards of the beginning of the chute so that a portion of the solid detergent is unable to fall through to the outlet opening, wherein the sensor system is adapted to check at least one of a chute region of the chute above the shut-off point and a chute region of the chute below the shut-off point for the presence of a portion of the solid detergent. 
     
     
         16 . A method for charging a domestic dishwashing machine with detergent tablets, wherein the dishwashing machine is equipped with a tablet dosing system which has an annular magazine having a rotor arranged so as to be rotatable about a rotor axis, wherein the rotor defines a plurality of tablet compartments distributed in the circumferential direction about the rotor axis, wherein the detergent tablets are in the form of flat bodies with opposite large faces and small faces connecting the large faces, wherein the detergent tablets, looking at the large face, are longer and wider than they are thick and at the same time are longer than they are wide, wherein, in the method, a detergent tablet is placed into each of the plurality of tablet compartments standing on one of its longitudinal small faces, in particular such that the detergent tablets, looking axially at the annular magazine, are each oriented substantially radially. 
     
     
         17 . A tablet dosing system for installation in a domestic dishwashing machine, comprising:
 a magazine for the ordered storage of detergent tablets;   a chute for the gravity-driven delivery of a detergent tablet extracted from the magazine to an outlet opening;   a shut-off member arranged to be movable between a shut-off position and a freeing position and which, in the freeing position, frees the chute so that extracted detergent tablets are able to fall through to the outlet opening and, in the shut-off position, shuts off the chute so that detergent tablets are unable to fall through to the outlet opening; and   a blower for generating a stream of blowing air, wherein the blower comprises an impeller seated in an impeller chamber and the impeller chamber is in blowing air supply connection with at least one of the chute and an extractor chamber accommodating a movably arranged extractor member for extracting a detergent tablet from the magazine and delivering the extracted detergent tablet into the chute.