AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED WASHING MACHINE

• US 20100186461A1
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Lüdtke, Frank-Rüdiger, Hasse, Torsten, Schulze, Ingo, Jänicke, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 8,448,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 68/17.R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/028 Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/08 Liquid supply or discharge arrangements supply of soap or other washing agents D06F39/02

Abstract

An automatically controlled washing machine having a detergent dispensing facility in an upper machine space of the washing machine, wherein the detergent dispensing facility has at least one chamber for hand-dosed addition of a portion of a powder detergent or a liquid detergent and a supply channel that supplies fresh water to the at least one chamber. At least one storage container in the upper machine space stores a liquid or gel-type detergent aid, which is automatically dosed by an automatic dosing facility assigned to the at least one storage container. The automatic dosing facility has a transfer line to supply a dose of the liquid or gel-type detergent aid to the washing machine tub. The supply channel has a bypass with an inlet side that is fluidly connected to the supply channel and an outlet side that is fluidly connected to the transfer line.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. An automatically controlled washing machine, comprising:

a tub;

a detergent dispensing facility disposed in an upper machine space of the automatically controlled washing machine, the detergent dispensing facility having at least one chamber for hand-dosed addition of a portion of one of a powder detergent and a liquid detergent and at least one supply channel to supply fresh water to the at least one chamber;

at least one storage container disposed in the upper machine space to store one of liquid detergent aid and gel-type detergent aid;

an automatic dosing facility assigned to the at least one storage container, the automatic dosing facility to automatically dose the one of the liquid detergent aid and the gel-type detergent aid stored in the at least one storage container, and the automatic dosing facility having a transfer line to supply a dose of the one of the liquid detergent aid and the gel-type detergent aid to the tub of the automatically controlled washing machine;

wherein the at least one supply channel has a bypass having an inlet side and an outlet side; and

wherein the inlet side of the bypass is fluidly connected to the supply channel and the outlet side of the bypass is fluidly connected to the transfer line.

13. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the inlet side of the bypass is connected to the at least one supply channel that supplies the same of the at least one chamber with the fresh water as the at least one chamber that the transfer line supplies with the one of the liquid detergent aid and the gel-type detergent aid.

14. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the outlet side of the bypass is coupled to the transfer line in a predetermined proximity to the at least one storage container.

15. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the at least one storage container is disposed in a receiving space within the detergent dispensing facility.

16. The washing machine of claim 15, further comprising a coupling to connect the at least one storage container to the transfer line, wherein the transfer line is part of the detergent dispensing facility.

17. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the bypass is part of the detergent dispensing facility.

18. The washing machine of claim 17, further comprising a housing for the detergent dispensing facility, the housing having a top region, wherein the bypass is a cavity line disposed in the top region of the housing.

19. The washing machine of claim 16, further comprising a housing for the detergent dispensing facility, the housing having a top region, wherein the transfer line is a cavity line disposed in the top region of the housing.

20. The washing machine of claim 19, wherein the bypass is connected directly to the transfer line in the top region of the housing.

21. A method for cleaning a transfer line in a washing machine, comprising:

dosing detergent aid from a storage container via a transfer line into a premix chamber;

conveying a content of the premix chamber into a discharge duct leading to a tub of the washing machine; and

conveying fresh water via a bypass and the transfer line into the premix chamber.

22. A method for cleaning a transfer line in a washing machine, comprising:

dosing detergent aid from a storage container into a discharge duct leading to a tub of the washing machine; and

conveying fresh water via an empty chamber of a detergent dispensing facility and via a bypass and the transfer line into the discharge duct.