Dishwasher and method for cleaning wash ware

Abstract

The invention relates to a dishwasher ( 1 ) in the form of a programmable automatic machine, which has a programme control device ( 50 ) for carrying out at least one treatment programme, a treatment chamber ( 2 ) into which and from which wash ware can be manually inserted and removed, a tank ( 4 ) into which fluid from the treatment chamber ( 2 ) can flow off by gravity, and a washing system ( 33, 8, 34, 10 ) with a washing pump ( 8 ) and with a washing line system ( 10 ) for conveying washing fluid ( 6 ) during a washing phase out of the tank ( 4 ) through washing nozzles ( 33, 34 ) into the treatment chamber ( 2 ). In order to achieve an efficient treatment (cleaning and drying) of the wash ware, along with as low a consumption as possible of resources in terms of water, chemicals and, in particular, energy, there is provision, according to the invention, for the dishwasher ( 1 ) to have, furthermore, a wash-ware detector device ( 51 ) which is designed for detecting the type of wash ware to be treated, furthermore the programme control device ( 50 ) being designed to select a predetermined or determinable treatment programme for at least the washing phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware to be treated and to set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment programme.

1 . Method for cleaning wash ware in a dishwasher in particular in a commercial dishwasher, which is designed as a programmable automatic machine and has a treatment chamber for receiving the wash ware to be treated, characterized in that the method has the following method steps to be carried out in succession:
 i) the type of wash ware to be treated is detected by the direct detection of the material and the size of the wash ware to be treated, or by the direct detection of the material and the shape of the wash ware to be treated;   ii) a treatment programme for the treatment of the wash ware is selected as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and   iii) the process parameters associated with the selected treatment programme are set automatically.   
     
     
         2 . Method according to  claim 1 , which has, furthermore, the following programme-controlled method step to be carried out after the method step iii):
 iv) a washing phase, in which washing fluid is sprayed out of a tank by means of a washing pump through a washing line system into the treatment chamber and can flow back from the treatment chamber into the tank by gravity, characterized   in that a cycle duration of the washing phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a quantity of washing fluid to be sprayed per unit time during the washing phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a nozzle pressure with which the washing fluid is to be sprayed during the washing phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware.   
     
     
         3 . Method according to  claim 2 , characterized
 in that, before method step iv), as a function of the detected type of wash ware a steam soaking is carried out automatically, in which steam is generated by means of a steam generator connected to a fresh-water feed line and is conducted into the treatment chamber.   
     
     
         4 . Method according to  claim 2 , which has, furthermore, the following programme-controlled method step to be carried out after the method step iv):
 v) a fresh-water rinsing-clear phase, in which rinsing-clear fluid is sprayed out of a rinsing-clear fluid supply device by means of at least one rinsing-clear pump through a rinsing-clear line system into the treatment chamber and can flow from the treatment chamber into the tank by gravity, characterized   in that a cycle duration of the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a quantity of rinsing-clear fluid to be sprayed during the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a temperature of the rinsing-clear fluid to be sprayed during the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware.   
     
     
         5 . Method according to  claim 4 , characterized
 in that, as a function of the detected type of wash ware, a steam rinsing-clear phase following after the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase is carried out automatically, in which steam is generated by means of a steam generator connected to a fresh-water feed line and is conducted into the treatment chamber.   
     
     
         6 . Method according to  claim 2 , which has, furthermore, the following programme-controlled method step to be carried out after the method step iv):
 vi) a drying phase, in which dying air circulates within the treatment chamber, characterized   in that a cycle duration of the drying phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a temperature of the drying air circulating in the treatment chamber during the drying phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that a volume flow of the drying air circulating in the treatment chamber during the drying phase is set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware.   
     
     
         7 . Method according to  claim 1  wherein the treatment programme is a stored treatment programme that is either predetermined or user-determinable. 
     
     
         8 . Dishwasher in the form of a programmable automatic machine, the dishwasher having the following:
 a programme control device for carrying out at least one treatment programme;   a treatment chamber into which and from which wash ware can be manually inserted and removed;   a tank into which fluid from the treatment chamber can flow off by gravity; and   a washing system with a washing pump and with a washing line system for conveying washing fluid during a washing phase out of the tank through washing nozzles into the treatment chamber, characterized   in that a wash-ware detector device is provided, which is designed for directly detecting the type of wash ware to be treated,   the wash-ware detector device having at least one preferably optically operating detector assembly which is designed to directly detect the size of the wash ware to be treated and/or which is designed to directly detect the shape of the wash ware to be treated, and further having at least one preferably inductively or capacitively operating detector assembly which is designed to directly detect the material of the wash ware to be treated; and   in that the programme control device is designed to select a predetermined or determinable treatment programme for the washing phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware and for setting the process parameters associated with the selected treatment programme.   
     
     
         9 . Dishwasher according to  claim 8 , characterized
 in that the programme control device is designed to set a cycle duration of the washing phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that the programme control device is designed to set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware a quantity of washing fluid to be sprayed per unit time during the washing phase; and/or   in that the programme control device is designed to set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware a nozzle pressure with which the washing fluid is to be sprayed during the washing phase.   
     
     
         10 . Dishwasher according to  claim 8 , which has, furthermore, the following:
 a fresh-water rinsing-clear system with at least one rinsing-clear pump and with at least one rinsing-clear line system for conveying rinsing-clear fluid during a fresh-water rinsing-clear phase out of a fresh-water supply device through rinsing-clear nozzles into the treatment chamber, characterized   in that the programme control device is designed to select a predetermined or determinable treatment programme for the fresh-water rinsing clear phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware and to set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment programme.   
     
     
         11 . Dishwasher according to  claim 10 , characterized
 in that the programme control device is designed to set the cycle duration of the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware; and/or   in that the programme control device is designed to set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware a quantity of rinsing-clear fluid to be sprayed during the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase; and/or   in that the programme control device is designed to set automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware a temperature of the rinsing clear fluid to be sprayed during the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase.   
     
     
         12 . Dishwasher according to  claim 10 , which has, furthermore, the following:
 a steam rinsing-clear system with a steam generator, connected to a fresh-water feed line, for generating steam and for conducting the steam via a steam line into the treatment chamber during a steam rinsing-clear phase selectively following after the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase, characterized   in that the programme control device is designed to switch on the steam rinsing-clear system automatically for a predetermined or determinable cycle duration, as a function of the detected type of wash ware, after the expiry of the fresh-water rinsing-clear phase.   
     
     
         13 . Dishwasher according to  claim 8 , which has, furthermore, the following:
 a drying system with a drying blower for generating a drying-air stream circulating in the treatment chamber during a drying phase, characterized   in that the programme control device is designed to select a predetermined or determinable treatment programme for the drying phase automatically as a function of the detected type of wash ware and to set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment programme.