System for washing washware and method for operating a system of this type

Abstract

The invention relates to a dishwashing system ( 100 ) comprising at least one conveyor system ( 101 ) for feeding washware to one conveyor dishwasher ( 2, 2 ′) and a conveyor system ( 101 ) for feeding dishware to the at least one conveyor dishwasher ( 2, 2 ′) In order to further reduce the consumption of fresh water, chemicals and energy during operation, the invention provides a washware detector apparatus ( 51 ) which is designed to detect the number of units of washware, which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher ( 2, 2 ′) with the aid of the conveyor system ( 101 ) per unit time, in a prespecified or prespecifiable region of the conveyor system ( 101 ). Furthermore, a control device ( 50 ) is provided which is designed to select a predefined or predefinable treatment program.

1 . System for washing washware, with the system having the following:
 at least one conveyor dishwasher which has at least one wash zone, at least one final-rinse zone and a transportation apparatus for conveying washware through the zones; and   a conveyor system for feeding washware to the at least one conveyor dishwasher,   
       characterized in that a washware detector apparatus is provided, which is designed to detect the number of units of washware, which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time, in a prespecified or prespecifiable region of the conveyor system, and 
       in that a control device is provided, which is designed to automatically select a predefined or predefinable treatment program and set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment program as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time for the at least one conveyor dishwasher. 
     
     
         2 . System according to  claim 1 , with the washware detector apparatus having at least one optically, inductively or capacitively operating detector device which is designed to detect the presence of washware in the prespecified or prespecifiable region of the conveyor system, and with the conveyor system being designed to feed the washware to at least one conveyor dishwasher at a predefined or predefinable feed rate. 
     
     
         3 . System according to  claim 2 , with the at least one detector device being designed to detect the presence of individual trays, individual dishes, individual pots and pans, individual glasses, individual items of cutlery and/or individual containers. 
     
     
         4 . System according to  claim 2 , with the control device being designed to set the process parameters, which are associated with the selected treatment program, with a time delay in the at least one conveyor dishwasher, with the time delay depending on the distance of the region of the conveyor system monitored by the detector device from the at least one conveyor dishwasher and on the feed rate at which the washware is fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , with a pre-cleaning and/or pre-sorting station further being provided between the conveyor system and the at least one conveyor dishwasher for the purpose of manually pre-clearing and/or pre-sorting washware which is fed by the conveyor system. 
     
     
         6 . System according to  claim 1 , with the control device being designed to automatically set the transportation speed, at which the washware is transported through zones of the at least one conveyor dishwasher, to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time; and/or 
       the control device being designed to automatically set a quantity of wash liquid sprayed in the at least one wash zone per unit time to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time; and/or 
       the control device being designed to automatically set a quantity of final-rinse liquid sprayed in the final-rinse zone of the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time. 
     
     
         7 . System according to  claim 1 , with the at least one conveyor dishwasher having a pre-wash zone with pre-wash nozzles, and at least one main-wash zone which is connected downstream of the pre-wash zone and has main-wash nozzles; 
       with the control device being designed to automatically switch on or switch off the supply of wash liquid to the pre-wash nozzles of the pre-wash zone as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time; and/or 
       with the control device being designed to automatically switch on or switch off the supply of wash liquid to the main-wash nozzles of the at least one main-wash zone as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time. 
     
     
         8 . System according to  claim 1 , with the at least one conveyor dishwasher having a drying zone, and with the control device being designed to automatically select a predefined or predefinable temperature value of an air stream used in the drying zone to dry the washware and set the temperature of the air stream used for drying purposes to the selected value as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time; and/or 
       with the control device being designed to automatically select a predefined or predefinable value of a volumetric quantity of a drying-air stream circulating in the drying zone for drying the washware per unit time and set the volumetric quantity circulating per unit time to the selected value as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time. 
     
     
         9 . System according to  claim 1 , with the at least one conveyor dishwasher having a first main-wash zone, with main-wash nozzles, and a second main-wash zone, with main-wash nozzles, which is connected downstream of the first main-wash zone; and with the control device being designed to automatically switch on or switch off either the supply of wash liquid to the main-wash nozzles of the first main-wash zone or the supply of wash liquid to the main-wash nozzles of the second main-wash zone as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time. 
     
     
         10 . System according to  claim 1 , with a first conveyor dishwasher being provided for washing dishes, pots and pans, glasses and containers, and a second conveyor dishwasher being provided for washing trays and items of cutlery. 
     
     
         11 . System according to  claim 10 , with the control device being designed to automatically select a predefined or predefinable treatment program and set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment program in the at least one conveyor dishwasher as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed per unit time for at least one of the two conveyor dishwashers. 
     
     
         12 . System according to  claim 1 , with the control device being designed to selectively automatically select a predefined or predefinable treatment program for at least one conveyor dishwasher and set the process parameters associated with the selected treatment program in the at least one conveyor dishwasher as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed per unit time. 
     
     
         13 . Method for washing washware, in which method washware is conveyed to a conveyor dishwasher, which is designed in the form of a rack-conveyor dishwasher or flight-type dishwasher, with the aid of a conveyor system, with the conveyor dishwasher having at least one wash zone, at least one final-rinse zone and a transportation apparatus with which the washware is conveyed through the zones, 
       characterized 
       in that the method has the following methods steps:
 a) the number of units of washware which are fed to the conveyor dishwasher with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time is detected with the aid of a washware detector apparatus in a prespecified or prespecifiable region of the conveyor system; and 
 b) a predefined or predefinable treatment program is automatically selected and the process parameters associated with the selected treatment program are set in the conveyor dishwasher as a function of the detected number of units of washware which are fed to the conveyor dishwasher per unit time. 
 
     
     
         14 . Method according to  claim 13 , 
       with the transportation speed at which the washware is transported through the zones of the conveyor dishwasher being automatically set to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of a predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed to the conveyor dishwasher with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time; and/or 
       with a quantity of wash liquid which is sprayed in the at least one wash zone per unit time being automatically set to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of a predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed to the conveyor dishwasher with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time; and/or with a quantity of final-rinse liquid which is sprayed in the final-rinse zone of the at least one conveyor dishwasher per unit time being automatically set to a predefined or predefinable value as a function of a predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed to the conveyor dishwasher with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time. 
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 13 , with the process parameters of a first treatment program being automatically set up to a predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time in the conveyor dishwasher; and with the process parameters of a second treatment program being automatically set when the predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time in the conveyor dishwasher is exceeded. 
     
     
         16 . Method according to  claim 15 , with the settable process parameters including at least one of the following parameters: the transportation speed at which the washware is transported through the zones of the conveyor dishwasher; the quantity of wash liquid sprayed in the at least one wash zone per unit time; the quantity of final-rinse liquid sprayed in the at least one final-rinse zone per unit time; the temperature value of an air stream used to dry the washware in a drying zone of the at least one conveyor dishwasher; and the volumetric quantity of a drying-air stream circulating in a drying zone of the at least one conveyor dishwasher for drying the washware per unit time. 
     
     
         17 . Method according to one of  claim 16 , with the transportation speed at which the washware is transported through the individual treatment zones of the conveyor dishwasher, the quantity of wash liquid sprayed in the at least one wash zone per unit time, and the quantity of final-rinse liquid sprayed in the at least one final-rinse zone per unit time are in each case automatically increased when a predefined or predefinable number of units of washware which are fed with the aid of the conveyor system per unit time is exceeded in the conveyor dishwasher.