EP3179896A1

EP3179896A1 - Dishwasher

Info

Publication number: EP3179896A1
Application number: EP15832161.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Junghwan Lee; Kyungah Lee; Yoonsang Kim; Hyejin Lee
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2014-08-12
Filing date: 2015-08-10
Publication date: 2017-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2035-08-10
Also published as: CN106572778A; KR102345342B1; EP3179896B1; WO2016024775A1; US20170245726A1; KR20160019730A; EP3179896A4

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a dishwasher capable of supplying wash water to dishes stored in a case to remove contaminants from the dishes. The dishwasher includes a case providing a washing space and having an opening surface, a rack provided in the case to provide a storage space for washing objects, a door for opening and closing the opening surface to withdraw the rack from the case, and an injection section provided in the case to spray wash water toward the rack.

Description

DISHWASHER

The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a structure of a dishwasher having a withdrawable drawer and spraying wash water in a three-dimensional manner.

In general, a dishwasher is an apparatus, which has a door configured to be opened and closed at the front portion thereof and removes contaminants from dishes using wash water sprayed from an injection device provided therein.

A conventional dishwasher includes a washing means, which has a relatively large volume and includes injection devices disposed above and below a rack accommodating dishes. Accordingly, the dishwasher has been designed such that wash water is sprayed onto the upper and lower portions of dishes and the dishes are washed in a one-dimensional manner.

As the number of single-member and two-member households has recently increased, there is a growing need for small appliances that are capable of saving water and electricity when compared to existing large appliances. In addition, it is necessary to wash dishes such as bowls, having a circular bottom, as well as plates.

An object of the present invention devised to solve the problem is to provide a technology capable of minimizing the size of a dishwasher.

Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem is to provide a structure of a dishwasher capable of washing dishes having a circular bottom.

A further object of the present invention devised to solve the problem is to provide a structure of a dishwasher capable of spraying wash water in a three-dimensional manner in order to improve the ability to wash dishes.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a dishwasher including a case providing a washing space, having an opening surface, and having a width shorter than a length thereof, a rack provided in the case to provide a storage space for washing objects, a door for opening and closing the opening surface to withdraw the rack from the case, and at least two injection sections provided in the case in a longitudinal direction thereof to spray wash water toward the rack.

The rack may include a first accommodation section for accommodating at least one first washing object, having a circular section, in the longitudinal direction of the case.

The first accommodation section may include a first guide located on an inner peripheral surface of the first washing object, and a second guide located on an outer peripheral surface of the first washing object.

The injection section may include at least one first injection section configured to correspond to the number of first washing objects, in order to spray wash water to the first accommodation section.

The first injection section may include a hemispherical main body protruding from the case, and at least two injection holes provided in the main body such that wash water is sprayed at different angles of injection.

The rack may include a second accommodation section for accommodating at least one second washing object, having a diameter greater than a height thereof, in the longitudinal direction of the case.

The second accommodation section may include a support portion protruding to support a lower end of the second washing object.

The injection section may include at least one second injection section configured to correspond to the number of second washing objects, in order to spray wash water to the second accommodation section.

The second injection section may be rotatably provided at a lower end of the second accommodation section.

The injection section may include third injection sections for spraying wash water in a direction perpendicular to a height direction of the case.

The third injection sections may be provided on opposite side surfaces of the case to face each other while having a length longer than a width thereof.

In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wash water can be sprayed onto dishes, which are accommodated in a dishwasher, in a three-dimensional manner, dishes having a circular bottom can be accommodated in an accommodation section of a rack, and the size of the dishwasher can be minimized by the provision of a withdrawable door, thereby reducing the consumption of water and electricity.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the top, side, and front of the dishwasher in which a rack is inserted into a case, according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the rack of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which a first washing object is provided in a first accommodation section of the rack;

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating a first injection section;

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a second injection section; and

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a dishwasher including a first injection section, a second injection section, and a third injection section.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a case 100, which provides a washing space and has an opening surface, a rack 200 which is provided in the case 100 to provide a storage space for washing objects, and a door 300, which opens and closes the opening surface and withdraws the rack 200 from the case 100.

The front portion of the door 300 is provided with a control panel 320, through which a user inputs the operations of the dishwasher, and a handle 310 for withdrawing the rack 200.

That is, the user may input the operations of the dishwasher to the control panel 320 provided on the front portion of the door 300, and may withdraw the door 300 from the case 100 by pulling the handle 310 provided on the front portion of the door 300.

When the door 300 is withdrawn from the case 100, the rack 200 is exposed to the outside of the case 100 and thus dishes intended to be washed may be seated in the rack 200.

The dishwasher has a structure in which, after the dishes are seated in the rack 200 and the door 300 is inserted into the case 100, the dishes may be washed through the input of operation conditions to the control panel 320.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the top, side, and front of the dishwasher in which the rack 200 is inserted into the case 100, according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the case 100 and the rack 200 has a length L2 longer than a width L1 thereof. Since an existing rectangular dishwasher having the same width L1 and length L2 occupies a certain space regardless of the shape of a sink, it is difficult for a user to determine the position or direction of the dishwasher. However, since the present invention provides a rectangular dishwasher having a length L2 longer than a width L1 thereof, it is possible to install the dishwasher in the state in which the rear surface of the dishwasher is fixed to the wall according to the structure of the sink, or in the state in which the side surface thereof is fixed to the wall, as the occasion demands.

Dishes may be immediately accommodated in the dishwasher to be washed, but are often accommodated in the dishwasher after simply rinsing the dishes with water, i.e. so-called rough washing, so as to be secondarily washed.

The dishwasher of the present invention has the door 300 which may be inserted into and withdrawn from the dishwasher in the longitudinal direction thereof. Therefore, after roughly washing dishes in the state in which the door 300 of the dishwasher is directed toward the sink, the user can accommodate the dishes immediately in the dishwasher, with no need for a separate receiving device.

Accordingly, it is possible to resolve the inconvenience whereby the user stores dishes that have been roughly washed in a different place, and a kitchen region can be efficiently utilized since there is no need for a separate receiving device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the rack 200 of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention.

A first washing object S1 illustrated in the drawing refers to a dish having a circular bottom. For example, the first washing object S1 includes a cup, a bowl, and the like.

A second washing object S2 refers to a dish having a diameter greater than a height thereof. For example, the second washing object S2 includes plates.

The rack 200 includes a first accommodation section 210 for accommodating the first washing object and a second accommodation section 220 for accommodating the second washing object.

The second accommodation section 220 may have a support portion 221 protruding from the lower end thereof, and the support portion 221 serves to prevent the second washing object from falling by supporting the lower portion of the second washing object having the diameter greater than the height thereof.

The support portion 221 is preferably configured as at least two support portions, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of support portions 221 may vary according to the design of the rack 200.

The first accommodation section 210 may include a first guide 211 which is located inside the first washing object, and a second guide 212 which receives the outer peripheral surface of the first washing object.

The first guide 211 preferably has an opened center such that wash water sprayed by a first injection section 410, which will be described later, is sprayed into the first washing object. For example, the first guide 211 may have a ring shape as illustrated in FIG. 3. The ring shape is only by way of example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The shape of the first guide 211 may be changed. In addition, since the center of the first guide 211 is opened, the wash water sprayed from the first injection section 410 can be easily sprayed into the first washing object.

A portion of the second guide 212 has the same shape as that of the first guide 211 in order to avoid interference with the shape of the first guide 211, and the second guide 212 is spaced apart from the first guide 211 by a predetermined distance. For example, when the first guide 211 has the ring shape as in the embodiment and the second guide 212 has a linear shape, interference occurs between the first and second guides 211 and 212. Thus, a portion of the second guide 212 must have the same shape as the first guide 211 and the second guide 212 must be spaced apart from the first guide 211 by a predetermined distance.

In addition, a first injection section 410 for spraying wash water to the first accommodation section 210 is provided at the lower end of the first accommodation section 210, and a second injection section 420 for spraying wash water to the second accommodation section 220 is provided at the lower end of the second accommodation section 220.

FIG. 4 illustrates that the first washing object is provided in the first accommodation section 210 of the rack 200.

The first injection section 410 is provided at the lower end of the first accommodation section 210 of the rack 200, and includes a hemispherical main body 411 protruding from the lower portion of the case 100, and at least two injection holes 412 provided in the main body 411 such that wash water is sprayed at different angles of injection.

The wash water sprayed from the first injection section 410 is sprayed into the first washing object at two or more angles of injection by the injection holes 412.

In the first washing object, having the circular bottom, such as a cup, typically, the outer portion of the washing object is easily washed, but it is difficult to wash the inner portion of the washing object. This is because wash water has to be sprayed at various angles and to a high position in order to easily wash the upper end of the inner surface of the first washing object.

Thus, when the dishwasher of the present invention has the configurations of the first accommodation section 210 and the first injection section 410, wash water may be evenly sprayed to the inner surface of the first washing object through the various injection holes 412, which have different angles of injection, provided in the main body 411 of the first injection section 410. In addition, when wash water is sprayed at a high pressure and the injection holes 412 have a small size, the injection height of wash water may be sufficiently increased. Consequently, the upper end of the inner surface of the first washing object can also be washed.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the first injection section 410.

The first injection section 410 is provided at the lower end of the first accommodation section 210. As described above, the first injection section 410 preferably includes the main body 411 and two or more injection holes 412 having different angles of injection, in order to spray wash water to the inner surface of the first washing object.

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating the second injection section 420.

The second injection section 420 is provided at the lower end of the second accommodation section 220. In contrast to the first washing object, it is important that opposite side surfaces of the second washing object are washed since the second washing object does not have an inner surface. Thus, it is preferable that the second injection section 420 is rotatably provided to evenly wash the opposite side surfaces of the second washing object.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a dishwasher including a first injection section 410, a second injection section 420, and a third injection section 430.

The dishwasher of the present invention includes an injection section 400. The injection section 400 is configured of three injection sections having different functions.

The injection section 400 is divided into a first injection section 410, a second injection section 420, and a third injection section 430, and respective detailed descriptions thereof will be given below.

The first and second injection sections 410 and 420 spray wash water to first and second accommodation sections 210 and 220, respectively. The third injection section 430 provided on the inner surface of a case 100 sprays wash water in a direction perpendicular to the height direction of the case 100.

The third injection section 430 may be provided so as to spray wash water to the first and second accommodation sections 210 and 220 in the longitudinal direction of the case 100. The third injection section 430 may be configured as a plurality of injection sections in the height direction of the case 100.

The above-mentioned conventional dishwasher has the structure in which wash water is sprayed in a one-dimensional manner so as to wash dishes. In contrast, in the dishwasher of the present invention, wash water, which is sprayed from each of the first and second injection sections 410 and 420 in the height direction of the case 100, defines a first axis, and wash water, which is sprayed from each of the third injection sections 430 provided on opposite side surfaces of the case 100 in the height and vertical directions, defines a second axis. Furthermore, when the third injection section 430 is provided on the rear surface facing the opening surface of the case 100, a third axis, which is perpendicular to both of the first and second axes, is defined. Consequently, the wash water may be sprayed in a three-dimensional manner.

As a result, since the wash water is sprayed onto all surfaces of the washing object, it is possible to improve the ability to wash dishes.

Various embodiments have been described in the best mode for carrying out the invention. Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and applications may be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the intrinsic aspects of the embodiments. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in concrete constituent elements of the embodiments. In addition, it is to be understood that differences relevant to the variations and modifications fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A dishwasher comprising:

a case providing a washing space, having an opening surface, and having a width shorter than a length thereof;

a rack provided in the case to provide a storage space for washing objects;

a door for opening and closing the opening surface to withdraw the rack from the case; and

at least two injection sections provided in the case in a longitudinal direction thereof to spray wash water toward the rack.
The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the rack comprises a first accommodation section for accommodating at least one first washing object, having a circular section, in the longitudinal direction of the case.
The dishwasher according to claim 2, wherein the first accommodation section comprises:

a first guide located on an inner peripheral surface of the first washing object; and

a second guide located on an outer peripheral surface of the first washing object.
The dishwasher according to claim 2, wherein the injection section comprises at least one first injection section configured to correspond to the number of first washing objects.
The dishwasher according to claim 4, wherein the first injection section comprises:

a hemispherical main body; and

at least two injection holes provided in the main body such that wash water is sprayed at different angles of injection.
The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the rack comprises a second accommodation section for accommodating at least one second washing object, having a diameter greater than a height thereof, in the longitudinal direction of the case.
The dishwasher according to claim 6, wherein the second accommodation section comprises a support portion protruding to support a lower end of the second washing object.
The dishwasher according to claim 7, wherein the injection section comprises at least one second injection section configured to correspond to the number of second washing objects.
The dishwasher according to claim 8, wherein the second injection section is rotatably provided at a lower end of the second accommodation section.
The dishwasher according to claim 5 or 9, wherein the injection section comprises third injection sections for spraying wash water in a direction perpendicular to a height direction of the case.
The dishwasher according to claim 10, wherein the third injection sections are provided on opposite side surfaces of the case to face each other, so as to spray wash water to the first and second accommodation sections in the longitudinal direction of the case.