EP3841948A1

EP3841948A1 - A dishwasher with a region having desiccant properties

Info

Publication number: EP3841948A1
Application number: EP20216652.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yusuf Koc; Nasir Efe ARAS; Aykut EFE
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2019-12-26
Filing date: 2020-12-22
Publication date: 2021-06-30

Abstract

The present invention relates to dishwasher (1) comprising a body (2) having an inner volume wherein the articles to be washed are placed, a door (3) having an open position during which the door allows access inside the body and a closed position during which door blocks access inside the body, the dishwasher (1) being configured to execute the steps of washing, rinsing, drying and at least partly open the door (3) during the drying step, a region (4) on an upper portion of the door (3) and/or on the body (2) adjacent to the upper portion of the door (3) in the closed position of the door (3) such that the said region (4) does not contact with water in the closed position of the door (3), wherein the region (4) comprises a desiccant material.

Description

The present invention relates to a dishwasher, in particular to a dishwasher having desiccant properties.
Dishwashers are widely used in our daily life. The dishwashers follow the steps of washing, rinsing and drying during their cleaning procedure. During drying, the water residue on the dishes are evaporated by means of heating the interior of the dishwasher. In dishwashers, the dishes are left for dripping of the water at the end of the rinsing step. After the rinsing step, many dishwashers utilize the method of opening the door at least partly to increase the efficiency of the drying step. By means of this, the air trapped inside the body that has a high relative humidity is transferred to the outer environment. As a result, vaporization inside the body is accelerated. A problem with the state of the art is the damage caused by the water vapour exiting the dishwasher. After the door is opened, the air that has a high relative humidity is expelled from the inner volume of the dishwasher. The air with the high relative humidity moves upwards as it exits the dishwasher contacting the furniture of the customer and metallic parts of the dishwasher. High relative humidity causes the metallic parts of the dishwasher to rust in time. Another problem is the damage caused by contact of the water vapour with the furniture. The furniture absorbs some of the water vapour and tends to swell in time.
A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as EP2465406 among others, the document disclosing a dishwasher wherein the dishwasher comprises a door with an area having zeolite therein.
An objective of the present invention is to prevent rust formation and damage to the surrounding furniture caused by the exiting water vapour.
The method realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the dependent claims comprises a dishwasher. The dishwasher has a body and a door pivotably attached to the body between an open position and a closed position. During the open position door allows access inside the body. During the closed position the door blocks access inside the body. The dishwasher comprises means to control the operational functions of the dishwasher including but not limited to washing, rinsing and drying. The dishwasher is configured to open the door at least partly during the drying step. A region is provided on the door and/or the body. The door comprises a front panel and a rear panel and a frame interconnecting the said panels. In a preferred embodiment, the region is located on the frame facing the body. In another preferred embodiment, the region is provided on the body wherein the region is located so as to face the frame in the closed position of the door. In a further preferred embodiment, both the door and the body comprises respective regions in locations as explained above. The region comprises a desiccant material place therein. As the dishwasher starts to dry the dishes, the relative humidity inside the dishwasher increases. After reaching a certain value, the dishwasher at least partly opens the door allowing the air that has a high relative humidity to escape through the gap. As the water vapour emerges from the dishwasher, it collides with the region. The desiccant absorbs the water vapour thereby preventing the high relative humidity to damage the surrounding furniture and preventing rusting of the dishwasher parts. As a result, maintenance costs are decreased.
In an embodiment of the invention, the desiccant material is Metal-Organic framework or zeolite or silica gel or super absorbent polymer. The said desiccant material are easily available in the market. Another advantageous effect is that they are regenerated when exposed to heat. Metal-Organic framework is especially advantageous due to its low temperature of regeneration. The regeneration temperature of Metal-Organic framework is around 60 Celsius making it the perfect and safest desiccant.
In an embodiment of the invention, a heating means is provided in close vicinity of the region. The heating means heats the region, therefore helping the regeneration of the desiccant.
In an embodiment of the invention, the heating means is a conventional electrical resistance.
In another preferred embodiment, the heating means is a heat transfer means. The heat transfer means is a heat conductive material. In a preferred embodiment, the heat transfer means is a metal extending in between the region and the inner volume of the dishwasher. The heat transfer means acts as a bridge to transfer the heat towards the region during washing, rinsing and drying steps of the dishwasher. As a result, the desiccant material is regenerated without using any electricity.
In an embodiment of the invention, a water discharge line extends between the region and the inner volume of the dishwasher. As the desiccant inside the region is generated, the water is released to the environment. The water discharge line evacuates the water away from the region. By means of the water discharge line, the parts of dishwasher are prevented to rust.
In an embodiment of the invention, the dishwasher comprises a fan forcing the air inside the dishwasher that has a high relative humidity towards the region during drying step, therefore accelerating the trapping of the water molecules in the air.
In an embodiment of the invention, the region comprises plurality of protrusion which help to increase contact surface with the passing air.
In an embodiment of the invention, the region is configured to move back and forth. During the closed position of the door, the region remains closer to the dishwasher. As the position of the door changes from closed to the open, the region moves outwards and away from the dishwasher therefore trapping water vapour efficiently. In a preferred embodiment, the movement is achieved by a biasing means, biasing the region away from the dishwasher in the open position of the door. In another preferred embodiment, the region is moved by means of an electrical actuator.
In the dishwasher of the present invention, air that has high relative humidity expelled from the dishwasher during drying step is forced to collide with the region which traps the water molecules by the desiccant material which in turn eliminates the possibility of rust formation on the dishwasher.
Another advantageous effect provided by means of this invention is that the water molecules are trapped by the desiccant material inside the region which minimizes water vapour damage to the surrounding furniture.
The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in the claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.
Figure 1 - is a perspective view of the plant growing cabinet
The following numerals are assigned to different parts demonstrated in the drawings and referred to in the present detailed description of the invention:

1. Dishwasher
2. Body
3. Door
4. Region
5. Fan

The present invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising; a body (2) having an inner volume wherein the articles to be washed are placed, a door (3) having an open position during which the door allows access inside the body and a closed position during which door blocks access inside the body, the dishwasher (1) being configured to execute the steps of washing, rinsing, drying and at least partly open the door (3) during the drying step,a region (4) on an upper portion of the door (3) and/or on the body (2) adjacent to the upper portion of the door (3) in the closed position of the door (3) such that the said region (4) does not contact with water in the closed position of the door (3).
The present invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising the region (4) wherein the region (4) comprises a desiccant material. The dishwasher (1) encloses the inner volume wherein the articles to be washes are placed. The inner volume is separated from the outer environment by means of the door (3). The door (3) is attached to the body (2) by means of hinges in a pivotable manner between an open position and a closed position. The dishwasher (1) is configured to perform the steps of washing, rinsing and drying. The dishwasher (1) is configured to open the door during the drying step. The dishwasher (1) comprises the region (4). The region is on an upper portion of the door (3) and/or the body (2) adjacent to the upper portion of the door (3) in the closed position of the door (3). The region (4) is positioned such that the region (4) never contacts the water directly in the closed position of the door (3). In a preferred embodiment, the door (3) mainly consists of a front panel and a rear panel and a first frame interconnecting the said panels. The region (4) is on the upper side of the first frame. In another preferred embodiment, the region (4) is placed where the door (3) and the body (2) contacts each other but on an upper portion of the body (2). The body comprises an opening which is closed by the door (3) and a rectangular second frame. The region (4) is on the upper side of the second frame. The region (4) comprises a desiccant material. The dishwasher (1) opens the door (3) during drying step and leaves the door (3) open for a predetermined time interval. During this time interval, the air that has a high relative humidity is allowed to go out of the dishwasher. The humid air is caught by the region (4) meaning that the desiccant material. By means of this, the air which has high relative humidity is caught and the water vapour is absorbed by the region (4). This helps reduce the damage caused by the water vapour to the parts of the dishwasher and to the surrounding furniture. By means of use of the desiccant material, rust formation and swelling in furniture due to water vapour is prevented.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the desiccant material is a Metal-Organic Framework or a zeolite or a silica gel or a super absorbent polymer.
In an embodiment of the invention, the dishwasher (1) comprises a heating means in close vicinity of the region (4) regenerating the desiccant material. The heating means is used to heat the region (4) and therefore the desiccant material. This helps to regenerate the desiccant material inside the region (4). As a result, the desiccant material can be used multiple times.
In an embodiment of the invention, the heating means is a resistance heater. The heat means is an electric heater or a resistance heater.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heating means is a heat transfer means extending in between the region (4) and the inner volume. The heating means can be a transfer means with high thermal conductivity preferably a metal plate extending in between the inner volume and the region (4). By this means, the desiccant material inside the region is regenerated using the waste thermal energy of the dishwasher (1). By this means, the energy consumption of the dishwasher (1) is improved.
In an embodiment of the invention, the dishwasher (1) comprises a water discharge line extending in between the region (4) and the inner volume. As the region (4) is heated via the heating means, the desiccant is regenerated and water is extracted from the desiccant material. The water discharge line is utilized to transfer the water from the region towards the inner volume of the dishwasher.
In an embodiment of the invention, the dishwasher (1) comprises a fan (5) sending air onto the region (4). The fan (5) forces the air inside the inner volume towards the region (4) improving working efficiency of the region (4).
In an embodiment of the invention, the region (4) comprises a plurality of protrusions. The protrusions widen the contact area between the humid air and the region (4).
In an embodiment of the invention, the region (4) is configured to move away from the body (2) or the door (3). The region (4) is configured to move forward when and if the door (3) is opened and is configured to move backward when and if the door (3) is closed. By means of this, the humid air is forced to pass through the region (4) in the opened position of the door (3).

Claims

A dishwasher (1) comprising;
a body (2) having an inner volume wherein the articles to be washed are placed,
a door (3) having an open position during which the door allows access inside the body and a closed position during which door blocks access inside the body,
the dishwasher (1) being configured to execute the steps of washing, rinsing, drying and at least partly open the door (3) during the drying step,
a region (4) on an upper portion of the door (3) and/or on the body (2) adjacent to the upper portion of the door (3) in the closed position of the door (3) such that the said region (4) does not contact with water in the closed position of the door (3),
characterized in that
the region (4) comprises a desiccant material.
A dishwasher (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the desiccant material is a Metal-Organic Framework or a zeolite or a silica gel or a super absorbent polymer.
A dishwasher (1) according to any of the preceeding claims, characterized by a heating means in close vicinity of the region (4) regenerating the desiccant material.
A dishwasher (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the heating means is a resistance heater
A dishwasher (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the heating means is a heat transfer means extending in between the region (4) and the inner volume.
A dishwasher (1) according to any of the preceeding claims, characterized by a water discharge line extending in between the region (4) and the inner volume.
A dishwasher (1) according to any of the preceeding claims, characterized by a fan (5) sending air onto the region (4).
A dishwasher (1) according to any of the preceeding claims, characterized in that the region (4) comprises a plurality of protrusions.
A dishwasher (1) according to any of the preceeding claims, characterized in that the region (4) is configured to move away from the body (2) or the door (3).