JP2004261295A - Dishwasher - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To humidify dishes before a main washing process to the extent that the dirt on the dishes does not dry while the water usage is reduced and to contribute to a reduction in time for the main washing process. <P>SOLUTION: A "soaking process" for humidifying the dirt on the dishes by steam and moisture to the extent that it does not dry by heating water supplied to a washing bath and keeping it at a predetermined temperature is provided before the main washing process. When specified operations of switches are performed during the execution of the "soaking process", the "soaking process" is discontinued and operations proceed to the main washing process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a dishwasher provided with a “storage process” in which steam and moisture are humidified to the extent that dirt on tableware is not dried before a main cleaning process.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, before the main washing operation, a wet process in which water is sprayed to the tableware at regular intervals is provided separately from the main cleaning process so that dirt attached to the tableware is not dried, and a predetermined switch operation is performed. It is known that when the wet process is stopped, the wet process is stopped and the process is shifted to a main cleaning process (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2755599 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of injecting water into tableware at regular intervals in the wetting process, drainage is performed after at least the first spraying in the wetting process, and then water is supplied in preparation for the next spraying. ing. Therefore, it is inevitable that water usage will increase.
[0005]
Generally, in a dishwasher, cleaning water is heated in the main cleaning process to remove oil stains and the like. Therefore, for example, the cleaning time in the main cleaning mode is set in consideration of the time until the water temperature rises to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the cleaning time has to be long.
[0006]
A first object of the present invention is to make it possible to humidify the tableware before the main washing step to the extent that the stains on the tableware are not dried, while reducing the amount of water used. A second object is to contribute to shortening the time required for the main cleaning process.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The dishwasher according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a heating device for heating water supplied to the washing tank, a water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the water in the washing tank, and a control device for controlling the heating device based on the detection result of the water temperature detecting means are provided. In a dishwasher that stores tableware in a washing tank through a door and performs a main washing step, the water supplied into the washing tank is heated to a predetermined temperature before the main washing step, and steam, moisture, etc. Then, a “storage step” is provided in which humidification is performed to the extent that the stains on the tableware are not dried, and when a predetermined switch operation is performed during the execution of the “storage step”, the control unit performs the “storage step”. And the process is shifted to the main cleaning process.
[0008]
In the dishwasher of the present invention, when an operation for executing the “reservoir stroke” is performed, the water temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature at which steam can be generated until a predetermined switch operation is performed after supplying a set amount of water. Is done. Thereby, the inside of the washing tank is humidified, and the stains on the tableware are prevented from drying. In addition, the amount of water used is reduced, a predetermined switch operation is performed, and when the process shifts to the main cleaning process, the hot water heated in the “storage process” can be used as it is. Therefore, the time required for the main cleaning step can be reduced.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention in the storage mode, FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the operation panel, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit. 4 is a longitudinal side view thereof, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing one opening of the air passage.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 4, the dishwasher according to the present embodiment includes a washing tank 2 installed in a washing machine main body 1, and a dish basket 4 capable of accommodating various dishes 3 in the washing tank 2. I have. The tableware basket 4 is housed in the washing tank 2 through a front opening having a door 5 of the washing machine body 1 so as to be able to be taken in and out freely. On one side of the bottom of the cleaning tank 2, a concave reservoir tank 6 is provided. The reservoir tank 6 is connected to a water supply port of the cleaning pump 8 via a water intake pipe 7, and is further guided into the cleaning tank 2 via a water guide pipe 9 connected to a discharge port of the cleaning pump 8. . A rotary nozzle 11, which is a cleaning nozzle having a plurality of ejection ports, is provided at a lower portion of the cleaning tank 2 and is connected to the water pipe 9. A heater 12 as a heating device is installed above the reservoir tank 6, and a residue filter 13 is detachably provided at an opening of the reservoir tank 6. A water temperature sensor 14 for detecting a water temperature in the cleaning tank 2 is provided on a lower surface of the cleaning tank 2, and a water level for detecting a water level of the cleaning water in the cleaning tank 2 is provided on a lower rear portion of the cleaning tank 2. A sensor 15 is provided. A drain pump 16 having a common drive source is provided behind the cleaning pump 8, and is connected to a drain hose 17. That is, the cleaning pump 8 and the drainage pump 16 are arranged in tandem in the front and rear directions, and attached to the output shaft of the pump drive motor 18.
[0011]
An electromagnetic water supply valve 19 is provided on the upper part of the inner surface of the back plate of the washer body 1 and is connected to the washing tank 2 via a water supply pipe 21. Water or hot water is supplied from a downward water supply port 22 at the end of the water supply pipe 21. Is supplied into the cleaning tank 2. The lid 23 serving as the top surface of the cleaning tank 2 is configured such that the joint with the cleaning tank 2 is hermetically sealed by the packing 24. A door opening / closing detection sensor 25 for detecting opening / closing of the door 5 is provided at a front edge of the lid 23, and a handle touch sensor 26 is provided at a handle of the door 5. Opening and closing can be quickly detected (predicted).
[0012]
In addition, an air passage 27 that passes through the cleaning tank 2 and has both ends open to the outside air is provided. One opening in the air passage 27 system is composed of a labyrinth passage 28 formed in the upper part of the door 5, and the other opening in the air passage 27 system is provided for the cleaning machine main body 1 surrounding the cleaning tank 2. It is formed from a cooling hole (not shown) provided on the bottom surface, the side surface, or the back surface. As shown in FIG. 5, filters 31 and 32 are attached to both end faces of the labyrinth passage 28 to prevent dust and the like from entering from outside. Further, inside the filter 32 in the labyrinth passage 28, a flap valve 33 that can swing (open) even by a slight wind pressure or vapor pressure from the inside of the cleaning tank 2 is provided. In the vicinity of the other opening (here, a cooling hole is formed on the bottom surface of the washing machine main body 1) in the air passage 27 system, outside air is introduced into the washing tank 2 during the drying operation in the main washing process. A reversible rotatable blower fan 34 and a fan drive motor 35 for sucking air in the washing tank 2 and discharging the air to the outside upon detection of the door opening when the water temperature reaches 60 ° C. or higher in the feeding or “accumulation process”. When the door is opened, steam can be prevented from being blown forward by the blower fan 34.
[0013]
In addition, a control device 40 is installed on the upper rear surface of the door 5, and an operation panel 50 shown in FIG. . The operation panel 50 includes a power switch 51 and a power indicator lamp (LED) 54, a storage mode selection switch 52 and a storage mode display lamp (LED) 55, a main cleaning mode selection switch 53, and a main cleaning mode display lamp (LED). 56 are provided. In addition, other switches having various functions, such as a switch for setting a drying time, are provided, but are omitted here. As shown in FIG. 3, the above-mentioned various switches and sensors are electrically connected to the control device 40. The control device 40 transmits each LED via a drive circuit 60 based on an input signal from these switches and sensors. And an electromagnetic water supply valve, each motor, a heater, and the like.
[0014]
Next, the operation of the dishwasher of the present embodiment will be described based on FIG. 1 and with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that some tableware 3 is stored in the tableware basket 4, the power switch 51 is turned on, and the LED 54 indicating the power-on state is lit. First, it is determined whether or not the mode selection switch is pressed (step 1). If the mode selection switch is pressed, it is determined whether or not the pressed switch is the storage mode selection switch 52 (step 2). If the mode selection switch 52 is used, water supply (water or hot water) to the cleaning tank 2 is started (step 3), and when the set quantity is reached (step 4), the water supply is stopped (step 5). Next, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the supplied water (or hot water) is equal to or higher than 60 ° C. (step 6). If the water temperature is equal to or higher than 60 ° C., it is determined whether or not the door 5 is opened. It is determined whether the door 5 is about to be opened based on the detection result at step 26 (step 7). If the door 5 is about to be opened, the blower fan 34 is driven to suck the air in the washing tank 2. Then, the blower fan 34 is rotated in the direction of discharging the steam to the outside (step 8), and the steam is prevented from spouting forward when the door 5 is actually opened.
[0015]
Next, it is determined whether or not the door 5 has been closed (step 9). If the door 5 has not been closed even after 5 minutes have passed since the door 5 was opened (step 10), the blower fan 34 is stopped (step 11). ), An alarm is output (step 12) to notify the user that the door 5 is kept open.
[0016]
If it is determined in step 9 that the door 5 is closed, the blower fan 34 is stopped (step 13), and it is determined whether the main cleaning switch 53 has been operated (step 14). If the operation is not performed, the process returns to step 6. If the main cleaning switch 53 is operated, after the water is drained here (step 15), the process proceeds to the main cleaning process (step 16), and the process of the storage process is terminated. . It is to be noted that the process may be directly shifted to the main cleaning step without performing the hot water drainage processing in step 15. In this case, the hot water can be used from the beginning of the main cleaning process, so that the cleaning time can be shortened accordingly.
[0017]
If it is determined in step 6 that the water temperature is not higher than 60 ° C., after turning on the heater 12 (step 17), it is checked again whether the water temperature is 60 ° C. or higher (step 18). Is not higher than 60 ° C., it is determined whether the door 5 has actually been opened based on the detection result of the door open / close detection sensor 25 (step 19). If the door 5 has not been opened, Returning to step 18, if it is determined in step 18 that the water temperature is 60 ° C. or higher, the heater 12 is turned off (step 20), and the process proceeds to step 7.
[0018]
If it is determined in step 19 that the door 5 is actually opened, the heater 12 is turned off (step 21). At this stage, since not much time has passed since the start of the storage stroke and the water temperature has not risen sufficiently, the blower fan 34 is not driven and it is determined whether or not the door 5 has been closed (step 22). . If the door 5 has not been closed even after 5 minutes have passed since the door was opened (step 23), the process jumps to step 12, outputs an alarm, and informs the user that the door 5 has been kept open. Inform.
[0019]
If it is determined in step 22 that the door 5 has been closed, it is determined whether the main cleaning switch 53 has been operated (step 24). If the cleaning switch 53 has been operated, the process jumps to step 15, drains the water, and then proceeds to the main cleaning step in step 16 to end the processing of the storage step.
[0020]
If it is determined in step 2 that the main cleaning switch 53 has been pressed, the process directly proceeds to the main cleaning step of step 16.
[0021]
As described above, the dishwasher of the present embodiment keeps the water temperature at 60 ° C. until the main washing switch 53 is operated, so that the inside of the washing tank 2 can be humidified. Drying of the stains on the tableware 3 can be prevented by steam (moisture).
[0022]
Further, for example, in a case where there is a scheduled cleaning step, by performing the main storing step in a standby time until the start of cleaning, it is possible to prevent tableware from drying and save water.
[0023]
In addition, the amount of water used is reduced, and the hot water heated in the “storing process” can be used as it is when shifting to the main cleaning process, so that the time required for the main cleaning process can be reduced.
[0024]
Further, a door opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the door 5, that is, a door opening / closing detection sensor 25 and a handle touch sensor 26 are provided. When the controller 40 detects the opening of the door 5 during the operation of the heater 12, the operation of the heater 12 is started. When the closing of the door 5 is detected thereafter, the heater 12 and the control device 40 heat the water in the washing tank again at 60 ° C., and the steam and moisture do not dry the dishes 3. When the whole family members finish their meals and wash the dishes together, the dirt on the dishes 3 is dried even if the time for putting each dish in the washing tank 2 is shifted. Can be prevented by steam (moisture).
[0025]
Further, an air passage 27 and an exhaust port (labyrinth passage 28) that pass through the washing tank 2 and open to the outside air are provided, and a flap valve 33 that is opened by wind pressure is installed at one opening in the air passage system. In the vicinity of the other opening in the ventilation path system, a reversible rotatable ventilation fan 34 for feeding outside air into the cleaning tank 2 or sucking air in the cleaning tank 2 and discharging the air to the outside is provided. At the time of opening, it is possible to suppress the steam from blowing forward.
[0026]
In addition, here, 60 ° C. is described as an example of a temperature at which steam can be generated, but this is set at an optimal temperature in consideration of electricity costs, safety, heat resistance of tableware, and the like. The temperature range in which usable (steam can be generated) is 40 ° C to 60 ° C.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the water temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature at which steam can be generated until a predetermined switch operation is performed, so that the inside of the cleaning tank can be humidified. Thus, it was possible to prevent the soil on the tableware from drying out by steam (moisture). For this reason, the amount of water used is reduced, and the hot water heated in the “reservoir process” can be used as it is when moving to the main cleaning process, and the time required for the main cleaning process can be reduced. did it.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation in a standing mode for a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of an operation panel of the dishwasher according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the dishwasher according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing the configuration of the dishwasher according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing one opening of an air passage of the dishwasher according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing machine main body, 2 washing tanks, 3 dishes, 5 doors, 12 heaters (heating device), 14 water temperature sensors (water temperature detecting means), 21 water supply pipes, 25 door opening / closing detecting sensors (door opening / closing detecting means), 26 handle touch Sensor (door opening / closing detecting means), 27 ventilation path, 33 flap valve (valve element), 34 ventilation fan, 40 control device, 53 cleaning mode selection switch (predetermined switch).

Claims (3)

A heating device for heating water supplied to the washing tank, a water temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the water in the washing tank, and a control device for controlling the heating device based on a detection result of the water temperature detecting means In a dishwasher that stores dishes in a washing tank through a door and performs a main washing process,
Prior to the main cleaning step, a `` storage step '' is provided in which the water supplied into the cleaning tank is heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature, and steam and moisture are humidified to the extent that dirt on tableware is not dried. Is characterized in that, when a predetermined switch operation is performed during execution of the “Storing process”, the “Storing process” is stopped and the process proceeds to the main cleaning process. Dishwasher. Providing door open / close detection means for detecting the opening and closing of the door, the control device, when detecting the opening of the door while the heating device is operating, stops the operation of the heating device, after that, when detecting the closing of the door, The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the heating device and the control device heat the water in the washing tank again at a predetermined temperature, and humidify the steam with moisture to such an extent that the stains on the tableware are not dried. . An air passage that passes through the cleaning tank and has both ends open to the outside air is provided, and a valve body that is opened by wind pressure is installed at one opening in the air passage system, and near the other opening in the air passage system. 3. A reversible rotatable fan for sending outside air into the washing tank or sucking air in the washing tank and discharging the air to the outside is provided. Dishwasher.

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