JP2005000341A - Dishwasher, dish basket, and small article basket - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make residual foods hard to remain in a small article basket 20 and on small articles in the basket after a washing process and a rinsing process. <P>SOLUTION: The small article basket 20 constitutes a part of a dish basket of a dishwasher. At the bottom 108 of the small article basket 20, a group of bars 116a extending obliquely downward are parallel arranged. Between adjacent bars 116a and 116a, a slit-shaped gap 112a extending along the bars 116a is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher, a dish basket and a small basket.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art In general, tableware baskets used in dishwashers include small baskets for placing small items such as ladders, spoons, forks, knives, etc., in addition to the main body of tableware for placing dishes, teacups, cups, etc. Have. Among such small baskets, there is a basket whose bottom portion is inclined obliquely downward and is formed by a lattice-shaped bar.
[0003]
In such a dishwasher, water is sprayed from a nozzle or the like toward the tableware in the tableware basket in the washing process or the rinsing process. Water is also sprayed on small items such as ladders and spoons in small items. As a result, the rest of the food adhering to the accessory is removed. Some of the rest of the food that has been removed from the gadget falls to the bottom of the gadget. In this case, if the bottom of the small basket is inclined obliquely downward, the rest of the food that has fallen on the bottom of the small basket has fallen to the bottom of the small basket from above after its own weight and / or jetting. It is easy to roll off from the bottom of the small basket along the diagonally downward direction by the force of water. This is expected to make it difficult for the rest of the food to remain at the bottom of the small basket.
[0004]
However, if the bottom of the small basket is formed by a grid-like bar as in the prior art, the rest of the food is gridd even if the bottom is inclined diagonally downward. In some cases, the rod is caught in a rod-like bar or fitted into a hole between grid-like rods. As a result, there is a problem that the rest of the food still tends to remain at the bottom of the small basket. In addition, if the remaining food remains at the bottom of the small basket, the remaining food may reattach to the small basket in the small basket due to the water sprayed again.
In addition, the conventional small basket has a problem that there are portions that are difficult to wash. In particular, even when food remains at the bottom of the small basket, the main body frame located above the bottom of the small basket is obstructive, making it difficult to wash the bottom of the small basket.
[0005]
One object of the present invention is to make it difficult for the remainder of food to remain in a small basket or small articles after the washing step or the rinsing step.
Another object of the present invention is to facilitate washing of a small basket.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A dishwasher according to one aspect of the present invention includes a dish basket having a small basket. At the bottom of the small basket, a group of bars that are connected in parallel to the small basket and that reach the lower end via a portion extending obliquely downward are arranged in parallel. A slit-like gap extending along the bar is formed between the adjacent bar and the bar.
Here, the “small basket” means a container for placing small items such as a ladder, a spoon, a fork, and a knife. The small basket is preferably removable from the tableware basket body.
[0007]
According to this aspect, the rest of the food that has fallen in the small basket easily rolls down along the direction in which the bar at the bottom extends. It is difficult for the rest of food to get caught in the bar or to fit into the gap between the bar.
Therefore, according to this aspect, it is possible to make it difficult for the food residue to remain in the small basket or the small articles therein after the washing process or the rinsing process.
[0008]
It is preferable that the bottom portion of the small basket has a base portion to which an upper end of the bar group is connected. Moreover, it is preferable that the said bar group is extended from the both sides of the said base. Moreover, it is preferable that the said base part is arrange | positioned in the center part of the said bottom part.
[0009]
According to these aspects, it is easy to make it difficult for the rest of food to remain in a small basket or small items therein.
[0010]
It is preferable that a gap is formed between the lower end of the adjacent bar and the lower end of the bar, and the lower end side of the slit-like gap is opened.
According to this aspect, it is possible to make it difficult for the remainder of the food to remain on the bottom of the small basket.
[0011]
It is preferable that the width of the top of the cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the bar extends is wider than the width of the bottom of the cross section.
According to this aspect, when the liquid is jetted upward below the small basket, the nozzle effect is generated when the liquid passes upward through the gap between the bars, thereby increasing the liquid momentum. be able to.
[0012]
It is preferable that a reinforcing material is attached across the back surface of the bar group.
According to this aspect, it is possible to reinforce the bar group while suppressing a decrease in the effect of making it difficult for the rest of food to remain at the bottom of the small basket.
[0013]
A dishwasher according to another aspect of the present invention includes a dish basket having a small basket. The small basket has a main body frame portion that can be moved to both a bottom portion and a position relatively near and a position far from the bottom portion. This aspect includes a configuration in which the main body frame portion can be removed, and a configuration in which the main body frame portion cannot be removed, but the main body frame portion can be moved as described above with respect to the bottom portion.
According to this aspect, the small basket (especially the bottom) can be easily washed by moving the main frame of the small basket to a position relatively far from the bottom.
[0014]
The small basket further includes an outer frame portion connected to a bottom portion thereof, and the outer frame portion includes both the position of the main body frame portion relatively close to the bottom portion and the position relatively distant from the bottom portion (preferably It is preferable that a guide hole for guiding in the vertical direction is formed.
[0015]
1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the dishwasher, an outer frame is constituted by the washing machine body 10. A cleaning tank 12 is accommodated in the cleaning machine body 10. A door 34 is attached to the front side (left side in FIG. 1) of the cleaning tank 12. A power switch 28 and a start / pause switch 30 are provided above the door 34. These switches 28 and 30 are electrically connected to the control unit 32. The control part 32 controls operation | movement of each part of a dishwasher. The top of the cleaning tank 12 is open. The opening is closed by the inner lid 16 when the washing tank 12 is completely accommodated in the washing machine body 10. The inner lid 16 is attached to the cleaner main body 10 via a link mechanism (not shown). When the door 34 is pulled out to the front side (left side in FIG. 1), the inner lid 16 is moved upward by the link mechanism, and the cleaning tank 12 is pulled out.
[0016]
A table basket 36 is accommodated in the cleaning tank 12. The tableware basket 36 can be removed. The tableware basket 36 has a tableware basket body 37 and a small basket 20. The accessory basket 20 may be referred to as an accessory tableware basket, an accessory case, or an accessory tableware case. The tableware basket 36 may be formed of resin, may be formed of metal (for example, stainless steel), or may be formed of other materials. The small basket 20 shown in FIG. 1 is a rough schematic diagram. In the tableware basket body 37, tableware such as a plate 22 a, a tea bowl 22 b, and a cup 22 c can be placed. The small basket 20 can be removed from the tableware basket body 37. Small items such as a ladder 19a, a spoon 19b, a fork, and a knife can be placed in the small basket 20. These accessories are also included in tableware in a broad sense, and may be called accessory tableware. A detergent case 18 is attached to the small basket 20.
[0017]
2 and 3 show detailed perspective views of the small basket 20 shown schematically in FIG. However, FIG. 3 shows a state in which the main body frame 102 is moved upward. The small basket 20 has a bottom portion 108 and a main body frame portion 102. The bottom portion 108 has a base portion 118 (shown well in FIG. 3) and two inclined portions 114a and 114b inclined obliquely downward. The base 118 is located at the center of the bottom 108. One inclined portion 114 a extends from one side portion of the base portion 118. The other inclined portion 114 b extends from the other side portion of the base portion 118.
[0018]
The inclined portion 114a is constituted by a group of rods 116a. The inclined portion 114b is constituted by a group of rods 116b. The upper ends of the bar 116 a group and the bar 116 b group are connected to the base 118. The bar material 116a group extends obliquely downward and is arranged in parallel. The same applies to the bar 116b group. Between the bar 116a and the bar 116a adjacent to the bar 116a, a slit-shaped gap 112a (shown well in FIG. 3) extending along the bar 116a is formed. The gap 112a may be referred to as an elongated or vertically long gap. Similarly, a slit-shaped gap 112b (shown well in FIG. 3) is formed between the bar 116b and the bar 116b adjacent thereto. A gap is formed between the lower end of the bar 116a and the lower end of the bar 116a adjacent thereto. Thereby, the lower end side of the slit-shaped gap 112a is opened. Similarly, the lower end side of the slit-shaped gap 112b is also opened.
It can be said that the bar 116 group which comprises the inclination part 114 is formed in the comb-tooth shape. It can also be said that the bar group 116 has a cantilever shape in which only one end is supported by the base 118.
Of course, the bar 116 may be made thinner than shown in FIG. 2 so that a large number of bars 116 are arranged in parallel, or the width of the slit-shaped gap 112 may be reduced.
[0019]
Bars 116a and 116b have trapezoidal cross sections perpendicular to the direction in which they extend (see FIG. 4). The trapezoid is longer at the upper base than at the lower base. A reinforcing bar 110a extending in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the bar 116a group extends is attached to the back surface of the bar 116a group. Similarly, a reinforcing bar 110b is attached to the back surface of the bar 116b group.
[0020]
The base portion 118 that is a part of the bottom portion 108 also plays a role of supporting the main body frame portion 102. The main body frame portion 102 forms a side peripheral portion (side wall portion) of the small basket 20. The outer frame portion 104 is connected to the base portion 118. A handle portion 106 is attached to the top of the outer frame portion 104. The main body frame portion 102 is fitted inside the outer frame portion 104. A vertically long guide hole 105 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the outer frame portion 104. A guide portion 103 connected to the main body frame portion 102 is engaged with the guide hole 105. The main body frame portion 102 (guide portion 103) is movable in the vertical direction along the guide hole 105. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the main body frame portion 102 is moved upward along the guide hole 105. As described above, the main body frame portion 102 is movable to both a relatively close position and a relatively distant position from the bottom portion 108.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, the opening 12 a in the middle of the back surface of the cleaning tank 12 is connected to one end of the water supply pipe 11. A water supply valve 84 is provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 11. The other end 11a of the water supply pipe 11 is connected to a water supply source 82 outside the dishwasher. An opening 12 b below the back surface of the cleaning tank 12 is connected to one end of the air vent pipe 78. The other end of the air vent pipe 78 is connected to the air vent 80.
[0022]
An opening 49 is formed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 12. A water reservoir 52 is provided below the opening 49. A leftover filter 48 is provided near the opening 49 (the top of the water reservoir 52). The leftover filter 48 can be removed.
[0023]
One end of a first pipe 54, a second pipe 55, a third pipe 56, and a fourth pipe 57 is connected to the water reservoir 52. A cleaning pump 59 is provided in the middle of the first pipe 54. The other end 54 a of the first pipe 54 reaches the inside of the cleaning tank 12. A rotating nozzle 58 is attached to the other end 54 a of the first tube 54. The rotary nozzle 58 is located below the tableware basket 36. The rotary nozzle 58 can rotate around an axis extending in the vertical direction. A heater 42 is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 12. The heater 42 is covered with a heater cover 40. A thermistor 50 is attached to the back side of the bottom surface of the cleaning tank 12.
[0024]
A water level detection case 62 is attached to the other end of the second pipe 55. A float 60 is disposed in the water level detection case 62. A water level detection switch 88 is provided above the float 60. The water level detection switch 88 is electrically connected to the control unit 32. The other end of the third pipe (overflow discharge pipe) 56 is open. As shown in FIG. 1, a drain pump 76, an air vent 80, a drain trap 70, and a drain check valve 72 are provided in the middle of the fourth pipe (drain pipe) 57. The other end 57a of the fourth pipe 57 is connected to a drainage part 74 outside the dishwasher.
[0025]
An overflow detection switch (detection electrode pair) 68 is provided at a position below the other end (exit) of the third pipe (overflow discharge pipe) 56 and adjacent to the front side of the bottom surface 10a of the cleaning machine body 10. It has been. When water contacts the tip of the electrode pair constituting the switch 68, the electrode pair is electrically connected. As a result, an electrical signal is sent from the switch 68 to the control unit 32. A drying fan 46 is provided at a position adjacent to the back side of the front portion of the bottom surface of the cleaning tank 12. The drying fan 46 is located on one end side of the air passage 44. The other end of the air passage 44 is connected to the opening 12 c on the front surface of the cleaning tank 12. The air passage 44 is partitioned by the wall 38.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the dishwasher will be described. The dishwasher operates in the order of a water supply process, a cleaning process, a rinsing process, and a drying process after the user performs a preparation process. In addition, also in a washing | cleaning process and an rinsing process, in detail, processes, such as water supply, washing | cleaning, and waste_water | drain, are repeatedly performed by a predetermined pattern.
[0027]
(Preparation process) The door 34 shown in FIG. 1 is pulled forward (left side of FIG. 1), the washing tank 12 is pulled out, and tableware is placed in the tableware basket 36 (small items are placed in the small basket 20). In addition, the detergent is put in the detergent bowl 18 attached to the small basket 20 of the tableware basket 36. Next, the door 34 is pushed to the back side (right side in FIG. 1) to accommodate the cleaning tank 12 in the cleaning machine main body 10. Next, when the power switch 28 is turned on, a predetermined course is selected, and the start / pause switch 30 is turned on, the operation is started.
[0028]
(Water Supply Process) When the operation is started, the control unit 32 opens the water supply valve 84. Then, water is supplied from the water supply source 82 into the cleaning tank 12 through the water supply pipe 11. When the water supply is continued, the float 60 in the water level detection case 62 rises. When the water level in the washing tank 12 reaches a predetermined water level and the upper end of the float 60 hits the water level detection switch 88, the water level detection switch 88 is turned on. Then, the detection signal is sent to the control unit 32. As a result, the control unit 32 closes the water supply valve 84. Thereby, a water supply process is complete | finished.
[0029]
(Washing process) When the water supply process is finished, the control unit 32 drives the washing pump 59 and energizes the heater 42. When the cleaning pump 59 is driven, the water in the water reservoir 52 (cleaning tank 12) is guided to the rotary nozzle 58 through the first pipe 54. This water is injected into the cleaning tank 12 from the rotating nozzle 58. The sprayed water hits the tableware (small items in the small basket 20) in the tableware basket 36 of the washing tub 12, whereby the tableware is washed. The water sprayed into the cleaning tank 12 is again stored in the water reservoir 52 (cleaning tank 12). This water is again guided to the rotary nozzle 58 by the washing pump 59 and jetted. Tableware is washed by such a circulation action. Further, when the heater 42 is energized to warm the water, warm water can be applied to the tableware, so that the cleaning ability is increased. The control unit 32 performs on / off control of the output of the heater 42 in accordance with the output of the thermistor 50.
[0030]
The controller 32 stops the drive after driving the cleaning pump 59 for a predetermined time. Next, the control unit 32 operates the drain pump 76. Thereby, the water of the water reservoir 52 (cleaning tub 12) is guided to the drainage part 74 outside the dishwasher through the fourth pipe 57. As a result, the water in the cleaning tank 12 is drained.
[0031]
(Rinse process) When the cleaning process is completed, the control unit 32 opens the water supply valve 84 again to supply water into the cleaning tank 12. Further, the control unit 32 operates the cleaning pump 59. Thereby, the supplied water is injected into the cleaning tank 12 from the rotating nozzle 58. The spray water hits the tableware (small items in the small basket 20) in the tableware basket 36 of the washing tub 12, so that the tableware is rinsed. Next, the control unit 32 operates the drain pump 76 to discharge the water in the water reservoir 52 (cleaning tub 12) after rinsing to the drain 74. The above rinsing process is repeated a plurality of times.
[0032]
(Drying Process) When the rinsing process is completed, the control unit 32 rotates the drying fan 46. Thereby, external air is introduced into the cleaning tank 12 through the air passage 44. The air introduced into the cleaning tank 12 is warmed by the heater 42. The warmed air dries the dishes in the dish basket 36 of the washing tub 12.
[0033]
Thus, in the washing process and the rinsing process, water is sprayed from the nozzle or the like toward the tableware in the tableware basket 36. Water is also sprayed on small items such as a ladder 19a and a spoon 19b in the small basket 20. As a result, the rest of the food adhering to the accessory is removed. The rest of the food includes not only solid rice grains, solid pieces such as meat, fish and vegetables, but also liquid pieces such as the remainder of the stew. Some of the rest of the food that has been removed from the accessory falls to the bottom 108 of the accessory basket 20 shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the bottom portion 108 is provided with an inclined portion 114 constituted by a group of bars 116 extending obliquely downward. Therefore, the rest of the food that has fallen on the bottom portion 108 is likely to roll off from the bottom portion 108 along the diagonally downward direction by its own weight and / or the force of water that has fallen on the bottom portion 108 from above.
[0034]
Further, a group of bars 116 extending in a diagonally downward direction are arranged in parallel on the bottom 108 of the small basket 20 of the present embodiment. In addition, a slit-like gap 112 extending along the bar 116 is formed between the bar 116 and the bar 116 adjacent thereto. Moreover, the lower end side of the slit-shaped gap 112 is opened.
Therefore, compared with the case where the bottom portion of the small basket is formed of a lattice-shaped bar, the rest of the food that has fallen on the small basket 20 is likely to roll down along the direction in which the bar 116 of the bottom portion 108 extends. It is difficult for the rest of food to be caught on the bar 116 or to fit into the gap 112 between the bar 116 and the bar 116.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to make it difficult to leave the rest of the food in the small basket 20 and small articles therein after the washing process and the rinsing process.
[0035]
A reinforcing bar 110 extending in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the bar 116 group extends is attached to the back surface of the bar 116 group. Since the reinforcing bar 110 is attached to the back surface of the bar group 116, the bar group 116 can be effectively reinforced while maintaining the effect of making it difficult for the remaining food to remain on the bottom 108 of the small basket 20.
[0036]
Further, the cross section of the bar 116 group has a trapezoidal shape in which the upper base is longer than the lower base. As a result, when water is jetted upward below the small basket 20, as schematically shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle effect is obtained when the water passes upward through the gap 112 between the bars 116. Can be generated and the momentum of water can be increased. Thereby, even when the rest of food is stuck on the bottom 108 of the small basket 20, the rest of the food can be effectively removed from the bottom 108. Moreover, the remainder of the food adhering to the accessory in the accessory basket 20 can be effectively removed.
[0037]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the main body frame portion 102 can be moved to an upper position relatively far from the bottom portion 108 of the small basket 20. Therefore, even if the remaining food remains on the bottom portion 108 of the small basket 20 after the cleaning process and the drying process, the main body frame 102 is moved to the upper position as shown in FIG. Scourers and the like can be easily guided to the bottom portion 108 and the bottom portion 108 can be easily washed.
[0038]
The present inventor, regarding the small basket having the same configuration as the small basket 20 described above (hereinafter referred to as “small basket of this embodiment”), the cleaning time and the remaining rice grains (an example of the remaining food) An experiment was conducted to examine the relationship between rates. A similar experiment was performed on a small basket (hereinafter, referred to as a “conventional small basket”) in which the bottom portion is formed of a rod-like bar material as in the past, and the two were compared.
For the small basket of this example, the length of the upper base of the trapezoid which is the cross-sectional shape of the bar (corresponding to the bar 116) is 2.5 mm, the length of the lower base is 1 mm, and the height is 3 mm. did. The width of the top of the slit-shaped gap (corresponding to the gap 112) was 2 mm.
[0039]
First, 6 sets of ladders each having 4 rice grains attached to each set were placed in a small basket. The residual rate of cooked rice grains was measured by temporarily stopping the cleaning operation every 5 minutes and counting the number of cooked rice grains remaining in the ladder or small basket. The measurement was also performed 2 minutes after the start of washing. The residual rate of cooked rice grains was measured on the assumption that the cooked rice grains remained when adhered to either the ladder or the small basket.
[0040]
The results obtained by conducting the experiment under the above conditions are shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the washing time and the residual rate of the rice grains. In the small basket of this example, the remaining ratio of the cooked rice grains could be reduced to 0% after 5 minutes from the start of cleaning (more precisely, after a time longer than 2 minutes and not longer than 5 minutes). In contrast, in the conventional small basket, even after 20 minutes from the start of washing, the residual rate of the cooked rice grains was not 0%, and the result that the cooked rice grains remained was obtained. As described above, the result was that the small basket of this example can reduce the residual rate of the rice grains in a shorter washing time than the conventional small basket.
[0041]
Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.
(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the bar 116 extends linearly as shown in FIG. 1 has been described. However, if the bar has a configuration in which the upper end is connected to the small basket 20 and reaches the lower end via a portion extending obliquely downward, for example, the bars 122a and 122b having a vertical cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. Or you may extend in the shape of a curve like the rods 124a and 124b which show the longitudinal cross-sectional shape in FIG.
(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the cross-sectional shape of the bar 116 is trapezoidal as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 has been described. However, the cross-sectional shape of the bar may be an inverted triangle with a horizontally extending side located at the top, such as a bar 126 whose cross-sectional shape is shown in FIG. Moreover, the shape which combined the semicircle of the lower half of a circle | round | yen and a rectangle like the bar 128 which shows a cross-sectional shape in FIG. 9 may be sufficient. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the bar may be rectangular.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the lower end of the slit-shaped gap 112a is opened as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the group of rods 116 a may be connected by the connecting portion 130, and the lower end side of the slit-shaped gap 112 a may be closed by the connecting portion 130.
[0042]
The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in the present specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of purposes at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the purposes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a small basket of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a small basket of the dishwasher according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the main body frame is moved upward.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operational effect based on the cross-sectional shape of the bar constituting the bottom of the small basket.
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the cleaning time obtained by the inventor's experiment and the residual rate of cooked rice grains.
FIG. 6 shows a vertical cross-sectional shape parallel to the extending direction of the bar of another example that constitutes the bottom of the small basket (1).
FIG. 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional shape parallel to the direction in which the bar extends in another example of the bar constituting the bottom of the small basket (2).
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the direction in which the bar extends in another example of the bar constituting the bottom of the small basket (1).
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the direction in which the bar extends in another example of the bar constituting the bottom of the small basket (2).
FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of another example of the bottom of a small basket.
[Explanation of symbols]
10: Washing machine body 12: Cleaning tank 20: Small basket 36: Tableware basket

Claims (7)

It has a tableware basket with a small basket,
At the bottom of the small basket, an upper end is connected to the small basket and a group of bars reaching the lower end via a portion extending obliquely downward is arranged in parallel.
A dishwasher characterized in that a slit-like gap extending along the bar is formed between the bar and the adjacent bar. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between a lower end of the adjacent bar and the lower end of the bar, and a lower end side of the slit-like gap is opened. The dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bar has a width at the top of a cross section perpendicular to a direction in which the bar extends, wider than a width at the bottom of the cross section. The dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a reinforcing material is attached across the back surface of the bar group. It has a tableware basket with a small basket,
The small basket has a main body frame part that can be moved to both a bottom part and a position relatively near and a position far from the bottom part. A dishwasher dishwasher having the accessory basket according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A small basket for a dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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