JP2007000159A - Dishwasher - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To rationally recover mist when preliminary washing is interrupted in a dishwasher provided with a preliminary washing process of making the mist of washing liquid swell stains before so-called main washing of washing dishes by jetting the washing liquid. <P>SOLUTION: In the dishwasher for jetting the washing liquid from a washing nozzle after the preliminary washing process ST3 of making the mist of the washing liquid swell the stains and washing off the stains by the mechanical and chemical action (main washing process ST5), when preliminary washing is interrupted, the washing liquid is temporarily jetted from the washing nozzle and the washing liquid mist floating in a washing tub is promptly recovered. Also, when recovering the mist, a lid body for closing the washing tub is locked in a closed state, and the mist and the washing liquid are prevented from carelessly scattering to the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dishwasher in which a cleaning liquid is misted or steamed to swell dirt adhering to an object to be cleaned such as dishware, and then transferred to a main cleaning process in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed and washed off. It is.

Conventionally, in order to remove dirt adhering to tableware, etc., a so-called book that is washed with mechanical power by spraying the cleaning liquid or chemical power by detergent after preliminary cleaning that swells the dirt by spraying a misted cleaning liquid on the tableware in advance. There has been a dishwasher that performs washing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-189375 A

  However, in the above conventional dishwasher, it takes time to stop the operation of the dishwasher at the time of preliminary washing and to spontaneously recover the misted cleaning liquid, resulting in a problem that the operation time becomes long.

  Further, when the lid is opened in the middle, the mist of the cleaning liquid is inadvertently leaked out of the dishwasher, and the cleaning liquid is wasted.

  As is well known, in the dishwasher, additional storage of dishes and other objects to be washed in the washing tank frequently occurs at the beginning of operation, and this becomes a problem that cannot be ignored especially for dishwashers having a pre-cleaning process, and the amount of washing liquid is reduced. This caused problems such as a decrease in cleaning performance due to aging and a longer total operation time.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and even if the operation is interrupted at the time of preliminary cleaning, the cleaning liquid mist can be recovered promptly to enable rational cleaning.

  In order to achieve the above object, a dishwasher according to the present invention cleans an object to be cleaned by spraying the cleaning liquid after the preliminary cleaning process in which the cleaning liquid is misted and swollen into the dirt of the object to be cleaned. It has at least a main cleaning process, and when the operation is interrupted during the preliminary cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is sprayed for a predetermined time to recover the cleaning liquid mist remaining in the cleaning tank. It can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, when the operation is interrupted in the cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is temporarily ejected to recover the cleaning liquid mist remaining in the cleaning tank, so that the waiting time when the operation is interrupted can be shortened. This is possible, and the waste of the cleaning liquid is eliminated and a rational operation can be realized.

  The first invention includes at least a pre-cleaning step of misting the cleaning liquid to swell the dirt of the object to be cleaned, and a main cleaning process of spraying the cleaning liquid and cleaning the object to be cleaned after the pre-cleaning step, When the operation was interrupted during the preliminary cleaning process, the cleaning liquid was sprayed for a predetermined time to recover the cleaning liquid mist remaining in the cleaning tank. Therefore, the mist cleaning liquid can be recovered quickly, and the operation efficiency can be improved.

  According to a second invention, in particular, in the first invention, the lid of the cleaning tank is locked in a closed state for a predetermined time during which the cleaning liquid is sprayed to recover the cleaning liquid mist. As a result, careless scattering of the cleaning liquid mist can be prevented.

  In the third invention, in particular, in the second invention, the time when the unlocking command is issued to the locking means for locking the lid in the closed state is regarded as the operation interruption starting point of the preliminary cleaning process. Therefore, even if an unlocking command is issued, the locking means is not immediately unlocked, but the lid can be opened when the cleaning liquid mist is collected.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid to be misted includes a detergent component during the preliminary cleaning step operation, thereby ensuring the preliminary cleaning.

  According to a fifth invention, in the fourth invention, the ratio of the detergent component in the cleaning liquid is higher in the pre-cleaning step than in the main cleaning step, so that the efficiency of the pre-cleaning is further increased.

  According to a sixth aspect, in the first aspect, when the preliminary cleaning operation is resumed after the preliminary cleaning operation is interrupted, the entire preliminary cleaning process time is reset to be longer than the initial time. Therefore, even if the operation is interrupted, the preliminary cleaning process time is substantially ensured.

  According to a seventh aspect, in the first aspect, when the preliminary cleaning operation is resumed after the preliminary cleaning operation is interrupted, the main cleaning step time is reset so as to be longer than the initial time to ensure the cleaning. It is a plan to make it.

  In an eighth aspect based on the first aspect, the cleaning liquid is misted by the atomizing device provided with the ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, when misting a cleaning liquid containing a detergent, the vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator ensures the melting of the detergent with respect to the cleaning liquid.

  The ninth invention includes at least a pre-cleaning step for steaming the cleaning liquid to swell dirt on the object to be cleaned, and a main cleaning process for spraying the cleaning liquid and cleaning the object to be cleaned after the pre-cleaning step, When the operation is interrupted during the preliminary cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is sprayed for a predetermined time to recover the steam remaining in the cleaning tank. In this case, the steam adheres to the dirt and swells, and presents a state in which it easily falls off.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 and 2, a washing tub 2 is opened in front of the main body 1 of the dishwasher so that it can be opened and closed with a foldable lid 5 composed of an upper lid 3 and a lower lid 4. The cleaning liquid mist atomized by the atomizing device 7 is first sprayed on the object to be cleaned such as tableware stored in the cleaning tank 2 via the storage basket 6, and the dirt attached thereto is swollen, and then The cleaning liquid is jetted from the cleaning nozzle 8 so that the dirt is washed away by its mechanical and chemical action.

  In the present embodiment, the pre-cleaning is to swell the dirt with the cleaning liquid mist, and the process is defined as the pre-cleaning process. The main cleaning is to spray the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle 8 and wash off the dirt. This process is defined as the main cleaning process.

  The lid 5 is configured to be freely opened and closed by an opening / closing means 9. That is, when the opening / closing button 10 is pushed from the closed state of FIGS. 1 and 2, the link mechanism 11 constituting the opening / closing means 9 is opened while the upper lids 3 and 4 are folded, and finally, In addition, they are positioned above the main body 1 of the dishwasher with the lower lids 3 and 4 folded.

  Here, if a force in the opening direction is applied to the lid 5 by applying a spring to the link mechanism 11 or the like, the lid 5 is automatically opened by pressing the opening / closing button 10. Further, at the time of closing, the opening / closing button 10 is set so as to latch the lid 5 and keep the state.

  A liquid storage part 14 is formed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2 to store the cleaning liquid from the water supply passage 13 connected to the water supply means 12 on the way. The cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section 14 is first atomized by the atomizing device 7 and used for preliminary cleaning, and after being heated by the heating body 15, is jetted from the cleaning nozzle 8 via the pump 16. It is used for the main cleaning in which dirt on an object to be cleaned such as tableware stored in the storage basket 6 is washed out mechanically and chemically.

  The cleaning liquid that has been subjected to cleaning returns to the liquid storage unit 14, and then is filtered by the filter 17 and is in the form of a circulation system that is sucked into the pump 16.

  Then, when the cleaning is completed, the rinsing process is started as necessary, and then the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage unit 14 is discharged through the drainage path 18 and proceeds to the drying process.

  The drying process is to send the external air introduced by driving the blower 19 into the cleaning tank 2. At this time, when the heating body 15 is operated, heating and drying are performed with warm air, and when the heating body 15 is not operated, so-called dry drying is performed with cold air. The air after being dried is exhausted from the exhaust port 20.

  The atomizing device 7 is arranged in a detergent charging unit 21 which is a part of the liquid storage unit 14 and is located in the vicinity of the lower lid 4. 3 to 5, the detergent introduced through the guide 22 is accumulated in the detergent charging section 21 after passing through the porous material 23, and therefore, when the water storage section 14 is supplied with water. The detergent dissolves from the vicinity of the atomizer 7. That is, at the initial stage of water supply, the concentration of the detergent in the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 14 increases in the vicinity of the atomizing device 7.

  The atomizing device 7 encloses the antifreeze liquid 25 so that the gas phase portion 24 remains at the top, and an ultrasonic oscillator 28 at the inner bottom portion of the container 27 in which the vibration wall 26 is formed in the middle in the height direction. Now, when the ultrasonic oscillator 28 is operated, the vibration is propagated to the vibration wall 26 via the antifreeze liquid 25, and this vibration is also transmitted to the cleaning liquid in the detergent charging unit 21. A cleaning liquid mist column is formed on the water surface.

  Thereafter, the cleaning liquid mist passes through the porous container cover 29 to reach the cleaning tank 2 and adheres to the dirt of the object to be cleaned such as tableware stored in the storage basket 6 and swells it (preliminary cleaning). Is.

  In the present embodiment, the mist of the cleaning liquid contains a detergent component, and in addition, since the concentration is set to be high, the mist itself can be expected to have a cleaning capability, and the atomizer 7 can be ultrasonically operated. Needless to say, since the transmitter 28 is used, dissolution of the detergent into the cleaning liquid by the ultrasonic wave can be promoted. Of course, a cleaning liquid mist that does not contain detergent may be generated during preliminary cleaning.

  The control means 30 such as a microcomputer arranged in the lower front part of the main body 1 is based on the condition commands from the operation units 31, 32, 33 arranged in the lower lid body 4 in the lid body 5, the atomizing device 7, the water supply means 12, The heater 15, the pump 16, the drain valve means, the blower 19 and the like are controlled, and at least the operation unit 33 is set for operation start (resumption) / interruption.

  For example, when there is a need to interrupt operation due to the addition of tableware to be cleaned, such as at the beginning of the cleaning operation, and the operation unit 33 is operated to issue an operation interruption command, the closed state of the lid 5 is It is locked for a predetermined time.

  Specifically, the solenoid 34 is energized to project the pin 35 and engage with the lock hole 37 of the lock member 36. The lock member 36 is rotationally displaced. When the lid 5 is opened, the lock hole 37 is linked to the opening / closing means 9 including the link mechanism 11 and the lock hole 37 is obliquely forward and closed. The lock holes 37 are set so as to face directly below.

  Therefore, when the lid 5 is in the closed state, that is, when the operation portion 33 is operated and the operation interruption command is issued in a state where the lock hole 37 is directed downward, the pin 35 of the solenoid 34 is moved upward. It protrudes and engages with the lock hole 37 to lock the closed state of the lid 5, and the opening operation by the opening / closing button 10 becomes impossible.

  The operation and operation of the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the door 5 is opened and an object to be cleaned such as tableware stored in the storage basket 6 is positioned in the cleaning tank 2, and the detergent is placed in a predetermined portion on the back surface of the lid 5. This detergent is put into the detergent feeding section 21 by closing the lid 5.

  Here, the point at which the operation start command is issued by operating the operation unit 33 is the start step (ST1) in FIG. The flow chart of FIG. 6 represents a schematic one. More specifically, after the start ST1, the water supply means 12 is opened and water that becomes a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning tank 2 through the water supply passage 13. It supplies to the part 14 and a previous detergent is mixed.

  At the same time, the pin 35 of the solenoid 34 protrudes upward and engages with the lock hole 37 of the lock member 36 to lock the closed state of the lid 5 (ST2), and the process proceeds to the preliminary cleaning step of ST3. In this pre-cleaning step ST3, the ultrasonic vibrator 28 of the atomizing device 7 is energized and the vibration is transmitted to the vibration wall 26 of the container 27 and the cleaning liquid of the liquid storage part 14 via the antifreeze liquid 25, and on the liquid level. To form a mist column of cleaning liquid.

  And the said washing | cleaning liquid mist spread | diffuses in the washing tank 2, adheres also to a to-be-cleaned object, swells the dirt etc., and presents the condition where it is easy to fall.

  In this preliminary cleaning step, it is conceivable to energize the heating body 15 and heat the cleaning liquid if necessary.

  If there is no additional tableware or the like, the process proceeds to the N side of the operation interruption detection step ST4 and proceeds to the main cleaning step ST5. In this step, the cleaning liquid in the heated liquid storage section 14 is pumped up by the pump 16, and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 8. As a result, dirt such as dishes swollen by the cleaning liquid mist is contaminated by this. It is surely washed off by the mechanical and chemical action of the jet cleaning liquid.

  When the main cleaning for a predetermined time is completed, the process proceeds to the rinsing step ST6. Here, the drainage valve (not shown) is once opened to discharge the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section 14 used for cleaning to the outside through the drainage passage 18, and then the water supply means 12 is opened to supply a predetermined amount of water to the water supply passage. The liquid is supplied from 13 to the liquid storage unit 14, and then the pump 16 is driven. Accordingly, clean water is ejected from the washing nozzle 8 to be rinsed.

  In the rinsing step, the heating body 15 is energized, and the water for rinsing is warmed. This rinsing is repeated several times to reach the next stage lid unlocking step ST7.

  When the process goes to step ST7 for unlocking the lid, the solenoid 34 is demagnetized and the pin 35 is moved downward to be detached from the lock hole 37 of the lock member 36. In this state, the lid 5 can be opened. Become.

  In the present embodiment, the process proceeds to the drying process of step ST8. In this step, external air is introduced by driving the blower 19 while the heating element 15 is energized, warmed and sent to the cleaning tank 2. . An object to be cleaned such as tableware to which water droplets or the like are attached after the rinsing battlefield process is dried for a predetermined time with this warm air, and all of the operations are completed in the operation end step ST9.

  The reason why the lid unlocking step ST7 is set after the rinsing step ST6 and before the drying step ST8 is that the object to be cleaned in the cleaning tank 2 may be taken out after rinsing, that is, at the time when the temporary cleaning is finished. Needless to say, in some cases, it is possible to sufficiently set the stage after the drying step ST8.

  Next, in the preliminary cleaning process, that is, for a while after the start of operation, it may be a realistic case that an object to be cleaned is added due to an error of the user. When this occurs, the operation unit 33 is pressed to issue an operation interruption command.

  Therefore, the process proceeds to the Y side of the operation interruption detection step ST4, and first the operation proceeds to step ST10 where the operation of the atomizer 7 and the like is stopped and the preliminary cleaning process is stopped. Next, the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage unit 14 is pumped up by the pump 16 and the cleaning liquid injection step ST11 in which the cleaning liquid is injected from the cleaning nozzle 8 is entered.

  In the cleaning liquid spraying step ST11, since the cleaning liquid is sprayed into the cleaning tank 2, the cleaning liquid mist floating when the preliminary cleaning is interrupted is quickly washed out with the spray cleaning liquid and collected in the liquid storage unit 14. Become. This cleaning liquid injection is performed for a predetermined time T.

  When the predetermined time T has elapsed after the cleaning liquid injection, the process proceeds to the Y side in step ST12, where the lid unlocking step ST13 is reached. In this lid unlocking step ST13, the solenoid 34 is demagnetized and the pin 35 is moved downward to be detached from the lock hole 37 of the lock member 36. In this state, the lid 5 can be opened.

  After the lid unlocking step ST13, when the operation unit 33 is pressed to issue an operation restart command, the process returns to the initial start ST1.

  By the way, when proceeding to the preliminary cleaning interruption step ST10, an extra time is required for the cleaning liquid injection time T. For this time, the following measures may be considered in the operation of the cleaning machine.

  Countermeasure 1 is to extend the preliminary cleaning time by an amount corresponding to the time T so as not to lower the preliminary cleaning effect.

  Countermeasure 2 is not to change the initial setting time of the preliminary cleaning, that is, to deal with this by extending the main cleaning time while leaving the preliminary cleaning time substantially reduced.

  As described above, in this embodiment, one of the feature points is that when an operation interruption command is issued at the time of preliminary cleaning, the generation of the cleaning liquid mist is stopped and the cleaning liquid is temporarily discharged from the cleaning nozzle 8. The other is that the mist floating in the washing tank 2 is quickly collected, and the other is that the lid 5 cannot be opened when the mist is collected, This is to prevent outside leakage.

  In addition, although the dishwasher mentioned in this Embodiment comprised the cover body 5 by the upper cover body 3 and 4 lower part, as long as the same function is fulfilled, the thing of 1 sheet may be sufficient.

  Further, if the heating element 15 is operated during the preliminary cleaning step, the scattering of the cleaning liquid mist to the cleaning tank 2 can be accelerated.

  In the above embodiments, the cleaning liquid mist is used for preliminary cleaning. However, in some cases, the cleaning liquid is heated to generate steam, which is diffused into the cleaning tank to be used for tableware or the like. It is also possible to swell dirt. In the preliminary cleaning with steam, it is desirable to raise the temperature of the steam.

  Accordingly, inadvertent splashing to the outside of the steam is eliminated when the preliminary cleaning is interrupted, and this is effective in terms of safety, particularly when the steam is heated. Of course, the point that the cleaning nozzle is temporarily operated to wash off the steam with the cleaning liquid is the same as that of the previous embodiments, so that the effect of shortening the steam recovery time is still exhibited.

  As described above, the dishwasher according to the present invention can rationally recover the mist when the preliminary cleaning is interrupted by the cleaning liquid mist or the like, and can be widely used for washing other than the dishwasher.

Sectional drawing of the dishwasher in Embodiment 1 of this invention Perspective view showing a part of the dishwasher cut away Front sectional view of the atomizing unit of the dishwasher Side cross-sectional view of the atomizer Perspective view of the atomizer unit Flowchart explaining operation during operation

Explanation of symbols

2 Washing tank 5 Lid 7 Atomizer 8 Washing nozzle

Claims (9)

It has at least a preliminary cleaning step that mists the cleaning liquid to swell dirt on the object to be cleaned, and a main cleaning process that injects the cleaning liquid and cleans the object to be cleaned after the preliminary cleaning process, and operates during the preliminary cleaning process. A dishwasher in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed for a predetermined time and the cleaning liquid mist remaining in the cleaning tank is recovered when the operation is interrupted. During operation, it is configured to lock the lid of the cleaning tank to the closed state, and when the operation is interrupted during the preliminary cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is sprayed for a predetermined time to recover the cleaning liquid mist remaining in the cleaning tank, and 2. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the lock of the lid is released after a predetermined time has elapsed. 3. The dishwasher according to claim 2, wherein when the unlocking command is issued to the locking means for locking the lid in the closed state, it is regarded as an operation interruption starting point of the preliminary cleaning process. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid to be misted during the preliminary cleaning process operation includes a detergent component. The dishwasher according to claim 4, wherein the ratio of the detergent component in the cleaning liquid is higher in the preliminary cleaning step than in the main cleaning step. 2. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein when the preliminary cleaning operation is resumed after the preliminary cleaning operation is interrupted, the entire preliminary cleaning process time is reset to be longer than the initial time. 2. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein when the preliminary cleaning operation is resumed after the preliminary cleaning operation is interrupted, the main cleaning process time is reset to be longer than the initial time. 2. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the washing liquid is misted by an atomizer equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator. It has at least a pre-cleaning step that swells the dirt of the object to be cleaned by steaming the cleaning liquid, and a main cleaning process that injects the cleaning liquid and cleans the object to be cleaned after the pre-cleaning process. A dishwasher that sprays a cleaning solution for a predetermined time when steaming is interrupted and collects steam remaining in the cleaning tank.