JP2009165578A - Dish washer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dish washer which can shorten waiting time at the initial hot water supply and can prevent wasting clean washing water. <P>SOLUTION: A water level sensor for initial hot water supply 32 is installed at a predetermined position lower than the upper limit water level H prescribed by an opening 19 of an overflow pipe 20 of a washing water tank 16, and initial hot water supply is conducted to the washing water tank 16 until the water level sensor for initial hot water supply 32 detects the water level. Each time the cleansing process of a washing cycle is conducted the level of retained water increases, the level of retained water reaches the upper water level H after several times the cleansing process is conducted, and dirty washing water is discharged outside of the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20 in a way that it is pushed out by the cleansing water collected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dishwasher that repeatedly executes a washing cycle including a washing process for washing dishes with washing water and a rinsing process for rinsing the washed dishes with rinse water after the initial hot water supply process.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a commercial dishwasher is operated in the order shown in FIG. 2, and when the power is turned on, clean rinse water stored in a hot water storage tank is sprayed into a cleaning chamber by a rinse pump through a rinse nozzle. Then, an initial hot water supply step is first performed in which this is stored in a cleaning water tank as cleaning water. When the cleaning water is stored up to the specified water level in the cleaning water tank by the initial hot water supply process, the cleaning standby state is entered. Then, when the dishes are put in the washing room and the operation switch is turned on, the washing water in the washing water tank is sprayed from the washing nozzle into the washing room by the washing pump, and then the dishes are collected and then collected in the washing water tank. The cleaning process is repeated for a predetermined time, which is repeated by the cleaning pump to be injected into the cleaning chamber. Subsequently, the rinsing water in the hot water storage tank is injected from the rinsing nozzle by the rinsing pump, and the rinsing process is performed for a predetermined time. . When the rinsing process is completed, the cleaning standby state is resumed, and this state is maintained until the operation switch is turned on again, so that the cleaning cycle including the cleaning process and the rinsing process can be repeatedly executed. The rinsing water after rinsing the dishes is collected in the washing water tank and used as washing water in the next washing process, but an overflow pipe is arranged in the washing water tank and collected. The washing water is replaced by the dirty washing water being drained from the drain outlet of the overflow pipe by the amount of the rinse water. The water level of the wash water stored in the wash water tank is thus regulated by the overflow pipe.

The water level of the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank must be regulated to such a level that the cleaning pump does not cause air debris generated by sucking air when the cleaning pump is driven. In the dishwasher that gradually replaces the washing water in the washing water tank while repeating the washing cycle as described above, the washing water becomes dirty and foams more easily than the initial operation if the operation is repeated to some extent. It will be in the state where a pump tends to inhale air. Therefore, in such a dishwasher, the water level is regulated at a sufficiently high level so that the washing pump does not suck air even if foaming occurs.
JP 2002-336178 A

  However, in the dishwasher where the water level is regulated to a height high enough that the washing pump does not cause air stagnation as described above, since the amount of water stored in the washing water tank is large, the initial hot water supply takes time and the power is turned on. After that, I had to wait a long time to get ready to drive. In addition, during the first to several initial cleaning cycles, the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank is relatively clean, but the cleaning water is replaced and discarded by the overflow pipe.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed to solve this problem in view of the problems inherent in the prior art described above, and the cleaning pump does not cause air stagnation and shortens the waiting time in the initial hot water supply. The object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher that does not waste clean washing water.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the desired purpose suitably, the dishwasher according to the present invention comprises:
A cleaning chamber for storing the objects to be cleaned, a cleaning water tank for storing cleaning water, a hot water storage tank for storing rinsing water, and discharging cleaning water that exceeds a predetermined water level in the cleaning water tank to the outside With an overflow pipe that regulates the water level by
After the initial hot water supply process for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning water tank, a cleaning process for spraying the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank toward the object to be cleaned by a cleaning pump and collecting it in the cleaning water tank; and in the hot water storage tank A rinse cycle comprising a rinsing step in which the rinse water is ejected toward the object to be washed by a rinse pump and collected in the washing water tank,
The supply amount of the cleaning water in the initial hot water supply step is controlled so that the stored water level in the initial cleaning step is lower than the water level defined by the overflow pipe.

  According to the dishwasher according to the present invention, the waiting time in the initial hot water supply can be shortened, and clean washing water is not wasted.

  Next, a dishwasher according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, since the operation | movement process of a dishwasher is the same as that of the flowchart demonstrated in FIG. 2, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted and it mainly demonstrates the part concerning invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a dishwasher 1 according to the present invention has a washing chamber 3 on the upper side of a washing machine body 2, and a pair of upper and lower washing nozzles 8 and a rinsing nozzle 9 in the washing chamber 3. Are arranged opposite to each other. The cleaning chamber 3 can be opened and closed by a door (not shown), and the tableware 12 is placed on a rack 14 so that it can be put in and out. A washing water tank 16 is provided on the lower side of the washing machine main body 2, and a washing pump 18 for sucking the washing water inside from the suction port 17 and pumping the washing water into the washing nozzle 8. Is provided. In addition, an overflow pipe 20 having an opening 19 in the upper portion is disposed in the washing water tank 16, and an upper limit water level H is defined by the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20, so that a predetermined amount of washing water can be stored. It has become. The height of the opening 19 from the suction port 17 of the cleaning pump 18 is high enough to prevent the cleaning pump from sucking air even if the cleaning water becomes dirty and foaming occurs and the cleaning pump is in a state where it is easy to suck air. It is set. During the cleaning process, the cleaning water stored in the cleaning water tank 16 is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 8 toward the tableware 12 by the cleaning pump 18 to clean the tableware 12, and the cleaning water used for cleaning is leftovers. The circulation is repeated such that the water is collected in the washing water tank 16 through the filter 21 and sucked into the washing pump 18 again. The overflow pipe 20 can be removed from the washing water tank 16, and by removing the overflow pipe 20, all the washing water stored in the washing water tank 16 can be discharged to the outside. Yes.

  A hot water storage tank 23 is provided outside the washing machine main body 2, and a hot water supply source such as a gas water heater (not shown) is connected to the hot water storage tank 23 via a hot water supply valve 24. Hot water is supplied into the tank 23. The hot water storage tank 23 is provided with a float type water level sensor 25 for detecting the water level in the hot water storage tank 23 so that a prescribed amount of hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 23 as rinse water. It has become. The hot water storage tank 23 is provided with a water temperature sensor 27 for detecting the temperature of the internal rinse water and a heater 28 as a heating means for heating the internal rinse water to about 80 ° C.

  The hot water storage tank 23 is provided with a rinse pump 30 for pumping the internal rinse water to the rinse nozzle 9. Thus, during the rinsing process, rinsing water is jetted from the rinsing nozzle 9 toward the tableware 12 to rinse the tableware 12 after washing, and the rinsing water supplied for rinsing passes through the residual vegetable filter 21 and enters the washing water tank 16. To be recovered. Since the cleaning water tank 16 has an upper limit water level H defined by the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20, if the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 has accumulated up to the upper limit water level H, it is equivalent to the amount of recovered rinse water. Wash water is discharged to the outside through the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20. Thereby, the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 is replaced.

  On the other hand, an initial hot water supply level sensor 32 is provided at a predetermined position lower than the upper limit water level H defined by the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20 in the wash water tank 16, and this initial hot water supply water level is provided during the initial hot water supply process. The initial hot water supply to the washing water tank 16 is performed until the sensor 32 detects the water level (hereinafter referred to as “initial storage water level L”). The height of the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32 from the suction port 17 of the cleaning pump 18 is such that the cleaning pump sucks air when the cleaning pump is driven in a state where clean cleaning water that does not easily foam is stored. There is no minimum height set.

  This dishwasher 1 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and is provided with a control unit 35 for controlling the whole. The control unit 35 receives signals from the power switch 37, the operation switch 38, the water level sensor 25, the water temperature sensor 27, and the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32, and controls the cleaning pump 18, the hot water supply valve 24, the heater 28, and the rinse pump 30. It comes to control. Further, the operation time of the cleaning process and the rinsing process is controlled by a timer (not shown).

  Next, the operation and action of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the power switch 37 is turned on, for example, when the dishwasher 1 is installed or at the start of a business day, the rinsing pump 30 and the hot water supply valve 24 are first driven and controlled, and the washing water tank 16 is supplied with washing water. An initial hot water supply process for storing is executed. Specifically, the hot water supply valve 24 is opened to supply hot water into the hot water storage tank 23 from the hot water supply source, and when a predetermined amount of hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 23 by the water level sensor 25, the rinse pump 30 is driven. The washing water is supplied as washing water into the washing water tank 16 through the rinsing nozzle 9. When the initial stored water level L is detected by the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32, the rinsing pump 30 is stopped to stop the supply of cleaning water. As a result, the initial hot water supply process is completed, and a cleaning standby state is entered in which the operation switch 38 is turned on. At this time, clean cleaning water is stored in the cleaning water tank 16 up to the initial storage water level L which is a water level lower than the upper limit water level H defined by the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20. When the initial hot water supply process is completed, the hot water supply valve 24 is opened to supply hot water into the hot water storage tank 23, and a predetermined amount of hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 23 by the water level sensor 25. Then, the temperature is raised to about 80 degrees by the water temperature sensor 27 and the heater 28, and is maintained at that temperature as rinsing water used in the rinsing process. Rinsing water is used during the rinsing process, and when the water level sensor 25 detects a drop in water level, the hot water supply valve 24 is automatically opened to replenish hot water.

  When the user stores the tableware 12 in the cleaning chamber 3 and turns on the operation switch 38 in the cleaning standby state, the cleaning pump 18 is driven, and the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 8 to the tableware. A cleaning process of spraying toward the nozzle 12 is performed for a predetermined time. At the time when the first cleaning process is started, clean water that does not easily foam even if the cleaning pump 18 is driven is stored in the cleaning water tank 16, so that the water level is lower than the upper limit water level H. Even if the cleaning water is stored only up to a certain initial storage water level L, the cleaning pump 18 does not suck air and cause air stagnation.

  When the cleaning process is completed, the rinsing pump 30 is subsequently driven, and a rinsing process for injecting rinsing water in the hot water storage tank 23 from the rinsing nozzle 9 toward the tableware 12 is performed for a predetermined time. At the time when the first rinsing process is started, the washing water is stored only in the washing water tank 16 up to the first storage water level L, and thus the rinsing water after rinsing the tableware 12 is collected in the washing water tank 16. Thus, the stored water level in the washing water tank 16 is increased by the amount of the recovered water. When the rinsing process is completed, a series of cleaning cycles is completed and the cleaning standby state is restored. The user can take out the tableware 12 that has been cleaned from the cleaning chamber 3, accommodate the new tableware 12, and turn on the operation switch 38 to execute the cleaning cycle again. The detergent is supplied into the washing water tank 16 from a detergent supply device (not shown) at a predetermined timing during the initial hot water supply process and the washing cycle, so that the concentration of the detergent in the washing water is kept constant.

  Subsequently, when the operation switch 38 is turned on for the second time, a second cleaning process is started. The cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 is contaminated with the dishes 12 at the time of the first cleaning cycle. However, it can still be said to be relatively clean cleaning water, and foaming is still difficult to occur. Since the water level has increased by the number of times, the cleaning pump 18 does not suck air and cause air stagnation. When the second washing step is completed, the second rinsing step is started. By this rinsing step, the stored water level in the washing water tank 16 is further increased by the amount of water for one rinsing. Thus, every time the cleaning cycle is repeated, the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 gradually becomes dirty, but the stored water level increases every time the rinsing process is performed. 18 does not inhale air and cause air stagnation. The stored water level of the cleaning water reaches the upper limit water level H during the several rinsing steps, and the dirty cleaning water is pushed out by the recovered rinsing water and is discharged from the opening 19 of the overflow pipe 20 to the outside. As a result, the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank 16 is replaced and the quality of the cleaning water is maintained at a certain level or higher, so that the cleaning cycle can be repeated without degrading the cleaning power. ing.

  As described above, according to the tableware washing machine of the embodiment, by controlling the amount of water supplied to the washing water tank in the initial hot water supply process, the initial storage water level was made lower than the water level defined by the overflow pipe, so that The time of the initial hot water supply process can be shortened by the amount of water that has become, and the waiting time of the user is shortened. During the initial cleaning process, clean cleaning water that does not easily foam is stored, so even if the initial storage water level is lowered, the cleaning pump does not cause air stagnation. And even if the cleaning water gets dirty gradually by repeating the cleaning cycle, the level of the cleaning water stored in the cleaning water tank increases accordingly, and eventually reaches the water level defined by the overflow pipe Even if the cleaning cycle is repeated, no air stagnation occurs in the cleaning pump. In addition, during the initial cleaning cycle in which relatively clean cleaning water is stored, the cleaning water is not discharged from the overflow pipe to the outside, but is discharged from the overflow pipe only after some contamination by repeating the cleaning cycle. , You do n’t waste clean water.

[Example of change]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as follows.
In the above-described embodiment, the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32 is provided, and the initial hot water supply is performed until the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32 detects the water level in the initial hot water supply process. As shown, the present invention can also be implemented by a method of performing initial hot water supply by repeating a predetermined number of operations of supplying hot water from a hot water source to a hot water storage tank, driving the rinse pump for a predetermined time, and supplying the rinse water tank a predetermined number of times. This initial hot water supply method is performed when the capacity of the hot water storage tank is smaller than the capacity of the washing water tank. Generally, the hot water storage tank is built in an electric booster or a gas booster and is external to the dishwasher body. Adopted when installed in the machine room where the washing pump etc. in the main body of the dishwasher is placed, so the installation place and size are limited and it is not possible to provide a hot water storage tank with a large capacity Is done. In a dishwasher that has performed this initial hot water supply method, for example, when the operation of supplying hot water from a hot water supply source to a hot water storage tank and driving the rinse pump for a predetermined time to supply to the wash water tank is performed 10 times, the water level defined by the overflow pipe In this case, the initial stored water level may be lowered by terminating the initial hot water supply process when the supply operation is performed eight times or shortening the drive time of the rinse pump. When this initial hot water supply method is carried out, it is not necessary to provide the initial hot water supply water level sensor 32, and the cost can be reduced.

  The initial storage water level L is lowered to the minimum height at which the cleaning pump does not inhale air when the cleaning pump is driven in a state where clean cleaning water that does not easily foam is stored. As long as the air does not inhale air and is lower than the upper limit water level H, any height may be used. In addition, the height of the initial stored water level L may be determined by calculating so that the stored water level reaches the upper limit water level H at least during the rinsing process for the several times. This is because the cleaning water is not replaced until the stored water level reaches the upper limit water level H, so that the cleaning power of the cleaning water can be prevented from being excessively reduced due to contamination of the dishes. The initial hot water supply water level sensor 32 may also be used as an abnormal water level detection sensor for detecting that the level of the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank has dropped abnormally during cleaning due to some reason such as disconnection of the overflow pipe. .

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the initial hot water supply process is started when the power switch 37 is turned on. However, in a commercial dishwasher, when the dishes are very dirty and the washing water needs to be largely replaced, When performing maintenance in the cleaning chamber 3, the overflow pipe 20 may be removed while the power switch is turned on to discharge the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank. In order to cope with such a case, a start switch for initial hot water supply may be provided. As a result, the initial hot water supply process can be performed at any timing without bothering to turn on / off the power switch.

It is the schematic of the dishwasher which concerns on an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the driving | operation process of a dishwasher.

Explanation of symbols

  1 dishwasher, 3 washing room, 16 washing water tank, 18 washing pump, 20 overflow pipe, 23 hot water storage tank, 30 rinsing pump, 32 initial hot water level sensor, H upper limit water level, L initial storage water level.

Claims (1)

A cleaning chamber for storing the objects to be cleaned, a cleaning water tank for storing cleaning water, a hot water storage tank for storing rinsing water, and discharging cleaning water that exceeds a predetermined water level in the cleaning water tank to the outside With an overflow pipe that regulates the water level by
After the initial hot water supply process for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning water tank, a cleaning process for spraying the cleaning water in the cleaning water tank toward the object to be cleaned by a cleaning pump and collecting it in the cleaning water tank; and in the hot water storage tank In a dishwasher capable of repeatedly executing a washing cycle consisting of a rinsing step in which the rinsing water is sprayed toward an object to be washed by a rinsing pump and collected in the washing water tank,
A dishwasher characterized in that the supply amount of washing water in the initial hot water supply step is controlled so that the stored water level in the first washing step is lower than the water level defined by the overflow pipe.

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