JP2011156176A - Automatic dish washer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To devise a dehumidifying means so that an evil by the discharging of heat and steam can be prevented by promptly performing dehumidifying by a small device without discharging air of high temperature and humidity within a washing tub to the outside of a machine (the interior of a room) in the drying stroke early stage of an automatic dish washer. <P>SOLUTION: On the premise that the automatic dish washer performs a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, and a drying stroke after tablewares are contained within the washing tub and performs hot water rinsing by at least hot water in the rinsing stroke, the automatic dish washer includes: a cooling means (30), which stores cooling water; and an air transfer means (32), which transfers air within the washing tub (3) to the inside of the cooling water stored in this cooling means, wherein when the drying of the tablewares is started in the drying stroke, the air of high temperature and humidity within the washing tub is introduced into the cooling water by operating the air transfer means to perform a steam recovering operation, which lowers the temperature and humidity of the air. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dishwasher that performs steps such as washing, rinsing, and drying of tableware and cooking utensils (tableware), and in particular, quickly dehumidifies hot and humid air in a washing tank in the drying step. The present invention relates to a dishwasher that performs drying efficiently without discharging steam outside the apparatus.

A conventional dishwasher supplies air from the outside into a washing tank and heats the air with a heater in a drying process performed after each process of washing dishes, rinsing with water, and rinsing with hot water. The heated air is brought into contact with the dishes in the washing tank to dry the dishes, and the hot and humid air is discharged outside the apparatus.
At the start of the drying process in such a dishwasher, hot and humid air exists in the washing tank due to the influence of the hot water rinse (rinsing temperature of about 70 to 80 ° C.) performed immediately before this, and this is white from the exhaust port. Since steam is discharged outside the room (inside the room), adverse effects due to the effects of heat and steam have occurred. That is, there is a risk of burns due to high-temperature exhaust and an increase in the relative humidity in the room, and there is a problem that the smell of the leftovers attached to the dishes is discharged into the room, which makes the user uncomfortable.

Focusing on the problems of the conventional dishwasher, the tableware can be dried without discharging hot and humid air outside the machine. Has already been proposed as described in "Patent Machine", Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 5A, the dishwasher includes a washing tank 41, a washing pump 43, a water pipe 44, a nozzle 45, a heater 46, a drain pump 47, and a drain pipe 48. Further, a water storage tank 49 for storing a certain amount of water during the drying process is disposed behind the cleaning tank 41, and a water absorption pipe 52 is connected to the lower part of the water storage tank 49. The drainage pump 47 is connected via a water absorption switching valve 51a. A discharge pipe 53 is connected to the upper part of the water storage tank 49, and this discharge pipe 53 is connected to a drain pipe 48 via a drain switching valve 51b. Further, a connecting pipe 54 communicating with the cleaning tank 41 is disposed in the middle of the discharge pipe 53 as shown in FIG. Further, a water supply valve 42 for supplying water to the cleaning tank 41 and the water storage tank 49 is disposed above the water storage tank 49.

The conventional dishwasher performs the normal operation from the washing process to the heating rinsing process, but when the heating rinsing process is finished and the drying process is started, water is supplied to the water storage tank 49 by the water supply valve 42, The water absorption side of the drainage pump 47 is connected to the water absorption pipe 52 by the switching valve 51a, and the discharge side thereof is connected to the discharge pipe 53 by the switching valve 51b. When the water level in the water storage tank 49 reaches a certain water level, the drain pump 47 is operated, water is absorbed into the drain pump 47 through the water suction pipe 52, and a cycle is formed in which the water is returned to the water tank 49 from the discharge pipe 53 again.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the high-speed water flow in the discharge pipe 53 reduces the pressure on the discharge pipe 53 side of the connection pipe 54, and moist air (vapor) in the cleaning tank 41 from the connection pipe 54. ) Is sucked into the discharge pipe 53, cooled and condensed by the water flow in the discharge pipe 53, and enters the water storage tank 49. The water storage tank 49 is provided with an exhaust port (not shown) and can absorb and condense the vapor in the cleaning tank 41. Note that outside air is sucked into the cleaning tank 41 through the air supply port 50.

  In such a conventional dishwasher, the water stored in the water storage tank 49 in the drying process is circulated through the water absorption pipe 52 and the discharge pipe 53 to generate a high-speed water flow in the discharge pipe 53 and the connection pipe 54 is discharged. By reducing the pressure on the tube 53 side, moist air (steam) in the cleaning tank 41 is sucked into the discharge pipe 53, so that the amount of air sucked from the cleaning tank 41 is small and the dehumidification efficiency is improved. It was low and it took time to dry the dishes. Further, if the amount of suction air from the cleaning tank 41 is increased in order to shorten the time required for drying, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

  In addition, unlike the dishwasher described in Patent Document 1, the humid air in the washing tank is not introduced into the cooling water to cool and dehumidify, but the humid air in the washing tank is circulated. A dishwasher that dries dishes in the washing tank by providing a heat exchanger in the circulation path and dehumidifying the humid air in the washing tank to the heat exchanger is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-4606. No. ("Dishwasher", Patent Document 2).

JP-A-5-329087 Japanese Utility Model Publication No.59-4606

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to discharge hot and humid air in the washing tank to the outside (indoor) in the early stage of the drying process of the dishwasher in order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. Instead, the dehumidifying means is devised so that the harmful effects caused by the discharge of heat and steam can be prevented by quickly dehumidifying with a small device.

Means taken to solve the above problem will be described together with its action.
(1) A dishwasher according to the present invention (corresponding to claim 1) stores dishes in a washing tub and performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a drying process, and in the rinsing process, at least hot water is rinsed with hot water. Assuming a dishwasher to perform
A cooling means for storing cooling water, and an air transfer means for transferring the air in the washing tank into the cooling water stored in the cooling means,
When the drying of the dishes is started in the drying process, the air transfer means is operated to introduce the hot and humid air in the washing tank into the cooling water, and the steam recovery operation is performed to lower the temperature and humidity of the air. Is to do.

By configuring in this way, when the drying of the dishes in the drying process is started, the cooling water is stored in the cooling means by storing the hot and humid air generated in the washing tank during the hot water rinse by operating the air transfer means. Since the temperature and humidity of the air can be lowered by bubbling into the air, it is possible to prevent harmful effects caused by the discharge of heat and steam without exhausting the hot and humid air outside the apparatus.
In addition, since the dehumidifying means is constituted by the cooling means for accumulating cooling water and the air transferring means for transferring the air in the cleaning tank to the cooling means, the high-humidity air is quickly and efficiently dehumidified by a simple and small device. can do.

(2) Moreover, in the dishwasher of said (1), the air which reduced temperature and humidity by the vapor | steam collection | recovery operation can be returned in a washing tank. (Corresponding to claim 2)
By comprising in this way, since the air dehumidified by the cooling means is returned to the washing tank again without being discharged outside the apparatus, heat loss can be reduced and dehumidification efficiency can be increased.

(3) In the dishwasher of (1) or (2) above, after the steam recovery operation is completed, while keeping the inside of the washing tank at a predetermined temperature, outside air is taken into the washing tank and the washing is performed. A temperature-controlled drying operation for discharging the air in the tank to the outside of the apparatus can be performed. (Corresponding to claim 3)
By configuring in this way, when the temperature in the washing tank is lowered to a predetermined temperature by the steam recovery operation, the table is continuously dried by switching to the temperature-controlled drying operation. Can also reduce the time required.

(4) Moreover, in the dishwasher according to any one of the above (1) to (3), the cooling means is connected to the bottom of the washing tank by a communication pipe having a solenoid valve for cooling water. Cooling water can be supplied through the washing tank, and the supply can be stopped by the water level switch for the washing tank to collect the cooling water. (Corresponding to claim 4)
By comprising in this way, supply of the cooling water to a cooling means can be performed simultaneously with the water supply to a washing tank. Further, since the water level (water amount) stored in the cooling means can be regulated by the water level switch for the washing tank, it is not necessary to separately provide a water level switch dedicated to the cooling means. Thereby, the configuration can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
The cooling water stored in the cooling means can be drained out of the machine through the cleaning tank by operating the cleaning / drainage pump.

(5) Moreover, in the dishwasher of the above (4), when water is supplied to the washing tank for the first time after the operation of the dishwasher is started, the cooling water can be stored in the cooling means. (Corresponding to claim 5)
By comprising in this way, at the time of the first water supply (during the washing process) immediately after the start of the operation of the dishwasher, the cooling means can be supplied and stored in the cooling means, so that relatively low-temperature cooling water is retained. It is possible to increase the dehumidifying efficiency in the steam recovery operation.
On the other hand, if the cooling water is accumulated during the water supply in the process after the cleaning process (for example, the rinsing process), the cleaning tank is warmed by the heat cleaning in the cleaning process. I can't collect water.

The specific effects produced by the present invention are as follows.
When the drying of dishes is started, the temperature and humidity can be lowered by introducing (bubbling) the hot and humid air in the washing tank into the cooling water stored in the cooling means. Is no longer discharged outside the machine as white steam, and adverse effects due to the discharge of heat and steam can be prevented.
Moreover, by returning the air dehumidified by the cooling means back into the cleaning tank, heat loss can be reduced and the dehumidification efficiency can be increased.
Furthermore, since the dehumidifying means is constituted by the cooling means for storing the cooling water and the air transferring means for transferring the air in the cleaning tank to the cooling means, the high-temperature and high-humidity air can be quickly and efficiently dehumidified by a simple and small device. can do.

  And since the cooling means communicates with the bottom of the washing tank by the communication pipe having the electromagnetic valve for cooling water, not only can the cooling water supply to the cooling means be performed simultaneously with the water supply to the washing tank. Since the water level (water amount) stored in the cooling means can be regulated by the water level switch for the washing tank, there is no need to provide a separate water level switch for the cooling means, reducing the number of parts and simplifying the configuration. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

1A and 1B are schematic views of a dishwasher according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an overall longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a block diagram of a control unit. FIG. 2-1 is a first half portion of a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2-2 is the latter half of the flowchart illustrating the operation of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a graph showing changes in temperature and saturated water vapor amount at main points during the drying process (steam recovery and temperature-controlled drying) of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partial schematic longitudinal sectional view of a dishwasher according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 5A and 5B are schematic views of a conventional dishwasher, wherein FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view of the whole, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged sectional view of a main part.

  The present invention, in the drying process of the dishwasher, quickly dehumidifies the hot and humid air without exhausting it outside the room (indoors), thereby preventing adverse effects due to the discharge of heat and steam, and the dishes in a short time. The purpose of drying is realized by a relatively simple configuration while avoiding an increase in the size of the apparatus.

First, the dishwasher by Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated, referring FIGS. 1-3.
[Configuration of dishwasher]
First, the configuration of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire dishwasher and a block diagram of a control unit.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the dishwasher according to the first embodiment includes a main body 1 and a washing tank 3 that can be pulled out from the main body 1 by a front door 2. The washing tank 3 includes a tableware basket 4 for storing tableware, a rotating nozzle 6 for injecting washing water, and a washing / draining pump 7 that works as a “washing pump” or “drainage pump” by pressurizing the washing water. A heater 8 for heating the cleaning water and air, a thermistor 9 for detecting the temperature in the cleaning tank 3, a water level switch 11 for detecting the water level in the cleaning tank 3, and the outside air in the cleaning tank 3 And a water reservoir 15 having a bottom vegetable filter 14 at the bottom is provided.
The main body 1 and the washing tub 3 of the dishwasher have a water supply electromagnetic valve 5 and a water supply pipe 16 for supplying water to the washing tub 3 and a drain pipe for draining the washing water in the washing tub 3 to the outside of the machine. 17 is provided.

Further, the cleaning tank 3 includes a cooler (cooling means) 30 that can store cooling water, an air pump (air transfer means) 32 that sucks air in the cooler 30, and a cooling water electromagnetic valve. And a communication pipe 18 that communicates the cooler 30 and the water reservoir 15, and a first intake pipe that communicates the cleaning tank 3 and the cooler 30 and directly introduces (bubbles) the air in the cleaning tank into the cooling water. 34, the cooler 30 and the air pump 32 communicate with each other, the second intake pipe 35 that sucks the air in the cooler 30 and the air pump 32 and the discharge side duct of the drying fan 12 communicate with each other and sucked the washing tank A circulation vent pipe 36a for returning the air in the cleaning tank 3 to the cleaning tank is provided. The cooler 30 is provided with a cooler thermistor 33 for detecting the coolant temperature.
As described above, the cooler 30 communicates with the water reservoir 15 at the bottom of the cleaning tank through the communication pipe 18, so that when the water is supplied from the water supply pipe 16 into the cleaning tank 3, the cooler 30 passes through the communication pipe 18. The water level is also the same. Therefore, the amount (water level) of the cooling water supplied into the cooler 30 can be regulated by the water level switch 11 for the cleaning tank.

  The door 2 of the cleaning tank 3 is provided with a control unit 20 and an operation / display panel 21. The operation / display panel 21 is provided with an operation unit 28 having a power button 22, a steam-less drying button 23, a start / pause button, a course selection button, and the like, and a display unit 27 for displaying an operation state and time. ing. The steamless drying button 23 is selected when the user desires “steamless drying operation” in which high-temperature and humid air (steam) is not discharged outside the apparatus at the beginning of the drying process of the dishwasher. This is an operation button.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the control unit 20 drives a control means 25 having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a timer, and the like, and various loads such as a cleaning / drainage pump 7 and a water supply electromagnetic valve 5. A load driving circuit 26 and the like are provided. The control unit 25 receives input signals from the operation unit 28, the water level switch 11, the washing tank thermistor 9, the cooler thermistor 33, various sensors, and the like, and controls the display unit 27 and the load drive circuit 26. And the washing / drainage pump 7, the water supply electromagnetic valve 5, the heater 8, the drying fan 12, the air pump 32, the cooling water electromagnetic valve 31 and the like are driven to control the operation of the dishwasher.
Further, the control means 25 includes a steam-less drying operation control means 25a that performs a steam-less drying operation when the steam-less drying button 23 is pressed. In this steam-less drying operation, in addition to the operation operation in each process performed in a normal operation, an operation of accumulating cooling water in the cooler 30 is performed at the initial stage of the cleaning process, as will be described in detail later. Before starting the temperature-controlled drying operation in the drying process, a steam recovery operation for recovering the steam in the cleaning tank 3 and an operation for draining the cooling water stored in the cooler 30 are performed.

[Driving operation of the dishwasher]
The operation of the dishwasher configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the dishwasher.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the user presses the power button 22 to prepare for storing dishes in the tableware basket 4 of the washing tub 3, and then the desired operation course and steamless drying button. After selecting the steamless drying operation or the like by 23, the operation is started by pressing the start / pause button (step S1).

  In step S1, if the steam-less drying button 23 is pressed and the steam-less drying switch is turned on (step S2), according to the command signal from the steam-less drying operation control means 25a, together with the water supply electromagnetic valve 5 The cooling water solenoid valve 31 is opened (step S3). When the water supply electromagnetic valve 5 is opened, water supply is started into the washing tank 3 through the water supply pipe 16. At this time, the cooling water electromagnetic valve 31 is also opened. Water (cooling water) is also supplied.

When the water level in the washing tank 3 reaches a predetermined level, the water level switch 11 is turned on (step S4), and both the water supply electromagnetic valve 5 and the cooling water electromagnetic valve 31 are closed to stop water supply (step S5). During the water supply, since the washing tank 3 and the cooler 30 are communicated with each other through the communication pipe 18, both have the same water level, and a predetermined amount (for example, 500 ml) of coolant can be stored in the cooler 30. it can. The cooling water in the cooler 30 is held in this state until the cooling water solenoid valve 31 is next opened.
Thus, since the cooling water can be stored in the cooler 30 in the first water supply (water supply immediately after the start of the washing process) to the washing tank 3 after the operation of the dishwasher is started, the heat washing or the like Relatively low-temperature cooling water can be secured without being affected by the temperature rise of the cleaning tank 3.

If the water supply to the said washing tank 3 and the cooler 30 is completed (step S5), a washing | cleaning driving | operation will be performed similarly to a normal washing process (step S6). When the cleaning process (steps S3 to S6) is completed in this way, subsequently, a water rinsing process and a hot water rinsing process are executed in the same manner as in a normal operation (steps S7 and S8). In this hot water rinsing process, a heat sterilization treatment is performed, and thus it is common to rinse with hot water of 70 ° C. However, there is a case where rinsing is further performed with hot water of 70 to 85 ° C. Note that the hot water for hot water rinsing may be obtained by heating the water supplied into the washing tank 3 by heating the heater, or by supplying hot water directly from a water heater by hot water connection.
When the hot water rinsing process (step S8) is completed, the hot water in the cleaning tank 3 is drained through the drain pipe 17 by the cleaning / drainage pump 7.

(Driving operation during the drying process)
Next, a drying process for performing the steam recovery operation and the temperature control drying operation will be described with reference to FIG.
When the hot water rinsing process executed in step S8 is completed, the air pump 32 is activated and the steam recovery operation in the drying process is started (step S9). At this time, a large amount of high-temperature and high-humidity air exists in the washing tank 3 due to the influence of the hot water rinse performed immediately before. When the air pump 32 is operated, this high-temperature and high-humidity air is supplied to the first intake pipe. It is directly introduced into the cooling water in the cooler 30 through 34, where it is dehumidified by being cooled and condensed. The dehumidified air passes through the second intake pipe 35, the air pump 32, and the circulation vent pipe 36a, and further returns to the cleaning tank 3 through the discharge side duct of the drying fan 12.
Thus, the steam is recovered by continuously circulating the hot and humid air in the cleaning tank 3 through the cooler 30 by the air pump 32 without being discharged outside the apparatus.

In such a steam recovery operation, as long as all of the following conditions (a) to (c) are satisfied, a predetermined operation predetermined for each operation course is started after the steam recovery operation is started. It is continuously executed until the time elapses (steps S10 to S13).
(A) The temperature of the cooling water in the cooler 30 is less than 40 ° C. (step S10)
(B) The temperature in the cleaning tank 3 is higher than 60 ° C. (Step S11)
(C) The difference between the temperature in the cleaning tank 3 and the temperature of the cooling water is greater than 20 ° C. (step S12)
When any one of the above conditions (a) to (c) is not satisfied during the steam recovery operation (steps S10 to S12), or a predetermined operation time on the operation course selected by the user has elapsed. When this occurs (step S13), the air pump 32 is stopped and the steam recovery operation ends (step S14).

When the temperature of the cooling water reaches 40 ° C. or higher for the condition (a) due to the continuation of the steam recovery operation (step S10), the difference between the temperature in the cleaning tank 3 and the temperature of the cooling water for the condition (c) When the temperature becomes 20 ° C. or lower (step S12), the cooling rate by the cooling water is slowed, the dehumidifying efficiency is lowered, and the drying time is lengthened. Therefore, the steam recovery operation is stopped and the temperature-controlled drying operation is started ( Steps S14 and S18).
In addition, when the temperature in the washing tub 3 becomes 60 ° C. or less with respect to the condition (b) (step S11), even if the air in the washing tub 3 is discharged outside the apparatus, it does not become white steam. Since there is no unpleasant feeling, the steam recovery operation is stopped and the operation proceeds to a temperature controlled drying operation (steps S14 and S18). Thereby, time can be shortened rather than drying only by vapor | steam collection | recovery driving | operation.
The predetermined operation time for each operation course is determined for each operation course according to the temperature because the temperature in the washing tank 3 at the end of the hot water rinsing process (at the start of the steam recovery operation) differs depending on the operation course. It is done. For example, it is 25 minutes for the “careful course”, 15 minutes for the “standard course”, and 5 minutes for the “quick wash course”. Thereby, drying time can be shortened for every driving course.

  When the steam recovery operation (steps S9 to S14) is completed, the electromagnetic valve 31 for cooling water is opened (step S15), the cooler 30 is communicated with the water reservoir 15, and then the cleaning / drainage pump 7 is operated. The cooling water stored in the cooler 30 is drained out of the apparatus through the drain pipe 17 (step S16). Thereafter, the cooling water electromagnetic valve 31 is closed (step S17), and the drainage of the cooling water is terminated.

When the cooling water in the cooler 30 is drained by the above steps S15 to S17, the temperature control drying operation is subsequently executed (step S18). This temperature-controlled drying operation is the same as the operation in the normal drying process. The drying fan 12 is operated to send outside air into the cleaning tank 3 and the air in the cleaning tank 3 is discharged from the exhaust port 13. Then, the heater 8 is turned on / off (for example, turned on at 60 ° C./turned off at 62 ° C.), and the dishes are dried while maintaining the inside of the washing tank 3 at a predetermined temperature.
In step S18, the temperature-controlled drying operation is continued for a predetermined time, and then the steam-less drying operation is terminated (step S19).

  On the other hand, in step S1, if the steam-less drying button 23 is not pressed as desired by the user, the steam-less drying switch is not turned on (step S2). There is no. In this step S20, the normal cleaning process, the rinsing process (water rinsing process and hot water rinsing process) and the drying process in the operation course selected by the user are executed, and then the operation is terminated (step S21).

(Confirmation of operation status during the drying process)
Here, using the dishwasher according to Example 1, in order to confirm the actual operation state in the drying process, the dishes were stored in the washing tank, and the “steamless drying operation” was performed.
This dishwasher is large enough to wash the dishes for six people, and the cooler 30 can store 500 ml of cooling water. In the hot water rinsing process, hot water rinsing is performed until the temperature rises to 77 ° C. over about 30 minutes, and in the drying process, the steam recovery operation and the temperature control drying operation are performed for 20 minutes each.
During the operation of the drying process, as shown in FIG. 1A, the temperature (air temperature) at the cold air inlet CI, the hot air outlet HO, and the central BC in the washing tank, the temperature of the cooling water CW, and the exhaust E Was measured. In addition, the saturated water vapor amount CWS at the cooling water temperature was calculated from the temperature of each time of the cooling water CW, and the saturated water vapor amount BCS at the central temperature in the cleaning tank was calculated from the temperature of each central time in the cleaning tank BC. . FIG. 3 shows the temperature thus measured and the calculated saturated water vapor amount in a graph.

According to FIG. 3, the steam recovery operation in the first half of the drying process reduces the temperature at the central BC in the washing tank from 77.4 ° C. to 64 ° C., and the temperature of the cold air inlet CI is about 46 ° C. to about 38 ° C. The temperature of the cooling water CW has risen from 25.6 ° C. to 36.3 ° C. Further, the saturated water vapor amount CWS at the cooling water temperature is increased from 23.85 g / m ³ to 42.6 g / m ³ , and the saturated water vapor amount BCS at the central temperature in the washing tank is 267.53 g / m ³ to 152. Reduced to 8 g / m ³ .
Thus, by the steam recovery operation, the temperature and humidity in the cleaning tank could be lowered by cooling the hot and humid air in the cleaning tank with cooling water to dehumidify it.

Next, a dishwasher according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial schematic longitudinal sectional view of the dishwasher.
The dishwasher of the second embodiment is provided with an exhaust vent pipe 36b instead of the circulation vent pipe 36a in the first embodiment, and the other points are the same as those of the first embodiment. It is. Therefore, the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment, and description of other points will be omitted.

[Dishwasher configuration and operation]
As shown in FIG. 4, an exhaust ventilation pipe 36 b is provided between the discharge side of the air pump 32 and the exhaust port 13, and the air in the cleaning tank 3 is cooled by the cooler 30 by the operation of the air pump 32. Through the exhaust port 13.
In the dishwasher configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2-2, when the steam recovery operation in the drying process is started, the air pump 32 is activated, and the high temperature and high humidity in the cleaning tank 3 is activated. Air is introduced into the cooling water in the cooler 30 through the first intake pipe 34 (bubbling). Here, the hot and humid air is dehumidified by being cooled and condensed. The dehumidified air passes through the second intake pipe 35, the air pump 32, and the discharge vent pipe 36b and is discharged from the exhaust port 13 to the outside of the apparatus. At this time, outside air is sucked into the cleaning tank 3 through the discharge duct of the drying fan 12.

Thus, in the second embodiment, by performing the steam recovery operation, the hot and humid air in the cleaning tank 3 is discharged from the exhaust port 13 to the outside with the temperature and humidity being lowered. Thereby, the hot and humid air in the cleaning tank 3 is not discharged as white steam in the state as it is, but the air dehumidified by the cooler 30 is discharged from the exhaust port as compared with the one in the first embodiment. Since the air is discharged from the apparatus 13 to the outside of the apparatus, a heat loss correspondingly occurs and the dehumidification efficiency is inferior.
In the first and second embodiments, the steam recovery operation is controlled by manually using the steam-less drying button 23. However, the steam recovery operation may be incorporated in a program and controlled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Dishwasher main body 2 ... Door 3 ... Washing tank 4 ... Dish basket 5 ... Water supply solenoid valve 6 ... Rotary nozzle 7 ... Washing / drainage pump 8 ... Heater 9 ... Washing tank thermistor 11 ... Water level switch 12 ... Drying Fan 13 ... Exhaust port 15 ... Water reservoir 16 ... Water supply pipe 17 ... Drain pipe 18 ... Communication pipe 20 ... Control unit 21 ... Operation / display panel 22 ... Power button 23 ... Steamless drying button 25 ... Control means 25a ... Steamless drying Operation control means 30 ... cooler 31 ... cooling water solenoid valve 32 ... air pump 33 ... cooler thermistor 34 ... first intake pipe 35 ... second intake pipe 36a ... circulation vent pipe 36b ... discharge vent pipe

Claims (5)

In a dishwasher that stores dishes in a washing tank and performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a drying process, and at least rinsing with hot water in the rinsing process,
A cooling means for storing cooling water, and an air transfer means for transferring the air in the washing tank into the cooling water stored in the cooling means,
When the drying of the dishes is started in the drying process, the air transfer means is operated to introduce the hot and humid air in the washing tank into the cooling water, and the steam recovery operation is performed to lower the temperature and humidity of the air. A dishwasher characterized in that it performs.   2. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the air whose temperature and humidity have been lowered by the steam recovery operation is returned to the washing tank.   After the steam recovery operation is completed, a temperature-controlled drying operation is performed in which outside air is taken into the cleaning tank and air in the cleaning tank is discharged outside the apparatus while maintaining the inside of the cleaning tank at a predetermined temperature. The dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above-mentioned.   The cooling means is configured to communicate with the bottom of the washing tank through a communication pipe having a cooling water solenoid valve. Cooling water is supplied to the cooling means through the washing tank, and the water level switch for the washing tank is used to The dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supply of water is stopped to collect cooling water.   5. The dishwasher according to claim 4, wherein when the water is first supplied to the washing tank after the operation of the dishwasher is started, cooling water is stored in the cooling means.