JP2016022258A - washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine capable of solving or reducing waste of a washing liquid.SOLUTION: A washing machine is configured to store a square shape rack R having a rectangular shape in front view and storing tableware, in a washing chamber As, and inject a washing liquid from a washing shower arm 1 toward the square shape rack R. The washing shower arm 1 comprises: an upper side washing shower arm 1 striding over the square shape rack R on the upper part of the square shape rack R, and disposed in parallel to one side of the square shape rack R; a lower side washing shower arm 1c striding over the square shape rack R on the lower part of the square shape rack R, and disposed in parallel to said one side; drive mechanisms 3, 3 for moving the upper side washing shower arm 1b and lower side washing shower arm 1c in a direction orthogonal to said one side; and washing liquid supply mechanisms 4, 5 for supplying the washing liquid to the upper side washing shower arm 1b and the lower side washing shower arm 1c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine for washing an object to be washed such as tableware.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, an object to be cleaned is ejected from a cleaning shower arm rotatably provided above and below a rack for storing tableware (object to be cleaned) toward the object to be cleaned. Disclosed is a dishwasher for washing and washing off the washing liquid adhering to the object to be cleaned by spraying rinsing water from the rinse shower arm toward the object to be cleaned when it is provided coaxially and rotatably with the cleaning shower arm. ing.

  On the other hand, the following Patent Document 2 also discloses a cleaning machine for cleaning an object to be cleaned such as tableware as in the above Patent Document 1. This washing machine houses a rectangular rack for containing an object to be cleaned, and injects rinsing hot water toward the object to be cleaned from a shower arm rotatably provided above and below the square rack. To wash away the cleaning liquid adhering to the object to be cleaned. Although not fully described in Patent Document 1, the washing machine of Patent Document 2 is similar to the tableware washing machine of Patent Document 1, and the shower arm (cleaning shower arm) is rotated to allow the cleaning liquid to be cleaned. It is to be jetted.

JP 2003-204914 A JP 2005-245754 A

  By the way, when the cleaning object stored in the square rack of Patent Document 2 is cleaned by the cleaning shower arm of Patent Document 1, the cleaning shower arm rotates to inject cleaning liquid into a circular area (cleaning area). Therefore, if the cleaning liquid is sprayed over the entire area of the square rack, the cleaning liquid that does not contribute to the cleaning of the object to be cleaned is wasted. Such waste of cleaning liquid is essentially caused by the difference between the shape of the square rack (rectangular shape) and the shape of the cleaning region (circular shape).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine capable of eliminating or reducing waste of cleaning liquid.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, as a first solution, a rectangular rack having a rectangular shape in front view containing an object to be cleaned is stored in a cleaning chamber, and a predetermined cleaning liquid is directed toward the square rack. A cleaning machine for injecting cleaning liquid from an injection means, wherein the cleaning liquid injection means includes an upper cleaning shower arm provided above the square rack so as to straddle the square rack and parallel to one side of the square rack. The lower cleaning shower arm provided across the square rack and in parallel with the one side below the square rack, and the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm in a direction perpendicular to the one side. A means for moving, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid to the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm. To use.

  As a second solving means, in the first means, a means is adopted in which the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm are integrally formed.

  As a third solving means, in the first or second means, an upper rinse shower arm provided above the square rack so as to straddle the square rack and parallel to the one side; and A lower rinsing shower arm that straddles the rectangular rack at the lower side and is provided in parallel with the one side; and a rinsing movement mechanism that moves the upper rinsing shower arm and the lower rinsing shower arm in a direction perpendicular to the one side. And a means for further including a rinsing hot water supply mechanism for supplying rinsing hot water to the upper rinsing shower arm and the lower rinsing shower arm.

  According to the present invention, the upper cleaning shower arm provided in parallel to one side of the square rack and the square rack below the square rack and the one side above the square rack. Since the lower cleaning shower arm provided in parallel to the side is moved in a direction perpendicular to the one side, it is possible to inject the cleaning liquid without waste to the rectangular rack that is rectangular in front view. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the waste of the cleaning liquid.

It is a mimetic diagram showing the whole washing machine composition concerning one embodiment of the present invention. In the washing machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, the schematic diagram (a) which shows the positional relationship of the washing shower arm and the square rack seen from the front side, and the positional relationship of the washing shower arm and the square rack seen from the upper side It is the schematic diagram (b) shown.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The washing machine according to the present embodiment is a dishwasher that uses the tableware S as an object to be cleaned (object to be cleaned). As shown in FIG. 1, this washing machine has a vertically long and box-shaped outer shape, and an inner upper space is divided into a washing chamber As and an inner lower space is divided into a machine chamber Ak.

  The cleaning chamber As and the machine chamber Ak are both substantially box-shaped (cubic). Although not shown, a flip-up opening / closing door is provided on the front side of the cleaning chamber As. When the opening / closing door moves upward, the inside of the cleaning chamber As is opened with respect to the outside, and in this open state, the square rack R containing the tableware S can be taken into and out of the cleaning chamber As.

  The square rack R is a resin or metal container having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is housed in the cleaning chamber As with the front side facing upward. As shown in FIG. 2, the square rack R has a box shape (cube) having a relatively low height, and houses a plurality of dishes S from the front side as shown in FIG. It is. That is, the square rack R has a rear end side r1 and a front end side r2 and a rear end side r1 and a front end that are parallel to each other when viewed from the front (as viewed from above) as shown in FIG. A left end side r3 and a right end side r4 orthogonal to the side r2 are provided. Although not shown, such a square rack R is held in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a support provided in the cleaning chamber As.

  In the cleaning chamber As in which such a square rack R is stored, a cleaning shower arm 1, a rinsing shower arm 2, and a pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the cleaning shower arm 1 is a mouth-shaped tube having a size capable of containing the square rack R and the tableware S when viewed in the cleaning chamber As from the front side (opening / closing door side). Road.

  In other words, the washing shower arm 1 includes a pair of vertical pipe sections 1a and 1a that are parallel to each other at a distance slightly wider than the width of the square rack R and that extend linearly at a predetermined length in the vertical direction. Provided so as to pass over the upper ends of the pair of vertical pipe portions 1a, 1a, and extend so as to pass over the upper pipe portion 1b extending in the horizontal direction, and the lower ends of the pair of vertical pipe portions 1a, 1a. And a lower duct portion 1c extending in the horizontal direction.

  The pair of vertical pipe sections 1a, 1a are located on the left and right sides of the square rack R and the tableware S when the inside of the cleaning chamber As is viewed from the front side, and the upper pipe section 1b is formed on the square rack R and the tableware. S is located above S, and the lower duct portion 1c is located below the square rack R and tableware S. The upper pipeline portion 1b and the lower pipeline portion 1c are provided in parallel to the rear end side r1 and the front end side r2 of the square rack R, as shown in FIG.

  In addition, nozzle holes are provided in the upper pipe part 1b and the lower pipe part 1c at predetermined intervals. That is, a plurality of nozzle holes for injecting the cleaning liquid toward the lower side where the square rack R and tableware S are located are formed in the upper duct portion 1b located above the square rack R and tableware S. On the other hand, the lower duct portion 1c located below the square rack R and tableware S is formed with a plurality of nozzle holes for injecting the cleaning liquid toward the upper side where the square rack R and tableware S are located. Such an upper conduit portion 1b is an upper cleaning shower arm in the present embodiment, and the lower conduit portion 1c is a lower cleaning shower arm in the present embodiment.

  The rinsing shower arm 2 is formed in the same shape as the washing shower arm 1, and includes the square rack R and the tableware S when the inside of the washing room As is viewed from the front side as shown in FIG. It is a mouth-shaped pipe of a size that can be done.

  In other words, the rinsing shower arm 2 has a pair of vertical pipe sections 2a and 2a that are parallel to each other at intervals slightly wider than the width of the square rack R and that extend linearly at a predetermined length in the vertical direction. Are provided so as to be passed to the upper ends of the vertical pipe portions 2a, 2a, and to be passed to the upper pipe portion 2b extending in the horizontal direction, and to the lower ends of the pair of vertical pipe portions 2a, 2a. And a lower pipe line portion 2c extending in the horizontal direction.

  The pair of vertical pipe sections 2a, 2a are located on the left and right sides of the square rack R and the tableware S when the inside of the cleaning chamber As is viewed from the front side, and the upper pipe section 2b is formed on the square rack R and the tableware. S is located above S, and the lower duct portion 2c is located below the square rack R and tableware S. The upper pipeline portion 2b and the lower pipeline portion 2c are provided in parallel to the rear end side r1 and the front end side r2 of the square rack R, as shown in FIG.

  In addition, nozzle holes are provided at predetermined intervals in the upper duct portion 2b and the lower duct portion 2c. That is, a plurality of nozzle holes for injecting rinse water toward the lower side where the square rack R and tableware S are located are formed in the upper duct portion 2b located above the square rack R and tableware S. . On the other hand, a plurality of nozzle holes for injecting rinse water toward the upper side where the square rack R and the tableware S are located are formed in the lower duct portion 2c located below the square rack R and the tableware S. . Such an upper pipe line portion 2b is an upper rinse shower arm in the present embodiment. Moreover, the lower pipe line part 2c is the lower side rinse shower arm in this embodiment.

  The pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 support the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 in the above-described position and posture, and reciprocate while maintaining the state. That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 are provided on the right and right sides of the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2, and supports the right and right sides. As shown in 2 (b), the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 are reciprocated in the front-rear direction.

  Such a pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 is, for example, a ball screw mechanism. Moreover, such a pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 is a cleaning drive mechanism in this embodiment, and is a rinse drive mechanism.

  The machine room Ak is provided with a cleaning tank 4, a cleaning liquid pump 5, a rinsing water tank 6, a rinsing water pump 7, and the like. The cleaning tank 4 is located below the cleaning chamber As and stores the cleaning liquid collected from the cleaning chamber As. At the entrance of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 4, a filter for filtering food residues adhering to the tableware S is provided. That is, the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 4 is one in which food residues are substantially removed by the filter.

  The cleaning liquid pump 5 is a pump that pumps up the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 4 from the cleaning tank 4 and supplies it to the cleaning shower arm 1. That is, the amount of cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning shower arm 1 toward the tableware S is defined by the number of rotations of the cleaning liquid pump 5. The cleaning tank 4 and the cleaning liquid pump 5 are a cleaning liquid supply mechanism in the present embodiment.

  The rinsing hot water tank 6 warms tap water (room temperature water) supplied from the outside to make rinsing hot water, and stores a predetermined amount of the rinsing hot water. The rinse water pump 7 is a pump that draws rinse water from the rinse water tank 6 and supplies it to the rinse shower arm 2. That is, the amount of rinse water sprayed from the rinse shower arm 2 toward the tableware S is defined by the number of rotations of the rinse water pump 7.

  Although not illustrated, the cleaning machine according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit that receives a user operation instruction, a pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3, and a cleaning liquid pump 5 based on the operation instruction input to the operation unit. And a controller for controlling the rinse water pump 7 and the like. The washing machine according to the present embodiment performs a cleaning process on the tableware S and a rinsing process on the cleaned tableware S when the control unit operates based on a user operation instruction. The control unit is a software control unit that operates according to a predetermined control program.

  The above is the schematic configuration of the cleaning machine according to the present embodiment. The operation of the cleaning machine, that is, the cleaning operation and the rinsing operation will be described below.

  When the user cleans the tableware S with the washing machine, the user opens the open / close door to store the square rack R in which the tableware S is stored in the cleaning chamber As in the state shown in FIG. When the user shifts the open / close door to the closed state, the user inputs a cleaning start instruction to the cleaning machine by operating the operation unit.

  As a result, the cleaning machine operates the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 and the cleaning liquid pump 5 to clean the tableware S in the square rack R. That is, when a cleaning start instruction is input from the operation unit, the controller of the cleaning machine first supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning shower arm 1 by operating the cleaning liquid pump 5. Then, the control unit operates the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the operation of the cleaning liquid pump 5.

  The time lag (delay) between the start of operation of the cleaning liquid pump 5 and the start of operation of the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 is that the cleaning liquid is actually jetted from the cleaning shower arm 1 after the cleaning liquid pump 5 starts operating. This is because there is a delay in time. That is, in the cleaning machine, after the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cleaning shower arm 1, the reciprocating motion of the cleaning shower arm 1 is started.

  Here, the position (cleaning home position) of the cleaning shower arm 1 before the start of the reciprocating motion is the last position in the cleaning chamber As, as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the two-dot chain line in FIG. . When the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 start to operate, the cleaning shower arm 1 starts moving from the cleaning home position to the front side at a predetermined speed, and is rinsed as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Stop moving slightly before the shower arm 2 and turn back toward the cleaning home position.

  That is, the cleaning shower arm 1 moves over the entire region from the rear end side r1 to the front end side r2 of the square rack R, as shown in FIG. As a result, the cleaning liquid is sprayed over the tableware S in the square rack R. In addition, since the cleaning shower arm 1 moves in parallel to the rear end r1 and the front end r2 of the rectangular rack R that is rectangular when viewed from the front, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed onto the tableware S in the rectangular rack R without waste. it can. Therefore, according to the washer according to the present embodiment, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the waste of the cleaning liquid.

  The cleaning shower arm 1 finally moves to the cleaning home position and stops when the cleaning process of the tableware S is completed. The cleaning shower arm 1 repeats reciprocating movements a plurality of times from the start of movement of the cleaning shower arm 1 to the end of movement, and the number of reciprocating movements can be appropriately set by the operation unit. That is, the number of reciprocations is appropriately set according to the user's degree of demand for cleaning quality.

  When the cleaning process of the tableware S is thus completed, the cleaning machine operates the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 and the rinse water pump 7 to perform the rinse process on the tableware S in the square rack R. That is, the controller of the washing machine first activates the rinse water pump 7 to supply the rinse shower arm 2 with rinse water. Then, the control unit operates the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the operation of the rinse water pump 7.

  Such a time lag (delay) between the start of the operation of the rinse water pump 7 and the start of the operation of the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 is actually caused by the rinse water from the rinse shower arm 2 after the start of the rinse water pump 7. This is because there is a time delay until the fuel is injected. That is, in the washing machine, after the rinsing hot water is jetted from the rinsing shower arm 2, the rinsing shower arm 2 starts to reciprocate.

  Here, the position (rinse home position) of the rinse shower arm 2 before the start of reciprocation is the forefront in the cleaning chamber As, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and FIG. When the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 start to operate, the rinsing shower arm 2 starts moving from the rinsing home position to the rear side at a predetermined speed, stops moving slightly before the washing shower arm 1, and is rinsed home. Turn back toward the position.

  That is, the rinsing shower arm 2 moves over the entire region from the rear side edge of the square rack R to the front side edge. As a result, rinsing hot water is sprayed onto the square rack R and tableware S. Moreover, since the rinse shower arm 2 moves in parallel with the rear end side r1 and the front end side r2 of the rectangular rack R having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, the rinsing hot water is sprayed onto the tableware S in the square rack R without waste. Can do. Therefore, according to the washing machine which concerns on this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the waste of rinse water.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, For example, the following modifications can be considered.
(1) In the above embodiment, the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 are configured as a mouth-type pipe line, but the present invention is not limited to this. The upper pipeline portion 1b and the lower pipeline portion 1c, and the upper pipeline portion 2b and the lower pipeline portion 2c may be separate pipelines. In addition to this, various forms of the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 can be considered.

(2) In the above embodiment, the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 are provided on the left and right of the washing shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3 may be provided above and below the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 or on the upper side.

(3) In the above embodiment, the ball screw mechanism is used as the pair of drive mechanisms 3 and 3, but as described above, food residue is attached to the tableware S, and this food residue is washed by spraying the cleaning liquid. There is a possibility of scattering in the chamber As. As a result, food residues may enter the ball screw mechanism during the cleaning process, and the ball screw mechanism may not operate normally. In order to avoid such a situation, it is preferable to prevent a food residue from entering by providing a predetermined sealing mechanism in the ball screw mechanism. This sealing mechanism is also useful for preventing the lubricating oil in the ball screw mechanism from leaking into the cleaning chamber As.

(4) In the above embodiment, the occurrence of vibration when the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 reciprocate can be considered. In order to suppress the occurrence of this vibration, the cleaning shower arm 1 and the rinsing shower arm 2 It is preferable to make the moving speed as slow as possible, or to make the moving speed before and after turning back slower than other moving speeds.

  As ... Cleaning room, Ak ... Machine room, S ... Tableware, R ... Square rack, 1 ... Cleaning shower arm (cleaning liquid injection means), 2 ... Rinsing shower arm, 3 ... Drive mechanism, 4 ... Cleaning tank, 5 ... Cleaning liquid Pump, 6 ... Rinsing water tank, 7 ... Rinsing water pump

Claims (3)

A washing machine that houses a rectangular rack with a rectangular shape in front view containing an object to be cleaned, and injects cleaning liquid from a cleaning shower arm toward the square rack,
The washing shower arm
An upper cleaning shower arm provided across the square rack and parallel to one side of the square rack above the square rack;
A lower cleaning shower arm provided across the square rack and parallel to the one side below the square rack,
A cleaning drive mechanism for moving the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm in a direction perpendicular to the one side;
A cleaning machine comprising: a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning liquid to the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm.   The cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein the upper cleaning shower arm and the lower cleaning shower arm are integrally formed. An upper rinsing shower arm that extends over the square rack and is parallel to the one side above the square rack;
A lower rinsing shower arm provided across the square rack and parallel to the one side below the square rack;
A rinse drive mechanism for moving the upper rinse shower arm and the lower rinse shower arm in a direction perpendicular to the one side;
The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a rinse water supply mechanism that supplies rinse water to the upper rinse shower arm and the lower rinse shower arm.

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