JP2016214384A - Washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washer capable of reliably exhausting steam inside a washing chamber.SOLUTION: A washer 1 includes: an exhaust part 61 including exhaust means 60 for exhausting steam generated in a washing chamber 2A; an optical detection part 90 disposed in the washing chamber 2A for detecting the steam in the washing chamber 2A; and a control part 55 for controlling operation of the exhaust means 60 on the basis of the detection result of the detection part 90.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

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

  2. Description of the Related Art A cleaning machine that cleans an object to be cleaned such as tableware stored in a cleaning chamber of a main body is known. In such a cleaning machine, water vapor is generated when the object to be cleaned is washed and when the object to be cleaned is rinsed. Water vapor generated in the cleaning chamber is discharged out of the cleaning chamber through a steam port or a gap. The cleaning machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 connects a blowing means for supplying outside air into the cleaning chamber, an exhaust port for discharging heated air containing water vapor in the cleaning chamber to the outside, and the cleaning chamber and the exhaust port. An exhaust passage and humidity detecting means arranged in the exhaust passage are provided.

JP 2004-89416 A

  In the above conventional washing machine, the operation of the air blowing means is controlled based on the detection result of the humidity detecting means to discharge water vapor. However, the humidity does not necessarily change uniquely according to the increase or decrease in the amount of water vapor in the cleaning chamber. Therefore, in the conventional cleaning machine, there is a possibility that the operation of the air blowing means is stopped despite the water vapor remaining in the cleaning chamber, and the water vapor is not discharged.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine that can reliably discharge water vapor in the cleaning chamber.

  The cleaning machine of the present invention is a cleaning machine that cleans an object to be cleaned contained in a cleaning chamber, and is disposed in the cleaning chamber, an exhaust section provided with an exhaust means for exhausting steam generated in the cleaning chamber, An optical detection unit that detects steam in the cleaning chamber, and a control unit that controls the operation of the exhaust unit based on the detection result of the detection unit.

  The washing machine having this configuration detects steam with an optical detection unit. In the optical detection unit, the value of the received light intensity changes due to light being blocked by steam. For this reason, the detection unit can detect steam with high accuracy because a change occurs in the value of the received light intensity when steam is present. Steam is a condensation of water vapor as it cools. Therefore, by controlling the operation of the exhaust fan based on the detection result of the detection unit, the exhaust fan can be controlled in accordance with the state of water vapor in the cleaning chamber. That is, in the cleaning machine, the exhaust fan can be operated when water vapor is present in the cleaning chamber. As a result, the cleaning machine can reliably discharge water vapor in the cleaning chamber.

  In the cleaning machine of the present invention, the control unit may stop the operation of the exhaust fan when the value of the received light intensity in the detection unit becomes a predetermined value or more.

  In the cleaning machine having such a configuration, when the amount of steam in the cleaning chamber decreases (or disappears), the value of the received light intensity in the detection unit increases. Therefore, in the cleaning machine, when the value of the received light intensity in the detection unit becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the exhaust fan is stopped to efficiently discharge water vapor.

  In the cleaning machine of the present invention, the heat exchanger having a cooling unit that cools the steam discharged from the exhaust / exhaust unit, and the flow that discharges air with a reduced amount of steam discharged from the heat exchanger into the cleaning chamber. And the detector may be disposed in a path through which steam formed in the cleaning chamber flows by the air discharged from the flow path.

  In the washing machine having such a configuration, in the heat exchanger, part of the steam is cooled by the cooling unit to become water, and the air contains a small amount of steam. When this air is discharged into the cleaning chamber through the flow path, a flow of steam is formed in the cleaning chamber by the air. In the washing machine, since the detection unit is arranged in the path through which the steam flows, the steam passes through the detection unit. Therefore, steam can be reliably detected in the detection unit. As a result, the operation of the exhaust fan can be accurately controlled.

  In the cleaning machine of the present invention, the detection unit may be arranged in the upper part of the cleaning chamber.

  In the cleaning machine having such a configuration, the steam rising to the upper part of the cleaning chamber can be detected, so that the steam in the cleaning chamber can be accurately detected.

  In the cleaning machine of the present invention, the detection unit may include a light projecting unit that projects light and a light receiving unit that receives light.

  In the washing machine having such a configuration, steam that exists between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit is detected. Therefore, the range in which steam is detected can be adjusted by adjusting the separation distance between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit. Therefore, steam can be detected over a wide range, and the state of steam in the cleaning chamber can be detected more accurately.

  According to the present invention, water vapor in the cleaning chamber can be reliably discharged.

It is a perspective view of the dishwasher which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the tableware washing machine of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the heat exchanger of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the sensor from the rear part side of the main-body part.

  Hereinafter, a dishwasher (washing machine) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match. For convenience of explanation, a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, and a vertical direction are set in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a dishwasher 1 according to an embodiment is an undercounter type washing machine in which a door 4 is provided on the front surface of a washing room 2A. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dishwasher 1 includes a main body 2, an upper washing nozzle 5, an upper rinsing nozzle 6, a lower washing nozzle 7, a lower rinsing nozzle 8, and an exhaust unit. 61, a washing tank 9, a hot water storage tank 18, a detergent supply pump 32, a rinse agent supply pump 37, a heat exchanger 80, and a sensor (detection unit) 90 are provided.

  The main body 2 is formed of a stainless steel panel. The main body 2 includes a cleaning chamber 2A in which an opening for taking in and out a rack in which tableware (object to be cleaned) D is set is opened forward, a drain pump 52, a hot water storage tank 18, a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as "microcomputer"). And a machine room 2B provided with (control unit) 55 and the like. Legs 3 are attached to the four corners of the bottom surface of the main body 2.

  The main body 2 is provided with a door 4 for taking in and out the tableware D in the cleaning chamber 2A. A rack rail 2C is provided in the cleaning chamber 2A, and a tableware rack (not shown) on which tableware D is arranged is placed on the rack rail 2C. An operation panel 2D for a user to input an operation mode and various settings is provided on the upper portion of the door 4 on the front surface of the main body 2.

  The upper cleaning nozzle 5 and the upper rinsing nozzle 6 are provided in the upper part of the cleaning chamber 2A. The upper cleaning nozzle 5 includes three arms extending radially and is rotatably arranged. The upper rinsing nozzle 6 includes two arms and is rotatably arranged. The lower cleaning nozzle 7 and the lower rinsing nozzle 8 are provided in the lower part of the cleaning chamber 2A. The lower cleaning nozzle 7 includes three arms extending radially and is rotatably arranged. The lower rinsing nozzle 8 includes two arms and is rotatably arranged.

  Washing water is sprayed from above and below by the upper cleaning nozzle 5 and the lower cleaning nozzle 7 in the cleaning process, and the tableware D arranged in the tableware rack is rinsed from above and below by the upper rinsing nozzle 6 and the lower rinsing nozzle 8 in the rinsing process. Water is jetted.

  An exhaust unit 61 is connected to the cleaning chamber 2A. For example, the exhaust unit 61 is connected to the upper side of the cleaning chamber 2A. In the cleaning chamber 2A, water vapor is generated in a rinsing process or the like to be described later. In the cleaning chamber 2A, steam that has cooled and condensed is present. The exhaust unit 61 is provided with an exhaust fan (exhaust means) 60 that exhausts air containing steam and water vapor (hereinafter also simply referred to as “steam”). The operation of the exhaust fan 60 is controlled by the microcomputer 55. The steam in the cleaning chamber 2A is pushed up through the first exhaust pipe 63 by the exhaust fan 60 via the exhaust part 61 and sent out to the heat exchanger 80 described later.

  The cleaning tank 9 is disposed below the cleaning chamber 2A and stores cleaning water. The cleaning tank 9 is provided with a water level detection switch 10 for detecting the level of the cleaning water. The water level detection switch 10 is a switch that is turned on when the water level in the cleaning tank 9 exceeds the predetermined water level H and turned off when the water level is below the predetermined water level H.

  A cleaning pump 14 is connected to the side surface of the cleaning tank 9 via a cleaning water suction pipe 13. A pump filter 12 is provided at a portion of the cleaning tank 9 to which the cleaning water suction pipe 13 is attached. A cleaning water discharge pipe 15 is connected to the discharge port of the cleaning pump 14. The cleaning water discharge pipe 15 is branched into a first cleaning water discharge pipe 16 and a second cleaning water discharge pipe 17. The first cleaning water discharge pipe 16 is connected to the upper cleaning nozzle 5. The second cleaning water discharge pipe 17 is connected to the lower cleaning nozzle 7.

  A drain pipe 50 is connected to the bottom 9A of the cleaning tank 9 via a drain suction pipe 9B. The drain pipe 50 is provided with a drain pump 52 that discharges drain water from the cleaning tank 9. The operation of the drainage pump 52 is controlled by the microcomputer 55. The water stored in the cleaning tank 9 is discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 50 by the drain pump 52. In addition, when the drain pipe 50 discharges drainage below the drain suction pipe 9B, the drain pump 52 may not be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 80 is disposed in the upper part of the main body 2 above the cleaning chamber 2A. As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 80 includes an exhaust passage 83, a water supply passage (cooling unit) 85, and a casing 81 that houses the exhaust passage 83 and the water supply passage 85. ing. Note that FIG. 3 shows a state in which the lid 81A (see FIG. 2) is removed for convenience of explanation. The heat exchanger 80 is a device that exchanges heat between steam flowing through the exhaust passage 83 and water flowing through the water supply passage 85.

  The exhaust passage 83 is a passage through which steam exhausted from the cleaning chamber 2A flows. The first exhaust pipe 63 is connected to one end 83B of the exhaust flow path 83, and the second exhaust pipe 65 is connected to the other end 83C of the exhaust flow path 83. In addition, a flow path from the other end 85B of the water supply flow path 85 to one end 85A of the water supply flow path is formed in the exhaust flow path 83 from one end 83B of the exhaust flow path 83 to the other end 83C of the exhaust flow path 83. A partition plate 83A is provided. That is, the steam flowing in from the one end 83B of the exhaust flow path 83 flows to the other end 83C of the exhaust flow path 83 along the pipe line from the other end 85B in the water supply flow path 85 to the one end 85A of the water supply flow path. The air containing steam flowing through the exhaust passage 83 is cooled to a part of the steam and becomes water, and the amount of steam contained is reduced.

  The second exhaust pipe 65 is a pipe member having a circular cross section perpendicular to the flow path direction, and air with a reduced amount of steam is circulated through the hollow portion. Part of the second exhaust pipe 65 is disposed inside the cleaning chamber 2A. Specifically, the second exhaust pipe 65 is disposed, for example, in an upper part in front of the cleaning chamber 2 </ b> A and extends along the left-right direction of the main body 2. The second exhaust pipe 65 in the cleaning chamber 2A is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) at predetermined intervals in the extending direction. The hole is provided in the lower part of the second exhaust pipe 65. Thereby, the 2nd exhaust pipe 65 discharges the air in which the inclusion amount of the steam decreased downward in the cleaning chamber 2A. The air in which the amount of steam discharged from the second exhaust pipe 65 is reduced can dry the cleaning chamber 2A and the tableware D.

  The water supply channel 85 is a pipe member having a circular cross section perpendicular to the channel direction, and rinse water supplied to the hot water storage tank 18 flows through the hollow portion. The water supply channel 85 has a function as a cooling unit that cools the steam flowing through the exhaust channel 83. Examples of the water supply flow path 85 include a flexible pipe made of copper and coated with corrosion resistance, a flexible pipe made of stainless steel, a fin tube having fins provided on the outer periphery of the pipe, and a spiral wound around the outer periphery of the pipe A fin tube having a fin formed thereon is included. A water supply pipe 21A (described later) is connected to one end 85A of the water supply flow path 85, and a water supply pipe 21D (described later) is connected to the other end 85B of the water supply flow path 85.

  The bottom 81B of the casing 81 of the heat exchanger 80 is provided with a hole 81C that penetrates the bottom 81B in the thickness direction. The hole 81C is formed at one corner of the bottom 81B. The hole 81 </ b> C communicates with the cleaning chamber 2 </ b> A of the main body 2. Specifically, the hole 81 </ b> C communicates with a drainage portion (not shown) provided at a corner portion in the upper portion of the main body portion 2. The bottom 81B of the heat exchanger 80 is inclined at a downward slope toward the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 3, with the position where the hole 81C is provided as the lowest position. Thereby, the water in the heat exchanger 80 flows toward the hole 81C, and is discharged into the cleaning chamber 2A through the hole 81C and the drainage part.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hot water storage tank 18 is a tank in which water for rinsing tableware D is stored. Water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 18 from an external hot water heater (not shown) through a water supply pipe 21A. A strainer 19 is provided in the water supply pipe 21A. A branch portion 21B is provided on the downstream side of the strainer 19 in the water supply pipe 21A. One of the branch portions 21B is connected to the hot water storage tank 18 via the water valve 20A. The water valve 20 </ b> A is controlled by the microcomputer 55. The other of the branch portions 21B is connected to one end 85A (see FIG. 3) of the water supply passage 85 in the heat exchanger 80 described above via the water supply pipe 21C.

  A rinsing water heater 22 for maintaining the water for rinsing the tableware D at a predetermined temperature and a water temperature sensor 23 for detecting the temperature of the rinsing water are installed in the hot water storage tank 18. A rinsing pump 25 is connected to the hot water storage tank 18 via a rinsing water suction pipe 24. A rinsing water discharge pipe 26 is connected to the discharge port of the rinsing pump 25. The rinsing water discharge pipe 26 is branched into a first rinsing water discharge pipe 27 and a second rinsing water discharge pipe 28. The first rinsing water discharge pipe 27 is connected to the upper rinsing nozzle 6. The second rinsing water discharge pipe 28 is connected to the lower rinsing nozzle 8.

  The detergent supply pump 32 is disposed outside the dishwasher 1, that is, outside the main body 2. The detergent supply pump 32 is a bellows pump for supplying the detergent stored in the detergent tank 33 to the cleaning chamber 2A. The detergent supply pump 32 is connected to a detergent discharge pipe 34 connected to the side wall of the cleaning chamber 2A, and is connected to the microcomputer 55 through a signal line. The detergent supply pump 32 operates in response to a signal output from the microcomputer 55, sucks the detergent in the detergent tank 33 from the connected detergent suction pipe 35, and discharges a predetermined amount of detergent to the detergent discharge pipe 34. The detergent is provided at the tip of the detergent discharge pipe 34 and is discharged into the cleaning chamber 2A from a detergent discharge port 36 that connects the cleaning chamber 2A and the detergent discharge pipe 34. The detergent discharged into the cleaning chamber 2A flows into the cleaning tank 9 below the cleaning chamber 2A and is mixed into the cleaning water.

  The rinse agent supply pump 37 is disposed outside the dishwasher 1, that is, outside the main body 2. The rinse agent supply pump 37 is for supplying the rinse agent stored in the rinse agent tank 38 to the rinse water channel. The rinse agent supply pump 37 is connected to a rinse agent discharge pipe 39 that communicates with the first rinse water discharge pipe 27 and is connected to the microcomputer 55 through a signal line. The rinse agent supply pump 37 operates according to a signal output from the microcomputer 55, sucks the detergent in the rinse agent tank 38 from the connected rinse agent suction pipe 40, and discharges the rinse agent to the rinse agent discharge pipe 39. . The rinse agent is discharged from the rinse agent discharge pipe 39 to the rinse water passage in the rinse water discharge pipe 26 by the rinse agent supply pump 37, and is mixed into the rinse water.

  The sensor 90 detects steam in the cleaning chamber 2A. The sensor 90 is an optical sensor, and includes a light projecting unit 91 and a light receiving unit 92 as shown in FIG. The light projecting unit 91 is a device that projects (emits) light, and is, for example, a laser light emitting device. The light receiving unit 92 is a device that receives light (laser) projected from the light projecting unit 91, and is, for example, a photodiode.

  The light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 are disposed in a recess 2 </ b> E provided in the rear part of the main body unit 2. The recessed part 2E is a part in which a part of the rear part of the main body part 2 protrudes rearward from the rear surface. The light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 are formed by a gap S formed by the inner surface 2F of the recess 2E that forms the cleaning chamber 2A and the plate member 2G that is disposed at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. Is arranged. The plate member 2G has, for example, a rectangular shape.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the second exhaust pipe 65 is disposed in front of the main body portion 2 and discharges the air, in which the amount of contained steam is reduced, downward into the cleaning chamber 2A. Due to the flow of air in which the amount of steam contained is reduced, a part of the steam flows along the surface of the wash water in the wash tank 9 as shown in FIG. Is discharged upward from the top of the gap S. The light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 are disposed in a path through which steam formed by air with a reduced amount of steam discharged from the second exhaust pipe 65 flows. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the light projecting portion 91 and the light receiving portion 92 are arranged at positions facing each other with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction of the main body portion 2 in the gap S. . That is, the light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 are arranged such that the optical axis L intersects the direction in which steam flows in the gap S.

  The operations of the light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 are controlled by the microcomputer 55. The light receiving unit 92 outputs a light reception signal indicating the light reception intensity of the received light to the microcomputer 55. The value of the light reception intensity in the light receiving unit 92 is lower than when there is no steam (when there is little steam) because the steam is blocked by the steam when the amount of steam is large. On the other hand, the value of the received light intensity in the light receiving unit 92 is higher when the amount of steam is small than when the amount of steam is large. The light receiving unit 92 outputs a light reception signal indicating a light reception intensity value corresponding to the amount of steam.

  The microcomputer 55 is disposed in the machine room 2B. The microcomputer 55 controls the overall operation of the dishwasher 1. The microcomputer 55 is built in the electrical box 55A. The microcomputer 55 is a computer system or processor mounted on an integrated circuit. The microcomputer 55 is a part that controls various operations in the dishwasher 1, and is connected to each other such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The microcomputer 55 controls the operation of the sensor 90. Specifically, the microcomputer 55 controls the start and stop of light projection in the light projecting unit 91 and the start and stop of light reception in the light receiving unit 92.

  The microcomputer 55 controls the operation of the exhaust fan 60 based on the detection result of the sensor 90. Upon receiving the light reception signal output from the sensor 90, the microcomputer 55 stops the operation of the exhaust fan 60 based on the light reception intensity indicated by the light reception signal. Specifically, the microcomputer 55 stops the operation of the exhaust fan 60 when the received light intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, that is, when the steam is equal to or lower than a predetermined amount. More specifically, the microcomputer 55 stops the operation of the exhaust fan 60 when the received light intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the state of the predetermined value or higher continues for a predetermined time. The predetermined value and the predetermined time are appropriately set based on experiments or the like.

  Next, operation | movement of the tableware washing machine 1 mentioned above is demonstrated. When the power switch is turned on, the dishwasher 1 supplies water into the washing tank 9 by rinsing water in the hot water storage tank 18 into the washing chamber 2A by the rinsing pump 25. Thereby, initial hot water supply is performed. Then, an amount of detergent corresponding to the initial hot water supply amount is supplied into the washing tank 9, and the detergent concentration of the washing water in the washing tank 9 becomes a predetermined concentration.

  When the user racks the tableware D and closes the door 4 after the initial hot water supply, it is detected that the door 4 is closed by a door switch (not shown), and an operation start signal is input to the microcomputer 55. When the operation start signal is input to the microcomputer 55, the microcomputer 55 activates the cleaning pump to start cleaning the tableware D (cleaning process). The cleaning of the tableware D is performed by spraying the cleaning water in the cleaning tank 9 toward the tableware D in the cleaning chamber 2A.

  When the cleaning pump 14 is started, the cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 9 is pumped to the upper and lower cleaning nozzles 5 and 7 through the cleaning water discharge pipe 15 and the like, and the upper and lower cleaning nozzles 5 and 7 are sprayed toward the tableware D in the cleaning room 2A. The washing water sprayed into the washing chamber 2A is collected in the washing tank 9 while the leftovers washed off from the tableware D are removed by a filter (not shown). Further, water in the cleaning tank 9 is taken in by the cleaning pump 14 through the pump filter 12 and the like, and is supplied again into the cleaning chamber 2A.

  When the cleaning process is completed, the microcomputer 55 operates the drain pump 52 to start the discharge of the cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 9 (drain process). In the dishwasher 1 of this embodiment, the washing pump 14 is operated, so that the same amount of washing water as the rinsing water supplied to the washing chamber 2A is discharged from the washing tank 9 in a rinsing process described later.

  When the draining process ends, the microcomputer 55 operates the rinsing pump 25 to start rinsing the tableware D (rinsing process). The rinsing of the tableware D is performed by spraying the rinsing water in the hot water storage tank 18 toward the tableware D in the cleaning chamber 2A.

  By starting the rinsing pump 25, the rinsing water stored in the hot water storage tank 18 is pumped to the upper and lower rinsing nozzles 6, 8 through the rinsing water discharge pipe 26 and the like, and the rinsing nozzles 6, 8. To the tableware D. The rinsing water sprayed on the tableware D is collected in the washing tank 9 through a filter (not shown), mixed with the washing water, and used as washing water in the next washing step.

  When rinsing water is sprayed from the upper and lower rinsing nozzles 6 and 8 onto the tableware D, steam (water vapor) is generated in the cleaning chamber 2A. In the dishwasher 1 of this embodiment, when the rinsing process is started, the exhaust fan 60 starts to operate, and steam generated in the cleaning chamber 2A is discharged by the exhaust fan 60 (exhaust process). The operation start timing of the exhaust fan 60 is not limited to this timing, and may be started from a cleaning process in which water is jetted from the upper and lower cleaning nozzles 5 and 7.

  When discharge of steam from the cleaning chamber 2A is started by the exhaust fan 60, detection of steam by the sensor 90 is started. That is, light projection is started from the light projecting unit 91 and light reception is started in the light receiving unit 92. Further, when the steam is discharged from the cleaning chamber 2 </ b> A by the exhaust fan 60, the steam is pushed up through the first exhaust pipe 63 via the exhaust unit 61 and sent out to the heat exchanger 80. Steam flows through the exhaust passage 83 of the heat exchanger 80. When water, which is cooler than the water vapor, flows through the water supply channel 85 in the exhaust channel 83 through which steam flows, “steam” that flows through the exhaust channel 83 and “water” that flows through the water supply channel 85 Heat exchange between the two.

  Thereby, the water which flowed in from 85 A of one ends of the water supply flow path 85 flows out from the other end 85B of the water supply flow path 85 in the state where temperature became higher than the time of inflow. Further, the air containing steam flowing through the exhaust flow path 83 is discharged into the cleaning chamber 2 </ b> A through the second exhaust pipe 65 as air with a reduced amount of steam contained. The air in which the amount of steam contained in the cleaning chamber 2A is reduced is discharged from the cleaning chamber 2A by the exhaust fan 60 together with the steam contained in the air and the air containing steam in the cleaning chamber 2A. And circulates in the heat exchanger 80.

  Since the water valve 20B is provided on the water supply pipe 21D connected to the other end 85B of the water supply flow path 85, water stays in the water supply flow path 85 depending on the open / closed state of the water valve 20B. There is a case. In this case, heat exchange is performed between “steam” flowing through the exhaust passage 83 and “water” staying in the water supply passage 85.

  In the dishwasher 1, the operation of the exhaust fan 60 is stopped when the received light intensity exceeds a predetermined value in the light reception signal output from the light receiving unit 92 of the sensor 90 and the state of the predetermined value or more continues for a predetermined time. . When the operation of the exhaust fan 60 is stopped, the flow of steam in the exhaust passage 83 of the heat exchanger 80 is stopped. As a result, the discharge of air from the second exhaust pipe 65 into the cleaning chamber 2A is stopped. At this time, there is almost no steam (water vapor) in the cleaning chamber 2A.

  Further, in the dishwasher 1 of the present embodiment, the cumulative number of operations (the number of operations in the present embodiment refers to the number of cycles when the cleaning process and the rinsing process of the tableware D are defined as one cycle). , The function of discharging all drainage stored in the cleaning tank 9 (total drainage function) is provided. The total drainage function is mounted for the purpose of replacing the cleaning water in the cleaning tank 9 that becomes gradually dirty with repeated operation with clean cleaning water.

  Next, the effect of the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment is demonstrated. In the dishwasher 1 of the above embodiment, steam is detected by the optical sensor 90. In the optical sensor 90, light is blocked by steam, so that the value of the received light intensity changes. For this reason, the sensor 90 can detect steam with high accuracy because the value of the received light intensity changes when steam is present. Steam is a condensation of water vapor as it cools. Therefore, by controlling the operation of the exhaust fan 60 based on the detection result of the sensor 90, the exhaust fan 60 can be controlled in accordance with the state of the water vapor in the cleaning chamber 2A. That is, in the dishwasher 1, the exhaust fan 60 can be operated when water vapor is present in the cleaning chamber 2A. As a result, the dishwasher 1 can reliably discharge water vapor in the cleaning chamber 2A. Thereby, in the dishwasher 1, it can suppress that a high temperature water vapor | steam is discharge | released when the door 4 is opened, and can avoid the situation where a user's burn and indoors become humid.

  Moreover, in the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, the microcomputer 55 stops the action | operation of the exhaust fan 60, when the value of the light reception intensity in the sensor 90 becomes more than predetermined value. In the dishwasher 1 having such a configuration, when the amount of steam in the cleaning chamber 2A decreases (or disappears), the value of the received light intensity in the sensor 90 increases. Therefore, the dishwasher 1 can efficiently discharge water vapor by stopping the operation of the exhaust fan 60 when the light receiving intensity value of the sensor 90 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. That is, the operation of the exhaust fan 60 in a state where no water vapor is present in the cleaning chamber 2A can be prevented, and energy saving can be achieved.

  Moreover, in the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, the heat exchanger 80 which has the water supply flow path 85 which cools the steam discharged from the exhaust part 61, and the inclusion amount of the steam discharged from the heat exchanger 80 decreased. And a second exhaust pipe 65 for discharging air into the cleaning chamber 2A. The sensor 90 is arranged in a path through which steam formed in the cleaning chamber 2A flows with air in which the amount of steam contained in the second exhaust pipe 65 is reduced. In the dishwasher 1 having such a configuration, in the heat exchanger 80, a part of the steam is cooled by the water supply passage 85 to become water, and the air contains a small amount of steam. When this air is discharged into the cleaning chamber 2A by the second exhaust pipe 65, a flow of steam is formed in the cleaning chamber 2A by the air. In the dishwasher 1, since the sensor 90 is disposed in the path through which steam flows, the steam passes through the sensor 90. Therefore, steam can be reliably detected by the sensor 90. As a result, in the dishwasher 1, the operation of the exhaust fan 60 can be accurately controlled.

  Moreover, in the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, the sensor 90 is arrange | positioned in the clearance gap S defined by the hollow part 2E and the board member 2G. With this configuration, steam passing through the gap S passes between the light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92. Therefore, steam can be reliably detected by the sensor 90.

  Moreover, in the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, the sensor 90 has the light projection part 91 which projects light, and the light-receiving part 92 which light-receives. In the dishwasher 1 having such a configuration, steam that exists between the light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92 is detected. Therefore, the range in which steam is detected can be adjusted by adjusting the separation distance between the light projecting unit 91 and the light receiving unit 92. For this reason, steam can be detected over a wide range, and the state of steam in the cleaning chamber 2A can be detected more accurately.

  Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

<Modification 1>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the 2nd exhaust pipe 65 demonstrated as an example the form which discharges the air in which the inclusion amount of the steam decreased in the cleaning chamber 2A, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the second exhaust pipe 65 may discharge the air with a reduced amount of steam included to the outside. In the case of this configuration, it is preferable that the sensor is disposed on the upper portion of the cleaning chamber 2A. Thereby, since the steam rising to the upper part of the cleaning chamber 2A can be detected, the steam in the cleaning chamber 2A can be detected with high accuracy.

<Modification 2>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the rinse process was started and the detection of the steam with the sensor 90 was started as an example at the timing which the exhaust fan 60 act | operated, this invention is not limited to this. For example, in the dishwasher 1, when the cleaning process in which water is sprayed from the upper and lower cleaning nozzles 5 and 7 is started, the operation of the exhaust fan 60 is started and the detection of steam by the sensor 90 is started. May be.

<Modification 3>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, the microcomputer 55 stops the action | operation of the exhaust fan 60, when the light reception intensity | strength in the light-receiving part 92 becomes more than predetermined value, and the state more than the said predetermined value continues for the predetermined time. Although described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the microcomputer 55 may stop the operation of the exhaust fan 60 when a reception signal whose reception intensity is a predetermined value or more is counted a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time.

<Modification 4>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the form which stops the action | operation of the exhaust fan 60 based on the received light intensity output from the light-receiving part 92 was demonstrated to an example, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the microcomputer 55 may operate the exhaust fan 60 when the reception intensity of the reception signal output from the light receiving unit 92 of the sensor 90 becomes a predetermined value or less. Thus, when steam (water vapor) is generated in the cleaning chamber 2A, the exhaust fan 60 can be automatically operated.

<Modification 5>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the sensor 90 demonstrated the form which has the light projection part 91 and the light-receiving part 92 as an example, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the sensor may be a light projecting / receiving sensor that projects light and receives reflected light of the projected light.

<Modification 6>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the exhaust part 61 was demonstrated to the example in which the exhaust part 61 was connected above the side surface in the washing room 2A, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the exhaust part 61 may be connected to the upper surface in the cleaning chamber 2A. Moreover, although the exhaust part 61 was connected to the 1st exhaust pipe 63 and the form where steam was sent out to the heat exchanger 80 via the 1st exhaust pipe 63 was demonstrated to an example, the 1st exhaust pipe 63 is provided. It does not have to be. In this case, the exhaust part 61 may be directly connected to the heat exchanger 80.

<Modification 7>
In the dishwasher 1 of the above embodiment, the water supply channel 85 is used as the cooling unit of the heat exchanger 80 among the water supply tube 21 </ b> C, the water supply tube 21 </ b> D, and the water supply channel 85 that distributes the water supplied to the hot water storage tank 18. Although the embodiment has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cooling unit may be a channel through which other water flows, or may be an electrically cooled device.

<Modification 8>
In the dishwasher 1 of the said embodiment, although the form in which the exhaust fan 61 was provided in the exhaust part 61 was demonstrated to an example, this invention is not limited to this. The exhaust fan 60 may be provided in the second exhaust pipe 65 that functions as an exhaust unit that exhausts air containing steam (water vapor) generated in the cleaning chamber 2A.

<Other variations>
In the embodiment and the modification described above, the heat exchanger 80 having a configuration in which water supply circulates in the pipe member and water vapor circulates around the pipe member has been described as an example, but water vapor circulates in the pipe member. And the heat exchanger of the structure through which water supply distribute | circulates the circumference | surroundings may be sufficient.

  In the said embodiment and the said modification, although the undercounter type tableware washing machine provided with the door 4 in the front of the washing | cleaning chamber 2A was mentioned as an example, this invention is the type of tableware in which a door opens and closes up and down. The present invention can also be applied to a washing machine or a conveyor type dish washing machine that performs washing while conveying a rack for storing tableware D.

  In the said embodiment and the said modification, although the heat exchanger 80 gave and demonstrated the example arrange | positioned above the main-body part 2, for example, you may arrange | position to the machine room 2B in the main-body part 2, You may arrange | position outside the dishwasher 1. FIG. Further, although the hot water storage tank 18 has been described with reference to the example in which the hot water storage tank 18 is disposed in the machine room 2 </ b> B in the main body 2, it may be disposed outside the main body 2. That is, the dishwasher of the structure provided with the external hot water storage tank 18 may be sufficient.

  In the case where the heat exchanger is provided in the embodiment and the modification, the path for supplying water from the external water heater to the hot water storage tank 18 via the heat exchanger 80 and the water from the external water heater are supplied. The configuration in which the path for supplying the hot water storage tank 18 directly is described as an example, but only the path for supplying the hot water storage tank 18 via the heat exchanger 80 may be formed.

  In the above embodiment, the exhaust fan 60 is taken as an example of means for discharging water vapor from the cleaning chamber 2A. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as water vapor can be sent from the cleaning chamber 2A to the exhaust unit 61.

  The present invention may appropriately combine the contents described in the above embodiment, the above modified examples, and other modified examples without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Dishwasher (washing machine), 2A ... Cleaning room, 60 ... Exhaust fan (exhaust means), 61 ... Exhaust part, 65 ... 2nd exhaust pipe (flow path), 80 ... Heat exchanger, 85 ... Supply water flow Path (cooling unit), 90 ... sensor, 91 ... light projecting unit, 92 ... light receiving unit.

Claims (5)

A washing machine for washing an object to be washed contained in a washing room,
An exhaust section provided with exhaust means for exhausting steam generated in the cleaning chamber;
An optical detection unit that is disposed in the cleaning chamber and detects the steam in the cleaning chamber;
And a control unit that controls the operation of the exhaust unit based on the detection result of the detection unit.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the operation of the exhaust unit when the value of the received light intensity in the detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A heat exchanger having a cooling section in which the steam discharged from the exhaust section is cooled;
A flow path for discharging the air containing a reduced amount of steam discharged from the heat exchanger into the cleaning chamber,
The said detection part is a washing machine of Claim 1 or 2 arrange | positioned in the path | route through which the said steam formed in the said washing | cleaning chamber flows with the said air discharged | emitted from the said flow path.   The said detection part is a washing machine of Claim 1 or 2 arrange | positioned at the upper part of the said washing | cleaning chamber.   The cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit includes a light projecting unit that projects light and a light receiving unit that receives the light.

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