JP2021183148A - dishwasher - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a dishwasher coping with versatile design of a system kitchen and user-friendly because a door body covering the front surface of the dishwasher is drawn out to a position where dishes can be easily housed.SOLUTION: A dishwasher includes: a housing 31 having a front surface opening part 32 on its front surface; a dish basket 47 provided in the housing 31 to house dishes; a moving part including a door body 40 covering the front surface opening part 32; a slide rail 34 supporting the moving part on the housing 31 in a forward/backward movable condition; a driving device 51 having a driving motor 52 moving the moving part at least in a front or rear direction; an acceleration sensor 45 detecting vibration applied to the door body 40; and a control part 44 controlling the driving device 51 in accordance with the vibration detected by the acceleration sensor 45. The door body 40 includes an operation panel 41 mounted on the front surface of a washing tank 33 and a decorative plate 42 attached to the operation panel 41. The acceleration sensor 45 is structured to be substantially fixed to the operation panel 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a built-in type dishwasher that washes and dries dishes.

Conventionally, a dishwasher having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

FIG. 8 is a side vertical sectional view of a conventional dishwasher. The front of the main body 14 of the dishwasher is open. Inside the main body 14, a cleaning tank 15 having an open upper surface is provided so as to be able to be pulled out forward. The alternate long and short dash line shown in FIG. 8 indicates a state in which the washing tank 15 is pulled out.

The dishwasher is provided with a washing nozzle 8, a dish basket 4, and a heater (not shown) inside the washing tank 15. The cleaning pump 7 and the water supply valve 9 are provided on the outside of the cleaning tank 15. The water supply valve 9 is connected to the tap water and introduces tap water to be the washing water into the washing tank 15. The washing pump 7 circulates the washing water stored in the washing tank 15. The cleaning nozzle 8 is rotatably provided in the cleaning tank 15 and injects cleaning water pressure-fed by the cleaning pump 7. The tableware basket 4 is detachably provided in the washing tank 15. The tableware basket 4 holds the housed tableware 3. The tableware basket 4 is configured so that the washing water sprayed from the washing nozzle 8 efficiently hits the tableware 3. A heater (not shown) heats wash water or drying air.

The cleaning tank 15 is provided with a slide rail 16 on the outer side surface. The main body 14 is provided with a slide rail 17 on the inner side surface. The slide rail 16 slides while being held by the slide rail 17. The cleaning tank 15 is supported by the main body 14 via the slide rail 16 and the slide rail 17 of the main body 14. As a result, the cleaning tank 15 can be pulled out from the main body 14 and pushed into the main body 14.

The inner lid 21 is provided on the upper part of the main body 14 and is arranged so as to close the opening on the upper surface of the cleaning tank 15. That is, the inner lid 21 is configured to close the opening on the upper surface of the cleaning tank 15 via the packing 22 when the cleaning tank 15 is housed in the main body 14.

The cleaning tank 15 is provided with a door 23 at the front portion. The door 23 covers the opening on the front surface of the main body 14 when the cleaning tank 15 is housed in the main body 14. The door 23 has a handle portion 24 and an operation switch on the upper part of the front surface. The handle portion 24 is used when the user puts his / her hand on the cleaning tank 15 to pull out or push it in. The operation switch is operated by the user to set the washing operation of the dishwasher, such as the washing step, the rinsing step and the drying step.

The cleaning tank 15 is provided with a rack gear 18 having gear teeth formed in a straight line at the lower portion. At this time, the length of the rack gear 18 is configured to be longer than the stroke of the cleaning tank 15 being pulled out from the main body 14. A drive motor 19 having a deceleration mechanism is fixed to the main body 14. A gear 20 that meshes with the rack gear 18 is attached to the motor shaft of the drive motor 19. The drive motor 19 is configured to be capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation. The cleaning tank 15 is driven by the drive motor 19 via the rack gear 18.

As described above, the conventional dishwasher is configured.

The operation of the dishwasher having the above configuration will be described below.

First, the user pulls out the washing tank 15 from the main body 14, and sets the tableware 3 in the washing tank 15. At this time, the cleaning tank 15 can be pulled out by the user himself / herself by putting his / her hand on the handle portion 24, or by the user operating the operation switch to pull out the cleaning tank 15 by driving the drive motor 19. be.

Therefore, in the following, a dishwasher having a configuration in which the washing tank 15 is automatically pulled out by driving the drive motor 19 will be described as an example.

Specifically, when the user operates the operation switch, the control device (not shown) rotates the drive motor 19 in the forward direction at a constant speed, and rotates the gear 20 attached to the motor shaft in a predetermined direction. Let me. At this time, the rotational force of the gear 20 acts to push out the meshed rack gear 18. As a result, the cleaning tank 15 comes out from the inside of the main body 14 to the front while the slide rail 16 and the slide rail 17 slide. When the washing tank 15 comes out to an arbitrarily set position such as a position where the tableware 3 can be accommodated, the control device stops the driving of the drive motor 19 and stops the movement of the washing tank 15.

Next, the user arranges the tableware 3 in the tableware basket 4 in the washing tank 15 and puts the detergent in the washing tank 15. At this time, the tip of the drawn washing tank 15 is lowered by the weight of the housed tableware 3.

Next, when the user operates the operation switch, the control device rotates the drive motor 19 in the reverse direction. At this time, the rotational force of the gear 20 acts to pull in the meshed rack gear 18. As a result, the cleaning tank 15 is drawn into and accommodated in the main body 14 while the slide rail 16 and the slide rail 17 slide. When the cleaning tank 15 is housed in the main body 14, the control device drives the inner lid 21. As a result, the upper surface opening of the washing tank 15 is closed by the inner lid 21.

Next, the user operates the operation switch to set the washing course and start the washing operation of the dishwasher. As a result, the control device controls the washing pump 7, the water supply valve 9, the heater, the drainage pump (not shown), and the like, and cleans the tableware 3 housed in the tableware basket 4. At this time, the control device controls each of the above elements so as to perform a washing operation set in the order of, for example, a washing step, a rinsing step, and a drying step.

Then, when the washing operation is completed, the user takes out the tableware 3. Specifically, the user operates the operation switch in the same manner as before the washing operation. As a result, the control device rotates the drive motor 19 and pulls out the cleaning tank 15 to a predetermined position. At this time, due to the smooth rotation of the drive motor 19, the dishes 3 housed in the washing tank 15 are pulled out without coming into contact with each other.

As described above, the conventional dishwasher works.

In the conventional dishwasher, a decorative panel made of the same material and having the same design as the door and drawer of the system kitchen is attached to the lower part of the front surface of the door 23. This decorative panel is intended to improve the design of the system kitchen.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-345712

However, during the washing operation of the dishwasher, the user or the like may unintentionally come into contact with the decorative plate or the handle of the door body. In this case, it is inconvenient for the control unit to detect the unintended contact of the user and pull out the washing tank.

The present invention provides an easy-to-use dishwasher in which the washing tub is pulled out only when the control unit detects an intentional operation of the user.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the dishwasher of the present invention has a housing having a front opening on the front surface, a tableware basket provided so as to be able to be taken in and out of the housing, and a front opening. It has a moving portion including a door body covering the moving portion, a support mechanism for supporting the moving portion on the housing in a state of being movable back and forth, and a driving portion for moving the moving portion at least in the forward or backward direction. It includes a drive device, a sensor that detects vibration applied to the door body, and a control unit that controls the drive device in response to the vibration detected by the sensor, and the control unit is designated by the sensor. When a plurality of vibrations are detected, the drive device is driven.

The dishwasher in the present disclosure can provide an easy-to-use dishwasher in which the washing tub is pulled out when the control unit detects an intentional operation of the user.

Side sectional view of the dishwasher according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Side vertical sectional view of the dishwasher in the same embodiment Perspective view of the dishwasher of another embodiment in the same embodiment A perspective sectional view of the door body of the dishwasher in the same embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the operation panel of the dishwasher in the same embodiment. Perspective view of the decorative board of the dishwasher in the same embodiment In the cross section shown in FIG. 4, an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of another embodiment. Side profile of a conventional dishwasher

The dishwasher of the first invention has a housing having a front opening on the front surface, a dishwasher provided in the housing so as to be removable and accommodating the dishes, and a moving portion including a door body covering the front opening. A support mechanism that supports the moving portion in the housing in a state of being movable back and forth, a driving device having a driving portion that moves the moving portion at least in the forward or backward direction, and the door body. A sensor for detecting the applied vibration and a control unit for controlling the drive device in response to the vibration detected by the sensor are provided, and the door body includes a front panel provided on the front surface of the moving unit and the control unit. The sensor is substantially fixed to the front panel, including a decorative plate attached to the front panel.

With this configuration, the dishwasher can automatically pull out the moving part by the drive device to the position where the tableware can be accommodated even if the door body covering the front surface does not have the operation part. This improves the usability of the dishwasher. It can also be easily adapted to diversifying system kitchen designs. Furthermore, the vibration applied to the door body can be reliably transmitted to the sensor.

A second aspect of the invention, particularly in the first aspect, is that the veneer is fixed to the front panel with at least two fixed portions on the left and right in front view, and the sensor passes through each of the fixed portions in front view. It is fixed so that it is located between the vertical lines.

With this configuration, vibration is easily transmitted to the accelerometer from any of the fixed portions provided on the left and right sides of the decorative plate, and the accelerometer can detect the vibration more reliably.

A third aspect of the invention, particularly in the second aspect, is that the fixing portion is fixed so as to form a constricted space on the back surface of the decorative plate, and the front panel is inserted into the constricted space. It is composed of a locking portion, and the decorative plate is fixed so that the engaging portion sandwiches the locking portion.

With this configuration, the vibration applied to the decorative plate by the user is surely transmitted from the engaging portion to the front panel through the locking portion in the fixing portion of the decorative plate, and further, it is surely transmitted to the accelerometer fixed to the front panel. It is transmitted. As a result, the accelerometer can reliably detect the vibration applied to the decorative plate.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the dishwasher according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 and 2 are side longitudinal sectional views of a dishwasher in which the washing tank is a drawer type according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the cleaning tank is housed in the housing. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the upper surface opening of the cleaning tank is pulled out from the inside of the housing until it is fully opened. The dishwasher of the present embodiment is used by being incorporated in, for example, the system kitchen K.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dishwasher of the present embodiment includes a housing 31, a washing tank 33, a door body 40, a control unit 44, a drive device 51, and the like. The housing 31 has a front opening 32 having an entire front opening. The cleaning tank 33 is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 31, and is provided so as to be accessible from the front opening 32 of the housing 31.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the front direction is the direction in which the door body 40 and the cleaning tank 33 are pulled out, and the rear direction is the direction in which the cleaning tank 33 is stored and the door body 40 is closed. .. Further, the installation side of the dishwasher is on the lower side, the opposite side is on the upper side, and the right side is the right side and the left side is the left side when facing the front of the door body 40.

The housing 31 includes slide rails 31a erected in a substantially horizontal direction (including the horizontal direction) on the inner surface sides of the left and right side surfaces. The cleaning tank 33 includes slide rails 34 erected in a substantially horizontal direction (including the horizontal direction) on the outer surface sides of the left and right side surfaces. The cleaning tank 33 is supported by the slide rail 31a of the housing 31 via the slide rail 34, and moves along the slide rail 31a. The washing tank 33 has an upper surface opening 35 in which the entire upper surface is opened. Then, the tableware 36 or the like to be washed is housed in the tableware basket 47 arranged in the washing tank 33 via the upper surface opening 35.

An inner lid 37, a parallel link mechanism 38, a seal portion 39, and the like are arranged on the upper portion of the housing 31. The inner lid 37 closes the upper surface opening 35 of the washing tank 33. The parallel link mechanism 38 supports the inner lid 37. The parallel link mechanism 38 is composed of, for example, a pair of left and right and two sets in the front and rear, and drives the inner lid 37 in the vertical direction. The seal portion 39 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower surface of the inner lid 37. The sealing portion 39 seals the upper surface opening 35 of the cleaning tank 33 when the inner lid 37 is lowered. Further, the parallel link mechanism 38 lifts the inner lid 37 when the cleaning tank 33 is pulled out from the housing 31. As a result, the inner lid 37 and the seal portion 39 are configured so as not to interfere with the movement of the cleaning tank 33.

The cleaning tank 33 is provided with a door body 40 at the front portion. The door body 40 includes a front panel provided on the front surface of the cleaning tank 33 (referred to as an operation panel 41 in this embodiment), and a decorative plate 42 attached to the operation panel 41. The decorative plate 42 covers the entire front opening 32 of the housing 31 when the cleaning tank 33 is housed in the housing 31. The veneer 42 is made of the same material, the same color, and the same design as the veneer, which is a door such as a drawer of the system kitchen K. Further, a handle 43 is attached to the decorative plate 42. The handle 43 constitutes a handle portion used when the user pulls out the washing tank 33. The same handle as the system kitchen K is attached to the handle 43. As a result, the entire system kitchen K is composed of a unified design.

Further, depending on the system kitchen K, there is also a system kitchen K having a design in which the handle 43 is not provided on the front surface of the door body 40 and only the decorative plate 42 is provided. In the case of this configuration, the cleaning tank 33 including the door body 40 is automatically pulled out via, for example, a drive device. At this time, for example, the upper portion or the side portion of the decorative plate 42 serves as a handle portion and functions as a handle. Therefore, the dishwasher of the present embodiment does not distinguish between a manual operation and an automatic operation in the drawer operation of the washing tank 33.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 33 and the slide rail 34 are exemplified as a support mechanism supported by the housing 31 in a state where the door body 40 can be moved back and forth.

The control unit 44 is arranged on the back surface of the operation panel 41. The control unit 44 executes the washing operation while controlling all the operations of the dishwasher. The washing operation includes a washing step, a rinsing step, a drying step, and the like. The washing step is a step of removing stains on the tableware 36 and the like by using a detergent or the like. The rinsing step is a step of removing detergent and the like adhering to the tableware 36 and the like. The drying step is a step of drying the washed tableware 36 and the like.

Further, the control unit 44 includes a plurality of printed circuit boards. On one of the printed circuit boards 44a (see FIG. 4), a sensor exemplified by an acceleration sensor 45 or the like is arranged. The acceleration sensor 45 is firmly soldered to the printed circuit board 44a. As a result, the printed circuit board 44a is integrated with the acceleration sensor 45, and the function of detecting the transmitted vibration can be regarded as substantially the same as the acceleration sensor 45.

The acceleration sensor 45 detects the magnitude of the substantial acceleration of the dishwasher in the three-axis directions of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. In the dishwasher, the X-axis corresponds to the front-rear direction, the Y-axis corresponds to the left-right direction, and the Z-axis corresponds to the up-down direction. The acceleration sensor 45 detects various directions and magnitudes of acceleration generated in the dishwasher. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 45 detects the direction and magnitude of acceleration generated by the movement of the door body 40 and the cleaning tank 33 in the front-rear direction (X-axis). Further, the acceleration sensor 45 detects the direction and magnitude of the acceleration due to the vibration applied to the door body 40. Therefore, it is desirable that the printed circuit board 44a is securely attached to the operation panel 41 so that the mounting orientation and the mechanical strength do not deteriorate. As a result, the acceleration sensor 45 mounted on the printed circuit board 44a can more reliably and accurately detect the acceleration applied to the dishwasher.

That is, the control unit 44 controls the operation of the dishwasher based on the signal regarding the direction and magnitude of the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 45 and the states of the door body 40 and the washing tank 33 (for example, opening / closing operation). ..

The actual acceleration is a variation depending on the mounting angle error, the tilt angle error of the installation, and the degree in the state where the printed circuit board 44a to which the acceleration sensor 45 is mounted is fixed at a predetermined position in the three-axis direction. Means acceptable. At this time, the substantial acceleration includes a case where a predetermined angle is set in advance and a predetermined angle is corrected when the printed circuit board 44a is fixed. However, the vertical and horizontal accelerations can be corrected by detecting the deviation from gravity.

Further, the control unit 44 can detect the deviation between the gravity and the acceleration in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, when installing the dishwasher, the control unit 44 can be used as a spirit level, as will be described later.

The dishwasher of the present embodiment is configured so that the user can operate the dishwasher by applying vibration to the door body 40, the washing tank 33, and the like. Specifically, there are the following methods as a method of applying vibration.

For example, there is a method in which the user taps the door body 40 with his / her hand like knocking, or taps the door body 40 with his / her fingertip to apply vibration. There is also a method of applying vibration by tapping the door body 40 with an object held by the user. Further, when the user's hand is wet or cannot be used because he / she holds something, there is also a method in which the user pokes the door body 40 with an elbow or a knee to apply vibration. In short, the method is not particularly limited as long as the predetermined vibration applied to the door body 40 or the like is transmitted to the acceleration sensor 45 and can be detected. In many cases, vibration is applied to the door body 40 by a method of generating sound. Therefore, in the following description, a configuration in which the door body 40 is knocked to give vibration to operate the dishwasher will be described as an example.

Further, the dishwasher of the present embodiment includes a drive device 51 inside the housing 31. The drive device 51 includes a drive motor 52 that constitutes a drive unit, a pinion gear 53, a rack gear 54, and the like. The drive device 51 may be configured by, for example, a method of winding a belt with a pulley, a belt conveyor method, a roller pressed against a cleaning tank 33, or the like. Further, the drive direction may be configured to drive only in the front direction or only in the rear direction. In this case, the non-driving direction is manually driven by, for example, the user.

The drive device 51 moves the door body 40 and the cleaning tank 33 at least in the forward direction or the rearward direction. Specifically, the control unit 44 drives the drive motor 52 of the drive device 51 when a predetermined signal is received from the sensor exemplified by the acceleration sensor 45 or the like or the operation unit 46 or the like. The sensor is not limited to the acceleration sensor 45 as long as it is a sensor that detects changes such as vibration applied to the door body 40 and the like. For example, an electrostatic sensor or the like that detects that the user touches the door body 40 or the like may be used as the sensor. As a result, it is possible to easily give an operation instruction with a simple operation without requiring force.

Hereinafter, the basic control operation of the dishwasher of the present embodiment will be briefly described by taking as an example a configuration for detecting vibration due to knocking (tapping).

First, the washing tank 33 is housed in the housing 31, and the user taps the door body 40, for example, twice, for example, from the front while the dishwasher is stopped. At this time, the acceleration sensor 45 detects the vibration applied in the front-rear direction, which is the same as the pull-out direction of the cleaning tank 33. The acceleration sensor 45 outputs the detected predetermined signal to the control unit 44. As a result, the control unit 44 determines that the door body 40 has been hit by the user.

Then, the control unit 44 controls to drive the drive motor 52 of the drive device 51. As a result, the moving portion including the door body 40, the cleaning tank 33, and the like moves forward and is automatically pulled out from the inside of the housing 31.

The moving portion includes the entire portion driven and moved by the driving portion, but the components of the moving portion differ depending on the form of the dishwasher. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 33 and the door body 40 are mainly exemplified as moving portions. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning space 75 of the cleaning tank 73 may be configured in the housing 71. The inner surface of the door body 74 constitutes the front surface of the cleaning tank 73, but the cleaning space 75 itself does not move. In this configuration, the washing tank 73 is not included in the moving portion, and mainly the door body 74, the lower tableware basket 77, the upper tableware basket 78, and the support mechanism 80 are exemplified as the moving portion.

Further, in the dishwasher of the present embodiment, the operation unit 46 is formed on the upper part of the operation panel 41 and is arranged on the front side of the upper surface opening 35 of the washing tank 33. The operation unit 46 is arranged, for example, on the upper surface of the convex portion protruding from the back surface of the decorative plate 42 of the door body 40 to the inside of the housing 31. As a result, when the cleaning tank 33 is housed in the housing 31, the operating unit 46 is housed so as to be concealed in the housing 31.

The operation unit 46 includes an operation button (not shown) and a display unit (not shown) such as an LED. The operation buttons are set by the user to control each step of the washing operation. The display unit displays the contents set via the operation buttons by the LED.

Further, inside the washing tank 33, a tableware basket 47, a washing nozzle 48, a heater 49, and the like are further arranged. On the other hand, a cleaning pump 50, a drying device (not shown) and the like are arranged on the outside of the cleaning tank 33. The cleaning nozzle 48 is rotatably provided in the cleaning tank 33 below the tableware basket 47. The heater 49 is arranged, for example, in the space between the bottom portion in the cleaning tank 33 and the cleaning nozzle 48. The heater 49 heats the washing water stored in the washing tank 33 in the washing step and the rinsing step of the washing operation. Further, the heater 49 heats the air in the cleaning tank 33 in the drying step of the cleaning operation. These are arranged inside and outside the cleaning tank 33 together with the door body 40 including the decorative plate 42, and move in the front-rear direction integrally with the cleaning tank 33.

The washing pump 50 circulates the washing water. Specifically, the cleaning pump 50 sucks the cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 33 and injects the cleaning water from the cleaning nozzle 48 toward the tableware 36.

That is, the moving portion including the cleaning tank 33 is configured to be movable in and out in the front-rear direction by the drive device 51.

Hereinafter, the fixing of the decorative plate 42 and the fixing of the printed circuit board 44a provided with the acceleration sensor 45 in the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view showing the back surface of the door body 40. In the drawing, the front side is shown in a vertical cross section, and the mounting configuration of the acceleration sensor 45 is shown by a broken line. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the back surface of the operation panel 41, showing how the printed circuit board 44a is fixed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the decorative plate 42.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the door body 40, the decorative plate 42 is fixed to the operation panel 41 constituting the front panel. The front panel has a lower panel 41a under the operation panel 41 and is integrally fixed. Although not shown, the lower portion of the decorative plate 42 is fixed to the lower panel 41a.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel 41 is provided with two locking portions 41b to which the decorative plate 42 is fixed, and three control unit fixing portions 41c to which the printed circuit board 44a having the acceleration sensor 45 is fixed. It will be provided in several places. The printed circuit board 44a is firmly fixed between the two locking portions 41b by using screws 44b on the control portion fixing portion 41c.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the back surface of the decorative plate 42, a decorative plate mounting bracket 42a, which is an engaging portion for fixing the decorative plate 42 to the operation panel 41, is used at two predetermined positions on the left and right by using screws 42b. It is firmly fixed. The decorative plate mounting bracket 42a projects in an L shape on the back surface of the decorative plate 42, and forms a constricted space W with the decorative plate 42.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the decorative plate 42 is lifted and fitted from below so that the locking portion 41b of the operation panel 41 is sandwiched in the narrowed space W of the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a, and is screwed by the lower panel 41a. It is fixed by a stop (not shown). As a result, the decorative plate 42 does not come off, is prevented from rattling, and is firmly fixed. The locking portion 41b of the operation panel 41 and the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a are exemplified as two fixing portions on the left and right of the decorative plate 42.

In this way, the printed circuit board 44a to which the acceleration sensor 45 is fixed is in a state of being fixed between the two fixing portions of the decorative plate 42.

With the above configuration, the vibration due to the knock applied to the decorative plate 42 by the user is reliably transmitted from the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a to the operation panel 41 through the locking portion 41b at the fixing portion of the decorative plate 42, and further, the control unit. It is reliably transmitted to the acceleration sensor 45 fixed to the printed circuit board 44a through the fixing portion 41c. As a result, the acceleration sensor 45 can reliably detect the vibration applied to the decorative plate 42. Then, the control unit 44 can drive the drive device 51 according to the intention of the user.

In the system kitchen K, the place where the dishwasher is installed and the position where the user knocks the decorative plate 42 are various, so it is necessary to detect the vibration from various positions. In the present embodiment, in particular, the acceleration sensor 45 is provided between the vicinity of the two fixed portions on the left and right, which are composed of the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a and the locking portion 41b, but at least the two fixed portions are provided. On the other hand, it may be fixed so as to be located between two vertical lines passing through the respective fixing portions in the front view. As a result, the vibration is easily transmitted to the acceleration sensor 45 from any of the two fixed portions of the decorative plate 42, and the acceleration sensor 45 can detect the vibration more reliably.

In the present embodiment, the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a, which is an engaging portion, is configured to sandwich the locking portion 41b in the narrowed space W, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of another embodiment in the cross section shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the operation panel 41 is formed at a position where the locking portion 41d does not come into contact with the decorative plate 42. With this configuration, when the decorative plate 42 is fitted and the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a engages with the locking portion 41d, the decorative plate 42 and the operation panel 41 are pressed against each other on the contact surface P1, the contact surface P2, and the contact surface P3. Is fixed.

In the above configuration, the sensor detection and the operation of the drive unit by the operation of the user will be described.

Hereinafter, a case where the user drives the drive motor 52 by knocking the door body 40 twice to automatically move the cleaning tank 33 will be described in detail. The reason for setting knock detection to twice will be described later.

In this case, when the user knocks the door body 40 twice, the door body 40 vibrates due to being hit. The vibration is transmitted from the decorative plate 42 to the operation panel 41, and is transmitted to the printed circuit board 44a of the control unit 44 fixed to the operation panel 41. Then, the vibration transmitted to the printed circuit board 44a is detected as an acceleration by the acceleration sensor 45.

That is, when the user knocks on the door body 40 twice, the control unit 44 detects the direction and magnitude of the acceleration from the output signal of the acceleration sensor 45. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 45 detects the magnitude of acceleration in each of the three axis directions of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis.

Then, the control unit 44 determines that, for example, the acceleration X on the X axis is equal to or more than the first threshold value A and the acceleration Y on the Y axis is equal to or less than the second threshold value B with respect to the magnitude of the detected acceleration in the three-axis direction. Moreover, the drive motor 52 is driven only when the acceleration Z on the Z axis is equal to or less than the third threshold value C. That is, only when the above conditions are met, the control unit 44 determines that the door body 40 has been knocked from the front at the user's will. As a result, it is possible to prevent a malfunction when opening and closing the cleaning tank 33, which is not based on the intention of the user.

Therefore, when the acceleration X is less than the first threshold value A, the control unit 44 determines that the vibration is not from the front of the door body 40. Further, even if the acceleration X is equal to or higher than the first threshold value A, if the acceleration Y is equal to or higher than the second threshold value B or the acceleration Z is equal to or higher than the third threshold value C, it is determined that the vibration is not from the front of the door body 40.

However, the dishwasher of the present embodiment is incorporated and used in the system kitchen K as described above. In a system kitchen, it usually has a worktop such as a countertop. Therefore, in preparation for cooking, the action of hitting the worktop is repeated, and a large number of vibrations with various accelerations are generated. Examples of the tapping operation include cutting the food with a kitchen knife, crushing the food with a rubbing tree, and tapping with an instrument to soften the meat. There is also household chores such as placing food and tableware on the worktop.

At this time, as described above, even if the acceleration threshold is set in the three-axis direction detected by the acceleration sensor, the control unit 44 of the dishwasher has two door bodies 40 even if a large number of vibrations are performed three times or more. There is a risk of erroneous detection as vibration of acceleration knocked once. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 44 executes the control of the dishwasher only when two knocks are continuously detected. That is, it is preferable that the control unit 44 cancels the driving operation of the dishwasher when the vibration corresponding to three or more consecutive knocks is detected.

Further, when the vibration from the decorative plate 42 is applied, the signal in the X direction is strongly detected. However, the vibration of hitting the worktop of the system kitchen K has a strong signal in the Z direction. Therefore, when the vibration in the Z direction is stronger than the vibration in the X direction, it is preferable to control that the vibration is not from the decorative plate 42.

As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection in normal housework work, and it is possible to more reliably prevent unintended malfunction of the dishwasher.

Next, when the control unit 44 determines that the user has applied an operation (vibration) for pulling out the cleaning tank 33 due to the detected acceleration, the control unit 44 sounds a buzzer after, for example, 0.4 seconds. As a result, the user is notified of the start of movement of the door body 40 and the cleaning tank 33.

Next, the control unit 44 drives the drive motor 52 in a predetermined direction after the determination, for example, 0.6 seconds later. Then, the drive motor 52 moves the rack gear 54 provided at the lower part of the cleaning tank 33 forward via the pinion gear 53 provided on the motor shaft. As a result, the cleaning tank 33 moves forward from the front opening 32 of the housing 31 and is pulled out while the slide rail 34 of the cleaning tank 33 and the slide rail 31a of the housing 31 slide.

In this embodiment, when the drive motor 52 is driven for about 3.5 seconds, the cleaning tank 33 is adjusted so as to be pulled out most. As a result, the washing tank 33 is pulled out to a position where the upper surface opening 35 is substantially fully opened and stopped.

After that, the user accommodates the tableware 36 from the upper surface opening 35 into the tableware basket 47 in a state where the upper surface opening 35 is fully opened. Then, the user operates the operation unit 46 to set the washing operation of the dishwasher and carry out the washing operation. In the case of the present embodiment, the control unit 44 is configured to be always energized regardless of whether the power switch is on or off. As a result, the control unit 44 is always on standby in a state where it can detect a knock by the user.

In this way, a series of dishwashing operations including the user's operation is completed.

In the present embodiment, the user or the like may unintentionally come into contact with the decorative plate 42 or the handle 43 of the door body 40 during the washing operation of the dishwasher. In this case, it is inconvenient for the control unit 44 to detect an unintended contact with the user and pull out the cleaning tank 33. Therefore, during the operation of the dishwasher, the control unit 44 may be configured not to drive the drive motor 52 by, for example, knocking twice, which is the same as when the dishwasher is stopped. In this case, when the acceleration sensor 45 detects, for example, three or more knocks, it is preferable that the control unit 44 suspends the cleaning operation and pulls out the cleaning tank 33. That is, it is preferable to set the cleaning tank 33 to be pulled out only when the control unit 44 detects the intentional operation of the user. As a result, the control unit 44 can prevent execution of control unintentional by the user. Further, the control unit 44 may have a function such as a so-called child lock. These configurations further improve the safety of the dishwasher.

Further, in the dishwasher of the present embodiment, the control unit 44 has the control unit 44, for example, the acceleration X on the X-axis is equal to or greater than the first threshold value A and the acceleration on the Y-axis with respect to the magnitude of the detected acceleration in the three-axis direction. It is described that the drive motor 52 is driven only when Y is equal to or less than the second threshold value B and the acceleration Z on the Z axis is equal to or less than the third threshold value C. However, it is not limited to this. In particular, the dishwasher is built into the system kitchen K, but is basically installed on the upper surface or floor of a cabinet such as a drawer. That is, the transmission state of the applied vibration changes depending on the strength of the installation surface on which the dishwasher is installed. Therefore, it is preferable to set according to each situation.

In particular, when installed on the upper surface of the cabinet, only the legs of the dishwasher come into contact with the system kitchen K. There is a gap between the system kitchen K and the periphery of the dishwasher. This gap may be closed by a sealing member such as a sponge or a rubber plate on the side surface and the front portion of the upper portion of the housing 31, but the sealing member is flexible and does not transmit vibration. Therefore, the vibration applied to the system kitchen K tends to propagate in the vertical direction. That is, it is the vertical direction that is easily affected by the strength of the installation surface. For this reason, in the setting of the Z-axis corresponding to the vertical direction, instead of the above-mentioned setting that "acceleration Z is equal to or less than the third threshold value C", "acceleration Z of the Z-axis is equal to or greater than the fourth threshold value D". A setting such as "" may be preferable.

Further, in order to accurately detect the vibration applied to the system kitchen K other than the door body 40 of the dishwasher installed on the upper surface of the cabinet, the system kitchen K and the dishwasher can be connected by a rigid member. preferable. In particular, if the left-right and up-down directions are firmly connected at the front portion of the housing 31, the vibrations of the Y-axis in the left-right direction and the Z-axis in the up-down direction can be accurately detected. At this time, it is still preferable that the front-rear direction is flexibly connected so that the X-axis corresponding to the front-rear direction is not affected so much. As a result, the control unit 44 can more accurately distinguish between the vibration applied to the door body 40 and the vibration other than the vibration, and can control the operation of the dishwasher.

As described above, the dishwasher of the present embodiment can be assigned control such as pulling out and pushing in the washing tub 33 by combining the state of the washing tub 33 and the knock by the user. In this case, for the knock detected by the control unit 44, not only the number of knocks but also the strength detection may be combined. This is effective for increasing the types of control controlled by the control unit 44 and realizing various controls.

Further, it is preferable that the combination of the detection and the control operation of the acceleration sensor 45 and the setting of the stop position of the cleaning tank 33 and the like can be set by the user via the operation unit 46 or the like. At this time, a configuration in which the above setting state and the like can be confirmed on the display unit is further preferable. Specifically, at least, the setting of the threshold value regarding the setting that the user can handle, including the sensitivity of the sensor to the vibration applied to the door body 40, or the setting of the operation of the drive motor 52 and the like. Then, the set value can be confirmed by the user via the display unit provided on the operation unit 46. As a result, the user can freely set the number of knocks, the detection level of the knock intensity, and the like, and can easily confirm the set contents. As a result, the usability of the dishwasher is further improved.

As disclosed above, the control unit 44 of the dishwasher of the present embodiment controls the drive device 51 and safely moves the washing tank 33 according to the intention of the user. Therefore, the labor for manually moving the cleaning tank 33 for the user is reduced, and the usability is improved. Further, all the operation units 46 are hidden in the housing 31. As a result, the design of the dishwasher can be easily adapted to the diversifying design of the system kitchen K. As a result, the design of the system kitchen K is unified, and the design is further improved.

Further, the vibration caused by the knock applied to the decorative plate 42 by the user is surely transmitted from the decorative plate mounting bracket 42a to the operation panel 41 through the locking portion 41b at the fixing portion of the decorative plate 42, and further, the control portion fixing portion 41c. It is surely transmitted to the acceleration sensor 45 fixed to the printed circuit board 44a through. As a result, the acceleration sensor 45 can reliably detect the vibration applied to the decorative plate 42. Then, the control unit 44 can drive the drive device 51 according to the intention of the user.

In the dishwasher of the present invention, even if a decorative plate without an operation unit or a handle is attached to improve the design, the washing tub can be easily pulled out and stored, and the washing operation can be performed. Therefore, it is useful as a dishwasher that is built into the system kitchen and is required to have a uniform design.

31 Housing 31a Slide rail 32 Front opening 33 Cleaning tank 34 Slide rail 35 Top opening 36 Tableware 37 Inner lid 38 Parallel link mechanism 39 Seal part 40 Door body 41 Operation panel 41a Lower panel 41b, 41d Locking part 41c Control part Fixed part 42 Decorative board 42a Decorative board mounting bracket (engaging part)
43 Handle 44 Control unit 45 Accelerometer (sensor)
46 Operation part 47 Tableware basket 48 Cleaning nozzle 49 Heater 50 Cleaning pump 51 Drive device 52 Drive motor 53 Pinion gear 54 Rack gear 71 Housing 72 Front opening 73 Cleaning tank 74 Door body 74a Top surface 75 Cleaning space 76 Tableware 77 Lower tableware basket 78 Upper tableware basket 79 Operation part 80 Support mechanism 81 Support member 81a Front end 82 Slide rail 82a Fixed rail 82b, 82c Movable rail 83 Drive device

Claims (4)

A housing with a front opening on the front and
A tableware basket that can be taken in and out of the housing and accommodates tableware,
A moving part including a door body covering the front opening, and
A support mechanism that supports the moving portion on the housing in a state where it can be moved back and forth, and
A drive device having a drive unit that moves the moving unit at least in the forward or backward direction, a sensor that detects vibration applied to the door body, and a sensor.
A control unit that controls the drive device according to the vibration detected by the sensor is provided.
The control unit is a dishwasher that drives the drive device when a predetermined number of vibrations are detected by the sensor. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the control unit cancels the driving operation of the driving device when the sensor detects a vibration more than a predetermined number of times. The dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit does not drive the drive device when the sensor detects vibrations less than a predetermined number of times. The dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor detects vibration due to an operation of knocking or hitting the door body.

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