JP3171529B2 - Dishwasher - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher capable of detecting water leakage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a dishwasher disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-15028 is known as a dishwasher capable of detecting water leakage. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, a concave portion 2a is formed in a bottom plate 2 constituting a bottom portion of a main body 1, and a part of the water detecting device 3 is inserted into the concave portion 2a so that the water detecting device 3 is attached to the bottom plate. 2. Then
The water detecting means 3 detects an abnormal overflow from the cleaning pump 4 or the cleaning tank 5.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, if foreign matter such as dust adheres to the water detecting means 3, the water detecting means 3 may not perform a normal detecting operation, and the water detecting means 3 may not detect the water leak. There was a problem that the reliability of was low.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher capable of improving the reliability of water leak detection.

[0005]

The first means comprises a cleaning tank, an injector provided inside the cleaning tank, a motor provided at a lower portion outside the cleaning tank, and a motor directly connected to the motor. A cooling fan for cooling the motor and being provided at a lower portion outside the cleaning tank and being driven by the motor to supply cleaning water inside the cleaning tank to the injector and ejecting the cleaning water from the injector. A washing pump to be provided, a water receiving member provided below the washing pump, and water detecting means provided in the water receiving member located in a flow path of the wind by the cooling fan. (The invention of claim 1).

The second means is the same as the first means, except that a drain pump is provided below the outside of the washing tank and is driven by a motor to discharge washing water inside the washing tank. It is characterized in that it is provided from the lower part of the washing pump to the lower part of the drain pump (the invention of claim 2).

[0007] The third means is characterized in that in the first means, the water receiving member is formed integrally with the casing of the washing pump (the invention of claim 3).

The fourth means is characterized in that in the first means, the water detecting means is an electrode type (the invention of claim 4).

A fifth means is the fourth means, wherein the water receiving member has an attachment piece attached to a stationary part,
The water detecting means is formed by printing and wiring a conductor as an electrode on a substrate, and the water detecting means is characterized in that the substrate of the water detecting means is mounted on the mounting piece (the invention of claim 5).

[0010]

In the first means, since the water receiving member is provided below the cleaning pump, water leaked from the cleaning pump is received by the water receiving member. Then, the water is detected by the water detecting means provided in the water receiving member, that is, water leakage from the cleaning pump is detected. Although there is a concern that foreign matter such as dust adheres to the water detecting means, during the cleaning operation in which the motor is driven,
When the cooling fan is rotated, a part of the wind hits the water detecting means, and foreign matter such as dust is removed. As a result, the water detection means always performs a normal detection operation,
The reliability of water leak detection can be improved. in this case,
Since the cooling fan for cooling the motor is used for removing the foreign matter, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated fan, which can further contribute to simplification of the configuration.

In the second means, since the water receiving member is provided from the lower part of the washing pump to the lower part of the drain pump, it is possible to detect water leakage from the cleaning pump and to detect water leakage from the drain pump. Can also be detected.

In the third means, since the water receiving member is formed integrally with the casing of the washing pump, the number of parts can be reduced and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

In the fourth means, since the water detecting means is an electrode type, it is different from the float type water detecting means.
Responsiveness of water detection is fast, and water leakage can be detected early.

In the fifth means, since the water detecting means is formed by printing and wiring a conductor as an electrode on the substrate, the structure of the water detecting means can be simplified and downsized. Since the substrate of the water detecting means is mounted on the mounting piece of the water receiving member, the mounting piece for mounting the water receiving member can also be used for mounting the water detecting means, thereby simplifying the mounting configuration. Can be.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 2, a main body 11 includes an outer box 12, a base plate 13 attached to a lower portion of the outer box 12, and a bottom plate 14 provided to close an opening on a lower surface of the base plate 13 (see FIG. 1). And is configured. A cleaning tank 15 is provided inside the main body 11. A water reservoir 15a is formed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 15. A door 16 that opens and closes the front of the cleaning tank 15 is provided on the front of the main body 11.

Between the main body 11 and the cleaning tank 15,
A drying unit 17 is provided from the top to the back.
Is provided. The drying unit 17 includes a fan (not shown) inside the duct 18. This duct 18 has an air inlet 18
The outside air sucked from the suction port 18a is supplied into the cleaning tank 15 from a discharge port 18b opened on the back of the cleaning tank 15. The air supplied into the cleaning tank 15 is supplied to a ventilation port 19 of a discharge duct 19 provided at an upper portion between the main body 11 and the cleaning tank 15.
a through the discharge duct 19 and is discharged from the exhaust port 19b of the discharge duct 19. In this case, a heater (not shown) is provided inside the cleaning tank 15,
The tableware is dried by the heat of the heater and the circulation of the above-mentioned suction.

The cleaning tank 15 is provided with cleaning arms 20 and 21 serving as sprays inside the cleaning tank 15. Cleaning water in the cleaning tank 15 is supplied to the cleaning arms 20 and 21 by the cleaning pump 22 shown in FIG. 1, and the injection holes 20 a and 21 of the cleaning arms 20 and 21 are provided.
a. In this case, the cleaning arms 20, 21 rotate by the injection reaction force.

On the other hand, a motor base 23 is attached to a lower part of the outside of the washing tank 15 in a state of being slightly above the bottom plate 14. As shown in FIG. 1, a mechanism unit 24 as a mechanism is attached to the motor base 23. The mechanism unit 24 includes a double-shaft motor 25,
A cleaning pump 26 and a cooling fan 2 for air-cooling the motor 25
7, a drain pump 28, a clutch 29 and the like. That is, the sleeve 29a of the clutch 29 is attached to one end (the left end in FIG. 1) of the rotating shaft 25a of the motor 25 so as to rotate integrally, and the cooling fan 27 is attached to the sleeve 29a. .

The cleaning pump 26 has a rotating shaft 2
The impeller 26b is attached to the casing 6a so as to rotate integrally therewith, and the rotating shaft 26a is inserted through the seal member 26d of the casing 26c. The rotating shaft 26a is inserted into the sleeve 29a of the clutch 29, the casing 26c has its suction port 26e communicating with the water reservoir 15a of the cleaning tank 15, and the discharge port 26g connects to the cleaning arms 20 and 21. Communicating. Further, a wind guide portion 26f extending toward the cooling fan 27 is formed in the casing 26c.

The drain pump 28 is provided at the other end (the left end in FIG. 1) of the rotating shaft 25a of the motor 25.
a so as to rotate integrally, and the casing 2
8b is attached to the motor 25. The casing 28b and the other end of the rotating shaft 25a of the motor 25 are sealed by a seal member 30.

The clutch 29 comprises a one-way clutch. When the motor 25 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction, the clutch 29 cooperates to rotate the impeller 26b of the cleaning pump 26 integrally via the clutch 29. At the same time, the impeller 28a of the drain pump 28 is rotated. In this case, the cleaning pump 26 supplies the cleaning water inside the cleaning tank 15 to the cleaning arms 20 and 21 and jets the cleaning water from the cleaning arms 20 and 21.
8 does not generate a pump pressure in the rotating direction at this time, and has no drainage action. When the motor 25 is driven to rotate in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, the clutch 29 is disengaged and the impeller 26b of the cleaning pump 26 is not rotated, but the impeller 28a of the drain pump 28 is rotated, and the drain pump is rotated. 28
Generates a pump pressure in the rotation direction at this time, and has a drainage action. Further, when the motor 25 is rotated, the cooling fan 27 is also rotated, so that wind is generated and the motor 25 is air-cooled as shown by an arrow in FIG.

A water receiving tray 31, which is a water receiving member, is attached to the motor base 23 so as to extend from a lower portion of the washing pump 26 to a lower portion of the drainage pump 28. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a mounting piece 32 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is formed on a peripheral wall 31a of the water receiving tray 31, and the upper plate 32a of the mounting piece 32 is a stationary part. It is attached to the motor base 23 by screwing.

On the inner bottom surface of the water receiving pan 31, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a portion (in this case, the motor 2
A water sensor 33 as a water detecting means is attached to the lower part of (5) by an attachment. The water sensor 33 is
It is an electrode type, that is, cylindrical electrodes 36, 36 are fitted into and fixed to concave portions 35a, 35a of the open bottom surface formed on a synthetic resin base 35, and lead wires 37 ( (Only one of them is shown).

On the other hand, the attachment 34 is made of, for example, a metal plate, and has an engaging portion 34a at a distal end thereof and an attachment flange 34b at a proximal end thereof. The attachment 34 is screwed to the water receiving tray 31 at the attachment flange 34b so as to press the water sensor 33 from above while the engagement portion 34a is engaged with the end of the water sensor 33. ing. An electric insulating sheet 38 is attached to a portion of the inner bottom surface of the water receiving tray 31 facing the water sensor 33.

The water sensor 33 detects the presence or absence of water based on the resistance value between the electrodes 36, 36. When the electrodes 36, 36 become conductive, the resistance value decreases. To detect the presence of water. When water is detected by the water sensor 33, the operation is stopped and a buzzer (not shown) is notified.

In the present embodiment having the above-described structure, if water leaks due to wear or the like in the seal member 26d of the cleaning pump 26, the water is discharged from the water receiving tray 31 below the cleaning pump 26. The water is received by the water receiving tray 31. The received water is detected by the water sensor 33, and as described above, the operation is stopped and the buzzer (not shown) is notified. In this case, according to the present embodiment, since the water receiving tray 31 is provided so as to extend from the lower part of the cleaning pump 26 to the lower part of the drain pump 28, water leakage due to wear or the like of the seal member 30 of the drain pump 28 is prevented. 33. Further, according to the present embodiment, in particular, since the water sensor 33 is of an electrode type, unlike water sensors of the float type, the responsiveness of water detection is quick, and water leakage can be detected at an early stage.

There is a concern that foreign matter such as dust may adhere to the water sensor 33. In this case, there is a possibility that the water sensor 33 may have a detection failure. However, in the present embodiment, during the cleaning operation or the draining operation in which the motor 25 is driven, the cooling fan 27 is rotated so that the wind hits the portion of the water sensor 33 located in the flow path of the wind, causing dust or the like to flow. Foreign matter is removed. As a result, the water sensor 3
3 always performs a normal detection operation, and the reliability of water leak detection can be improved. In this case, since the cooling fan 27 for cooling the motor 25 is used for removing the foreign matter, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated fan, which can further contribute to simplification of the configuration.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, a water receiving plate 41 serving as a water receiving member is formed integrally with the wind guide portion 26f of the casing 26c of the cleaning pump 26, and a water sensor 42 serving as water detecting means similar to that of the first embodiment is provided on the water receiving plate 41. 27 so as to be located in the flow path of the wind. In this embodiment, the water receiving tray 41 is connected to the casing 26 c of the cleaning pump 26.
Since it is integrally formed, the number of parts can be reduced and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, the water sensor 51 serving as a water detecting means
A conductor 53 is formed on a substrate 52 by printed wiring. The substrate 52 is attached to the rising portion 32b of the attachment piece 32 of the water receiving tray 31 by, for example, screwing.

In the third embodiment, the water sensor 5
1 is formed by printing and wiring the conductors 53 on the substrate 52, so that the configuration of the water sensor 51 can be simplified and downsized. The substrate 52 of the water sensor 51
Is attached to the mounting piece 32 of the water receiving tray 31, the mounting piece 32 for mounting the water receiving tray 31 can also be used for mounting the water sensor 51, and the mounting configuration can be simplified.

[0031]

As apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the water receiving member is provided below the cleaning pump, and the water detecting means is provided in the water receiving member. Since the water detecting means is provided in the flow path of the wind by the cooling fan, even if foreign matter such as dust adheres to the water detecting means, it can be removed by the cooling fan. Can be normally detected, and a cooling fan for cooling the motor is used for removing the foreign matter, so that a dedicated fan is not required, which contributes to simplification of the configuration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the water receiving member is provided from the lower part of the cleaning pump to the lower part of the drain pump, it is possible to detect water leakage from the cleaning pump and to detect water leakage from the drain pump. Leaks can also be detected. According to the third aspect of the invention, since the water receiving member is formed integrally with the casing of the cleaning pump, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and contribute to the reduction in the number of assembling steps. Claim 4
According to the invention, since the water detecting means is an electrode type, the response of water detection is fast and the water leak can be detected early, unlike the float type water detecting means. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the water detecting means is constituted by printing and wiring a conductor as an electrode on the substrate, the structure of the water detecting means can be simplified and downsized, and the water detecting means can be reduced. Since the substrate is mounted on the mounting piece of the water receiving member, the mounting piece for mounting the water receiving member can be used for mounting the water detecting means, and the mounting configuration can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a main part showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dishwasher;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a motor and a water receiving pan.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of a water sensor portion.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view of a water sensor portion.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a water tray and a water sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a dishwasher showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 is a main body, 13 is a base plate, 15 is a cleaning tank, 15a is a water storage unit, 17 is a drying unit, 20 and 21 are cleaning arms (ejection bodies), 23 is a motor base, 24 is a mechanism unit, 25 is a motor, 26 Is a washing pump, 26b is an impeller, 26
c is a casing, 26d is a sealing member, 26f is a wind guide, 27 is a cooling fan, 28 is a drain pump, 29 is a clutch, 30 is a sealing member, 31 is a water receiving tray (water receiving member),
32 is a mounting piece, 33 is a water sensor (water detection means), 35
Is a base, 36 is an electrode, 38 is an electric insulating sheet, 41 is a water receiving tray (water receiving member), 42 is a water sensor (water detecting means),
Reference numeral 51 denotes a water receiving tray (water receiving member), 52 denotes a substrate, and 53 denotes a conductor.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-3849 (JP, A) JP-A-5-245094 (JP, A) JP-A-4-15029 (JP, A) , U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47L 15/00-15/42

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning tank, an injector provided inside the cleaning tank, a motor provided at a lower portion outside the cleaning tank, and a cooling fan directly connected to the motor to cool the motor. A cleaning pump provided at a lower portion outside the cleaning tank and driven by the motor to supply cleaning water inside the cleaning tank to the jetting body and jet the water from the jetting body; A dishwasher comprising: a water receiving member provided in a section; and a water detection means provided in the water receiving member located in a flow path of wind by the cooling fan. 2. A drain pump, which is driven by a motor and discharges cleaning water inside the cleaning tank, is provided at a lower portion of the outside of the cleaning tank. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the dishwasher is provided over a lower portion of the dishwasher. 3. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the water receiving member is formed integrally with a casing of the washing pump. 4. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the water detecting means is an electrode type. 5. The water receiving member is provided with a mounting piece that is mounted on a stationary part, and the water detecting means is configured by printing and wiring a conductor as an electrode on a substrate. The dishwasher according to claim 4, wherein the dishwasher is attached to the attachment piece.