JP3195763B2 - 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 cleaning step of cleaning an object to be cleaned in a cleaning tank, a rinsing step of rinsing the object to be cleaned with rinsing water, and a drying step of drying the object to be cleaned. Control means for controlling the operation to be executed, heating means for heating the rinse water by hot water heated and supplied by a heat source device, and a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the rinse water, The control means controls the operation of the heating means to heat the rinse water in the rinsing step, and based on the detection information of the temperature detection means, when the temperature of the rinse water reaches the upper limit set temperature. And a dishwasher configured to end the rinsing step and shift to the drying step.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a dishwasher having the above structure, when a rinsing step is performed after washing, the rinse water is heated to make it easy to evaporate, and the object to be cleaned in a subsequent drying step is cleaned. The drying process is performed as efficiently as possible, and as a heating means for heating the rinsing water, heating is performed using hot water supplied by being heated by a heat source device, such as an electric heater. The rinsing water can be heated while avoiding disadvantages such as the ambient temperature becoming too high.

In the above-described dishwasher, conventionally, in the above-described rinsing step with hot water, the temperature of the rinsing water reaches an upper limit set temperature or is set in advance after rinsing with hot water is started. The heating by the heating means is executed until the set time elapses. The set time was set to be long enough to allow the temperature of the rinsing water to rise to the upper limit set temperature even when the outside air temperature was extremely low.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the heating means is configured to heat the rinsing water by the hot water supplied by being heated by the heat source device. There is a possibility that it may occur, and there is still room for improvement.

[0005] As the heat source unit, it is common to employ a unit configured to supply hot water to a plurality of terminal devices in an intermittent manner. When such a heat source device is used, for example, when a plurality of terminal devices are operated at the same time, if the total amount of heat required of each terminal device exceeds the amount of heat that can be supplied by the heat source device, a plurality of terminals may be used. The temperature of the hot water supplied to the heating means as one of the devices becomes lower than the target temperature, and the temperature of the rinse water cannot reach the upper limit set temperature. Further, when the heat source device is configured to supply hot water to a plurality of terminal devices by, for example, a heat exchanger heated by combustion of a burner, only a heating means for heating the rinse water among a plurality of terminal devices. When the temperature of the rinsing water rises during operation, the required combustion amount of the heating means (heat load of the terminal equipment) decreases as the temperature of the rinsing water increases, and the heat load falls below the minimum operation capacity of the heat source unit. There is. Then, the heat source unit is in an operation stop state (a burner combustion stop state), and the temperature of the rinse water cannot reach the upper limit set temperature.

[0006] In this case, the temperature of the rinsing water cannot reach the upper limit set temperature, and the rinsing process may be continued until the set time elapses, resulting in a disadvantage that processing time is unnecessarily long. is there. In addition, since the temperature of the rinsing water continues until the set time elapses without rising to the upper limit set temperature, at the end of the rinsing step with hot water, for example, when the heat source unit is in an operation stop state, However, there is a possibility that the temperature rise is not sufficient, and there is a disadvantage that the drying efficiency in the subsequent drying step is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher having the above structure.
Even if the heating capacity of the heat source unit fluctuates, it is possible to suppress the processing time of the rinsing step from becoming unnecessarily long and to suppress the decrease in the drying efficiency in the drying step as much as possible. The point is to provide a washing machine.

[0008]

According to the first feature of the present invention, the control means controls the operation of the heating means to heat the rinsing water in the rinsing step. The heating means heats the rinsing water with the warm water supplied by being heated by the heat source device. Then, in the rinsing step, after the heating of the rinsing water by the heating means is started in the rinsing step, even if the detected value of the temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the rinsing water is lower than the upper limit set temperature, the temperature rises. When the peak is detected, control is performed so that the rinsing process is completed and the process proceeds to the drying process.

Therefore, when the heating operation by the heating means is properly performed in the rinsing step, and the detection value of the temperature detecting means rises to the upper limit set temperature, the rinsing step is terminated at that time and the process shifts to the drying step. That is, for example, the heating capability of the heating means in the heat source device is reduced by some factor, even when the temperature of the rinsing water does not rise to the upper limit set temperature, when the peak of the temperature rise is detected, Therefore, the rinsing process is terminated and the process shifts to the drying process.

As a result, even if the heating capability of the heating means is reduced and the rinsing water cannot be raised to the upper limit set temperature, a peak of the rinsing water heating temperature due to the heating capability at that time is detected. By shifting to the next drying step immediately at the time when the drying step is performed, the disadvantage that the processing time of the rinsing step is unnecessarily long while suppressing the decrease in the drying efficiency in the drying step is minimized. Can be avoided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the control unit may be configured to, in the rinsing step, start the heating of the rinsing water by the heating unit, and then change the detection value of the temperature detecting unit to the upper limit set temperature. It is configured to be higher than the lower set temperature, and to detect the peak of the temperature rise by continuing for more than the set time in a state where the detection value does not change, to terminate the rinsing step and shift to the drying step. I have.

That is, when the detected value of the temperature detecting means has risen to the set temperature or higher but has continued for the set time or longer without any change in the detected value, the limit of the heating capability of the heat source device with respect to the heating means is reached. Has reached the upper limit set temperature, it is determined that the temperature at that time is the peak of the temperature of the rinsing water, and the rinsing process is terminated and the process proceeds to the drying process. is there.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, in the rinsing step, after the heating means starts heating the rinsing water in the rinsing step, the detection value of the temperature detecting means sets the upper limit. When the temperature rise is equal to or higher than the set temperature lower than the temperature and the peak value of the temperature rise is detected due to the start of the decrease in the detected value, the rinsing process is terminated and the process shifts to the drying process.

That is, although the detected value of the temperature detecting means has risen to a temperature equal to or higher than the set temperature, if the detected value starts to decrease without increasing to the upper limit set temperature, the amount of heat supplied to the heating means by the heat source unit is reduced. The temperature is lowered, and it is determined that the temperature at this time is the peak of the temperature of the rinsing water, and the rinsing process is completed and the process proceeds to the drying process.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the heating means heats the cleaning water for cleaning the object to be cleaned in the cleaning step, and heats the internal space of the cleaning tank in the drying step. Is configured.

That is, since the heating means is used not only for heating the rinsing water but also for heating the washing water and heating the internal space in the drying step, these heating means are separately provided. Compared with the case of the above, the structure can be simplified, and since the heating is performed by hot water, the temperature does not become excessively high, for example, in a drying step.

According to the characteristic configuration of the fifth aspect, the heat source unit is configured by a water heater that supplies hot water to another place different from the heating means. In other words, the rinsing water can be heated by utilizing the heating capacity of a generally-used water heater, and compared with a device having a dedicated heat source device,
It can be done at low cost.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a dishwasher according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 2 and 3 show a dishwasher according to the present invention. In this dishwasher, a substantially rectangular box-shaped main body case 1 having an open front is provided with a door 2 which can swing open and close around a horizontal axis at a lower end. A finishing agent feeder 4 for feeding and a detergent feeding device 5 for automatically feeding a detergent are provided. A washing tank 3 for washing an object to be washed such as tableware is provided inside the main body case 1. The washing tank 3 has a front surface that is widely opened as an entrance D for the object to be washed, and a door. When the door 2 is closed, the cleaning tank 3 is hermetically closed by the inner surface of the door 2.

A support rail 6 is provided in a closed washing space (inner space of the washing tank) K formed by the washing tank 3, and is detachably slid on the support rail 6 as shown in FIG. Freely supported upper and lower two net baskets 7a,
A lower ejection nozzle 8 provided below the lower net basket 7a in a state in which items to be washed such as tableware are stored inside 7b.
a, washing from the large number of ejection holes 9 formed in each of the middle ejection nozzle 8b provided below the upper mesh basket 7b and the upper ejection nozzle 8c provided above the upper mesh basket 7b. The cleaning target is washed by ejecting water.

In this dishwasher, a water supply path 10 for supplying the washing water to the washing tank 3, a discharge path 11 for discharging the washing water in the washing tank 3 to the outside, and stored in the washing tank 3. Each of the transport paths 12 for transporting the cleaning water to each of the cleaning nozzles 8a, 8b, 8c is provided in a state of being connected to the cleaning tank 3. The water supply passage 10 is connected to the inside of the washing tank 3 so as to be open at the vicinity of a vertical intermediate position of the washing tank 3, and in the middle thereof, a manual opening / closing valve 13 which is set to be open during operation. And an electromagnetic water supply valve 14. When both the manual on-off valve 13 and the water supply valve 14 are opened, water is supplied into the washing tank 3 by the water supply pressure of a water supply source such as a water supply. The discharge passage 11 sucks washing water from an opening 16 formed at the bottom of the washing tank 3 by a drain pump 15 provided at an intermediate portion thereof, and also has a reverse flow provided at a lateral side of the washing tank 3. The cleaning water is discharged from the discharge portion 11b to the outside after passing through the vertical path portion 11a for prevention.

A water level sensor 17 is provided for detecting whether or not the water level stored in the cleaning tank 3 when the water is supplied into the cleaning tank 3 has reached a set water level. When the water supply is detected, the water supply valve 14 is closed, and the water supply is automatically stopped.

The transport path 12 is provided with a suction transport path portion 12a for sucking cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 3 from the opening 16 by the operation of a circulation pump 18 provided in the middle thereof. The first transport path portion 12b forcibly transporting the cleaning water from the lower side of the circulation pump 18 toward the lower ejection nozzle 8a, and the cleaning water forcibly from the lower side of the circulation pump 18 toward the upper ejection nozzle 8c. And a second transport path portion 12c to be transported.

The lower ejection nozzle 8a is rotatably supported around the longitudinal axis at the middle portion in the longitudinal direction with respect to the bottom surface of the washing tank 3. The middle ejection nozzle 8b is provided with a mesh basket 7b. In contrast, it is configured to be rotatable around the vertical axis. In addition, each ejection nozzle 8a, 8b, 8
c, the respective ejection holes 9 are configured so as to eject cleaning water obliquely upward in opposite directions, and the lower ejection nozzle 8
a and the middle ejection nozzle 8b are configured so that the ejection nozzle itself rotates at a low speed around the longitudinal axis due to the reaction of the ejection power of the washing water, and the washing water is blown to every corner with respect to the object to be washed. They are attached and are effectively cleaned. The upper ejection nozzle 8c is configured to eject the washing water in a fixed state with respect to the washing tank 3, and the washing water ejected from the upper ejection nozzle 8c is supplied to the middle ejection nozzle 8b with a water supply unit 8b _1. It is configured to be supplied by
Therefore, the cleaning means S is constituted by the transport path 12, the circulation pump 18, and the ejection nozzles 8a, 8b, 8c.

At the bottom of the washing tank 3, a heater 19 is provided as heating means for heating the washing water supplied to the washing tank 3 in the washing step. The heater 19 functions as a heating means for heating the rinsing water in the warm water rinsing step after the cleaning step, and heats the air in the cleaning tank 3 to dry the object to be cleaned in the subsequent drying step. Will also function as a heating drying means. The heater 19 is a gas-fired external heat source unit 2.
A hot water heater 19 for heating and drying by supplying hot water heated by 0 through a hot water supply path 21
It is composed of Further, on the side surface of the cleaning tank 3, a blower fan 28 for ventilating outside air into the cleaning tank is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hot water heater 19 is disposed in a bent state over a wide area at the bottom of the cleaning tank 3, and is formed of a pipe through which hot water can flow. As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supplied from the heat source device 20 through the hot water supply path 21 is configured to be adjustable in flow rate by a hot water valve 24. 20. The hot water supplied from the heat source device 20 is configured to be constant at a temperature of about 80 ° C. The heat source device 20 is configured by a hot water heater for supplying hot water to a general hot water tap or another terminal device such as a hot water heater, and a hot gas heater (not shown). The heat exchanger is heated to heat the supplied water and supply hot water in the heat exchanger, and to heat the water in the circulation path flowing through the hot water heater 19 and another terminal device. Have been.

When the cleaning water is supplied into the cleaning tank 3, the cleaning tank 3 functions as temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cleaning water. Temperature sensor 26 for detecting the inside temperature, and a door switch 27 for detecting whether or not the door 2 is closed.
Is provided.

A control unit 29 using a microcomputer as control means for controlling the operation of each unit as described above.
And an operation unit 30 for instructing the control device 29 with control information. The operation unit 30 is provided on the upper outer surface side of the door 2 and includes a power switch 31 for instructing power on / off, a start switch 32 for instructing start of a cleaning operation, a time setting switch 34 for changing and setting an operation time, and the like. .

Next, the control operation of the control device 29 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Prior to starting the cleaning operation, the door 2 is manually opened, and tableware or the like as an object to be cleaned is placed in the cleaning tank 3 in the net basket 7a.
7b. Then, when the door 2 is closed, the door switch 27 is turned on and the operation is set (step 1). Thereafter, when the power switch 31 is turned on and the start switch 32 is turned on,
The operation is started (steps 2 and 3). First, cleaning tank 3
If water is accumulated in the inside, the water is discharged (step 4). That is, when the water pump 13 is operated and the water level sensor 17 is turned off, the water pump 15 stops. Thereafter, each of the cleaning step, the rinsing step, and the drying step is sequentially performed (Steps 5, 6, and 7).

Next, the cleaning step will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, cleaning water is supplied into the cleaning tank 3 (step 8). At this time, the detergent is supplied from the detergent dispenser 5, the water supply valve 14 is opened, the water level sensor 17 is turned on, and when it is detected that the set water level has been reached, the water supply valve 14 is closed and the set amount of water is reduced. Wash water is supplied. After water is supplied, the circulation pump 18 is operated, and the hot water
The hot water of ° C is passed (steps 9 and 10). When it is detected that the detection value of the temperature sensor 26, that is, the temperature Tx of the washing water has become equal to or higher than the first set temperature Ts1 (about 41 ° C.), the hot water supply to the hot water heater 19 is stopped there ( Steps 11 and 12). Then, when about 11 minutes have passed since the start of the cleaning step, hot water supply to the hot water heater 19 is started again to restart the heating of the cleaning water (step 13,
14). Then, the temperature Tx of the washing water becomes the second set temperature Ts2.
(About 56 ° C.) or more, the hot water heater 19 is stopped (steps 15 and 1).
6). When about 18 minutes have passed since the start of the cleaning step, the operation of the circulation pump 18 was stopped, and
The cleaning water is discharged to complete the cleaning process (Step 1).
7, 18, 19).

In such a cleaning step, the ejection holes 9
The cleaning water sprayed from the nozzles comes into contact with the hot water heater 19 and is efficiently heated, and the cleaning is performed with the hot water. Further, as described above, the lower and middle ejection nozzles 8a,
Numeral 8b rotates around the longitudinal axis with the jetting power of the washing water, so that every corner of the object to be washed is reliably washed.

Next, the rinsing step will be described. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, after water is supplied into the cleaning tank, the circulating pump 18 is operated for a set time (about 1 minute) to perform rinsing, and thereafter, the operation of discharging the cleaning water is repeated three times. (Steps 20 to 24). The number of times of rinsing is not limited to three.

When such a rinsing operation is completed and the fourth rinsing operation is performed, the above-described water supply operation is performed, then the hot water is passed through the heater 19, and the operation of the circulation pump 16 is started. A rinse with hot water is performed (step 2
5-27). In this hot water rinsing, basically, the detection value Tx (temperature of the rinsing water) of the temperature sensor 26 rises to the upper limit set temperature Ts3 (about 68 ° C.), or a preset rinsing set time. (About 18 minutes), the rinsing step is terminated.
Even if the temperature of the rinsing water cannot be raised to the upper limit set temperature Ts3 due to factors such as unstable supply of hot water from 0, the hot water rinsing is terminated at the highest temperature and the next The drying process in the drying step can be performed efficiently.

That is, if the detected value Tx rises to the upper limit set temperature Ts3 before the rinsing set time (about 18 minutes) elapses, the hot water supply to the hot water heater 19 is stopped and 1
After the operation is continued for a minute, the operation of the circulation pump 18 is stopped, the rinsing water is discharged, the rinsing step is completed, and the process shifts to the drying step (steps 28 to 32). FIG. 10 shows a change in the detection value Tx of the temperature sensor 26 in the hot water rinsing step. The detection value Tx of the temperature sensor 26 at this time
Will detect the temperature of the rinse water. Detection value Tx
Does not rise to the upper limit set temperature Ts3, and when the set time elapses, the detected value Tx at that time becomes the fourth set value.
When the temperature is higher than the set temperature Ts4 (about 62 ° C.) and the extension time is not set, the hot water heater 19 is stopped and the operation of the circulation pump 18 is stopped.
The rinsing water is discharged, and the rinsing process is completed and the process proceeds to the drying process (steps 34, 36, 42, 43, 4).
4).

If the detected value Tx does not rise to the upper limit set temperature Ts3 and the detected value Tx at the time when the rinsing set time has elapsed is equal to or lower than the fourth set temperature Ts4, an extended time (for example, about 20 (Minutes) (steps 33, 34, 35). Even if it is determined in step 36 that the extension time has been set, whether the extension time has elapsed, or if the extension time has not elapsed, the detection value Tx is not changed to the fourth set temperature Ts4. If this is the case, the rinsing process is terminated and the process proceeds to the drying process (steps 36, 37, 38, 42, 43, 44).

The detected value Tx is equal to the upper limit set temperature T.
Even when the temperature does not rise to s3 and the rinsing set time has not elapsed, the fifth set temperature Ts5 (about 65 ° C.) set to a temperature lower than the upper limit set temperature Ts3.
When the above is detected, the detected value Tx does not substantially change for about 30 seconds thereafter (see the imaginary line L1 in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11A), or is equal to or higher than the fifth set temperature Ts5. Is detected, the detection value T
x has started to fall [the imaginary line L2 in FIG. 10, FIG.
(B) is detected, the rinsing process is terminated and the process proceeds to the drying process (steps 39, 40, 41, 42,
43, 44). When a temperature change as shown in FIG. 11 is shown, it is determined that the hot water heating capacity of the heat source device 20 with respect to the hot water heater 19 has been reduced due to some factor.
By terminating the rinsing process at the timing when it can be determined that the temperature of the rinsing is the peak, and proceeding to the next drying process, it is possible to prevent the drying efficiency from being lowered.

Next, the drying step will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, first, the hot water is passed through the hot water heater 19 to heat the air in the cleaning tank 3, and the blowing fan 28 is operated to perform the heating and blowing drying for a third set time (about 10 minutes). The process is executed until the time has elapsed (steps 45, 46, 47). Then, when the third set time elapses, the hot water supply to the hot water heater 19 is stopped, and the blast drying only by the blowing of the blower fan 28 is performed until the fourth set time (about 20 minutes) elapses (step). 47, 48, 49). When the fourth set time has elapsed, the operation of the blower fan 28 is stopped, and the drying process ends (step 50).

The operation time in each step as described above is not limited to the set time as illustrated, but may be changed as appropriate.

[Other Embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the fifth set temperature Ts5 and the upper limit set temperature Ts3 are used as preset values, respectively.
Instead of such a configuration, a configuration may be adopted in which they can be changed and adjusted freely using an adjustment dial or the like.

(2) In the above embodiment, as an operation for detecting the peak of the temperature rise of the rinsing water, the detection value of the temperature sensor 26 is equal to or higher than the fifth set temperature Ts5, and
Set time (about 30 seconds) with the detected value not changing
The above is continued, and the detection value of the temperature sensor 26 becomes the fifth
It is determined that both the temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature and that the detection value starts to decrease, and when any of the conditions is satisfied, the rinsing process is terminated. The determination may be made based only on the condition. Further, instead of such a condition, a configuration may be adopted in which the peak of the temperature rise of the rinsing water is detected based on another different state.

(3) In the above embodiment, the heating means is configured to be used for heating the washing water and for heating the washing space. Instead of such a structure, the heating means is provided with a dedicated heating means. The configuration may be such that it is also used only for heating the cleaning space or only for heating the cleaning water.

(4) In the above embodiment, a water heater was used as a heat source device, but a hot water supply device dedicated to a hot water heater may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a dishwasher.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dishwasher.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a dishwasher.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an arrangement state of a hot water heater.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a temperature change state.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a temperature change state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 19 Heating means 20 Heat source unit 26 Temperature detecting means 29 Control means K Internal space S Cleaning means Ts3 Upper limit set temperature Ts5 Set temperature

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoko Saso 19-18 Sakuradacho, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toho Gas Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Junichi Kitamura 1-15-1 Oka, Minami-shi, Minato-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. Harman Co., Ltd. (72) Genro Nishimaru, Inventor 1-15-1 Oka, Minami-shi, Minato-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture Harman Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroaki Doi 1-1-52, Oka, Minami-shi, Minato-ku, Osaka, Osaka (72) Inventor Kenji Marusasa 1-152 Oka, Minami-shi, Minato-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Prefecture Harman-uchi (56) References JP-A-9-24013 (JP, A) JP-A-9- 94211 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47L 15/46 A47L 15/48

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] An operation is performed in a cleaning tank to execute a cleaning step of cleaning an object to be cleaned, a rinsing step of rinsing the object to be cleaned with rinsing water, and a drying step of drying the object to be cleaned. Control means for controlling the temperature of the rinsing water, and heating means for heating the rinsing water by hot water supplied by being heated and supplied by a heat source device, and a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the rinsing water. In the rinsing step, while controlling the operation of the heating means so as to heat the rinsing water, based on the detection information of the temperature detecting means, when the temperature of the rinsing water reaches the upper limit set temperature, the rinsing step ends. And a dishwasher configured to shift to the drying step, wherein the control means in the rinsing step adds the rinsing water by the heating means. After the start of the heat, the detection value of the temperature detecting means, even if the temperature is lower than the upper limit set temperature, if the peak of the temperature rise is detected, so that the rinsing step is ended and the process proceeds to the drying step. Dishwasher made up. 2. The control means, in the rinsing step, after the heating means starts heating the rinsing water, a detection value of the temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than a set temperature lower than the upper limit set temperature. ,
2. The tableware according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature rise peak is detected by continuing for a set time or more in a state where the detection value does not change, the rinsing step is finished and the tableware is shifted to the drying step. washing machine. 3. The control means, in the rinsing step, after the heating means starts heating the rinsing water, the detected value of the temperature detecting means is equal to or higher than a set temperature lower than the upper limit set temperature. And when the peak of temperature rise is detected by the detection value starting to decrease, the rinsing step is terminated and the process shifts to the drying step.
The dishwasher as described. 4. The heating means is configured to heat cleaning water for cleaning an object to be cleaned in the cleaning step, and to heat an internal space of the cleaning tank in the drying step. The dishwasher according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the heat source device comprises a water heater for supplying hot water to another place different from the heating means.