JPH04319329A - Drainage turbidity detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize high precision detection by providing a turbidity detector detecting optically the degree of washing/rinsing for automatically controlling washing/rinsing time, frequency or the like in a dish washer. CONSTITUTION:A drain pipe 22 is connected to a drain basin 8 where washing water (hot water) is reserved, through a drain pump 23, and a turbidity detector 70 is provided on the discharge side of the drain pump 23. Bubbles are generated on the suction side of the detector 70 due to the circulation of washing water by means of a washing pump 11, but bubbles are hard to be generated on the discharge side of the detector 70 due to washing water (hot water) being stationary. Accordingly, detection can be performed under the condition of bubbles not being contained in washing water (hot water).

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting the turbidity of wastewater from cleaning equipment such as dishwashers.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway side view of a drain pipe portion showing a waste water turbidity detection device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1757/1982. In the figure, 61 is a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the washing tank (not shown) of the washing machine, which extends downward from the inlet part 62, and then inverts and extends upward.
It then inverts again and extends downward, then slightly curves laterally before extending downward. Then, the first inversion part 6
A narrow drainage port 64 is provided in the lower wall of 3, and this drainage port 6
4 is connected to a conduit 65. Further, one end of a branch pipe 68 is connected between the second inversion part 66 and a transverse part 67 extending slightly laterally, and the other end extends downward and is connected to the pipe line 65. Pipe line 65 is connected to the downstream portion of drain pipe 61.

[0003] A constriction portion 69 is formed at the connection portion of the branch pipe 68 with the pipe line 65 to narrow the area of the flow passage. On the other hand, a turbidity detector 70 that optically detects the turbidity of the wastewater flowing through the branch pipe 68 is provided at a position slightly above the constriction part 69 of the branch pipe 68. This detector 70 connects a light emitting element and a light receiving element (both not shown) to a branch pipe 6.
The turbidity is detected from the level of the amount of light received.

The conventional wastewater turbidity detection device is constructed as described above, and the wastewater flowing in from the inlet section 62 flows in the directions of arrows A and B, and at the first reversal section 63, a part of the wastewater flows into the drain port as shown by arrow C. 64, and most of it flows along arrows D and E. Next, most of the flow follows arrows F and G, and the rest flows through arrows H and I and branch pipe 6.
It flows through 8. Considering the flow at the connection between the drain pipe 61 and the branch pipe 68, the amount flowing into the branch pipe 68 is extremely small due to the presence of the throttle part 69, and the flow inside the branch pipe 68 is due to the presence of the throttle part 69. It is filled with wastewater. Therefore, a condition is created in the branch pipe 68 in which detergent foam and air bubbles generated in the cleaning tank are difficult to enter, and it is easy to give buoyancy to the foam. Therefore, even if the waste water contains bubbles, these bubbles flow toward the main stream as shown by arrow F, and the amount of bubbles flowing into the branch pipe 68 becomes small, making it possible to detect turbidity unaffected by bubbles. It becomes possible. In this way, automatic control of the equipment is performed by turbidity detection.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, in the conventional wastewater turbidity detection device, since the inverted parts 63, 66 and the branch pipe 68 are formed in the drain pipe 1, it is difficult to detect the residual food contained in the waste water. There is a problem that it is easy to get clogged. Further, there is a problem in that the heat of the cleaning water is transferred to the detector 70, and the output of the detector 70 tends to change.

[0006] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can prevent clogging caused by leftover food, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wastewater turbidity detection device that can improve detection accuracy.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A waste water turbidity detection device according to a first aspect of the present invention is one in which a turbidity detector is provided in a drain pipe on the discharge side of a drain pump.

In a second aspect of the invention, a water supply pipe through which tap water flows is provided outside the drain pipe, and a turbidity detector is provided outside the water supply pipe.

In a third aspect of the invention, a turbidity detector is provided in the drain pipe through a gap.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, air is circulated through the gap by a fan.

[0011]

[Function] In the first aspect of the present invention, since the turbidity detector is provided on the discharge side of the drain pump, unlike the suction side where wash water is circulated, bubbles are less likely to be generated. Also, there is no need to curve the drain pipe.

Furthermore, in the second invention, the water supply pipe is provided outside the drain pipe, and the turbidity detector is provided outside the water supply pipe, so that the heat of the waste water is not easily transmitted to the detector.

Furthermore, in the third invention, since the turbidity detector is provided in the drain pipe through the gap, the detector is thermally insulated.

[0014] Furthermore, in the fourth aspect of the invention, since air is circulated through the gap by a fan, the heat insulation function is further improved.

[0015]

【Example】

Example 1. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a dishwasher showing an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, and parts similar to those of the conventional device are designated by the same reference numerals. In the figure, 1 is a main body of a dishwasher, and the front thereof is provided with an opening 2 and a door 3 for opening and closing the opening 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a cleaning tank provided to partition the inside of the main body 1 and communicates with the opening 2; 5, a steam vent hole bored in the upper plate 6 of the cleaning tank 4; and 7, a steam vent hole bored in the lower side wall of the cleaning tank 4. The intake hole 8 is a drainage basin provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 4, and is formed into a dish shape with a concave leftover receiving part 9 on one side of the bottom, and a drainage filter 10 is removable. It is set in.

11 is a cleaning pump connected to the drainage basin 8 through a cleaning filter (not shown); 12 is a rod-shaped lower injection nozzle rotatably provided in a horizontal plane, and has a plurality of injection ports 13; The cleaning pump 11 is connected to the water pipe 14.
It is connected to the. A lower tableware basket 15 is arranged above the lower injection nozzle 12 and stores tableware 16.

Reference numeral 17 is disposed above the lower tableware basket 15 and has a washing channel and a rinsing channel separated from each other inside.
It is a rod-shaped upper injection nozzle rotatably provided in a horizontal plane, and has a plurality of cleaning injection ports 18 communicating with the washing channel and a plurality of rinsing injection ports 19 communicating with the rinsing channel. 20 is a water pipe that communicates with the washing water channel of the washing pump 11 and the upper injection nozzle 17; 21 is the upper tableware basket placed above the upper injection nozzle 17 and stores the tableware 16; and 22 is the leftover food via the drainage pump 23. A turbidity detector 70 is provided on the discharge side of the drain pipe connected to the receiving part 9.

A water supply pipe 24 has one end connected to a water supply (not shown) and the other end communicates with the rinse channel of the upper injection nozzle 17 via a solenoid valve 25. A water supply pipe 26 is connected between the inner wall of the main body 1 and the cleaning tank 4 The drying heater installed, 27 is the motor 28
29 is an outlet temperature sensor that is placed in the steam vent hole 5 and detects the temperature of the steam discharged from the cleaning tank 4; 30 is a temperature sensor that is placed in the intake hole 7 and detects the temperature of the hot air from the drying heater 26. Inlet side temperature sensor that detects
Reference numeral 31 denotes a detergent dispensing box in which detergent is stored and the lower part opens to dispense detergent during a predetermined process.

In the dishwasher configured as described above, the door 3 is opened, the upper and lower dish baskets 21, 15 are pulled out, the tableware 16 is set in the dish baskets 21, 15, and then the door is opened. 3 is closed and the electromagnetic valve 25 is operated, tap water passes through the water supply pipe 24, is ejected from the rinse injection port 19 of the upper injection nozzle 17, falls, and is stored in the drainage basin 8. Next, when the cleaning pump 11 is operated, the cleaning water in the drainage basin 8 is sent through the water pipe 20 to the cleaning channel of the upper injection nozzle 17, and is also sent through the water pipe 14 to the lower injection nozzle 12, respectively. It is injected from the cleaning injection port 18 and the injection port 13. Then, the upper and lower spray nozzles 17, 12 are rotated by the spray force, and the tableware 16 is prewashed.

[0020] When the pre-washing is completed, the drain pump 23 is activated and the water in the drain sump 8 is discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 22. At this time, the leftover food washed away from the tableware 16 is collected by the drainage filter 10. Next, water supply pipe 2
4, water is supplied, detergent is introduced from the detergent input box 31, and the cleaning pump 11 is operated to perform cleaning. In this case, in order to increase cleaning efficiency, an electric heater (not shown) is turned on and off to raise and maintain the water temperature. Then, the drain pump 23 is further operated to drain water.

Next, water is supplied from the water supply pipe 24, and the washing water is circulated again by the washing pump 11 to rinse the tableware 16, and after being circulated for a predetermined time, it is drained. This process is repeated several times to form a rinsing process. When this process is completed, the water supply pipe 24
The water supplied from the rinsing outlet 19 is injected and drained, resulting in a final rinsing step. Finally, in the drying process, the blower 27 and the drying heater 26 are operated to draw in outside air from the air intake port (not shown) of the main body 1, and after heating it with the drying heater 26, it enters the cleaning tank 4 from the air intake hole 7. Blow into. Now you can remove the 16 dishes that got wet during the final rinsing process.
The water is evaporated, and this steam is discharged to the outside through the steam vent hole 5 and the exhaust port (not shown) of the main body 1.

Then, the inlet side temperature sensor 30 and the outlet side temperature sensor 29 detect the temperatures of the intake hole 7 and the steam vent hole 5, respectively, and when the difference in these detected temperatures becomes small and constant, the drying is completed, The blower 27 and the drying heater 26 are stopped. After that, the door 3 is opened and the tableware 16 is taken out, and the wastewater filter 10 is further discarded and cleaned, and the drainage filter 10 is set again.

Note that unlike the suction side where cleaning water is circulated, there is no water flow on the discharge side of the drain pump 23, making it difficult for bubbles to occur. Therefore, the accuracy of turbidity detection by the detector 70 is improved. In this way, the turbidity of the wash water at the end of the previous process is detected.

Example 2. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the second invention, with FIG. 2 being a partial view of the drain pipe, and FIG. 3 being an enlarged view of the main part. This embodiment includes a drain pipe 22 and a water supply pipe 24.
Transparent tubes 22a and 24a are used as transparent tubes 22a and 24a, respectively.
or translucent) The tube 22a is placed inside and the transparent tube 24a is placed outside to form a double layer, and the light emitting element 70 is placed around the outer periphery of the transparent tube 24a.
A detector 70 consisting of a light receiving element 70B and a light receiving element 70B is arranged.

That is, even if heated wastewater flows through the drain pipe 22, the heat of the wastewater is difficult to be transmitted to the detector 70 because tap water flows outside the transparent pipe 22a. Therefore, the temperature correction of the optical element of the detector 70 is simplified, and the temperature characteristics of the element do not require particularly high accuracy, making it possible to detect turbidity with high accuracy.

Example 3. 4 to 6 are views showing other embodiments of the second invention, in which FIG. 4 is a partial view of the drain pipe, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main part, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. . In this embodiment, branched water supply pipes 24 are arranged on both sides of the drain pipe 22, and a light emitting element 70A, a drain pipe 22, and a light receiving element 70 are arranged.
Tap water is made to flow between B and the drain pipe 22. Thereby, it is possible to achieve the same function as in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe showing an embodiment of the third invention, in which a detector 70 is installed in a gap 35 in a drain pipe 22.
It was established through the That is, since the detector 70 is not in contact with the drain pipe 22, it is difficult for the heat of the heated waste water to be transferred to the detector 70.

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe showing an embodiment of the fourth invention, in which air is circulated through the gap 35 by a fan 37 driven by a motor 36, and the insulation function is further improved. It is possible to make it higher.

FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe showing another embodiment of the fourth invention, in which the fan 37 and the drain pump 23 are driven by one motor 23A. Note that the fan 37 and the cleaning pump 11 may be driven by one motor.

Although each of the above embodiments has been described with respect to a dishwasher, it is obvious that the invention can also be applied to a washing machine.

[0031]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, in the first aspect of the present invention, the turbidity detector is provided on the discharge side of the drainage pump, so unlike the suction side where cleaning water is circulated, bubbles are less likely to be generated.
It has the effect of detecting turbidity with high accuracy. Furthermore, there is no need to curve the drain pipe, which has the effect of preventing clogging with leftovers.

[0032] Furthermore, in the second invention, a water supply pipe that supplies tap water is provided outside the drain pipe, and a turbidity detector is provided outside this water supply pipe, so that the heat of the waste water is not easily transmitted to the detector. This has the effect of simplifying the temperature correction of the optical element and enabling highly accurate turbidity detection.

Further, in the third invention, a turbidity detector is provided in the drain pipe through a gap, and in the fourth invention, air is circulated through the gap by a fan, so that the detector is insulated and The same effects as the second invention can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a dishwasher showing an embodiment of a waste water turbidity detection device according to a first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial view of a drain pipe of a dishwasher showing an embodiment of a waste water turbidity detection device according to a second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial view of a drain pipe showing another embodiment of the second invention of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe of a dishwasher showing an embodiment of a wastewater turbidity detection device according to a third aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe of a dishwasher showing an embodiment of a waste water turbidity detection device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a drain pipe showing another embodiment of the fourth invention of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway side view of a drain pipe portion showing a conventional wastewater turbidity detection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Washing tank 11 Washing pump 22 Drain pipe 23 Drain pump 24 Water supply pipe 35 Voids 37 Fan 70 Turbidity detector

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: A device provided with a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank via a drainage pump, and equipped with a turbidity detector that optically detects the turbidity of wastewater flowing through the drainage pipe, A wastewater turbidity detection device, characterized in that a turbidity detector is provided on the discharge side of the drainage pump. 2. A device provided with a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank via a drainage pump, and equipped with a turbidity detector that optically detects the turbidity of wastewater flowing through the drainage pipe, A wastewater turbidity detection device characterized in that a water supply pipe through which tap water flows is provided outside the drainage pipe, and the above-mentioned turbidity detector is provided outside the water supply pipe. 3. A device provided with a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank via a drainage pump, and equipped with a turbidity detector that optically detects the turbidity of wastewater flowing through this drainage pipe, A waste water turbidity detection device, characterized in that the above-mentioned turbidity detector is provided in a drain pipe through a gap. 4. The wastewater turbidity detection device according to claim 3, further comprising a fan for circulating air through the gap.