JPH05115418A - Tableware washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set a washing time for taking the quantity of tableware and an initial water temperature of washing water into consideration by dividing the capacity of contained tableware derived from a washing water temperature in an early stage of a washing process and a rise tin of a washing water temperature in an arbitrary temperature section into several stages, and executing a washing time operation corresponding to the washing water temperature and the capacity of the contained tableware. CONSTITUTION:A control part 14 inputs a detection temperature of a thermister 9, grasps it as a washing water temperature, and stores the washing water temperature immediately after a washing process is started, as an initial water temperature. Subsequently, the control part 14 divides the capacity of contained vessel derived from a rise time of the washing water temperature in an arbitrary temperature section into several stages. Next, a washing time corresponding to each stage of the washing water temperature and the capacity of the contained tableware is set in advance, and a washing operation based thereon is executed. In such a way, damage of tableware, etc., can be suppressed to the minimum without exposing the tableware, etc., uselessly in washing water of a high temperature, and energy saving can be contrived.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher for setting a washing time and the like according to the amount of dishes stored and the temperature of washing water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, there has been proposed a dishwasher which simply judges the capacity of the dish put in the dishwasher and accordingly controls the operating time more finely.

A conventional dishwasher will be described below. FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of a conventional dishwasher. In FIG. 7, 1 is a washing tank for accommodating tableware 2 inside and storing washing water at the bottom, 3 is rotatably instructed
Cleaning nozzles 4 for ejecting cleaning water to the cleaning nozzles 4 are cleaning pumps for feeding the cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle 3, and the cleaning pump 4 is driven by a motor 6 having a cooling fan 5 at the rear portion. Reference numeral 7 is an underframe supporting the cleaning tank 1, and 8 is a heater arranged at the bottom of the cleaning tank 1 for heating cleaning water. Reference numeral 9 denotes a thermistor which is attached to the bottom of the cleaning tank 1 so as to be in close contact with the outside. Reference numeral 10 denotes a blower fan for sending outside air into the cleaning tank 1, and the air in the cleaning tank 1 is discharged to the outside of the machine through an exhaust port 12 above the lid 11.

The operation of the dishwasher having the above structure will be described below. User tableware 2
When the operation is started after arranging in the basket 13 and storing in the cleaning tank 1 and putting the detergent therein, first, a predetermined amount of tap water is supplied to the bottom of the cleaning tank 1. Then, the motor 6 and the heater 8 are energized, and the washing water is jetted from the washing nozzle 3 toward the dishes 2 by the washing pump 4 while being heated. At this time, the temperature of the washing water is detected by the thermistor 9 and the control unit 1
4 always grasps the temperature of the washing water. When the temperature of the cleaning water reaches a predetermined temperature and a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of cleaning, the control unit 14 ends the cleaning process and drains the cleaning water once. Next, tap water is newly supplied, and the same operation as the above-described cleaning step is performed for several minutes to drain the water. After repeating this rinsing step several times, the same operation as the washing step called a heat rinsing step is performed, and when the predetermined temperature is reached, the operation is finished and drained. Finally, the blower fan 10 is operated to wash the cleaning tank 1.
The steam inside is discharged to the outside of the machine, and at the same time, the heater 8 is intermittently energized to heat the tableware 2 to dry the attached water droplets.

In detecting the capacity of the tableware, the degree of temperature rise of the washing water in the washing step is examined, and the operating time of each step of washing, rinsing and drying is changed according to the degree. .. That is, when the input value of the heater 8 is constant and the tableware capacity is small, the heat capacity is reduced accordingly, and the temperature of the wash water rises quickly as shown in FIG. Actually, the control unit 14 measures the time dt during which the temperature detected by the thermistor 9 rises from T1 to T2, and tries to judge the capacity of the tableware based on this time dt. Generally, when the tableware capacity is small, the washing water ejected from the washing nozzle 3 often hits the tableware, so that the dishes can be washed well. The same can be said for drying, and conversely, if the operating time is shortened by that amount, it is possible to always obtain a certain washing performance and drying performance regardless of the tableware capacity, and at the same time save energy and save time. is there.

[0006]

However, the washing performance is affected by the washing water temperature in addition to the above-mentioned amount of stored dishes, and if the initial water temperature at the start of washing is high, the same washing effect can be obtained in a shorter washing time. Although obtained, in the conventional case, the washing time was constant with respect to the washing water temperature. Therefore, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a dishwasher in which an optimum washing time can be set very simply in consideration of both the amount of stored dishes and the initial temperature of washing water.

Further, the time difference when the temperature of the washing water rises due to the difference in heat capacity of the dishes is extremely small because the heat capacity of the dishes is small relative to the total heat capacity of the washing tank, the lid, the washing pump and the washing water of the dishwasher. There is a problem that it is difficult to determine the capacity of the. A second object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a dishwasher capable of more accurately determining the volume of dish.

In the conventional configuration, the temperature section for measuring the temperature rise time of the wash water temperature is uniformly determined, but the dishwasher may be used by being connected to the water heater, and when the winter is included, washing at the start of washing is performed. Since the water temperature changes from near 0 degrees to around 70 degrees, there is a problem that the temperature of the washing water has already entered the temperature zone and cannot be measured when used for hot water supply. The present invention solves the above conventional problems,
A third object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher that operates normally even when connected to a water heater set to a high temperature or continuously used.

Further, when the dishwasher is continuously used, the temperature of the washing tank is high, and conversely, the temperature of the washing tank is low in winter, so that the temperature of the washing water is affected by this temperature at the beginning of the washing process. There was a problem that the rise time varied. A fourth object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a dishwasher capable of constantly measuring the temperature rise time of the wash water in a stable manner.

[0010]

In order to achieve the first object, the dishwasher of the present invention uses a washing water temperature in the initial stage of the washing process and a rising time of the washing water temperature in an arbitrary temperature section to store stored dishes. The capacity is divided into several stages, the cleaning time corresponding to each stage of the cleaning water temperature and the capacity of the stored dishes is set in advance, and the cleaning operation is performed based on this.

In order to achieve the second object, the dishwasher of the present invention is provided with a plurality of measurement temperature sections of temperature rise time, and the measurement start temperature of this temperature section is equal to or higher than the wash water temperature in the initial stage of the washing process. The temperature rise time of the wash water is measured and the capacity of the tableware stored is judged based on this temperature rise time.

In order to achieve the third object, the dishwasher of the present invention is provided with a plurality of measurement temperature sections of temperature rising time, and the initial washing water temperature of the washing process is the highest measurement start temperature in the measurement temperature section. If the table capacity is exceeded, the capacity of the stored tableware is judged to be the maximum.

Further, in order to achieve the fourth object, the dishwasher of the present invention stores the predetermined amount of washing water in the washing tank and then starts the operation of the washing pump to set the washing water temperature after a certain period of time as the initial water temperature. The temperature rise time of the wash water is measured in the section above the temperature.

[0014]

With this configuration, the temperature detecting unit measures the initial washing water temperature in the washing process and divides it into several steps, and then the time for the washing water to rise from the temperature T1 to T2 is measured. The amount of is divided into several steps. The optimum washing time is set in advance in accordance with the initial washing water temperature and the amount of stored tableware, and the washing time is immediately determined based on this and a predetermined operation is performed.

Further, since the heat capacity of the dishes is small compared to the total heat capacity of the wash water and the washing tank of the dishwasher, the difference in the rising time of the wash water temperature judged as the standard of the difference in the dish amount is small, and Since there are various types of tableware, we want to expand the measurement temperature range of the wash water temperature as much as possible to increase the difference in rise time and accurately determine the amount of tableware from the rise time of the wash water temperature. And the temperature of the tap water supplied to the dishwasher covers a wide range, including the case where it is connected to the water heater, but if the measurement start temperature in the measurement temperature section is changed according to the initial wash water temperature in the washing process, the wash water Since the widest temperature measurement range can be set, the amount of tableware can be accurately determined.

Further, when the dishwasher is connected to a water heater and set to a high temperature, the initial washing water temperature in the washing process may exceed the measurement start temperature of the washing water temperature rise time. Is determined to be the maximum, and the operation is performed for the cleaning time depending on the initial cleaning water temperature.

Further, in the dishwasher, when the temperature of the tap water to be supplied extends over a wide range and is continuously used, the temperature detecting portion does not cool and the detected temperature remains high. For this reason, the change in the initial washing water temperature in the washing process is rapid, and when the rise time of the washing water temperature starts to be measured at this time, it varies greatly depending on the use conditions, and the determination of the amount of dishes is extremely inaccurate. Will be things. Therefore, if a stirring process for a predetermined time is provided in the initial stage of the washing process and the temperature of the washing water and the temperature of the dishes and the washing tank are made uniform and then the rise time of the washing water temperature is measured, the temperature rise curve shows the atmosphere in which the dishwasher is placed. Since the same curve is drawn if the temperature and heater input are constant, the amount of tableware can be determined extremely accurately from the temperature rise time.

[0018]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Since the overall structure is almost the same as the conventional one, a sectional view showing the entire structure is shown in FIG. 7, and the same members as those in the conventional example are designated by the same symbols.

The operation of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the operation of the dishwasher is started, first, a predetermined amount of water is injected into the cleaning tank 1, the cleaning pump 4 moves, the cleaning nozzle 3 ejects the cleaning water toward the dishes 2, and the heater 8 cleans the cleaning water. When heated, the control unit 14 always takes in the temperature detected by the thermistor 9 and grasps it as the cleaning water temperature. The temperature of the cleaning water immediately after the start of the cleaning process is stored as the initial water temperature T0, and then the time dt for increasing the temperature of the cleaning water from 50 degrees to 60 degrees where the temperature is adjusted is measured. The temperature rise time dt of the wash water is 275.
If it is smaller than 2 seconds, reduce the tableware capacity to 275 seconds or more 3
If it is less than 15 seconds, it is judged to be medium amount, and if it is 315 seconds or more, it is judged to be large amount. This small, medium, large amount of tableware capacity of three stages and less than 15 degrees, 15
The operating time table shown in FIG. 2 is predetermined for four initial water temperatures T0 of 30 degrees or more and less than 30 degrees, 30 degrees or more and less than 45 degrees, and 45 degrees or more and less than 60 degrees, and cleaning is performed based on the cleaning time of this table. End the process operation. As a result, it is possible to easily perform an optimum washing operation in consideration of not only the tableware capacity but also the temperature of washing water.

(Embodiments 2 and 3) The operation of the second and third embodiments is shown in FIG. When the dishwasher is connected to a water heater or when the temperature of tap water changes depending on the season, the washing water temperature T0 at the beginning of the washing process changes variously, but this washing water temperature T0 is 20 degrees or less, 30 degrees or less, 40 degrees or less. The measurement start temperature T1 of the temperature rise time of the cleaning water is divided into cases of 20 degrees, 30 degrees, 40 degrees, and 5 degrees.
In distinction from 0 degrees, the temperature section (from T1 degree to T2 (constant at 60 degrees)) for measuring the temperature rise time of the washing water is changed according to the washing water temperature T0 at the beginning of the washing process. At this time, when the temperature T0 of the washing water at the beginning of the washing process exceeds 50 degrees, the measurement of the temperature rise time of the washing water is stopped and the dish capacity is determined to be large. For each measurement temperature section of the above-mentioned four-step temperature rise time, as shown in FIG.
s and tl are defined, and the temperature rise time dt of the wash water in the temperature section determined from the wash water temperature T0 in the initial stage of the washing process (from T1 degree to T2 degree) is measured to determine the criterion ts of the corresponding temperature section, Divide the tableware volume into small, medium, or large volumes compared to tl. Then, the optimum cleaning operation is performed based on the tableware capacity and the cleaning water temperature T0 as shown in the first embodiment, and the temperature interval is set to be as long as possible in accordance with the initial cleaning water temperature to obtain the difference in temperature rise time. The size of the tableware is increased to improve the accuracy of the tableware capacity determination, and when the measurement of the temperature rise time is unstable, a large amount of the tableware capacity is set for reliable cleaning.

(Fourth Embodiment) Further, the operation of the fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. When using the dishwasher continuously, the temperature in the washing tank 1 is high and the temperature of the tap water injected is low,
On the contrary, when using it by connecting it to the water heater in winter, wash tank 1
The temperature inside is low and the temperature of the injected tap water is high, and the temperature detected by the thermistor 9 after the start of the cleaning operation shows a change as shown in FIG. 5, but the input of the heater 8 is input about 3 minutes after the start of the cleaning operation. If the conditions such as the value and the ambient temperature are constant, the temperature rise curves of the wash water (detection temperature) are the same. Then, when the dishwasher is started to operate, first, a predetermined amount of water is injected into the cleaning tank 1, the cleaning pump 4 moves and the cleaning nozzle 3 ejects the cleaning water toward the dishes 2 and the heater 8 cleans the cleaning water. Is heated, but the temperature of the dishes 2, the washing tank 1, the washing pump 4 and the like is made uniform by providing a constant stirring time, and after 3 minutes, the control unit 14 takes in the temperature detected by the thermistor 9 for washing. The initial water temperature of water is T0. If the operations of Examples 2 and 3 are performed based on this initial water temperature T0, an extremely stable temperature rise time of the wash water can be obtained regardless of the usage state of the dishwasher, and the dish volume can be accurately determined,
Since the initial temperature of the washing water caused by the actual washing performance can also be measured accurately, the optimum washing operation can be performed more reliably.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the volume of stored dishes obtained from the washing water temperature in the initial stage of the washing process and the rising time of the washing water temperature in an arbitrary temperature section is divided into several stages, and By presetting the cleaning time corresponding to each stage of the capacity of the stored tableware and performing the cleaning operation based on this, it is possible to perform the cleaning operation in which the temperature of the cleaning water and the capacity of the tableware are considered at the same time, Since it is unnecessary to expose the tableware to the washing water at high temperature, it is possible to minimize damage to the tableware and save energy.

Further, the temperature rise time of the wash water is measured in a temperature zone in which a plurality of temperature rise time measurement zones are provided and the measurement start temperature of this temperature zone is equal to or higher than the wash water temperature at the beginning of the washing process. The temperature rise time can be set as long as possible in accordance with the initial temperature of water to more accurately determine the capacity of the tableware stored.

Then, when the initial washing water temperature in the washing step exceeds the highest measurement start temperature in the measurement temperature section, it is determined that the stored dish capacity is the maximum, so that the measured temperature rise time is Even when it becomes stable, the cleaning performance can be reliably ensured.

Further, after a predetermined amount of cleaning water is stored in the cleaning tank, the cleaning pump is started and the cleaning water temperature after a lapse of a certain time is taken as the initial water temperature, and the temperature rise time of the cleaning water is measured in a section above this temperature. As a result, the temperature rise time of the wash water and the initial temperature can be measured extremely stably under all conditions of use of the dishwasher, and the optimum washing operation based on the dish capacity and the wash water temperature can be stably provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the dishwasher of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a washing operation time of the dishwasher of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second and third embodiments of the dishwasher of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a time indicating a criterion for a tableware volume in each measurement temperature section of a temperature rise time of wash water.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature under each use condition.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the fourth embodiment of the dishwasher of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional dishwasher

FIG. 8 is a graph showing how the temperature of washing water rises.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cleaning Tank 3 Cleaning Nozzle 4 Cleaning Pump 6 Motor 8 Heater 9 Thermistor 11 Lid 14 Controller

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kyosuke Kimura 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A washing tank for storing dishes, a washing nozzle for ejecting washing water toward the dishes, a washing pump portion for feeding the washing water accumulated in the washing tank to the washing nozzle, and heating the washing water. The heater and a temperature detector for measuring the water temperature of the washing water are provided, and the capacity of the stored tableware obtained from the washing water temperature in the initial stage of the washing process and the rise time of the washing water temperature in any temperature section is divided into several stages, A dishwasher that operates for a washing time corresponding to each stage of the washing water temperature and the volume of stored dishes. 2. A washing tank for storing dishes, a washing nozzle for ejecting washing water toward the dishes, a washing pump portion for feeding the washing water accumulated in the washing tank to the washing nozzle, and heating the washing water. A temperature detector that measures the water temperature of the cleaning water, and a plurality of temperature rise time measurement temperature sections are provided, and the measurement start temperature of the temperature section is equal to or higher than the initial cleaning water temperature in the cleaning step. A dishwasher that measures the temperature rise time of wash water and judges the capacity of the stored dishes based on this temperature rise time. 3. A washing tank for storing dishes, a washing nozzle for ejecting washing water toward the dishes, a washing pump portion for feeding the washing water accumulated in the washing tank to the washing nozzle, and heating the washing water. Heater and a temperature detection unit for measuring the temperature of the cleaning water, and a plurality of temperature rising time measurement temperature sections are provided, and the initial cleaning water temperature of the cleaning process is the highest measurement start temperature among the measurement temperature sections. A dishwasher that determines the maximum capacity of stored dishes when it exceeds. 4. A washing tank for storing dishes, a washing nozzle for ejecting washing water toward the dishes, a washing pump portion for feeding the washing water accumulated in the washing tank to the washing nozzle, and heating the washing water. And a temperature detection unit for measuring the temperature of the cleaning water, and after the cleaning water is accumulated in the cleaning tank in a predetermined amount, the cleaning pump is started and the cleaning water temperature after a certain period of time is set as the initial water temperature. Dishwasher that measures the temperature rise time of the wash water in the section above this temperature.