JPH05115419A - Tableware washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly and efficiently execute drying of tableware, and also, to eliminate uneven drying, in the tableware washing machine. CONSTITUTION:The machine is provided with a washing tank 2 for placing tableware, a heater 25 for heating the inhaled open air, a fan 19 for feeding hot air heated by the heater to a washing tank, a ventilation duct 24 for guiding the hot air from the fan, a first duct 28 connected to the lower part of the washing tank, a second duct 29 connected to the upper part of the washing tank, and a changeover valve 26 for switching the ventilation of the hot air which passes through the ventilation duct 24 to a first duct 28 or a second duct 29 connected to the washing tank, and in the first half and the latter half of drying, the ventilation direction of the hot air is switched. In such a way, a flow of the hot air in the washing tank is allowed to flow to the upper part from the lower part in the first half and allowed to flow to the lower part from the upper part in the latter half.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly to a drying mechanism for uniformly drying dishes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the drying mechanism in a dishwasher is
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-124125, a heater is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank, an air blowing port is located at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and a hot air vapor exhaust port is located at the top of the cleaning tank.
The dishes are fixedly installed, and the dishes are arranged side by side in the dish basket in the washing tank. Therefore, the table, the heater, the ventilation port of the cleaning tank, and the exhaust port are always in a fixed positional relationship.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art, since the humidity of the hot air coming into contact with the dishes is low near the heater and the blower opening, the dishes are dried well, but the dishes evaporate from the dishes near the top of the washing tank and near the exhaust port. Since the relative humidity of the hot air becomes as high as 90% or more due to the water content, there is a problem that the dishes in the upper part of the cleaning tank and in the vicinity of the exhaust port do not easily dry. Further, there is a problem that unevenness in drying of the tableware is caused.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a dishwasher which can sufficiently dry the dishes in the upper part of the washing tank and in the vicinity of the exhaust port, and which is free from uneven drying. Is the purpose.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the structure of the first invention relating to the dishwasher of the present invention is a washing tank in which dishes are arranged, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, A dishwasher provided with a heater for heating the outside air taken in to dry the washed dishes, a fan for blowing hot air heated by the heater to the washing tank, and a ventilation port and an exhaust port for circulating the hot air in the washing tank. In, a blower duct for guiding hot air from a fan, a first duct connected below the cleaning tank, a second duct connected above the cleaning tank, and the hot air passing through the blower duct are cleaned. Switching means for switching and blowing the air to the first duct or the second duct connected to the tank is provided.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the structure of the second invention relating to the dishwasher of the present invention is such that a washing tank for placing dishes, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, and the washed dishes. In order to dry, in a dishwasher equipped with a heater that heats the outside air taken in, a fan that blows hot air heated by the heater to the cleaning tank, and a ventilation port and an exhaust port that distribute the hot air to the cleaning tank, Of the hot air switching duct fixed to the rotating shaft, the valve cylindrical frame that rotatably incorporates the switching valve, and the ventilation duct that is provided so as to intersect the valve cylindrical frame at a right angle, below the cleaning tank. , A second duct connected above the washing tank, an exhaust duct for discharging moist air after drying the dishes to the outside of the machine, and a valve rotation for rotating the hot air switching valve. And means, By rotating about 90 ° Kazesetsu valve is obtained by the switched to the first duct or the second duct connecting the hot air through the air duct cleaning tank.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the structure of the third invention relating to the dishwasher of the present invention is such that a washing tank for placing dishes, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, and the washed dishes are used. In order to dry, in a dishwasher equipped with a heater that heats the outside air taken in, a fan that blows hot air heated by the heater to the cleaning tank, and a ventilation port and an exhaust port that distribute the hot air to the cleaning tank, Blowing duct for guiding hot air, a plurality of ducts connected to the lower side of the cleaning tank, a first collecting duct that collects the plurality of ducts into one, and a plurality of ducts connected to the upper side of the cleaning tank, A second collective duct that collects these multiple ducts into one,
Switching means for switching the hot air from the blower duct to the first collecting duct or the second collecting duct to blow the hot air is provided.

[0008]

According to the technical means of the first invention, the following functions are provided. In the first half of drying, the hot air heated by the heater is
The air is blown into the cleaning tank from the first duct connected to the lower portion of the cleaning tank by being guided by the switching valve of the ventilation switching means by the fan and passing through the ventilation duct. The hot air comes into contact with the tableware, evaporates and absorbs water on the surface of the tableware, and gradually becomes hot air with high humidity. The moist hot air exits from the second duct connected to the upper portion of the cleaning tank and is exhausted to the outside of the machine through the exhaust duct. In this case, the tableware arranged in the lower part of the cleaning tank is well dried because the low-humidity hot air (relative humidity 5% or less) from the first duct comes into contact therewith. However, the tableware arranged in the upper part of the washing tank is hard to dry because the hot air of high humidity (relative humidity 70% to 90%) exhausted to the second duct is always in contact therewith.

Therefore, in the latter half of the drying, the air passage is switched by the air blowing switching means so that the air blowing side and the air exhausting side of the first duct and the second duct connected to the cleaning tank are reversed. That is, connect the blower side of the hot air to the second duct,
Connect the exhaust duct to the first duct. by this,
In the latter half of drying, the dishes placed in the upper part of the washing tank, which were difficult to dry in the first half of drying, can be sufficiently dried. Therefore, the dishes can be efficiently dried and the unevenness of drying the dishes can be eliminated.

Further, according to the technical means of the second invention, the following functions are provided. A second invention is to switch a first duct connected to a lower part of the cleaning tank and a second duct connected to an upper part of the cleaning tank from a heater and a fan to a hot air blowing duct and an exhaust duct outside the machine. Is a device that reliably performs with a simple configuration. The switching valve has a rotating structure. Cylindrical frame with rotatably built-in switching valve, fan duct from fan, first duct connected to lower part of cleaning tank, exhaust duct to outside of machine, second duct connected to upper part of cleaning tank Are sequentially arranged so that they intersect at right angles. The position of the switching valve is set to a position where the hot air blowing duct is connected to the first duct and the exhaust duct is connected to the second duct in the first half of drying. In the latter half of drying, the hot air blowing duct and the second duct are connected to each other, and the exhaust duct and the first duct are connected to each other. The air blowing switching means using this switching valve allows easy and reliable switching of air blowing and exhaust of the first duct and the second duct.

Further, according to the technical means of the third invention, the following functions are provided. A third invention is an invention for switching between hot air blowing and exhaust when a plurality of ducts connected to the washing tank are provided in order to reduce unevenness in drying of dishes. The multiple ducts connected to the cleaning tank are divided into a first group and a second group, and in the first half of drying, the hot air blowing duct is connected to the duct group of the first group to exhaust the air to the outside of the machine. To the second group of ducts. In the latter half of drying, conversely, the hot air blowing duct is connected to the duct group of the second group, and the exhaust duct to the outside of the machine is connected to the duct group of the first group. In this way, by switching between hot air blowing and exhaust to the plurality of duct groups of the first group and the duct group of the second group in the first half and the second half of drying, the flow of hot air in the cleaning tank is biased. Since it is eliminated, the drying is efficiently performed and the unevenness of the drying is eliminated.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. [Embodiment 1] First, an embodiment of the first invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the overall configuration of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
1 is the main body of the dishwasher, 2 is a washing tank provided inside the main body 1, 3 is a washing pump for injecting washing water to the dishes 4, 5 in the washing tank 2, 6 is driving the washing pump 3. A cleaning motor, 7 is an injection nozzle provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2, and 8 is
The injection port of the injection nozzle 7, 9 is an injection nozzle provided in the upper part of the cleaning tank 2, 10 is a water supply tower for sending the cleaning water from the cleaning pump 3 to the injection nozzle 9, 11 is the injection of the injection nozzle 9. Mouth, 12 is a lower table basket for placing the tableware 4, 13 is a rail for pulling out the tableware 12,
14 is an upper table basket for placing the tableware 5, 15
Is a rail for pulling out the dish basket 14, and 16 is an opening / closing door for putting in and out the dishware 4, 5 provided on the entire surface of the cleaning tank 2.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a wash water receiver for storing wash water, and 18
Is a heater for heating the wash water provided in the wash water receiver 17, 19 is a blower fan for blowing hot air for drying dishes to the wash tank 2, 20 is a fan motor for driving the blower fan 19, Reference numeral 21 is a fan casing that surrounds the fan 19, 22 and 22b are intake ducts for sucking outside air into the fan casing 19, and 23 is an intake duct 22.
An intake filter for preventing inhalation of dust, dust, etc., 24 is a ventilation duct for hot air ventilation connected to the fan casing 21, 25 is a drying heater provided in the ventilation duct 24, and 26 is a cleaning A switching valve 27, which is a means for switching the hot air blowing path to the tank 2, is a valve rotating shaft of the switching valve 26.

Reference numeral 28 designates a ventilation duct 24 by switching the air passage.
A first duct connected to the lower side of the cleaning tank 2 through 29
Is a second duct connected to the upper part of the cleaning tank 2 and reaching the switching valve 26, 30 is an exhaust duct to the outside of the machine connected to the switching valve 26, 31 is a first duct 28 below the cleaning tank 2. 2 is an opening through which the second duct 29 communicates with an upper portion of the cleaning tank 2, and 33 is an exhaust port of the external exhaust duct 30.

The operation of such a dishwasher will be described.
The dishwasher of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 performs washing, rinsing and drying of dishes. Let's start with washing the dishes. First, the dishes 4 and 5 are placed in the dish baskets 12 and 14. Tableware basket 12,14
In this case, the opening / closing door 16 is tilted toward the front and pulled out from the cleaning tank 2 along the rails 13 and 15, and in that state, the tableware 4 and 5 are arranged side by side in the tableware baskets 12 and 14. Tableware basket 12,
After pushing 14 into the cleaning tank 2, the opening / closing door 16 is closed. Next, the wash water is poured into the wash water receiver 17, and at the same time, the dish detergent is added. Then, the heater 18 is energized to heat the cleaning water stored in the cleaning water receiver 17.

Subsequently, the washing motor 6 drives the washing pump 3 to apply hot water containing the detergent in the washing water receiver 17 to the jet nozzle 7 and the jet nozzle 9 mounted on the water supply tower 10 to supply water. To do. The washing water, which is hot water and has a high pressure, is jetted from the jet port 8 of the jet nozzle 7 and sprayed on the dishes 4 arranged in the lower portion of the washing tank 2.
On the other hand, the cleaning water sprayed from the spray port 11 of the spray nozzle 9 is sprayed on the tableware 5 arranged in the upper part of the cleaning tank 2. At this time, the injection nozzle 7 and the injection nozzle 9
Receives the reaction force of the wash water sprayed from the jet port 8 and the jet port 11, and rotates about the center of the water supply tower 10.
This causes the wash water to hit the dishes 4 and 5 evenly,
The dishes are effectively washed.

For rinsing, the washing water used for the above washing is drained, and then the rinsing water is poured into the washing water receiver 17 again, and at the same time, the heater 17 is energized to heat the rinsing water to warm it. Then, the rinse water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 7 and the spray nozzle 9 onto the dishes 4 and 5 by the cleaning pump 3. When the rinsing is finished, the rinsing water in the wash water receiver 17 is drained, and then the dishes are dried.

In the present invention, the tableware is dried in the first half and the second half. In the first half of drying, the switching valve 26 of FIG. 1 is switched as shown by the solid line, while in the latter half of the drying, it is switched as shown by the broken line 26a. The flow of hot air in the first half of drying is
In FIG. 1, it is indicated by a solid arrow. The fan motor 20 is driven to rotate the blower fan 19. Then, the drying heater 25 is energized. The blower fan 19 sucks outside air into the intake duct 22 through the intake filter 23 and blows it to the fan casing 21. The air blown to the fan casing 21 by the blower fan 19 enters the blower duct 24 and is heated by the heater 25 to become hot air.

The hot air flowing in the blower duct 24 is blown to the switching valve 26, passes through the air passage on the lower right side of the switching valve 26, and then is blown to the first duct 28. First duct 28
The hot air inside is blown into the cleaning tank 2 through the opening 31 (which functions as a blower opening) in the lower portion of the cleaning tank 2. The hot air blown to the cleaning tank 2 causes the opening 31 to the opening 32 in the cleaning tank 2.
Flows from bottom to top. At that time, the hot air first contacts the tableware 4 arranged in the lower tableware basket 12 to dry the tableware 4. The hot air then contacts the dishes 5 placed in the upper dish basket 14 to dry the dishes 5. The dried hot moist air exits from the upper opening 32 (functioning as an exhaust port) of the cleaning tank 2, passes through the second duct 29, passes through the upper left air passage of the switching valve 26, and then the exhaust duct 30. Exhausted from the aircraft.

The flow of hot air in the latter half of the drying is shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. In the latter half of the drying, the blower fan 19
The outside air passes through the intake filter 23, is sucked into the intake duct 22, and is blown to the fan casing 21. Blower fan 1
The air blown to the fan casing 21 by 9 enters the blower duct 24 and is heated by the heater 25 to become hot air. The hot air flowing in the blower duct 24 is blown to the switching valve 26a, passes through the lower left air passage of the switching valve 26a indicated by the broken line arrow, and is then blown to the second duct 29. The hot air in the second duct 29 has an opening 32 in the upper part of the cleaning tank 2.
The air is blown into the cleaning tank 2 from (functions as a blower port). The hot air sent to the cleaning tank 2 has an opening 3 inside the cleaning tank 2.
Flow from 2 to the opening 31 (which functions as an exhaust port) from above to below.

At that time, the hot air first comes into contact with the tableware 5 arranged in the upper tableware basket 14 to dry the tableware 5. The hot air then contacts the dishes 4 placed in the lower dish basket 12 to dry the dishes 4. The wet hot air after drying exits from the opening 31 at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2, passes through the first duct 28, passes through the air passage on the upper right side of the switching valve 26a, and is then exhausted out of the machine through the exhaust duct 30. .. Therefore, in the first half and the latter half of the drying, the flow direction of the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 is opposite as shown by the solid line and the broken line arrow. Therefore, in the first half, the order of contacting the tableware with the hot air is from the lower tableware 4 to the upper tableware 5, whereas in the latter half, the order is from the upper tableware 5 to the lower tableware 4. And, the first half and the second half are reversed.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the drying is divided into the first half and the latter half, and in the first half, the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 flows from the lower side to the upper side from the opening 31 to the opening 32 in the cleaning tank. Therefore, the hot air first comes into contact with the tableware 4 arranged in the lower tableware basket 12 to dry the tableware 4. Then, the humidity of the hot air gradually increases, and then the tableware 5 placed in the upper tableware basket 14 is contacted to dry the tableware 5. Therefore, the relative humidity of the hot air contacting the tableware 5 is as high as 70 to 90%, and the tableware 5 is difficult to dry. So in the second half of drying,
By switching the switching valve 26, the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 flows from the opening 32 to the opening 31 from the upper side to the lower side in the cleaning tank. Therefore, in the latter half of the drying, the hot air whose relative humidity immediately after heating is as low as 5% or less can be brought into contact with the tableware 5, so that the tableware can be dried quickly and efficiently. In addition, since hot air having low humidity immediately after heating can be brought into contact with the tableware without any problem, there is an effect that unevenness in drying of the tableware can be eliminated.

[Embodiment 2] Next, an embodiment of the second invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a hot air switching valve according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. Note that FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view drawn such that the valve bracket of FIG. 3 is removed and an internal switching valve can be seen. In FIG. 2, 34
Is a valve cylinder frame that is the main body of the switching valve, 35 is a switching valve, and 36 is a valve rotating shaft to which the switching valve 35 is fixed. The valve cylindrical frame 34 includes a blower duct 24 shown in FIG.
Is provided so as to penetrate through the cylindrical hole 38. Similarly, in the valve cylindrical frame 34, the first duct 28 shown in FIG. 1 is provided so as to penetrate through the cylindrical hole 39 so as to intersect with the blower duct 24 at a right angle, and the second duct 29 is formed in the cylindrical hole. 40
Further, an exhaust duct 30 to the outside of the machine is provided so as to penetrate through a cylindrical hole 41.

37 is a rotary lever fixed to the end of the valve rotary shaft 36, 42 is a lever spring for rotating the rotary lever 37 counterclockwise, 43 is the lever spring 42 fixed to the valve cylindrical frame 34. Spring hooks 44 for switching the switching valve 35, a switching valve stopper provided on the valve cylindrical frame for stopping the counterclockwise rotation of the switching valve 35, 45 a solenoid for rotating the switching valve 35, and 46 a A connecting rod for rotating the rotary lever 37 in the clockwise direction by the pulling motion of the plunger 47 of the solenoid 45, and a connecting rod 48 for rotating the switching valve 35 in the clockwise direction are about 90 °.
It is a switching valve stopper that stops at °.

In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same parts. Reference numeral 49 is a connection cylinder fixed to the valve cylinder frame 34 for connecting the blower duct 24, and the opening of the valve cylinder frame 34 is the cylinder hole 38 of FIG. 51
Is a valve bracket for enclosing and sealing the switching valve 35, 51
Reference character a denotes a bearing portion that holds the valve rotation shaft 36 of the valve bracket 51, and reference numeral 34a denotes a bearing portion that holds the valve rotation shaft 36 of the valve cylindrical frame 34. Reference numeral 52 is a fixing screw for the valve bracket 51, and 53 is a fixing fitting for fixing the valve cylindrical frame 34 to the main body 1 of the dishwasher.

Next, the operation of the dishwasher having such a switching valve will be described. In the first half of drying, the switching valve 35 is in the position indicated by the solid line. In this state, the lever spring 42 pulls the rotation lever 37, the valve rotation shaft 36 is rotated counterclockwise, and the switching valve 35 fixed to the valve rotation shaft 36 stops rotation by the valve stopper 44. It is in the state of being. In the first half of the drying, the hot air heated by the heater 25 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the air duct 2
The hot air inside 4 flows into the space K of the valve cylinder frame 34 from the cylinder hole 38. The hot air that has flowed into the space K of the valve cylindrical frame 34 flows into the space L of the valve cylindrical frame 34 along the switching valve 35 because the switching valve 35 is at the position shown by the solid line, and then passes through the cylindrical hole 39. The air is blown into the first duct 28.

The hot air flowing into the first duct 28 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the air is blown into the cleaning tank 2 through the opening 31 in the lower portion of the cleaning tank 2. The hot air in the cleaning tank 2 flows from the lower side to the upper side from the opening 31 toward the opening 32, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. And the hot air is in the lower tableware basket 12
After contacting the tableware 4 placed in the tableware 4 to dry the tableware 4, the tableware 5 placed in the upper tableware basket 14 is contacted to dry the tableware 5. The dried and moist air discharged from the opening 32 of FIG. 1 is blown to the switching valve section of FIG. 2 through the second duct 29. The dried and moist air that has passed through the second duct 29 flows into the space M of the valve cylinder frame 34 from the cylinder hole 40 of FIG. The air that has flowed into the space M of the valve cylinder frame 34 flows into the space N of the valve cylinder frame 34 along the switch valve 35 because the switch valve 35 is at the position shown by the solid line, and then passes through the cylindrical hole 41. It passes through the exhaust duct 30 and is exhausted to the outside of the machine.

The movement of the switching valve in the latter half of the drying operation is that the solenoid 45 of FIG. 2 is actuated and the plunger 47 is pulled to 47a in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the rotary lever 37 is moved through the connecting rod 46 up to 37a in the clockwise direction of the arrow about 9 °.
Rotate 0 °. By the rotation of the rotary lever 37, the valve rotary shaft 36 and the switching valve 35 rotate about 90 ° to 35a indicated by the chain double-dashed line. The switching valve 35 is positioned at 35a by the switching valve stopper 48.

In the latter half of the drying, the hot air heated by the heater 25 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the hot air in the blower duct 24 flows from the cylindrical hole 38 into the space K of the valve cylindrical frame 34.
Flow into. The hot air that has flowed into the space K of the valve cylindrical frame 34 flows into the space M of the valve cylindrical frame 34 along the switching valve 35a because the switching valve 35 is at the position of 35a shown by the chain double-dashed line, and then the cylindrical hole The air is blown into the second duct 29 through 40. The hot air that has flowed into the second duct 29 has the opening 3 at the upper portion of the cleaning tank 2 as shown in FIG.
The cleaning tank 2 is blown with air from 2. The hot air in the cleaning tank 2 flows from the opening 32 to the opening 31 as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG.
Flows from above toward below. Then, the hot air contacts the tableware 5 placed in the upper tableware basket 14 to dry the tableware 5, and then contacts the tableware 4 placed in the lower tableware basket 12 to dry the tableware 4.

The dried and moist air discharged from the opening 31 of FIG. 1 is blown to the switching valve section of FIG. 2 through the first duct 28. The dried and moist air that has passed through the first duct 28 passes through the cylindrical hole 39 shown in FIG.
It flows into the space L of 4. The air that has flowed into the space L of the valve cylindrical frame 34 flows along the switching valve 35a into the space N of the valve cylindrical frame 34 because the switching valve 35 is at the position of 35a shown by the chain double-dashed line, and then the cylindrical hole After passing through 41, it passes through the exhaust duct 30 and is exhausted to the outside of the machine. Therefore, in the first half and the latter half of the drying, the hot air flows in the cleaning tank 2 in FIG. 1 in the opposite directions as indicated by solid and broken arrows. Therefore, in the first half, the order of contacting the tableware with the hot air is from the lower tableware 4 to the upper tableware 5, whereas in the latter half, the order is from the upper tableware 5 to the lower tableware 4. And, the first half and the second half are reversed.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the switching valve 35 for switching the air passage for blowing hot air to the cleaning tank 2 is configured to be rotatable about the rotating shaft 36 in the cylindrical frame 34 and switched. By rotating the valve 35 by about 90 °, the ventilation duct 2 provided to intersect the cylindrical frame 34 at a right angle.
4, the air ducts to the first duct 28, the second duct 29, and the exhaust duct 30 can be switched to easily switch the blowing direction of the hot air to the cleaning tank 2 and the exhaust direction. Therefore, the flow direction of the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 is switched to flow from the lower side to the upper side of the cleaning tank 2 in the first half of the drying and from the upper side to the lower side of the cleaning tank 2 in the latter half of the drying. In this way, it is possible to easily reverse the flow direction of the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 in the first half and the latter half of the drying. Therefore, since hot air having a low relative humidity immediately after heating can be brought into contact with the tableware thoroughly, there is an effect that the tableware can be dried quickly and efficiently. In addition, there is an effect that uneven drying of the dishes can be eliminated.

[Embodiment 3] Next, an embodiment of the third invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of a dishwasher according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a structure in which a plurality of ducts are connected to the cleaning tank of FIG. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are the same parts, and the description thereof will be omitted. 4 and 5, 54 is a branch duct A connected to the lower part of the cleaning tank 2, 55 is an opening of the branch duct A54 to the cleaning tank 2, and 56 is a branch connected to the lower part of the cleaning tank 2. The ducts B and 57 are openings of the branch duct B56 to the cleaning tank 2. Further, 60 is a branch duct D connected to an upper portion of the cleaning tank 2, and 61 is a cleaning tank 2 of the branch duct D60.
, 62 is a branch duct E connected to the upper portion of the cleaning tank 2, and 63 is an opening of the branch duct E62 to the cleaning tank 2.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 58 denotes other branch ducts C and 59, which are not shown in FIG. 4, but are connected to the lower portion of the cleaning tank 2, and are openings of the branch duct C58 to the cleaning tank 2. As shown in FIG. 5, in this example, the number of ducts in the lower part of the cleaning tank is three. The cross-sectional view of the air ducts 54 and 56 shown in FIG. 4 shows the cross section XX ′ of FIG. In FIG. 5, 64 is another branch duct F, which is not shown in FIG. 4 and is connected to the upper portion of the cleaning tank 2, and 65 are openings of the branch duct F64 to the cleaning tank 2. As shown in FIG. 5, in this example, the number of ducts in the upper part of the cleaning tank is three. The cross-sectional view of the exhaust ducts 60 and 62 shown in FIG. 4 shows a cross section YY ′ in FIG.

Next, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described. 4 and 5, a plurality of ducts for blowing hot air into the cleaning tank 2 and a duct for exhausting air are provided in a branched manner (three in this example), and these branch ducts are provided in the first half and the second half of the drying. In this embodiment, the switching valve switches between the blower side and the exhaust side. The dishwasher of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 performs washing, rinsing and drying of dishes. The cleaning and rinsing are the same as described in the embodiment of FIG.

The tableware is dried in the first half and the second half. In the first half of drying, the switching valve 26 shown in FIG. 4 is switched as shown by a solid line 26, and in the latter half, the switching valve 26 is switched to a broken line 26a. The flow of hot air is indicated by solid arrows in the first half and dashed arrows in the second half. For drying, the fan motor 20 is driven to rotate the blower fan 19. Then, the drying heater 25 is energized. Blower fan 1
Reference numeral 9 designates the outside air passing through the intake filter 23 and passing through the intake duct 2
2, and blows the air to the fan casing 21. The air blown to the fan casing 21 by the blower fan 19 enters the blower duct 24 and is heated by the heater 25 to become hot air. The hot air flowing in the air duct 24 is the switching valve 2
The air is blown to the sixth portion, passes through the lower right air passage of the switching valve 26, and then is blown to the first duct 28. First duct 28
The hot air inside has three branch ducts A54 and B5.
6, the air is blown to the branch duct C58.

The hot air passing through the branch duct A54 is blown into the cleaning tank 2 through the opening 55 at the lower part of the cleaning tank 2.
Similarly, the hot air that has passed through the branch duct B56 is washed by the cleaning tank 2
The hot air that has been blown into the cleaning tank 2 through the opening 57 in the lower part of the above and has passed through the branch duct C58 is blown into the cleaning tank 2 through the opening 59 in the lower part of the cleaning tank 2. The hot air blown into the cleaning tank 2 from the openings 55, 57, 59 (functioning as air blowing ports) in the lower portion of the cleaning tank 2 is three openings 61, 63, 65 (provided in the upper portion of the cleaning tank 2). Functions as an exhaust port)
Then, it flows in the cleaning tank 2 from the lower side to the upper side.

At that time, the hot air first contacts the tableware 4 arranged in the lower tableware basket 12 to dry the tableware 4, and
The tableware 5 placed in the upper tableware basket 14 is brought into contact with the tableware 5
To dry. The dried moist air discharged from the openings 61, 63, and 65 passes through the branch duct D60, the branch duct E62, and the branch duct F64, respectively, and is collected in the one second collecting duct 66. After passing through the side air passage, it passes through the exhaust duct 30 and is exhausted to the outside of the machine.

In the latter half of the drying, the blower fan 19 sucks the outside air into the intake duct 22 through the intake filter 23 and enters the fan casing 21. The air blown from the blower fan 19 to the blower duct 24 is
It is heated by the heater 25 to become hot air. The hot air in the blower duct 24 is blown in the lower left air passage of the switching valve 26a in the direction of the broken line arrow, passes through the second collecting duct 66, the branch duct D60, the branch duct E62, and the branch duct F64, and branches. The air is blown to the upper portion of the cleaning tank 2 from the openings 61, 63, 65 (functioning as air blow ports) of the duct. The hot air blown from the upper part of the cleaning tank 2 has three openings 5
5, 57, 59 (functioning as an exhaust port), cleaning tank 2
It flows from the top to the bottom.

At that time, the hot air first comes into contact with the tableware 5 placed in the upper tableware basket 14 to dry the tableware 5, and
The tableware 4 placed in the lower tableware basket 12 comes into contact with the tableware 4
To dry. The dried and moist air discharged from the openings 55, 57, 59 is collected in one first duct 28 through the branch duct A54, the branch duct B56, and the branch duct C58, respectively, and on the upper right side of the switching valve 26a. After passing through the air passage, it passes through the exhaust duct 30 and is exhausted to the outside of the machine.

Therefore, in the first half and the second half of the drying, the flow directions of the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 are opposite to each other as shown by the solid line arrow and the broken line arrow in FIGS. Therefore, the order in which the hot air comes into contact with the tableware is from the lower tableware 4 to the upper tableware 5 in the first half of the drying, whereas in the latter half of the drying, the upper tableware 5 to the lower tableware 4 are arranged. In order, the first half and the second half are reversed. Further, since a plurality of (three) openings are formed in the upper part and the lower part of the cleaning tank 2, the hot air flows evenly in the cleaning tank 2.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of ducts for blowing air to the cleaning tank 2 and a plurality of ducts for exhausting air (3
The branch duct A54, the branch duct B56, and the branch duct C58 in the lower part of the cleaning tank 2 and the branch duct D60, the branch duct E62, and the branch duct F64 in the upper part of the cleaning tank 2 are collectively switched to a collective duct. It is connected to the valve 26 and the flow direction of the hot air in the cleaning tank 2 is reversed in the first half and the latter half of the drying. As a result, it is possible to switch the flow from the lower side to the upper side of the cleaning tank 2 in the first half of the drying and from the upper side to the lower side of the cleaning tank 2 in the latter half. Therefore, since hot air having a low relative humidity immediately after heating can be brought into contact with the tableware thoroughly, there is an effect that the tableware can be dried quickly and efficiently. Further, according to this embodiment, a plurality of (3
(1) branch ducts are provided, so that hot air flows through the cleaning tank 2 thoroughly, so that it is possible to eliminate unevenness in the drying of the dishes and to efficiently dry the dishes. There is.

[0042]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to sufficiently dry the dishes in the upper part of the washing tank and in the vicinity of the exhaust port, and to provide a dishwasher having no drying unevenness.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the overall configuration of a dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a hot air switching valve that is another embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the switching valve of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of a dishwasher according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a plurality of ducts are connected to the cleaning tank of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Washing tank 4,5 Tableware 7,9 Injection nozzle 19 Blower fan 24 Blower duct 25 Drying heater 26 Switching valve 28 First duct 29 Second duct 30 Exhaust duct 31, 32 Opening 33 Exhaust port 34 Valve Cylindrical frame 35 Switching valve 36 Valve rotating shaft 45 ... Solenoid 54 Branch duct A 56 Branch duct B 58 Branch duct C 60 Branch duct D 62 Branch duct E 64 Branch duct F 66 Collecting duct 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65 Opening

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A washing tank for placing dishes, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, a heater for heating the outside air taken in to dry the washed dishes, and hot air heated by the heater for washing the dishes. In a dishwasher equipped with a fan for blowing air, a ventilation port for circulating hot air in the cleaning tank, and an exhaust port, a ventilation duct for guiding the hot air from the fan, a first duct connected below the cleaning tank, and a cleaning tank A second duct connected above and a switching means for switching the hot air that has passed through the blower duct to the first duct or the second duct connected to the cleaning tank to blow the hot air. A dishwasher characterized by that. 2. A washing tank for arranging dishes, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, a heater for heating the outside air taken in to dry the washed dishes, and a hot air heated by the heater in the washing tank. In a dishwasher equipped with a fan that blows air, a ventilation port that allows hot air to flow through the cleaning tank, and an exhaust port, a ventilation duct that guides the hot air from the fan, a hot air switching valve that is fixed to the rotating shaft, and the switching valve can be rotated A valve cylinder frame built in the above, a ventilation duct provided to intersect the valve cylinder frame at a right angle, a first duct connected below the cleaning tank, a second duct connected above the cleaning tank,
An exhaust duct for discharging the air after drying the tableware to the outside of the machine and a valve rotating means for rotating the hot air switching valve are provided, and the hot air switching valve is rotated by about 90 ° to pass through the air blowing duct. A dishwasher, wherein hot air is switched to the first duct or the second duct connected to a washing tank to blow air. 3. A washing tank for arranging dishes, a means for spraying washing water on the dishes, a heater for heating the outside air taken in to dry the washed dishes, and a hot air heated by the heater in the washing tank. In a dishwasher having a fan for blowing air, a ventilation port for circulating hot air in the cleaning tank, and an exhaust port, a ventilation duct for guiding the hot air from the fan, a plurality of ducts connected below the cleaning tank, and a plurality of these ducts. From the blower duct, a first collecting duct in which the above ducts are collected in one, a plurality of ducts connected above the cleaning tank and a second collecting duct in which these plural ducts are collected into one, A dishwasher comprising: switching means for switching hot air to the first collecting duct or the second collecting duct to blow air.