JPH0759715A - Washer-and-dryer of dish - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To discriminate the quantity of stains on tableware or the removing hardness thereof and decide an optimum washing pattern in accordance with the conditions. CONSTITUTION:The transmittancy of washing water is detected by a turbidity sensor 16 composed of a light emitter 17 and a light receiver 18 to check the turbidity of washing water at a plurality of time points in a preliminary dish- washing process by the use of only washing water without detergent. The quantity of stains and the removing hardness thereof are discriminated by a controller 20 on the basis of the polluted degree of the washing water, and the washing conditions are controlled in accordance with the discriminated results.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher / dryer for washing and drying dishes, and more particularly to a dishwasher / dryer having a function of discriminating how dirty the dishes are.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A dishwasher is a device connected to a water supply or hot water supply facility to wash dishes with water or warm water (hereinafter referred to as wash water) or detergent, and to dry the washed dishes. Is.

A conventional dishwasher / dryer has a plurality of modes for washing dishes, such as a mode for washing carefully for a long time and a mode for washing easily for a short time. The cleaning can be efficiently performed by empirically selecting the mode according to the amount, the amount, the degree of adhesion, and the like. For example, the user puts the dishes in the dishwasher and sets the mode to wash for a long time when there are many dishes, and sets the mode to wash for a short time when there are few dishes.

[0004]

As described above, conventionally, the user empirically determines the amount of dishes, the quality of stains, the amount, the degree of adhesion, etc. to select the mode. Is not always selectable. that is,
This is because it is difficult for the user to accurately grasp the way in which the stains are removed, depending on how dirty the dishes are, the type of stain, the time the stain is left, the environment in which the stain is left, and the like. Also,
The temperature of the cleaning water changes depending on the situation, and the way the dirt is removed also varies depending on this temperature, but it is difficult for the user to accurately grasp the temperature of the cleaning water. Therefore, in conventional dishwasher dryers that rely on user experience to select a mode,
Determining the optimal cleaning pattern was difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher / dryer capable of determining the amount of stains on a tableware and the easiness of falling, and determining the optimum washing pattern in accordance with these.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dishwasher / dryer which has a storage unit for storing dishes, a washing unit for washing the dishes stored in the storage unit, and a dishwasher washed by the washing unit. A drying means for drying, a circulation means for circulating the cleaning water used by the cleaning means, and a circulation means for circulating the cleaning water used by the cleaning means at a plurality of time points in the pre-washing process for cleaning the dishes by the cleaning means without using the detergent. The amount of dirt and the easiness of falling off of the dishes are determined based on the dirt detection means for detecting the degree of light transmission of the wash water to detect the dirt degree of the wash water and the dirt degree of the wash water detected by the dirt detection means. And a discriminating means for discriminating.

In this dishwasher / dryer, the dirt level of the wash water is detected by the dirt detecting means at a plurality of points in the prewashing process, and the quantity of dirt and the amount of dirt on the dishes are removed by the judging means from the dirt level of the wash water. Ease is determined.

A dishwasher / dryer according to a second aspect of the present invention is the dishwasher / dryer according to the first aspect, further comprising washing control means for controlling the washing condition of the washing means in accordance with the discrimination result of the discrimination means. .

In this dishwasher / dryer, the washing condition of the washing means is controlled by the washing control means according to the result of the discrimination by the discriminating means.

The dishwasher / dryer according to claim 3 is the dishwasher / dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discriminating means is based on the difference in the degree of soiling of the wash water at the start and end of the prewashing step. The amount of dirt on the tableware is determined, and the easiness of stain removal on the tableware is determined based on the change in the degree of dirt on the wash water during the pre-washing process.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a dishwasher / dryer according to this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the dishwasher / dryer of this embodiment has a storage section 11 for storing dishes.
The storage portion 11 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 12 which constitutes cleaning means. One end of the wash water circulation path 13 is connected to the wash nozzle 12, and the other end of the wash water circulation path 13 is provided at the drain port 1 provided at the bottom of the storage section 11.
4 is connected. A washing pump 15 for circulating the washing water is provided in the washing water circulation path 13. The cleaning water circulation path 13 and the cleaning pump 15 constitute a circulation means for supplying the cleaning water ejected from the cleaning nozzle 12 to the cleaning nozzle 12 again via the drain port 14 and the cleaning water circulation path 13. Although not shown, the dishwasher has a device for supplying hot water or water through a water supply hose connected to the water supply or hot water supply facility, and a device for draining cleaning water or the like through a drain hose.

In this embodiment, a turbidity sensor 16 is attached to the wash water circulation path 13. This turbidity sensor 16
Has a light emitting section 17 and a light receiving section 18 which are arranged so as to face each other with the wash water circulation path 13 interposed therebetween. The light receiving section 18 passes through the wash water emitted from the light emitting section 17 and passes through the wash water circulation path 13. By detecting the light amount of the light received by, the degree of light transmission of the wash water is detected, and thereby the degree of contamination of the wash water is detected.

An operation panel 19 is provided on the housing of the dishwasher / dryer. The dishwasher / dryer further includes a washing pump 15, a turbidity sensor 16, and an operation panel 1.
A control device 20 for controlling the entire sequence of cleaning, drying, etc. by controlling 9 and the like is provided. In addition, this control device 20
Functions as a determination unit that determines the amount of stains on the tableware and the easiness of removal, and a cleaning control unit that controls the cleaning conditions according to the determination result of the determination unit.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device of the dishwasher / dryer and its peripherals according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the control device 20 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 21, a ROM (read only memory) 22, and an R.
An AM (random access memory) 23, a clock 24 for clocking time, and an input / output port 25 are provided, and these are connected to each other by a bus 26.
In addition to the turbidity sensor 16, the cleaning pump 15 and the operation panel 19 described above, the input / output port 25 includes the cleaning nozzle 12
A motor 27 for rotating the motor, a heater 28 for heating and drying the wash water, and a fan 29 for blowing air for drying are connected.

In this control device 20, the CPU 21 controls the R
By executing the program stored in the ROM 22 with the AM 23 as the working area, the sequence of cleaning, drying, etc. is controlled.

Next, the operation of the dishwasher of this embodiment will be described.

The dishwasher / dryer of this embodiment has a prewashing step of washing dishes with only washing water without using a detergent, a main washing step of washing dishes with a detergent, a rinsing step and a drying step in this order. Run. In this embodiment, the amount of stains on the dishes and the easiness of stains adhering to the dishes are determined in the pre-washing process, and the washing conditions in the subsequent sequence are determined according to these to determine the optimum washing pattern. It is supposed to be washed.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of determining the amount of dirt and the ease of removal in the prewashing process. As shown in this figure, in the pre-washing process, first, hot water supply or water supply is started (step S101), and then the output of the turbidity sensor 16 before washing, that is, the output of the light receiving unit 18 is changed to the control device 20.
Is read by (step S102). This output is stored in the RAM 23 in the control device 20. Next, the washing pump 15 is operated to start prewashing (step S1).
03). Next, the output of the turbidity sensor 16 is sampled at predetermined time intervals and sequentially stored in the RAM 23. next,
It is determined whether or not the pre-washing time (time required for pre-washing) has elapsed (step S105). If it has not elapsed (step S105; N), sampling of the output of the turbidity sensor 16 (step S104) is repeated, and if it has elapsed (step S105; Y), the turbidity at each time stored in the RAM 23. Based on the output of the sensor 16,
The output decrease gradient of the turbidity sensor 16 at each time during the prewash process and the absolute value of the output decrease of the turbidity sensor 16 from the start to the end of the prewash process are calculated (step S1).
06). Next, the absolute amount of stains on the dishes and the easiness of the stains adhering to the dishes are determined from the absolute value of the decrease in output of the turbidity sensor 16 and the slope of the decrease in output (step S107), and the operation ends.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram for explaining a method of determining the absolute amount of stains on a tableware and the easiness of stain removal based on the absolute value of the output reduction of the turbidity sensor 16 and the output reduction gradient. The horizontal axis shows the elapsed time in the pre-washing process, and the vertical axis shows the output of the turbidity sensor 16.

The output of the turbidity sensor 16 corresponds (eg, is proportional) to the light transmittance of the wash water. Therefore, the turbidity sensor 1
The absolute amount of stains on the wash water can be estimated from the absolute value of the output decrease of 6, and the absolute amount of stains on the tableware can also be estimated from the absolute amount of stains on the wash water. In FIG. 4, in the examples indicated by reference numeral 41 and the reference numeral 44, it is estimated that the absolute amount of stains on the tableware is large because the absolute value of the output decrease is large, and the example indicated by reference numeral 42 and the example indicated by reference numeral 43 indicate the output decrease. Since the absolute value of is small, it is estimated that the absolute amount of stains on the tableware is small.

Further, it is possible to estimate the ease of dirt removal from the change in the output decrease gradient of the turbidity sensor 16 at each time during the pre-washing process. For example, reference numeral 4 in FIG.
When the absolute value of the output decrease gradient is small at the beginning of the pre-washing process and the absolute value of the output decrease gradient gradually increases, as in the examples shown by Nos. 1 and 42, it is estimated that the stain is hard to remove. On the other hand, as in the examples indicated by reference numerals 43 and 44, the absolute value of the output decrease gradient is large at the beginning of the pre-washing process,
When the absolute value of the output decrease gradient gradually decreases, it is estimated that the dirt is likely to be removed.

The control device 20 determines, based on the absolute amount of stains on the dishes and the easiness of the stains, determined as described above.
The cleaning conditions in the subsequent sequence are controlled. That is, the control device 20 knows the easiness of removing stains and the rough amount of stains, and in addition to the amount of stains on the dishes, the time after the stains adhere to the dishes and the type of stains (whether water-soluble or not). Etc.) etc. can be broadly divided into
The time for main washing and rinsing required for washing dishes, the maximum temperature of washing water heated by the heater 28, and the like are set. In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the optimum dishwashing operation.

Also, in this embodiment, the absolute amount of stains on the dishes is estimated from the absolute value of the output decrease of the turbidity sensor 16 from the start to the end of the prewashing process, and at each time during the prewashing process. Since the stain easiness is estimated from the change in the output decrease gradient of the turbidity sensor 16, it is possible to accurately determine the amount of stain and the easiness of stain stain.

In the present embodiment, the easiness of removing the dirt is estimated from the change in the output decrease gradient of the turbidity sensor 16 at each time during the prewashing process.
It is also possible to estimate the quality of dirt and the degree of adhesion of dirt to tableware from the change pattern of the output of. That is,
The change pattern of the output of the turbidity sensor 16 is measured and stored in advance by an experiment for each type of dirt and the degree of attachment of different dirt, and the change pattern of the output of the turbidity sensor 16 obtained during actual use is stored. It is possible to estimate the quality of dirt and the degree of adhesion of dirt to tableware by comparing with the stored pattern.

[0026]

As described above, according to the dishwasher / dryer of the first aspect, the degree of soiling of the wash water is detected at a plurality of points in the prewashing process, and the amount of soiling of the tableware and Since the ease of removal is determined, it is possible to determine the optimum cleaning pattern according to the amount of dirt and the ease of removal.

According to the dishwasher / dryer of the second aspect, the cleaning conditions are controlled according to the result of the determination of the amount of dirt and the ease of removal. There is an effect that it is possible to perform an optimal dishwashing operation according to the ease.

According to the dishwasher / dryer of the third aspect, the amount of stains on the dishes is determined based on the difference in the degree of stains on the wash water at the start and end of the prewashing step, and the prewashing step is performed. Since the easiness of the stains on the dishes is determined based on the change in the degree of stains on the wash water in step 3, the amount and the easiness of the stains can be accurately determined.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a dishwasher / dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device in FIG. 1 and its peripherals.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an operation of determining the amount of dirt and the ease of falling in a pre-washing process of the dishwasher / dryer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram for explaining a method of determining the absolute amount of stains on a dish and the easiness of stain removal in the dishwasher of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Storage Section 12 Cleaning Nozzle 13 Cleaning Water Circulation Path 15 Cleaning Pump 16 Turbidity Sensor 17 Light Emitting Section 18 Light Receiving Section 19 Operation Panel 20 Control Device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit for storing tableware, a cleaning unit for cleaning the tableware stored in the storage unit, a drying unit for drying the tableware cleaned by the cleaning unit, and a cleaning water used by the cleaning unit. And a light-transmitting degree of the wash water circulated by the circulation means at a plurality of points in the pre-washing process in which the washing means wash the dishes with only the wash water without using the detergent. And a discrimination unit for discriminating the amount of stains on the dishes and the easiness of falling from the contamination level of the cleaning water detected by the contamination detection unit. Characteristic dishwasher. 2. The dishwasher / dryer according to claim 1, further comprising washing control means for controlling washing conditions of the washing means in accordance with a result of the discrimination by the discrimination means. 3. The determination means determines the amount of stains on the dishes based on the difference in the degree of dirt of the wash water at the start and end of the pre-washing step, and determines the degree of dirt of the wash water during the pre-washing step. The dishwasher / dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ease of stain removal of the tableware is determined based on the change.