JPH0898796A - Tableware washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a person from hurting his feeling by steam discharged to the outside from an exhaust port in the drying process of a tableware washing machine. CONSTITUTION: When an ultrasonic sensor 19 senses that a person approaches the vicinity of an exhaust port 15 in such a state that steam is discharged from the exhaust port in the drying process of a tableware washing machine, a control circuit 23 stops the operation of a fan 17 and a heater 16 not only 16 stop the discharge of steam but also to operate an alarm buzzer 24 and allows a time display device displaying the residual time of the drying process to flash to generate a warning. When the ultrasonic sensor 19 does not sense the approach of the person, the generated warning is stopped and the fan 17 and the heater 16 are again operated to resume the drying process.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher for performing a drying process of washing and drying the dishes stored in a washing chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 6, in a dishwasher 2 of a type incorporated in a system kitchen 1, for example, intake and exhaust are performed during a drying process performed after washing dishes stored in a washing chamber. Intake port 3 and exhaust port 4 for
Had to be provided separately from the upper portion of the front surface side of the main body 2a due to structural restrictions.

[0003]

Therefore, during the drying process, the air sucked from the intake port 3, blown into the cleaning chamber by the fan, and heated by the heater is the high-temperature steam 5 containing water in the cleaning chamber. And exhaust port 4 on the front side
As it is discharged outside the main body 2a, as shown in FIG.
When the person 6 approaches the exhaust port 4, there is a problem that the person feels discomfort due to hot air. In particular, an infant cannot carelessly read the caution message written on the main body 2a of the dishwasher 2 and the display device 8 for displaying the stroke and time in the operation panel 7, and thus carelessly approaches the exhaust port 4. The possibility is high. Also,
Even an adult cannot pay attention to the display device 8 in the operation panel 7 when concentrated on housework, and may accidentally approach the exhaust port 4 during the drying process.
The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher that does not cause discomfort to a person even when the person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port during the drying process.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the dishwasher according to claim 1 is a drying process in which dishware stored in a washing chamber is washed and then dried by operating a heater and a fan. In a dishwasher in which steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body, a person detection means is provided in the main body, which outputs a detection signal when a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust opening, and an alarm is generated. The alarm generating means and the control means for controlling the alarm generating means to generate an alarm when the person detecting means outputs a detection signal during the drying process.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the dishwasher according to the second aspect, steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body during a drying process of drying the dishes stored in the washing chamber by operating the heater and the fan after washing. In the dish washing machine, the fan is stopped when it is installed in the main body and outputs a detection signal when it detects that a person approaches the exhaust port and when the detection signal is output by the detection sensor during the drying process. Let
And a control means for controlling to restart the operation of the fan when the sensing signal is no longer output.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the dishwasher according to the third aspect, steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body during a drying process in which the dishes and dishes stored in the washing chamber are washed and then dried by operating the heater and the fan. In the dishwasher described above, a person detecting means, which is provided in the main body, outputs a detection signal when a person approaches an exhaust port, an alarm generating means for issuing an alarm, and a person detecting means during a drying process are provided. When the detection signal is output, the alarm is generated by the alarm generation unit and the fan is stopped. When the detection signal is not output, the alarm generation unit stops the alarm generation and restarts the fan operation. Means and means are provided.

In this case, the alarm generation means may be combined with the drying time display means for emitting and displaying the remaining time of the drying process, and the alarm may be issued by blinking the display of the remaining time (claim 4). ).

Further, the control means stops the operation of the heater when the human sensing means outputs a sensing signal during the drying process,
The heater may be restarted when the sensing signal is no longer output (Claim 5).

[0009]

According to the dishwasher of the present invention, the control means, when the person detecting means detects that a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body during the drying process, the alarm generating means. To alert the person approaching the exhaust port of the danger.

According to another aspect of the dishwasher of the present invention, the control means stops the fan when the human detection means detects that a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body during the drying process. Then, when the sensing signal is no longer output,
Since the operation of the fan is controlled so as to be restarted, the discharge of steam is stopped while a person is approaching the vicinity of the exhaust port, and safety is improved.

According to another aspect of the dishwasher of the present invention, the control means detects the person approaching the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging steam to the outside of the main body during the drying process by the person detecting means, and outputs an alarm. When the alarm is generated by the above, the fan is stopped to stop the vapor discharge, and the detection signal is not output, the alarm generation means stops the alarm generation and restarts the fan operation. The same effects as those of Items 1 and 2 can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the alarm is issued by blinking the light emission display of the remaining time of the drying process, the alarm is visually given to a person approaching the vicinity of the exhaust port. .

According to another aspect of the dishwasher of the present invention, the control means stops the operation of the heater when the human detection means outputs a detection signal during the drying process, and stops the operation of the heater when the detection signal is not output. Since the operation is restarted, the same effect as that of the third aspect can be obtained.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, a dishwasher 11 is incorporated in the system kitchen 10. Inside the main body 12 of the dish washing machine 11, although not shown, the washing mechanism for spraying the washing water toward the dishes stored in the dish basket in the washing chamber for washing and the washing water in the washing chamber to the outside A drainage mechanism for draining water is provided, and a door 13 is pivotally installed at a front opening for taking in and out the dishes. Body 1
An intake port 14 and an exhaust port 15 are formed at the left and right end portions of the upper part of the front surface of 2, and the intake port 14 is communicated with the lower part of the cleaning chamber, and the exhaust port 15 is communicated with the upper part of the cleaning chamber. .

A heater 16 and a fan 17 (see FIG. 5) are provided in the main body 12, and the heater 1
When 6 is energized to generate heat and fan 17 is energized to blow air, external air is sucked in from the intake port 14 by the fan 17 and heated by the heater 16 to become hot air, which adheres to the dishes in the washing chamber. The water is vaporized and discharged as steam from the exhaust port 15 to the outside of the main body 12.

An operation panel 18 is disposed above the front surface of the main body 12 and below the intake port 14 and the exhaust port 15. An ultrasonic sensor 19, which is a human detection means, is provided in a portion of the operation panel 18 located below the exhaust port 15. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the detection distance x of the ultrasonic sensor 19 is set so as to be near the outside of the range in which the steam 20 discharged from the exhaust port 15 exhibits a high temperature.

On the operation panel 18, as shown in FIG.
Various keys 21 and a display device 22 are provided. The display device 22 includes a process indicator 22a for displaying the washing and rinsing process by emitting light from an LED and the like, and a time indicator 22b for displaying the emission process by subtracting the remaining time of the drying process by the 7-segment LED in minutes. Means, alarm generating means).

In FIG. 5 showing the electrical construction, the control circuit 23 as a control means is constructed by including a microcomputer, which includes output signals from various keys 21 arranged in the operation panel 18 and an ultrasonic sensor. The output signal of 19 is input. Then, the control circuit 23
From here, a control signal for enabling (ON) or invalidating (OFF) the ultrasonic sensor 19 is input to the ultrasonic sensor 19.

Further, the control circuit 23 operates in accordance with the control program stored in the microcomputer, and the fan 1
A drive signal is given to the heater 7, the display device 22, and the alarm buzzer 24 (alarm generating means) via the drive circuit 25 to operate them.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As is well known, when the automatic washing operation is selected, the dishwasher 11 performs the washing process and the rinsing process by the operation of the cleaning mechanism and the drainage mechanism, and then performs the drying process. The control contents of the control circuit 23 in the drying process related to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the drying process starts, first in step S1 of "heater ON", the heater 16 is operated (ON) via the drive circuit 25 to heat the cleaning chamber. Then, the process proceeds to the processing step S2 of "fan ON", and the fan 17 is operated (ON) via the drive circuit 25.
Then, the outside air sucked through the intake port 14 is blown into the cleaning chamber, and the steam 20 is discharged through the exhaust port 15. Further, the process proceeds to the next "timer start" processing step S3.

In process step S3, a timer (not shown) in the control circuit 23 starts time counting in order to measure a predetermined drying time. In the next step S4 of "ultrasonic sensor ON", after activating the ultrasonic sensor 19, the process proceeds to step S5 of "time display".

In the processing step S5, the drive circuit 2
5, the time indicator 22b of the display device 22 is caused to display the number "20" as an initial value of the remaining time of the drying process, for example, meaning that it will be performed for 20 minutes from now. Then, the process shifts to the next “Did you sense?” Determination step S6 to start monitoring the output signal of the ultrasonic sensor 19.
In the determination step S6, it is determined whether or not the ultrasonic sensor 19 senses the approach of the person 26 to the exhaust port 15 by referring to the output signal of the ultrasonic sensor 19. If "NO" is determined in the determination step S6, "F = 1?"
The determination step S7 is performed. Here, the flag F is
It is set to "0" in the initialization at the start of the automatic cleaning operation. In this determination step S7, it is determined to be "NO", and the process proceeds to the determination step S8 of "1 minute has elapsed?"

In the judgment step S8, it is judged with reference to the timer whether one minute has elapsed. Judgment step S
When it is determined to be "NO" in 8, the process proceeds to a determination step S6 of "Did you sense?". If "YES" is determined in the determination step S8, the process proceeds to the processing step S9 of "Drying completed?" And the end time of the drying process is reached (2
It is determined whether 0 minute has elapsed). Judgment step S9
When it is determined to be "NO" in step S5, the process proceeds to the "time display" processing step S5 and the display of the time display 22b is updated to a value obtained by subtracting 1 minute.

On the other hand, if the ultrasonic sensor 19 senses the approach of the person 26 (for example, an infant) within the detection distance x, and if "YES" in the processing step S6 of "Did you sense?", "F = 1? "Determination step S10. In the determination step S10, it is determined whether or not the flag F is set, as in step S8 described above.
If "NO" is determined in the determination step S10, it means that the approach of the person 26 has been sensed for the first time from a state where it has not been sensed before, and therefore the next "fan OFF" is performed.
In step S11, the fan 17 is stopped via the drive circuit 25, and the heater 16 is also stopped in step S12, which is the next "heater OFF". Then, the process proceeds to the next "alarm display start" processing step S13.

In the processing step S13, the time display of the time display 22b, which displays the current remaining time of the drying process, is made to blink through the drive circuit 25 at an appropriate interval that can be visually recognized by the person 26. By doing so, an alarm is displayed. Then, the process proceeds to the next "alarm buzzer ON" processing step S14.

In process step S14, the alarm buzzer 24 is operated (ON) via the drive circuit 25 to generate an alarm sound. Then, the process proceeds to the next "timer stop" processing step S15 to stop the timer. The drying process is interrupted by the above processing from step S11 to step S15. And next "F ← 1"
The process shifts to the processing step S16. Processing step S16
In, the flag F for storing that the approach of the person 26 is sensed once is set to "1". And
The process moves to the determination step S6 of "Did you sense?"

When the ultrasonic sensor 19 continues to sense the approach of the person 26 and makes a "YES" determination in step S6, it is checked in step S10 whether the flag F is "1". "YES" in determination step S10
If so, the process returns to step S6. That is, the ultrasonic sensor 19 detects the approach of the person 26, and once the step S
After passing through 16, the ultrasonic sensor 19
Will continue to loop through steps 6 and 10 until he no longer senses the approach of person 26.

From this state, in the decision step S6, "N
If it is determined to be "O", the process proceeds to a determination step S7, and the flag F is checked. In the judgment step S7, "Y
If it is determined to be “ES”, the drying process is interrupted at that point and an alarm is issued. Therefore, the process of stopping the alarm generation and restarting the interrupted drying process is performed. First, when the fan 17 is operated by moving to the "fan ON" processing step S17, the process moves to the "heater ON" processing step S18 to start the heating operation of the heater 16,
The process moves to the processing step S19 of "stop alarm display".

In the processing step S19, the time display 22
The blinking display of the remaining time of the drying process as the alarm display, which is performed in b, is stopped. And, "Alarm buzzer OF
F "processing step S20 is performed to stop the alarm buzzer 24 from being turned off (OFF) to stop the alarm sound, and then" timer start "processing step S21.
Then, the counting of the suspended drying process time is restarted, and the process proceeds to the processing step S22 of "F ← 0".

In process step S22, in order to clear the flag F set in step S16, "0" is written in the memory area in which the flag F is stored and the flag F is reset. If the ultrasonic sensor 19 does not sense the approach of the person 26 again after that, the process proceeds to the determination step S6 of "Did you sense?", And the remaining time of the drying process is displayed for 1 minute as described above. The drying process is repeated until the end while reducing and updating each time.

Then, a predetermined time (for example, only 20 minutes)
The drying process is performed, and in the determination step S9, "YE
If it is determined to be "S", processing step S for "fan OFF"
23, the operation of the fan 17 is stopped, and then the process goes to the processing step S24 for "heater OFF" and the heater 16
Is stopped, and then the process proceeds to the processing step S25 of "turning off the ultrasonic sensor" to invalidate (OFF) the ultrasonic sensor 19, and further activates the alarm buzzer 24 for a certain period of time to end the drying process. .

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the ultrasonic sensor 19 detects the approach of the person 26 to the vicinity of the exhaust port 15 in the drying process and outputs the detection signal, the control circuit 23 outputs the fan 17. To stop the discharge of the steam 20 and stop the operation of the heater 16 to interrupt the drying process, generate an alarm sound in the notification buzzer 24, and display the remaining time of the drying process. Display 2
2b will be displayed by blinking to give an alarm, and then
When the ultrasonic sensor 19 no longer senses the approach of the person 26,
The alarm is stopped and the drying process is restarted.

Therefore, when a person 26 approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port 15 of the dishwasher 11 performing the drying process, a warning is issued to notify the danger, and at the same time, the drying process is interrupted during the approaching process and the steam 20 Since the discharge is also stopped, the approaching person 26 does not feel uncomfortable due to the heat, and further, there is no possibility of being injured due to burns, and safety can be improved. Further, when the drying process is interrupted, the timer for measuring the drying time is stopped, and when the approach of the person 26 is no longer sensed from this state, the control circuit 23 restarts the drying process and restarts the operation of the timer. It is also possible to sufficiently dry the tableware without running out of time.

Moreover, the dishwasher 11 is used as an alarm means.
Since the drying time indicator 22b and the notification buzzer 24 originally provided in the above are also used, it is not necessary to provide special alarm means, and the number of parts does not increase.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and the following modifications are possible. Although the ultrasonic sensor 19 is used as the person detecting means, an infrared sensor may be used instead. The dishwasher 11 is installed in the system kitchen 10 and the intake port 1
4 and the exhaust port 15 are shown in the upper front part of the dishwasher 11, but the intake port and the exhaust port may be located in the upper side part of the dishwasher when they are not incorporated in the system kitchen. When a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port 15, the alarm is issued and the drying process is interrupted at the same time. However, only one of the alarm generation and the interrupting the drying process may be performed. The alarm buzzer 24 is sounded to generate an alarm, and at the same time, the time indicator 22b indicating the remaining time of the drying process is blinked. However, the alarm buzzer 24 is activated and the time indicator 22b is flashed. You may make it perform only either one of these.

Further, in order to make the time display 22b blink as an alarm, the remaining time in the drying process is made to blink. However, a dedicated indicator for the alarm is prepared and blinked. Alternatively, the display may be turned on. Furthermore, when a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port 14, the drying process is interrupted, but the fan 17 is stopped to stop only the discharge of steam, and the heater 16 and the timer are not stopped, and the drying process itself is stopped. You may make it continue and conversely, you may stop only the heater 16.

[0038]

Since the present invention is as described above,
The following effects are achieved. According to the dishwasher according to claim 1, when the human detecting means detects that a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body during the drying process, the control means issues an alarm. It is controlled so that it is generated, and the danger is notified to a person approaching the vicinity of the exhaust port, so that it is possible to prevent the person from feeling uncomfortable due to the high temperature steam.

According to another aspect of the dishwasher of the present invention, the control means stops the fan when the person detecting means detects that a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body during the drying process. Then, when the sensing signal is no longer output,
Since the fan is controlled to restart its operation, it is possible to improve safety.

According to another aspect of the dishwasher of the present invention, when the control means detects that a person approaches the vicinity of the exhaust port for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body by the human detection means during the drying process, the alarm generation means. When the alarm is generated and the fan is stopped and the sensing signal is no longer output, the alarm generation means stops the alarm generation and restarts the fan operation, which further enhances the safety. Can be obtained.

According to the dishwasher of the fourth aspect, the alarm is issued by blinking the light emission display of the remaining time of the drying process, so that the alarm is visually given to a person approaching the vicinity of the exhaust port. In addition, there is an advantage that no special alarm means is required. According to the dishwasher of claim 5, the control means stops the operation of the heater when the human detection means outputs the detection signal during the drying process, and restarts the operation of the heater when the detection signal is not output. Therefore, the same operational effect as that of the third aspect can be obtained, and furthermore, the local heating by the heater can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the control contents of a drying process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the tableware dryer incorporated in the system kitchen.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view showing a detection distance of the ultrasonic sensor.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the operation panel part.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 is a dishwasher, 12 is a main body, 15 is an exhaust port, 16 is a heater, 17 is a fan, 19 is an ultrasonic sensor (human detection means), 22b is a time display (drying time display means, alarm generation means), Reference numeral 23 is a control circuit (control means), and 24 is a notification buzzer (alarm generation means).

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A dishwasher in which steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body during a drying process of drying the dishes stored in the washing chamber by operating a heater and a fan after washing the dishes. And a human detection means that outputs a detection signal when a person approaches the exhaust port, an alarm generation means that issues an alarm, and the human detection means outputs a detection signal during the drying process. Then, the dishwasher comprising: a control unit that controls the alarm generation unit to generate an alarm. 2. A dishwasher in which steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body during a drying process of drying the dishes stored in the washing chamber by operating a heater and a fan after cleaning the dishes. And a human detection unit that outputs a detection signal when a person approaches the exhaust port, and when the human detection unit outputs a detection signal during the drying process, the fan is stopped and detection is performed. A dishwasher comprising: a control unit that controls to restart the operation of the fan when the signal is no longer output. 3. A dishwasher in which steam is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body during a drying process of drying the dishes stored in the washing chamber by operating a heater and a fan after washing the dishes. And a human detection means that outputs a detection signal when a person approaches the exhaust port, an alarm generation means that issues an alarm, and the human detection means outputs a detection signal during the drying process. Then, when the alarm is generated by the alarm generation means and the fan is stopped and the detection signal is not output, the control means for controlling the alarm generation means to stop the alarm generation and restart the fan operation. A dishwasher comprising: 4. The alarm generating means is also used as a drying time display means for emitting and displaying the remaining time of the drying process, and the alarm is issued by blinking the display of the remaining time. The dishwasher according to 1 or 3. 5. The control means stops the operation of the heater when the human detection means outputs a detection signal during the drying process,
4. The heater is restarted when the sensing signal is no longer output.
The dishwasher according to any one of 1.