JPS58463Y2 - Dishwasher - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a dishwasher that washes dishes, and particularly includes a steam process in which steam is generated by storing water in a washing tank and the steam comes into contact with the dishes, a main washing process in which the dishes are washed, etc. This invention relates to a dishwasher that can wash dishes efficiently.

An embodiment of the dishwasher of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the drawing, 1 is an exterior body, 2 is a door 3 that can be opened and closed up and down.
4 is a sprinkler having a large number of spray nozzles 5, 5, etc. arranged at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2.
16 is a circulation pump disposed between the exterior body 1 and the cleaning tank 2.

The circulation pump 6 has a suction side connected to a drain port 8 sunk in the bottom of the cleaning tank 2 through a suction pipe 7, and a discharge side connected to a sprinkler 4 through a water pipe 9.

Reference numeral 10 indicates a filter provided at the drain port 8, and reference numeral 11 indicates an electromagnetic drain valve for controlling drainage of the cleaning tank 2.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a tableware basket which is installed above the sprinkler 4 so as to be freely accessible in and out of the washing tank 2, and on which tableware 13 is placed.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a water supply port that opens at the top of the cleaning tank 2 and supplies water in a shower-like manner, and has an electromagnetic water supply valve 15 and is connected to a water supply pipe 16 that connects to a water source.

A heater 17 is placed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2, and serves as a heat source for heating and drying the cleaning water.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a steam generator composed of the heater 17 and the heater cover 19.

The heater cover 19 has a steam discharge port 20 formed in its rising wall.

21 is a water level switch that operates by detecting the water level in the cleaning tank 2; 22 is a circulation pump 6 that works together with the water level switch 21;
Drain valve 11. This is a program timer that controls the water supply valve 15, heater 17, etc. according to a predetermined cleaning cycle, and sequentially performs each process of pre-cleaning, steam cleaning, main cleaning, rinsing, steam drying, and drying.

Next, its operation will be explained.

First, the tableware basket 12 with tableware 13 placed thereon is inserted into the washing tank 2, and the program timer 22 is set.

Then, each process is sequentially performed as described below, and the tableware 13 is washed and dried.

(Pre-cleaning process) The water supply valve 15 opens and water is supplied from the water supply port 14 in a shower-like manner, and when the water level in the cleaning tank 2 (the cleaning water level indicated by A in FIG. 2) reaches a predetermined water level, the circulation pump is activated. 6 is driven.

Then, the water in the washing tank 2 is ejected from the spout nozzles 5, 5, etc. of the sprinkler 4, washing away the residue adhering to the tableware 13, and at the same time moistening starchy substances such as rice grains that are difficult to remove. do.

When a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the drain valve 11 is opened to drain the water in the cleaning tank 2 to the outside, and upon completion of this, the process moves to the next step.

(Steam cleaning process) Water is supplied into the cleaning tank 2 in the same way as the previous process, and the predetermined water level (
The heater 17 is energized when the steam level reaches the steam level indicated by B, which is lower than the water level indicated by A in FIG.

Then, the heater 17 mainly heats the water in the heater cover 19, and generates steam in a shorter time than in the case where all the water in the cleaning tank 2 is heated.

Further, since the water level in the cleaning tank 2 at this time is lower than the water level during the preliminary cleaning process and the main cleaning process, steam can be generated more efficiently.

The steam generated here flows into the washing tank 2 from the steam outlet 20 and comes into contact with the tableware 13, dissolving the starch that has become wet in the previous process.

(Main cleaning process) When moving to the main process after a predetermined period of time, the cleaning tank 2 is first cleaned.
Water is supplied into the tank to make up for the shortage until the washing water level shown in Figure 2A is reached.

Thereafter, the circulation pump 6 and the heater 17 are energized, detergent is added, and hot water is sprayed from the spray nozzles 5.5 of the sprinkler 4 to wash the dishes 13.

In this case, since hot water is used as the washing water and the starch is kept in a molten state in the preceding steam washing step, even the starch, such as rice grains, which is difficult to remove, can be easily washed away.

Therefore, this cleaning step can achieve the intended purpose in a short time.

Then, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the drain valve 11 is opened to perform a drain operation, and then the next step is started.

(Rinsing step) The same operation as the pre-washing step described above is performed, and the tableware is rinsed with clean water to wash off detergent and the like.

(Steam drying process) Steam is generated and brought into contact with the tableware 13 in the same manner as in the previous steam cleaning process.

As a result, the moisture adhering to the tableware 13 is evaporated by the latent heat (heat of vaporization) of the steam.

Further, the tableware 13 is also sterilized by the high heat of the steam.

(Drying Step) After draining the water in the cleaning tank 2, drying is performed by energizing the heater 17.

Of course, since the moisture adhering to the tableware 13 has evaporated to some extent in the previous steam drying step, the tableware 13 can be dried in a short time.

Further, at this time, the heater cover 19 acts as a heat sink for the heater 17, so that the heat of the heater 17 contributes effectively.

Note that the steam cleaning process and the steam drying process described above should not be carried out for too long, as some of the tableware 13, such as thermoplastic plastic containers, have low heat resistance and will be thermally deformed if steam is applied for a long period of time. According to experiments, it has been found that a time of about 3 to 10 minutes is most appropriate.

Further, each step is omitted or repeated as appropriate depending on the degree of dirt on the tableware 13, and this is done by providing the program timer 22 with such a function.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the water stored in the washing tank is heated by a heater to generate steam, and the steam process is performed in which the steam is brought into contact with the tableware.
By setting the water level in the cleaning tank during the steam process to a lower water level than during the main cleaning process, steam can be generated efficiently in a short time even though the water in the cleaning tank is heated, and of course the configuration of the steam generator It can also be simple and extremely practical.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an embodiment of the dishwasher of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1. In the drawing, 2 indicates a cleaning tank, and 21 indicates a water level switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a dishwasher that performs a steam process in which water stored in a washing tank is heated by a heater to generate steam and the steam is brought into contact with the dishes, and a main washing process in which the water stored in the washing tank is injected onto the dishes to wash the dishes, the steam process described above is used. A dishwasher characterized in that the water level in the washing tank is set to a lower water level than during the main washing process.