KR20100106156A - Dish washer and operation control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A dish washer and an operation control method thereof are provided to effectively detect the water leakage without a separate component, such as a sensor. CONSTITUTION: A dish washer comprises a tub, a thump, a pollution level sensor(210), a controller(250), and a water supply part(265). The tub forms a washing space. The thump is arranged to be communicated with the tub. The pollution level sensor is arranged in the thump and senses the pollution level of the water. The controller determines the water leakage based on the sensed voltage of the pollution level sensor to controls the operation. The water supply part supplies the water to the thump and controls so that the water is re-supplied to the thump when the water leakage occurs.

Description

Dishwasher and its operation control method {DISH WASHER AND OPERATION CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher and its operation control method, and more particularly, to a dishwasher and its operation control method capable of detecting a leak without adding parts.

As is well known, a dishwasher means an apparatus for washing dishes using electricity. The dishwasher may be classified into a shower type and an ultrasonic type according to a washing method for washing dishes.

The shower type is mainly applied to a dishwasher used for home, and is configured to wash the dishes by spraying the washing water dissolved in the detergent to the dishes stored in the basket washable.

The ultrasonic method is a method mainly applied to a dishwasher used in a business store, etc., and puts the dishes to be washed in the washing water and applies the vibration to the washing water to wash the dishes.

The shower-type dishwasher includes: a tub forming a washing space therein; a sump installed in communication with the tub at a lower side of the tub; and a plurality of spacings disposed in the tub in the vertical direction and spraying the washing water to the dishes. It may be configured with an injection unit. The sump may be connected to a wash water pump for supplying water to the injection unit. Baskets for storing dishes to be washed may be disposed above or below the respective spray units.

By this configuration, the dishes to be washed are accommodated in a basket and disposed on one side of each jetting unit, and when the operation is started, the washing water is supplied to the sump. When the wash water is supplied to the set level, the wash water pump supplies the wash water to each spraying unit. The washing water supplied to each of the spraying parts is sprayed into the dishes stored in the basket to wash the dishes.

By the way, in the conventional dishwasher, the leakage problem is the cause of most failures, various methods have been proposed to solve this problem. Most of these solutions are additionally equipped with sensors to detect leaks, but the method of additional sensor installation, in addition to the problem of increased cost and assembly labor, the failure of the sensor by frequent contact with water such as washing water There is a problem. Also, due to this, there is a problem that the sensing operation (result) of the sensor is also not very reliable.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher and its operation control method capable of detecting leaks without adding parts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher and its operation control method capable of suppressing damage to parts due to leakage.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher capable of timely measures when a leak occurs and a method of controlling the operation thereof.

The present invention, in order to achieve the object described above, the tub forming a washing space; A sump disposed in communication with the tub; A pollution degree sensor disposed in the sump to detect a degree of contamination of the washing water; And a controller configured to control the operation by determining a leak based on the detected voltage value of the pollution detection sensor.

The water supply unit may further include a water supply unit configured to supply water to the sump, and the controller may be configured to control the water supply unit to rewater the sump upon leakage.

The control unit may be configured to control the water supply unit to supply water to the initial water supply level before the dish washing.

Further comprising a heater for heating the water of the sump, the pollution detection sensor may be disposed on the upper side of the heater.

The sump may be provided with a sampling passage through which a portion of the washing water is branched and flows, and the contamination detection sensor may be configured to be disposed in the sampling passage.

The controller may include a data storage unit configured to store a detection reference value in the water of the pollution detection sensor and a detection reference value in the air, and a leak determination unit that determines leakage by comparing the detection value of the pollution detection sensor with the reference value. Can be configured.

The control unit may further comprise a resupply recovery calculation unit for calculating the resupply recovery.

The control unit may be configured to stop the dish washing and to display the interruption related information externally, when the number of times of the water resumption calculated by the water recovery unit is exceeded.

The display apparatus may further include a display unit configured to display predetermined information externally, and the controller may control the display unit to display the interruption related information externally.

On the other hand, according to another field of the invention, the step of detecting the contamination of the washing water; Determining a leak from the detected value of contamination; And controlling the operation; there is provided an operation control method of the dish washing machine.

In this case, the controlling of the operation may include performing rewatering when leaking, and performing dish washing.

The method may further include providing a reference value when the pollution degree is detected in water and a reference value when the pollution level is detected in the air before detecting the pollution level of the washing water.

The controlling of the operation may include calculating a number of times of refilling water and stopping washing the dish when the calculated number of times of rewatering water exceeds a reference number of times.

The controlling of the operation may further include displaying stopping-related information on the outside after stopping the dish washing.

The reference recovery may be provided for each cleaning course.

As described above, according to the present invention, since it is determined whether or not the leakage from the detection value of the pollution detection sensor, it is possible to effectively detect the leak without additionally adding components such as the leak detection sensor. Accordingly, no increase in cost and assembly maneuver occurs.

In addition, when the leak is detected, the washing water corresponding to the leaked water may be additionally supplied to prevent dishwashing and deformation due to the operation of the heater when the leak occurs.

In addition, when leakage occurs, it can be displayed on the outside in a timely manner, so that countermeasures such as inspection and repair can be performed, thereby reducing the waste of washing water caused by the leakage.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sump of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the coupling state when the cover of Figure 2 removed, Figure 4 5 is a side view of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1. The dishwasher includes: a tub 120 forming a washing space, a sump 140 disposed in communication with the tub 120, and a degree of contamination disposed within the sump 140 to detect a degree of contamination of the washing water. The sensor 210 and the controller 250 to determine the leakage based on the detection voltage value of the pollution detection sensor 210 to control the operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dishwasher includes a cabinet 110 forming an exterior, a tub 120 disposed inside the cabinet 110 and forming a dish washing space, and the tub 120. The sump 140 is disposed below, a basket (rack) 125 disposed inside the tub 120, and an injection unit 130 for spraying the washing water provided from the sump 140. An opening is formed at one side (front) of the cabinet 110, and a door 115 may be provided to open and close the opening. The door 115 may be configured to be rotatable.

The basket 125 is formed to accommodate the dishes to be washed. The basket 125 may be configured in plural, and may be spaced apart from each other in the up and down direction inside the tub 120.

The injection unit 130 may be formed to be provided with a plurality of injection holes (not shown) to inject water. The injection unit 130 may be composed of a plurality. In the present embodiment, the injection part 130 is configured to include an upper injection part 131 and a lower part injection part 132 disposed in the tub 120 to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. Each of the injection parts 131 and 132 may be rotatably configured. Here, the upper injection portion 131 and the lower portion injection portion 132 may be configured to rotate by the reaction (reaction) of the washing water spray.

The sump 140 is disposed below the tub 120 to collect water (wash water) therein. Connection pipes 122 may be provided at upper and one sides of the sump 140 to supply water toward the injection parts 131 and 132, respectively. The sump 140 may be provided with a washing water pump 153 to pump water to the injection unit 130. Here, the wash water pump 153 may be configured to be disposed outside the sump 140.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sump 140 includes a sump case 150 forming a collection space therein and a lower housing 170 disposed in a layered manner in the sump case 150. And a cover 200 coupled to the upper housing 180 and the upper opening of the sump case 150.

One side of the sump case 150 may be provided with a drain pump 158. An electric heater 160 for heating the washing water may be disposed in the sump case 150. The sump case 150 may be provided with a flow path switching valve 161 for switching (changing) the flow path of the washing water. The sump case 150 may be combined with a contamination detection sensor 210 for detecting the contamination of the washing water. The lower side of the sump case 150 may be coupled to the washing water pump motor 155 and the flow path switching valve motor 163 for driving the flow path switching valve 161, respectively.

The lower housing 170 may be formed with an impeller accommodation portion 173 in which the impeller 154 of the wash water pump 153 is rotatably received. The washing water pump 153 may include the impeller 154 for feeding the washing water while rotating and the washing water pump motor 155 for rotating the impeller 154. An inflow passage 175 may be formed outside the impeller accommodation portion 173 to allow the washing water to flow into the flow path switching valve 161. A dirt chamber (177) for collecting dirt may be provided around the impeller accommodation part 173. A plurality of passage holes 178 and 179 may be formed in the lower housing 170 so that the flow path switching valve 161 and the pollution degree sensor 210 may pass through, respectively.

An impeller accommodating part 183 may be formed in the upper housing 180 to accommodate the impeller 154 in cooperation with the impeller accommodating part 173 of the lower housing 170. More specifically, the impeller accommodation portion 173 of the lower housing 170 accommodates the lower region of the impeller 154, and the impeller accommodation portion 183 of the upper housing 180 is the upper portion of the impeller 154. It will accept an area.

The upper housing 180 is provided with a flow path switching valve accommodation portion 185 to accommodate the flow path switching valve 161, and is connected to the inflow passage 175 on one side of the flow path switching valve accommodation portion 185. The communicating unit 190 may be formed. An upper main flow path 186 connected to the upper injection part 131 may be formed at a downstream side of the flow path switching valve accommodation part 185. In addition, a lower main flow path connected to the lower part yarn part 132 may be formed on the other side downstream of the flow path switching valve accommodation part 185. A sampling channel 188 connected to the drain pump 158 may be formed at one side of the communication unit 190.

A passage hole 191 may be formed at one side of the flow path switching valve accommodating part 185 to allow the contamination detection sensor 210 to pass therethrough. The contamination detection sensor 210 passing through the passage hole 191 is disposed in the sampling flow path 188.

Some of the washing water moved to the communication unit 190 via the inflow passage 175 by the rotation of the impeller 154 is controlled by the flow path switching valve 161 to the upper main passage 186 and And / or is moved to the lower main flow path 187, and another portion of the main flow path 187 is directly moved to the drain pump 158 along the sampling flow path 188 without passing through the flow path switching valve 161. do. At this time, the contamination detection sensor 210 detects the pollution degree of the washing water moving along the sampling passage 188. The washing water passing through the drain pump 158 flows into the dirt chamber 177.

The cover 200 may be configured to be coupled to an upper opening of the sump case 150. The cover 200 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the sump case 150. In the present embodiment, the cover 200 is formed to have a disk shape corresponding to the cylindrical sump case 150. One area of the lower main flow path 187 connected to the lower part sand 132 may be formed in the central area of the cover 200.

One region of the upper main flow path 186 connected to the upper injection part 131 may be formed at one side of the cover 200. A filter unit 202 may be formed at one side of the cover 200 to collect (filter) foreign matter in the wash water collected in the dirt chamber 177. The filter unit 202 is formed to be disposed above the dirt chamber 177. As a result, dirt in the wash water introduced into the dirt chamber 177 is filtered by the filter part 202 and remains in the dirt chamber 177, and the wash water passes through the filter part 202 to remove dirt. As it is introduced into the sump case 150 again. A plurality of through holes 204 may be formed at an outer side of the filter part 202 so that the washing water passes through and collected into the sump case 150.

The pollution detection sensor 210, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, to be configured with a sensing element 211 for detecting the contamination level of the wash water, and a housing 221 for supporting the sensing element 211 Can be. Here, the sensing element 211 may include a so-called photocoupler having a light emitting element 213 for irradiating light and a light receiving element 214 for receiving or sensing the light. The housing 221 includes a light emitting unit 223 surrounding the light emitting element 213 region, a light receiving unit 224 surrounding the light receiving element 214 region, and a connecting portion 225 connecting and supporting the light emitting unit 214 region. Can be.

The light emitter 223 and the light receiver 224 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a sensing region 222 is formed therebetween. The sensing region 222 is connected to the sampling channel 188 so that the washing water is moved between the sensing regions. At this time, light is emitted from the light emitting element 213 and the light receiving element 214 detects the light and outputs a predetermined voltage value. Here, since the amount of light sensed by the light receiving element 214 varies depending on the degree of contamination of the washing water, the degree of contamination of the washing water is detected based on the voltage value output from the light receiving element 214. The housing 221 may further include a coupling part 231 to be coupled to the sump case 150.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 250 implemented in the form of a microprocessor equipped with a control program determines the leakage based on the detection signal value of the contamination detection sensor 210 and washes the dishes. It can be configured to control the operation.

The light receiving element 214 of the pollution detection sensor 210 has a difference (approximately twice) between the detection voltage value in the water and the detection voltage value in the air, and the control unit 250 is the pollution detection sensor ( The data storage unit 251 may be configured to store a voltage reference value (first reference value) when sensing in the air and a voltage reference value (second reference value) when sensing in water according to the pollution degree of the wash water of 210. Here, the first reference value and the second reference value mean values of groups having different levels rather than one value. More specifically, although it may vary according to the configuration of the pollution detection sensor 210, when the first reference values are formed around 2V (volt), the second reference values may be formed around 4V, which is approximately twice.

The controller 250 determines whether the sump 140 is leaked based on a detection voltage value of the pollution detection sensor 210 (wherein the detection voltage value may be either an analog value or a digital value). It may be configured to include a leak determination unit 255 to determine. The leak determination unit 255 compares the detection voltage value of the pollution detection sensor 210 with the voltage reference values (first reference value and second reference value) stored in the data storage unit 251 to determine the pollution detection sensor 210. It is configured to determine whether the leak by determining whether the state is detected in the water or the leak occurs in the air.

The controller 250 may be configured to perform a dish washing (course) by re-watering the sump 140 when it is determined that the leak. As a result, even if the heater 160 is operated to heat the washing water, the heater 160 is immersed in the washing water, and thus there is no fear of burning and deformation due to overheating of the peripheral parts (eg, the sealing member). Here, the control unit 250 may be configured to control the water supply level at the start of operation, that is, the initial water supply level. To this end, the control unit 250 may be connected to the water level sensor or the water level sensor 271 (hereinafter referred to as "water level sensor") and the water supply unit 265 to control the water level. . In addition, the control unit 250 may be connected to the washing water pump motor 155 and the flow path switching valve motor 163 controllable to pump the washing water during the dish washing process, and to switch the flow path.

On the other hand, the control unit 250 may be further provided with a resupply recovery calculation unit 261 so as to perform resupply when leaking and to calculate the resupply recovery. The control unit 250 may be configured to proceed with dish washing or stop dish washing based on the calculated number of refills. That is, when the number of times of resupply water is less than or equal to the reference number of times, as described above, the controller 250 may perform dish washing after resupply water.

In addition, the control unit 250 may be configured to stop the dish washing and to display the interruption-related information to the outside, if the number of times of re-supply recovery is more than the reference number. The controller 250 may display the interruption related information to the outside by visual information. The visual information may include any one of "leak" or "failure" or "error" or "check". To this end, the display unit 275 may be controllably connected to the controller 250. Here, the controller 250 may display the interruption-related information externally by auditory information such as an alarm sound (for example, a beep sound of a beeper). In addition, the controller 250 may be configured to display the interruption-related information to the outside at the same time by the visual information and the auditory information.

As a result, if the leakage occurs excessively, it can be displayed on the outside so that timely check and repair can be taken to prevent waste of the wash water. In addition, forced deterioration of the dishwasher can be prevented early.

Here, the reference number of times of resupply recovery may be set for each dish washing course. For example, in a washing course having a relatively long washing time, it is possible to prevent the dishwashing from being performed while refueling by setting a reference number of times of rewatering recovery, even though an excessive leakage occurs. In addition, the reference number of times of resupply recovery may be set to the total cumulative number of times regardless of the dish washing course. According to this, the leak can be prevented at an early stage.

Hereinafter, the operation control method of the dish washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control method of the dish washer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the operation control method of the dishwasher, as shown in FIG. 7, when the dishes to be washed are stored in each basket 125 and disposed inside the tub 120, when the dishwashing course is selected, the controller ( 250 controls the water supply unit 265 to allow the washing water to be supplied to the sump 140 (S110). Next, the dish is washed according to the selected course (S120). Here, the dish washing process will be described briefly. When the washing water pump 153 is driven, the washing water of the sump case 150 is moved to the inflow passage 175 by the washing water pump 153, and a part of the washing water pump 153 is driven. The upper main flow path 186 and the lower main flow path 187 are moved through the flow path switching valve 161. The washing water moved to the upper main flow path 186 and the lower main flow path 187 is sprayed onto the dishes of the basket 125 by the upper injection part 131 and the lower part injection part 132 to wash the dishes.

On the other hand, some of the wash water moved to the inflow passage 175 is moved to the sampling flow path 188 before being moved to the flow path switching valve 161, the pollution detection sensor 210 is the sampling flow path (188) Moving along to detect (detects) the contamination of the wash water passing through the detection area (222) (S130).

The leak determining unit 255 determines whether there is a leak by comparing the detected voltage value Vi of the contamination detection sensor 210 with the first reference value V _S1 (S140). That is, when the detected voltage value Vi is less than the first reference value V _S1 , it is determined as a leak. Here, when the detected voltage value Vi is equal to or greater than the second reference value V _S2 (S170), since no leakage occurs, the dish washing process is performed (S190).

If it is determined that the leaked water (S140), the controller 250 controls each component to stop the dish washing (course progress) (S145). Next, the water supply unit 265 is controlled so that resupply is made to the sump 140 (S150). At this time, when the initial water level is detected by the water level sensor 271 (S160), the controller 250 controls the water supply unit 265 to stop the (re) water supply (S180). Next, the dishwashing proceeds normally (S190), and when the dishwashing is completed (S200), the dish washing course ends.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control method of the dish washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same configuration and overlapping description as those of the above-described embodiment of the operation control method of the dish washing machine will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, when it is determined that the controller 250 is leaked (S140), the dishwasher stops washing (course progress) (S145), and resupply (S150). When the initial water supply level is detected by the water level sensor 271 (S160), the controller 250 controls the water supply unit 265 to stop (re) water supply (S185), and calculate the rewater recovery. The unit 261 calculates the number of times of refilling water N _i (S195). The controller 250 may re-supply number (N _i) and the reference number of times ((N _s) If a less than comparison and (S205), re-supply number (N _i) a reference number (N _s), dishwashing (course) is To be stopped (S215).

The control unit 250 controls the display unit 275 to display the dish washing stop information related to the outside (S225). On the other hand, the control unit 250 proceeds to dishwashing when the resupply recovery (N _i ) is less than the standard recovery (N _s ) (S210). At this time, during the dish washing, as described above, the contamination level is detected by the pollution degree sensor 210, and the leak determining unit 255 continuously determines whether there is a leak, and the controller 250 determines that the dish washing (course) is performed. The operation is controlled depending on whether there is a leak until completion. When the dish washing process is completed (S220), the controller 250 ends all processes.

In the above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described. However, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or essential features thereof, so the embodiments described above should not be limited by the details of the detailed description.

Further, even when the embodiments not listed in the detailed description have been described, it should be interpreted broadly within the scope of the technical idea defined in the appended claims. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sump of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bonded state when removing the cover of Figure 2,

4 is a plan view of the pollution detection sensor of FIG.

5 is a side view of FIG. 4;

6 is a control block diagram of the dish washing machine of FIG.

7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control method of a dish washer according to one embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control method of the dish washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

110: cabinet 115: door

120: Tub 125: Basket

130: injection unit 131: upper injection unit

132: lower parts of the four 140: sump

150: sump case 153: washing water pump

158: drain pump 160: heater

161: flow path switching valve 170: lower housing

175: inflow passage 180: upper housing

188: sampling path 190: communication unit

200: cover 202: filter part

204: through hole 210: pollution degree sensor

213 light emitting element 214 light receiving element

221 housing 222 sensing area

250: control unit 251: data storage unit

255: Leakage judgment part 261: Recycling recovery calculation part

265: water supply part 271: water level sensor

275 display unit

Claims (15)

Tub to form a washing space; A sump disposed in communication with the tub; A pollution degree sensor disposed in the sump to detect a degree of contamination of the washing water; And A controller for controlling the operation by determining a leak based on the detected voltage value of the pollution detection sensor; Dishwasher comprising a. The method of claim 1, And a water supply unit for supplying water to the sump, wherein the controller controls the water supply unit to supply water to the sump when water leaks. The method of claim 2, The control unit is a dish washer, characterized in that for controlling the water supply to be supplied to the initial water level before washing the dish. The method of claim 1, The dishwasher further comprises a heater for heating the water of the sump, wherein the contamination detection sensor is disposed above the heater. The method of claim 1, The sump is formed with a sampling flow path through which a portion of the washing water flows, and the contamination detection sensor is disposed in the sampling flow path. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The control unit includes a data storage unit for storing a detection reference value in the water of the pollution detection sensor and a detection reference value in the air, and a leak determination unit for comparing the detection value of the pollution detection sensor with the reference value to determine leakage. Dishwasher, characterized in that. The method of claim 6, The control unit is a dishwasher, characterized in that it further comprises a resupply recovery calculation unit for calculating the resupply recovery. The method of claim 7, wherein And the control unit stops dishwashing and displays the interruption-related information externally when the number of times of the refreshment calculated by the recuperation and recovery unit exceeds the reference number. The method of claim 8, And a display unit which displays predetermined information on the outside, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display the interruption related information on the outside. Detecting a degree of contamination of the washing water; Determining a leak from the detected value of contamination; And Controlling driving; Operation control method of the dishwasher comprising a. The method of claim 10, The controlling of the operation may include re-supplying water when the water leaks, and washing the dishes. The method of claim 10, The method of controlling the operation of the dishwasher further comprising the step of preparing a reference value for detecting the contamination in the water and the reference value for detecting the contamination in the air before the step of detecting the contamination of the washing water. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, The controlling of the operation may include calculating a number of refilling water and stopping the washing of the dish when the calculated number of rewatering water exceeds the reference number of times. The method of claim 13, The controlling of the operation may further include displaying interruption information on the outside after stopping the dish washing. The method of claim 13, The reference number of times the operation control method of the dishwasher, characterized in that provided for each cleaning course.

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