WO2023190488A1

WO2023190488A1 - Washing nozzle and dishwasher using same

Info

Publication number: WO2023190488A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/012453
Authority: WO
Inventors: 勝之太田; 智之菊川
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-03-29
Filing date: 2023-03-28
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

A washing nozzle according to the present disclosure comprises a shower head (11) that sprays pressurized washing water. The shower head (11) comprises a swirl chamber (14), an inflow port (12), and a discharge port (13). The swirl chamber (13) has a substantially cylindrical side wall and forms a swirl flow. The inflow port (12) causes the washing water to flow into the swirl chamber (14) in an oblique direction along the side wall of the swirl chamber (14). The discharge port (13) is provided to one surface of two surfaces of the swirl chamber located in a direction along the center axis of the swirl chamber (14) and discharges the washing water. The swirl chamber (14) comprises a spherical body (17) and a guide groove portion (18). The guide groove portion (18) supports the spherical body (17) at a position which has a height equal to or lower than the radius height of the spherical body (17). The guide groove portion (18) causes the spherical body (17) to reciprocate by the swirl flow.

Description

Washing nozzle and dishwasher using it

The present disclosure relates to a washing nozzle that sprays washing water to wash dishes and the like, and a dishwasher using the nozzle.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cleaning system in a conventional dishwasher. Generally, a dishwasher has a configuration as shown in FIG. 20 in order to efficiently wash a large number of dishes. A plurality of dish baskets (upper dish basket 101, lower dish basket 103) are arranged in the washing tank. The cleaning nozzles 102a and 102b are arranged to wash the tableware placed in the upper tableware basket 101 and the lower tableware basket 103, respectively.

The dishwasher sprays washing water, which is force-fed by a built-in washing pump, toward the tableware from shower heads arranged in washing nozzles 102a and 102b. According to this configuration, the entire tableware can be washed with a small amount of water while alternately switching the jets from the washing nozzles 102a and 102b.

For example, the cleaning nozzle 102b is arranged below the lower tableware basket 103. Each of the cleaning nozzles 102a and 102b has a rotating shaft and an arm portion.

The arm section has a plurality of shower heads whose discharge ports are oriented to form various spray angles toward the lower tableware basket 103. Generally, rotating nozzles are used as the cleaning nozzles 102a and 102b. The rotating nozzle spreads the jet stream over a wide range while rotating the arm part using the reaction force of the jet stream. Similar to the lower tableware basket 103, the cleaning nozzle 102a is arranged below the upper tableware basket 101 (for example, see Patent Document 1).

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cleaning system in another conventional dishwasher. As shown in FIG. 21, the fixed nozzle 104 is fixed to the side wall in the cleaning tank and has a plurality of shower heads whose discharge ports are oriented to form various spray angles (see Patent Document 2). .

JP2007-282831A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-91041

The following problems are known in the cleaning nozzle configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

When using a rotating nozzle, if the orbital space for the rotating nozzle is not secured, interference will occur between the rotating nozzle and the dishes placed in the lower tableware basket. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure a certain distance between the upper tableware basket and the lower tableware basket, and the size of the main body increases accordingly.

When using a fixed nozzle, the direction of the jet stream is fixed, so if the placement position of the tableware or the direction of the tableware shifts, the original cleaning performance cannot be ensured.

According to the configuration using a fixed nozzle, it is possible to save space. However, there is still room for improvement in terms of realizing a cleaning nozzle that can spray cleaning water over a wide range while maintaining a low amount of water and a high injection pressure.

The present disclosure has been made in view of these issues, and has a space-saving configuration, and is capable of uniformly spraying a jet stream over a wide angle range while maintaining a low water flow rate and high jet pressure. To provide a washing nozzle capable of spreading water and a dishwasher using the same.

A cleaning nozzle according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a shower head that sprays pressurized cleaning water. The shower head has a swirling chamber, an inlet, and an outlet.

The swirling chamber has a substantially cylindrical side wall and forms a swirling flow. The inlet allows the cleaning water to flow into the swirling chamber in an oblique direction along the side wall of the swirling chamber. The discharge port is provided on one of two surfaces of the swirling chamber located in a direction along the central axis of the swirling chamber, and discharges cleaning water.

The swirling chamber includes a sphere and a guide groove. The guide groove supports the sphere at a position below the radial height of the sphere. The guide groove portion causes the sphere to perform reciprocating motion due to the swirling flow.

A dishwasher according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a cleaning tank that accommodates items to be washed, a cleaning pump that pressurizes cleaning water to be sprayed onto the items to be cleaned, and a cleaning nozzle according to the above aspect. In the dishwasher of this embodiment, the cleaning nozzle has one or more shower heads. Each of the one or more showerheads is a showerhead according to the above embodiment.

The cleaning nozzle of the present disclosure has a space-saving configuration and can spread a jet stream over a wide angle while maintaining a high jet pressure with a low amount of water.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing tank in a dishwasher according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, as viewed diagonally from the rear. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing tank in the dishwasher according to the first embodiment, taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing tank in the dishwasher according to the first embodiment, taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1, when looking at the inlet from the water conduit. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1, when the discharge port is viewed from the swirling chamber. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the movable range of the sphere in the rotating chamber of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front, showing the movable range of the sphere in the rotating chamber. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 11A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1 before the swirling chamber is filled with water. FIG. 11B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1 when the swirling chamber is filled with water. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the swirling flow in the swirling chamber and the position of the sphere (right end) of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is a plan view showing the swirling flow in the swirling chamber and the position (center) of the sphere in the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12C is a plan view showing the swirling flow in the swirling chamber and the position of the sphere (left end) of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head according to the first embodiment when viewed from the side. FIG. 14A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1, showing the water jet direction when the sphere is located at the right end of the swirling chamber. FIG. 14B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1, showing the water jet direction when the sphere is located at the center of the swirling chamber. FIG. 14C is a vertical sectional view of the shower head according to Embodiment 1, showing the water jet direction when the sphere is located at the left end of the swirling chamber. FIG. 15A is a plan view showing the jet flow of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15B is a front view showing the jet flow of the shower head according to the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rotating nozzle according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the shower head in the rotary nozzle according to the second embodiment, when viewed from the discharge port side. FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of the arm and shower head in the rotary nozzle according to the second embodiment, taken along the line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view of the arm and shower head in the rotary nozzle according to the second embodiment, taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG. 17. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of a washing system in a conventional dishwasher. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of a washing system in another conventional dishwasher.

The cleaning nozzle according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a shower head that sprays pressurized cleaning water. The shower head has a swirling chamber, an inlet, and an outlet.

The swirling chamber has a substantially cylindrical side wall and forms a swirling flow. The inlet allows the cleaning water to flow into the swirling chamber in an oblique direction along the side wall of the swirling chamber. The discharge port is provided on one of two surfaces located in a direction along the central axis of the swirling chamber, and discharges cleaning water.

According to this aspect, the water flowing in from the inlet forms a swirling flow along the cylindrical side wall of the swirling chamber. When the swirling chamber is filled with water, the water pressure causes the sphere to fit inside the guide groove. When the sphere approaches the longitudinal end of the guide groove in plan view, the spatial distance between the outer periphery of the sphere and the side wall of the swirling chamber differs on both sides of the sphere in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove.

That is, the spatial distance between the outer periphery of the sphere on one side of the sphere in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove and the side wall of the swirling chamber is different from that on the other side of the sphere in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove. This results in a pressure difference on both sides of the sphere in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove. As a result, the sphere moves from the higher pressure side to the lower pressure side.

When the movement of the sphere is complete, the magnitude of the pressure on both sides of the sphere is reversed. Therefore, the sphere moves in the opposite direction. In this way, variations in this pressure difference cause self-excited vibrations in the sphere. Note that the longitudinal direction of the guide groove is a direction along the locus of the reciprocating motion of the sphere (that is, the range of motion of the sphere).

In a plan view, when the sphere approaches one end of the trajectory of the reciprocating motion by the sphere, a water stream is ejected from the other end of the trajectory of the reciprocating motion by the sphere through the discharge port. At this time, due to the Coanda effect along the curved surface of the outer periphery of the sphere, the water stream is ejected in an oblique direction with respect to the central axis of the discharge port. Therefore, a jet stream with a high discharge pressure can be jetted over a wide angle while the jet direction is periodically oscillated by the self-excited vibration and reciprocating motion of the sphere. As a result, the injection can be spread over a wider area.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect, the guide groove portion causes the sphere to reciprocate along a trajectory curved on the opposite side from the discharge port along the central axis of the swirling chamber. Let it happen.

According to this aspect, when the swirling chamber is filled with water, the sphere that is accommodated in the guide groove by water pressure reliably approaches the longitudinal end of the guide groove. Therefore, due to the difference in pressure applied to the sphere, the sphere can stably perform reciprocating motion due to self-excited vibration. Note that the longitudinal end of the guide groove is the end of the locus of the reciprocating motion of the sphere (that is, the range of motion of the sphere).

In the cleaning nozzle according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the second aspect, in a plan view, the opening width of the opening edge of the guide groove in the direction perpendicular to the orbit of the sphere is larger than that of the sphere near both ends of the orbit of the sphere. It is narrower near the center of the orbit.

According to this aspect, the sphere vibrates along a linear trajectory in plan view while the sphere surface is in contact with the receiving surface of the guide groove. As a result, vibration noise can be reduced.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the second aspect, the discharge port is a substantially elliptical opening having a major axis substantially parallel to the trajectory of reciprocating motion by the sphere in plan view.

According to this aspect, the injection angle can be tilted due to the Coanda effect of the sphere, and the injection flow can be spread over a wider range.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any of the first to fourth aspects, the discharge port has an edge surface that is substantially parallel to the central axis of the swirling chamber.

According to this aspect, the jet stream has a flatter elliptical shape in plan view. As a result, a jet stream that spreads over a wider area and more uniformly can be formed.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect or the second aspect, the guide groove has a sphere receiving part that is formed near the opening edge of the guide groove and supports the sphere. A groove is formed between the sphere receiving portion and the discharge port. A space is formed between this groove and the surface of the sphere.

According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in the contact portion between the sphere and the guide groove, and it is possible to cause the sphere to perform more stable reciprocating motion.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect and the second aspect, in the swirling chamber, the spatial distance between the opening edge of the guide groove and the surface on the inlet side of the swirling chamber is spherical. smaller than the diameter of

According to this aspect, even if a foreign object is caught between the sphere and the guide groove, the sphere will separate from the guide groove when the water in the swirling chamber is discharged. Next, when water is allowed to flow into the swirling chamber, the foreign matter caught in the guide groove is first discharged from the discharge port, and then the sphere is accommodated in the guide groove. As a result, the sphere can perform more stable reciprocating motion.

In the cleaning nozzle according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any of the first to seventh aspects, the swirling chamber has an inlet provided on the side wall of the swirling chamber. According to this aspect, the thickness of the cleaning nozzle can be made thinner.

A dishwasher according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure includes a washing tank that accommodates objects to be washed, a washing pump that pressurizes washing water to be sprayed onto the objects to be washed, and a dishwasher according to any one of the first to eighth aspects. A cleaning nozzle. In the dishwasher of this embodiment, the cleaning nozzle has one or more shower heads. Each of the one or more showerheads is the showerhead of any one of the first to eighth aspects.

According to this aspect, the jet stream can be spread over a wider area, and the cleaning performance can be improved.

In the dishwasher according to the tenth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the ninth aspect, the cleaning nozzle is a rotary nozzle that includes an arm and a shaft portion having a water conduit, and rotates by a jet reaction force from the shower head. It is. The rotating chamber of the shower head fits within the height of the water conduit.

According to this aspect, the jet stream can be diffused over a wider range without impairing the ease of placing tableware, and the cleaning performance can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing tank of a dishwasher 1 according to the present embodiment, viewed diagonally from the rear. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing tank of the dishwasher 1 taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing tank of the dishwasher 1 taken along line III-III in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dishwasher 1 includes a housing (not shown) and a washing tank 2 that can be pulled out from the housing when the door 1a is opened. A user places objects to be cleaned, such as tableware, on a tableware basket and stores them in the washing tank 2.

In the dishwasher 1, washing water is supplied into the washing tank 2 via a water supply valve (not shown). After the cleaning water is pressurized by the cleaning pump 3, it is supplied to a cleaning nozzle (cleaning means) provided with a plurality of injection holes. The cleaning nozzle sprays cleaning water toward the dishes.

The cleaning pump 3 includes a motor whose rotation speed is variable in order to change the pressure applied to the cleaning water, and an inverter circuit to control the motor. The washing tank 2 includes an upper tableware basket 4, a middle tableware basket 5, a lower tableware basket 6, a rotating nozzle 7, a fixed nozzle 8a, a fixed nozzle 8b, a drain port 9, and a water dividing device 10.

The rotating nozzle 7 is a cleaning nozzle corresponding to the lower tableware basket 6, and rotates around the rotation center axis due to the spray reaction force. The fixed nozzles 8a and 8b are fixed to the side wall of the washing tank 2, and are washing nozzles corresponding to the upper tableware basket 4 and the middle tableware basket 5, respectively. Both the upper tableware basket 4 and the middle tableware basket 5 are not necessarily required, and at least one of them may be provided.

The drain port 9 is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2 and communicates with the suction side of the cleaning pump 3. The drain port 9 has a residue filter (not shown) for collecting residue and a drain pump (not shown) for discharging the wash water in the washing tank 2.

The water diversion device 10 is arranged in the discharge path of the cleaning pump 3. The water dividing device 10 transfers wash water pressurized by the wash pump 3 to a rotating nozzle 7, a fixed nozzle 8a, and a fixed nozzle 8b using a valve body (not shown) disposed inside the water dividing device 10. Supply selectively.

In the above configuration, the basic operation of the dishwasher 1 will be explained. Note that each operation of the dishwasher 1 is performed by a built-in control section (not shown) controlling each component. The control unit includes a processor and a semiconductor memory. The control unit controls each component by the processor operating according to software stored in the semiconductor memory.

After placing the items to be washed in the dishwasher basket and storing the washing tank 2 in the casing, and adding detergent, the user closes the opening of the casing of the dishwasher 1 with the door body 1a, and then starts the dishwasher. Start operation of step 1.

The control unit executes, in this order, a "cleaning step" for cleaning the object to be cleaned, a "rinsing step" for rinsing off the attached detergent and residue, and a "drying step" for drying the object to be cleaned.

In the cleaning process, the control unit operates the water supply valve to supply a predetermined amount of cleaning water to the cleaning tank 2. The control unit causes the cleaning pump 3 to pressurize the cleaning water, and causes the cleaning nozzles (rotary nozzle 7, fixed nozzles 8a, 8b) to spray the cleaning water.

The cleaning water passes through the waste filter from the drain port 9, is sucked into the cleaning pump 3, is supplied by the cleaning pump 3 to a predetermined cleaning nozzle in the cleaning tank 2, and is sprayed from this cleaning nozzle. After washing the dishes, this washing water returns to the drain port 9 again. Washing water circulates through this route. At this time, the residue washed off from the dishes flows into the residue filter together with the washing water. Debris that is too large to pass through the debris filter is collected by the debris filter.

The water separating device 10 causes the cleaning nozzles corresponding to each of the dish baskets (the upper dish basket 4, the suspended dish basket 5, and the lower dish basket 6) to spray water for a predetermined period of time, and then switches the cleaning nozzles in order. . As a result, the entire tableware is cleaned. When the cleaning process is finished, the control unit discharges the cleaning water containing dirt and supplies new cleaning water.

In the rinsing process, the control unit operates the cleaning pump 3 and causes the cleaning nozzle to spray cleaning water again, thereby rinsing the object to be cleaned such as detergent and residue. Here, as in the washing step, the entire tableware is rinsed by causing each washing nozzle to spray for a predetermined period of time and then switching the washing nozzles in order.

In the rinsing step, the control unit repeats the rinsing operation two to three times, in which the washing water is discharged and the washing water is supplied again. Thereafter, the control unit discharges the washing water and completes the rinsing process.

Thereafter, the control unit performs a drying process for a predetermined period of time to evaporate water droplets attached to the object to be cleaned. When the drying process is completed, the series of operations is completed.

Next, the structure and operation of the shower head 11 with fixed nozzles 8a and 8b, which is one of the features of this embodiment, will be explained using FIGS. 4 to 15B.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shower head 11 at the central portion of the shower head 11. In the following drawings, an orthogonal coordinate system including a first axis C1, a second axis C2, and a third axis C3 is used to indicate the orientation of the shower head 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the first axis C1 is an axis along the central axis of the swirling chamber 14. The second axis C2 and the third axis C3 are axes along the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the discharge port 13, respectively (see FIGS. 8 to 10).

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the shower head 11 when looking at the inlet 12 from the water conduit 21. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the shower head 11 when the discharge port 13 is viewed from the swirling chamber 14. FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 when viewed from the front. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the shower head 11 showing the movable range D of the sphere 17 in the swirling chamber 14.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 when viewed from the front, showing the range of motion D of the sphere 17 within the swirling chamber 14. FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 taken along line XX in FIG. 9 when viewed from the side.

In this embodiment, a front view means a view along the third axis C3 in the positive direction of the third axis C3, and a side view means a view along the second axis C2 in the positive direction of the third axis C3. This means when viewed in the negative direction. A plan view means a drawing viewed along the first axis C1 in the positive or negative direction of the first axis.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the shower head 11 includes a cylindrical swirling chamber 14, two inlets 12, an outlet 13, two passages 15, a sphere 17, a guide groove 18, has.

The swirling chamber 14 is arranged at the center of the shower head 11 in plan view (see FIG. 6). The discharge port 13 is provided on one side (lower side in FIG. 4) of the shower head 11 in the direction along the central axis of the swirl chamber 14, and discharges water from the swirl chamber 14. The central axis of the discharge port 13 coincides with the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 (see FIGS. 8 to 10). The two inflow ports 12 are provided on the other side (upper side in FIG. 4) of the shower head 11 in the direction along the central axis of the swirling chamber 14.

The two inflow ports 12 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 in plan view (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

Each of the two passages 15 communicates a corresponding one of the two inflow ports 12 with the swirling chamber 14 (see FIG. 7). Due to the arrangement positions of each of the two passages 15 and the swirling chamber 14, the two passages 15 are formed to be inclined from the frontage on the upstream side of the inlet 12 toward the frontage on the swirling chamber 14 side in a vertical cross-sectional view. (See Figure 7). On the other hand, the two passages 15 are formed so as to be in contact with the side wall 16 of the swirling chamber 14 in plan view (see FIG. 5).

Note that the swirling chamber 14 may have a perfect circular cylindrical shape or an elliptical cylindrical shape as long as it has a cylindrical shape (including a substantially cylindrical shape). With this structure, the cleaning water flows into the swirling chamber 14 along the surface of the side wall 16 of the swirling chamber 14 in a plan view (see FIG. 5) and in an oblique direction (see FIG. 7) in a front view. Further, although the inlet 12 has an elliptical shape (including a substantially elliptical shape), the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, the sphere 17 is placed inside the swirling chamber 14. The guide groove portion 18 is provided on the discharge port 13 side of the swirling chamber 14 . The guide groove portion 18 has an arcuate cross section (including a substantially arcuate shape (see FIG. 10)) so that the sphere 17 can be accommodated therein. The guide groove portion 18 is formed so that the sphere 17 can slide in its longitudinal direction when viewed from above. The guide groove 18 has an opening that communicates with the discharge port 13 at the center of the guide groove 18 in plan view.

In this embodiment, the sphere 17 is made of resin, specifically polyoxymethylene, and has a diameter of 6 mm. As shown in FIG. 4, a portion of the sphere 17 from the lower end of the sphere 17 to a height of approximately 30% of the diameter of the sphere 17 fits within the guide groove portion 18.

However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example. It is sufficient that a portion of the sphere 17 from the lower end of the sphere 17 to a height of about 20% to 50% of the diameter of the sphere 17 fits inside the guide groove portion 18. When the half portion of the sphere 17 on the discharge port 13 side fits inside the guide groove 18, the guide groove 18 supports the sphere 17 at a position below the radial height of the sphere 17.

In other words, a portion of the sphere 17 from the upper end of the sphere 17 to a height of about 70% of the diameter protrudes from (the opening of) the guide groove 18 into the space of the swirling chamber 14. More specifically, a portion of the sphere 17 ranging from about 50% to 80% of the diameter from the upper end of the sphere 17 may protrude from (the opening of) the guide groove 18 into the space of the swirling chamber 14. That is, a half portion of the sphere 17 on the inflow port 12 side may protrude into the space of the swirling chamber 14 from (the opening of) the guide groove portion 18 .

Note that the lower end of the sphere 17 is the part of the sphere 17 closest to the discharge port 13, and means the part of the sphere 17 on the most negative side in the direction along the first axis C1. The upper end of the sphere 17 is the part of the sphere 17 farthest from the discharge port 13, and means the part of the sphere 17 on the most positive side in the direction along the first axis C1. Furthermore, "a portion of the sphere 17 fits within the guide groove 18" means that a portion of the sphere 17 protrudes from (the opening of) the guide groove 18 toward the discharge port 13 side.

The guide groove 18 has a second groove 19 and a spherical receiving surface 20. The second groove 19 is formed on the discharge port 13 side of the guide groove 18 (first groove) (see FIG. 4). In the guide groove 18, the sphere receiving surface 20 is formed between the opening of the guide groove 18 on the swirling chamber 14 side and the second groove 19, and makes sliding contact with the sphere 17 (see FIGS. 4 and 6).

As shown in FIG. 9, the sphere receiving surface 20 is formed near the opening edge of the guide groove 18 to support the sphere 17. A groove, which is a second groove portion 19, is provided between the sphere receiving surface 20 and the discharge port 13. A space C is formed between the second groove portion 19 and the surface of the sphere 17.

In this way, the second groove 19 is provided on the side of the discharge port 13 of the guide groove 18, and by narrowing the space where the sphere 17 and the sphere receiving surface 20 of the guide groove 18 come into contact, the swirling chamber 14 is Even if foreign matter or the like enters, the possibility of the foreign matter being caught between the sphere 17 and the sphere receiving surface 20 can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the sphere 17 can be caused to reciprocate more stably.

The bidirectional arrows shown in FIG. 8 indicate the movable range D of the sphere 17 in a plan view of the guide groove portion 18. As shown in FIG. 8, the opening width of the opening edge of the guide groove 18 in the direction perpendicular to the range of motion D of the sphere 17 varies from near both ends (B) of the range of motion D of the sphere 17 to the center of the range of motion D of the sphere 17. Nearby (A) is narrower.

In other words, the guide groove portion 18 has a peanut-like elliptical shape in plan view. The peanut-shaped oval shape is a peanut shell-like shape formed by two circles arranged side by side and a smooth curve connecting the two circles.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the sphere 17 is located near the longitudinal center of the guide groove 18, the position of the sphere 17 along the first axis C1 is such that the sphere 17 is located at both ends of the guide groove 18 in the longitudinal direction. It moves a little in the positive direction of the first axis C1 compared to when. In this way, the sphere 17 slides on the guide groove 18, thereby reciprocating along the trajectory shown by the arrow in FIG. That is, the guide groove portion 18 causes the sphere 17 to perform reciprocating motion along this trajectory.

The orbit of the sphere 17 has a curved shape along the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 on the opposite side to the discharge port 13. In other words, the trajectory of the sphere 17 has a shape that bulges toward the positive side of the first axis C1 along the first axis C1. The trajectory of the reciprocating motion by the sphere 17 corresponds to the range of motion D in the reciprocating motion by the sphere 17.

Note that in this embodiment, the amplitude of the reciprocating motion by the sphere 17 in the guide groove portion 18 is set to about 4 mm. The guide groove portion 18 is arranged so that its central axis in the longitudinal direction in plan view is parallel (including substantially parallel) to the passage 15 of the inlet 12 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

The discharge port 13 has an elliptical shape with a major axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide groove portion 18 in plan view. In this embodiment, the discharge port 13 has a short axis of about 3 mm and a long axis of 5 to 7 mm. The discharge port 13 has a linear edge surface with a length of approximately 2 mm between the boundary with the second groove portion 19 and the opening frontage of the discharge port 13 (see FIG. 4).

That is, in plan view, the discharge port 13 is an elliptical (including substantially elliptical) opening having a major axis substantially parallel to the trajectory of the reciprocating motion by the sphere 17 (see range of motion D shown in FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 4, the discharge port 13 has an edge surface that is parallel (including substantially parallel) to the central axis of the swirling chamber 14.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the surface of the swirling chamber 14 on the inlet 12 side is formed into a hemispherical shape. As shown in FIG. 10, the sphere 17 contacts the surface of the hemispherical swirling chamber 14 and the opening edge of the guide groove 18. As shown in FIG. In this state, the height of the whirling chamber 14 is set so that the center of the sphere 17 is located slightly closer to the center of the whirling chamber 14 than the point of contact between the sphere 17 and the opening edge of the guide groove 18. The height dimension of the swirling chamber 14 is the dimension of the swirling chamber 14 along the first axis C1.

In the swirling chamber 14, the spatial distance P (maximum distance) between the opening edge of the guide groove 18 and the surface of the swirling chamber 14 on the inlet 12 side that faces the guide groove 18 is smaller than the diameter of the sphere 17. Set.

FIG. 11A is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 when viewed from the front before the swirling chamber 14 is filled with water. FIG. 11B is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 when viewed from the front when the swirling chamber 14 is filled with water.

In the above configuration, when the cleaning pump 3 starts operating, water flowing from the water conduit 21 flows into the swirling chamber 14 from the two inlets 12 of the shower head 11. Before the cleaning pump 3 is operated, the swirling chamber 14 is not filled with water, and the sphere 17 is close to the surface of the swirling chamber 14 where the inlet 12 is provided (see FIG. 11A). That is, the sphere 17 is in a state away from the guide groove portion 18.

When water flows into the swirling chamber 14 and the swirling chamber 14 is filled with water, the sphere 17 is pushed by the pressure of the water from the inlet 12 toward the outlet 13 and moves into the guide groove 18 ( (see FIG. 11B).

At this time, the spherical body 17 approaches either of the longitudinal ends of the guide groove portion 18, that is, either of the opposite ends of the movable range D of the spherical body 17.

Each of FIGS. 12A to 12C is a plan view of the shower head 11 when viewed in the negative direction of the first axis C1, showing the swirling flow in the swirling chamber 14 and the position of the sphere 17. 12A, 12B, and 12C show cases where the sphere 17 is located at the right end, center, and left end, respectively. As mentioned above, the passage 15 of the inlet 12 is formed tangentially to the side wall 16 of the cylindrical swirl chamber 14 . Therefore, the water flow flowing in from the inlet 12 flows into the swirling chamber 14 in the tangential direction of the side wall 16. As a result, a swirling flow is generated within the swirling chamber 14, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C.

When such a swirling flow occurs, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12C, in the vicinity of the longitudinal end of the guide groove 18 where the sphere 17 is close, the outer periphery of the sphere 17 and the side wall 16 of the swirling chamber 14 are connected. The space between becomes narrower. Therefore, the pressure at this location increases. Note that the longitudinal end of the guide groove portion 18 is the locus of the reciprocating motion of the sphere 17, that is, the end of the movable range D of the sphere 17.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12C, the space between the outer periphery of the sphere 17 and the side wall 16 of the turning chamber 14 is small near the end opposite to the end where the sphere 17 is close in the movable range D of the sphere 17. It becomes wider. Therefore, a water stream is ejected from the discharge port 13, and the pressure at this location becomes low.

Due to this difference in pressure, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the sphere 17 moves from a position close to the right end of the range of motion D of the sphere 17 to a position close to the left end of the range of motion D of the sphere 17 in the guide groove portion 18. The ball slides on the spherical receiving surface 20 of the ball.

In the state shown in FIG. 12C, the pressure distribution within the swirling chamber 14 is reversed from the state shown in FIG. 12A. Therefore, the sphere 17 moves from a position close to the left end of the range of motion D of the sphere 17 to a position close to the right end of the range of motion D of the sphere 17 . In this way, the sphere 17 performs reciprocating motion along a curved trajectory along the guide groove 18 due to self-excited vibration.

Here, for example, it is assumed that the opening width of the guide groove portion 18 in plan view is an elliptical shape without a depression near the center. That is, a case is assumed in which the sphere 17 performs reciprocating motion on a straight trajectory instead of a curved trajectory as shown by the arrow in FIG. 9 when viewed from the front.

In this case, when the inside of the swirling chamber 14 is filled with water, there is a possibility that the sphere 17 remains near the center of the movable range D of the sphere 17. In this case, the pressure distribution within the swirling chamber 14 on both sides of the sphere 17 will be balanced. As a result, no reciprocating movement of the sphere 17 occurs.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the shower head 11 when viewed from the side. In this embodiment, the opening frontage of the guide groove portion 18 has a shape in which the vicinity of the center is recessed inward when viewed from above. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C and FIG. 13, the sphere 17 performs reciprocating motion along the first axis C1 and the second axis C2 while sliding on the sphere receiving surface 20. That is, movement of the sphere 17 in the direction along the third axis C3 is restricted. As a result, generation of vibration noise during reciprocating motion is suppressed.

14A to 14C are vertical cross-sectional views of the shower head 11 when viewed from the front, showing the water jetting directions when the sphere 17 is located at the right end, center, and left end of the swirling chamber 14, respectively. 14A to 14C are vertical cross-sectional views of the shower head 11 corresponding to the top views of the shower head 11 shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, respectively.

As described above, when the sphere 17 approaches one end of the movable range D of the sphere 17, water is jetted from the discharge port 13 near the other end of the movable range D of the sphere 17. At this time, due to the Coanda effect along the curved surface of the sphere 17, water is jetted in an oblique direction when viewed from the front, as shown in FIG. 14A. At this time, the right side portion of the discharge port 13 is blocked by the sphere 17 in plan view (see FIG. 12A). Therefore, the discharge pressure of the jet flow increases at the right side of the discharge port 13.

Due to the difference in pressure distribution, when the sphere 17 moves to near the center of the guide groove 18, the sphere 17 is pushed from the sliding surface of the guide groove 18 toward the turning chamber 14, as shown in FIG. 14B. Become. Therefore, a space is created on both sides of the sphere 17. A water flow is generated in the direction of the central axis (including substantially the direction of the central axis) of the swirling chamber 14 via these spaces, and is ejected from the discharge port 13 .

When the sphere 17 reaches the other end of the range of motion D, a water stream is ejected in an oblique direction due to the Coanda effect, as before. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14C, the direction of the injection is opposite to that in the case of FIG. 14A (corresponding to FIG. 12C). In this way, since the injection direction periodically swings due to the self-excited vibration of the sphere 17, the injection flow is uniformly diffused in a fan-shaped range.

In this embodiment, the discharge port 13 has an elliptical shape with a major axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide groove portion 18 in plan view. Therefore, the angle of the jet flow generated by the Coanda effect with respect to the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 can be increased.

15A and 15B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing the jet stream of the shower head 11. In this embodiment, the passage length of the discharge port 13 is set to about 2 mm or more. The passage length of the discharge port 13 is the length of the discharge port 13 along the central axis of the discharge port 13. Therefore, the spread of the jet flow in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocating motion (vertical direction in FIG. 15A) is narrower than in the direction of the reciprocating motion of the sphere 17 (horizontal direction in FIG. 15A). Thereby, the diffusion density of the jet stream can be distributed approximately uniformly (see FIGS. 15A and 15B).

In addition, the inventors found that when the passage length of the discharge port 13 is set to 1 mm or less, the spread of the jet flow in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocating motion of the sphere 17 is expanded compared to the direction of the reciprocating motion of the sphere 17, and the center of the swirling chamber 14 is It was confirmed that the distribution of the jet flow becomes sparse in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, the water flow flowing into the swirling chamber 14 forms a swirling flow along the cylindrical side wall 16 of the swirling chamber 14. This swirling flow causes a difference in the pressure applied to both sides of the sphere 17. Self-excited vibration occurs when this difference in pressure changes periodically.

Due to the reciprocating motion caused by this self-excited vibration and the Coanda effect in which water flows along the curved surface of the sphere 17, the jet stream can be spread over a wide angle of 60° or more while maintaining a high jet pressure with a low amount of water. As a result, water can be sprayed onto the entire tableware placed in the tableware basket using the cleaning nozzle having a space-saving configuration.

When the cleaning pump 3 stops operating, the water in the swirling chamber 14 is discharged, and the sphere 17 moves away from the guide groove 18 and toward the inlet 12 of the swirling chamber 14 due to its own weight. Therefore, even if a foreign object enters the swirling chamber 14 during operation of the cleaning pump 3 and is caught between the sphere 17 and the sphere receiving surface 20, when the cleaning pump 3 is operated next, the rotation chamber 14 is filled with water.

As a result, foreign matter is discharged from the discharge port 13 before the sphere 17 is accommodated in the guide groove portion 18. As a result, the sphere can perform more stable reciprocating motion.

(Embodiment 2)
A washing nozzle and a dishwasher according to Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19. Note that the main configuration of the dishwasher 1 according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the dishwasher 1 described in the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the rotating nozzle 7. FIG. 17 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the arm 25 and shower head 22 of the rotary nozzle 7 when viewed from the discharge port 13 side. FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of the arm 25 and shower head 22 in the rotating nozzle 7, taken along the line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view of the arm 25 and shower head 22 in the rotating nozzle 7, taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG.

In FIG. 18, the sphere 17 is shown in cross section, and in FIG. 19, the inlet 23 and the passage 26 are shown in cross section. That is, FIG. 19 shows a cross section of the arm 25 and the shower head 22 at a position shifted in the positive direction of the third axis C3 in FIG. 17 from the case of FIG. 18.

As shown in FIG. 16, the rotating nozzle 7 includes a shaft portion 24 disposed along the rotational center axis of the rotating nozzle 7, and an arm 25 perpendicular to the rotational center axis of the rotating nozzle 7, and has a T-shape as a whole. It has a shape. A plurality of shower heads 22 are arranged on the upper surface of the arm 25. Each of the plurality of shower heads 22 has a first axis C1 set at a predetermined angle. The rotating nozzle 7 rotates around the central axis of rotation due to the spray reaction force from each of the plurality of shower heads 22 .

As shown in FIG. 18, the discharge port 13 is provided on one side (upper side in FIG. 18) of the shower head 22 in the direction along the central axis of the cylindrical swirling chamber 14. As shown in FIG. 17, the swirling chamber 14 has two inlets 23 provided in its cylindrical side wall 16 and communicating the swirling chamber 14 and a water conduit 27. The two inflow ports 23 are provided point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 in plan view. Each of the two inlets 23 has a passage 26 provided in contact with the side wall 16 .

Similar to Embodiment 1, the shower head 22 is provided on the side of the discharge port 13 of the swirling chamber 14, and has a guide groove 18 having a peanut-shaped elliptical shape in plan view. The guide groove portion 18 is formed such that the sphere 17 can slide therein, and the opening thereof communicates with the discharge port 13 .

A second groove 19 is formed inside the guide groove 18 on the side communicating with the discharge port 13. In the guide groove 18 , the sphere receiving surface 20 is formed between the opening of the guide groove 18 on the swirling chamber 14 side and the second groove 19 , and comes into sliding contact with the sphere 17 .

Similarly to Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 17, the guide groove portion 18 has a peanut-like elliptical shape in plan view.

In plan view, the discharge port 13 has an elliptical shape with a major axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide groove portion 18.

Similar to Embodiment 1, the surface of the swirling chamber 14 opposite to the guide groove portion 18 is formed in a hemispherical shape (see FIGS. 17 and 18). The sphere 17 contacts the surface of the hemispherical swirling chamber 14 and the opening edge of the guide groove 18 . In this state, the height of the whirling chamber 14 is set so that the center of the sphere 17 is located slightly closer to the center of the whirling chamber 14 than the point of contact between the sphere 17 and the opening edge of the guide groove 18.

The turning chamber 14 of the shower head 22 is configured to fit within the height of the water conduit 27 of the arm 25 (see FIG. 18). The direction of the central axis of the swirling chamber 14 coincides with the first axis C1 of some shower heads 22 (see FIG. 16).

By setting the height of the swirl chamber 14 to be smaller than the height of the water conduit 27, the swirl chamber 14 of the shower head 22 can be configured to fit within the height of the water conduit 27 of the arm 25.

In the above configuration, the water conduit 27, the inlet 23, and the swirling chamber 14 are arranged within the height dimension of the arm 25. Therefore, the thickness of the rotating nozzle 7 does not increase. As a result, the rotating nozzle 7 having a large spray range can be configured without increasing the height of the cleaning tank 2.

As described above, the jet direction of the jet flow jetted from one shower head 22 periodically fluctuates. For this reason, even if the diffusion range of the jet streams of other adjacent shower heads 22 overlaps, the first axis C1 of each of the plurality of shower heads 22 is arranged such that the collision of the plurality of jet streams is reduced. is set.

Further, in each of the plurality of showerheads 22, the period of the reciprocating motion by the sphere 17 can be adjusted by adjusting the material of the sphere 17 and/or the opening area of the inlet 23. By setting the cycles of the reciprocating motion by the spheres 17 to be different from each other in the plurality of showerheads 22, interference between two adjacent jet streams can be suppressed.

As described above, the cleaning nozzle according to the present disclosure is applicable to dishwashers, cleaning toilet seats, and the like.

1 Dishwasher 1a Door body 2 Washing tank 3 Washing pump 4 Upper dish basket 5 Middle dish basket 6 Lower dish basket 7 Rotating nozzle 8a, 8b Fixed nozzle 9 Drain port 10 Water dividing device 11, 22 Shower head 12, 23 Inlet 13 Discharge port 14 Turning chamber 15, 26 Passage 16 Side wall 17 Sphere 18 Guide groove 19 Second groove 20 Sphere receiving surface 21, 27 Water conduit 24 Shaft 25 Arm 101 Upper tableware basket 102a, 102b Washing nozzle 103 Lower tableware basket 104 Fixed nozzle

Claims

A cleaning nozzle equipped with a shower head that sprays pressurized cleaning water,
The shower head is
a swirling chamber configured to have a side wall having a substantially cylindrical shape to form a swirling flow;
an inlet configured to cause the wash water to flow into the swirling chamber in an oblique direction along the side wall of the swirling chamber;
a discharge port configured to discharge the cleaning water and provided on one of two surfaces of the swirling chamber located in a direction along a central axis of the swirling chamber;
has
The swirling chamber includes a sphere and a guide groove,
The guide groove supports the spherical body at a position below the radial height of the spherical body,
The cleaning nozzle is configured such that the guide groove section causes the spherical body to reciprocate by the swirling flow.
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove portion is configured to cause the sphere to perform reciprocating motion along a trajectory curved on the opposite side of the discharge port along the central axis of the swirling chamber. nozzle.
In a plan view, an opening width of an opening edge of the guide groove in a direction perpendicular to the trajectory of the sphere is narrower near the center of the trajectory of the sphere than near both ends of the trajectory of the sphere. Cleaning nozzle as described in.
The cleaning nozzle according to claim 2, wherein the discharge port is a substantially elliptical opening having a major axis substantially parallel to the trajectory of the reciprocating motion by the spherical body in plan view.
The cleaning nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port has an edge surface that is substantially parallel to the central axis of the swirling chamber.
The guide groove has a spherical body receiving part that is formed near an opening edge of the guide groove and supports the spherical body,
The cleaning nozzle according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed between the spherical body receiving portion and the discharge port, and a space is formed between the groove and the surface of the spherical body.
The cleaning nozzle according to claim 1, wherein in the swirling chamber, a spatial distance between an opening edge of the guide groove and a surface of the swirling chamber on the inlet side is smaller than a diameter of the sphere.
The cleaning nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the swirling chamber has the inlet provided in the side wall of the swirling chamber.
a cleaning tank configured to accommodate an object to be cleaned;
a cleaning pump configured to pressurize cleaning water to be sprayed onto the object to be cleaned;
A dishwasher comprising the washing nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The dishwasher, wherein the washing nozzle has one or more showerheads, and each of the one or more showerheads is the showerhead.
The cleaning nozzle is a rotating nozzle that includes an arm having a water conduit and a shaft portion and is configured to rotate by a jet reaction force from the shower head,
10. A dishwasher as claimed in claim 9, wherein the swirl chamber of the showerhead fits at the level of the water conduit.