JP2574451B2 - Dishwasher and method of operating the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dishwasher for washing and drying tableware / cooking utensils and the like by spraying washing water and a method of operating the dishwasher, and more particularly to a method for removing moisture in a washing tank after washing. It is dried without being discharged outside the machine.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a general dishwasher of this type will be described with reference to FIG.

When tableware, cooking utensils, etc. are stored in the washing tank 1 and the detergent is put into the tank, the operation is started. First, a water supply step of supplying a predetermined amount of washing water to the washing tank 1 by the operation of the water supply valve 2 is provided. A main washing step of spraying washing water pressurized by the pump 3 together with a detergent from the washing nozzle 4 is performed. In this main washing step, the heater 5 provided in the washing tank 1 is energized to heat the washing water and the dishes to a predetermined temperature. After the main washing process for a predetermined time, the process enters a draining process in which washing water containing dirt washed off from tableware or the like is drained by the drain pump 6. Subsequently, a water supply step of newly supplying washing water and a washing or spraying of the washing water from the washing nozzle 4 to produce a detergent or a garbage (the food adhered as dirt on tableware is hereinafter referred to as a garbage). A rinsing process for rinsing dirty dishes and the like and a draining process for discharging the washing water out of the machine are repeated four times in succession to complete the washing. It is collected in a filter 7 provided at the bottom. In particular, the final rinsing step is called a heating rinsing step, and the heater 5 is energized to heat the washing water, dishes, and the like to a predetermined temperature for the next drying step.

Subsequently, in the drying step, air is sucked in from the outside of the apparatus through the intake filter 9 by the operation of the blower 8, and the air is supplied to the blow path 10
Air is blown into the washing tank 1 from the air outlet 11 of the washing tank 1, and the heater 5 for heating the washing water is operated intermittently to control the amount of heat generated, thereby keeping the tableware and the like in the washing tank 1 at a high temperature. At the same time, the dishes and the like are dried by discharging the moisture in the washing tank 1 from the exhaust port 12 to the outside of the apparatus.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional dishwasher, since the high-temperature and high-humidity air was discharged outside the machine in the drying process, the humidity in the room where the dishwasher was installed was excessively increased, or the exhaust port was exhausted. There was a problem of condensation around 12. Another problem is that the leakage of cleaning noise from the exhaust port is large. Further, there is a problem that the smell of the garbage collected in the filter 7 is forcibly exhausted into the room and gives a user discomfort. As a technical means for solving these problems, there is a dishwasher configured to circulate air in a washing tank and dry as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 59-4606, but in addition to a heat exchanger. It had a slightly complicated configuration requiring a dedicated heater for drying.

The present invention has improved the drying method in view of the above problems, and in particular, dehumidifying and drying without discharging high-temperature and high-humidity air outside the apparatus by a simple configuration without a dedicated heater for drying, and smelling the residual vegetables indoors. A first object is to reduce the leakage of cleaning noise without exhausting air.

The second purpose is to efficiently dehumidify and dry by using water in the drying process, to prevent the smell of residual vegetables from being exhausted indoors and to transfer to dishes, etc. It is to make it smaller.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the first object, the present invention provides a cleaning pump, a cleaning nozzle for jetting cleaning water pressurized by the cleaning pump, and supplying the cleaning water to a cleaning tank. A water supply valve, a heater for heating the cleaning water and the air in the refrigerator, an air circulation path communicating with a plurality of openings provided above and below the cleaning tank, and an air circulation path adjacent to the air circulation path via a two-blade fan. A ventilation path having an intake port and an exhaust port for outside air, and a control device for controlling the operation of the cleaning pump, the water supply valve, the double-blade fan, and the like. The water supply valve is opened to supply a predetermined amount of water, the heater is turned off, and the air in the cleaning tank is circulated through the air circulation path to drive the two-wing fan to exchange heat.

In order to achieve the second object, the water supply valve is opened during the drying process, a predetermined amount of water is supplied so that the heater is above the water surface, the heater is turned on, and the air in the cleaning tank is turned on through the air circulation path. It drives both wing fans to circulate and exchange heat.

According to the above configuration of the dishwasher of the present invention, in the drying step after the heating and rinsing step, in the air circulation path communicating with the multiple openings provided in the washing tank, the high-temperature and humid air inside the washing tank is blown by the blower. By circulating and exchanging heat with room temperature air outside the washing tank, water vapor in the air inside the washing tank can be condensed and collected from the air circulation path to the bottom of the washing tank and adhere to dishes and cooking utensils, etc. The water droplets thus evaporated can be dehumidified and dried, and the smell of the garbage can be prevented from being exhausted indoors and the leakage of washing noise can be reduced.

In addition, by operating the blower in the drying process by the controller and opening the water supply valve to supply a predetermined amount of water, heat exchanges with low-temperature water in addition to air outside the cleaning tank when circulating hot and humid air inside the cleaning tank. So you can
It is possible to efficiently perform dehumidification and drying of the inside of the washing tank and the tableware surface. At the same time, since the drying process can be performed in a state where the garbage collected in the filter is submerged, the odor of the garbage can be prevented from being transferred to the tableware and the like without exhausting the smell of the garbage to the room, and the leakage of washing noise can be reduced. be able to.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the first embodiment in a state of a drying step. In FIG. 1, 13 is a washing tank, 14 is a washing pump, 15 is a washing nozzle for injecting washing water pressurized by the washing pump 2, 16 is a drain pump for discharging washing water out of the machine, and 17 is a residual vegetable. The collecting filter, 18 is a drain hose. The filter 17 is mounted on the inner bottom of the washing tank 13, and a lower part thereof has a suction port 19 of the washing pump 14 and a drain port 20 communicating with the suction port of the drain pump 16. Reference numeral 21 denotes a water supply valve for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning tank 13, reference numeral 22 denotes a tableware basket for storing dishes and cooking utensils in the cleaning tank 13, reference numeral 23 denotes a heater for heating the cleaning water, and reference numerals 24 and 25 refer to the cleaning tank. The openings provided are an air inlet and an air outlet, respectively, 26 is an air circulation path communicating with these openings, and 27 is the air in the washing tank 13 taken in from the air inlet 24 and washed from the air outlet 25. The blower blows air into the tank 13. 28 and 29 are air circulation paths respectively
A fan A for blowing air at 26 and a fan B for sucking and exhausting air outside the machine, and 30 and 31 are a suction port and an exhaust port for outside air, respectively. 32 is the washing pump 14 and water supply valve
21. A control device for controlling the operation of the blower 27 and the like.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. A predetermined amount of detergent is charged, the tableware is stored in the tableware basket 22 in the cleaning tank 13, and the operation is started. First, when the cleaning water is supplied by supplying electricity to the water supply valve 21, a main cleaning step is performed in which the cleaning water containing the detergent is pressurized by the cleaning pump 14 and sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 15, and the dirt attached to the dishes is cleaned. Dropped. The washing water containing dirt in this step is sent to the washing pump 14 from the suction port 19 while being filtered by the filter 17, and is repeatedly ejected from the washing nozzle 15. In this main washing step, the heater 23 provided in the washing tank 13 is energized to heat the washing water and the dishes to a predetermined temperature T1. After the main washing step for a predetermined time, a draining step of draining dirty washing water is performed.The washing water in the washing tank 13 is sent from the outlet 20 to the drain pump 16 while being filtered by the filter 17. Is discharged from the drain hose 18 to the outside of the machine. Subsequently, a water supply step of newly supplying cleaning water, a rinsing step of rinsing tableware or the like contaminated with detergent or garbage by spraying the cleaning water from the cleaning nozzle 15, and discharging the cleaning water outside the machine. The draining process is repeated four times in succession, and the process is completed. The residual vegetables are collected in the filter 17 provided at the bottom of the washing tank 13. In particular, the final rinsing step is also referred to as a heating rinsing step.
This is a rinsing process with heating up to In the present embodiment, the controller 32 sets the heating in the heating rinsing step to be higher in temperature than the main rinsing step.

Subsequently, a drying step is performed by an operation method as shown in FIG. In this drying process, the fan A28 of the blower 27
The high temperature and humid air inside the cleaning tank 13 is taken in from the air suction port 24 by the operation of, and the air is blown into the cleaning tank 13 from the air outlet 25 of the air circulation path 26 and circulated. Air from intake port 30 and exhaust port 31
Exhaust from At this time, since there is a temperature difference between the tableware temperature and the air temperature inside the washing tank 13 and the air temperature outside the washing tank 13,
Heat exchange is performed between the high-temperature and high-humidity air inside the cleaning tank 13 and air having a substantially constant temperature outside the cleaning tank 13. As a result, the water vapor in the air in the cleaning tank 13 is condensed by the blower 27 and is passed through the air outlet 25 of the air circulation path 26 to the cleaning tank.
13 can be collected at the bottom. At this time, the tableware temperature gradually decreases as shown in FIG. 2, but by sufficiently increasing the temperature of the tableware and the like to a predetermined temperature T2 at the start of the drying process, water drops adhering to the surface of the tableware and cooking utensils are removed. It can be evaporated and dried. After a drying step for a predetermined time, a step of draining water at the bottom of the washing tank 13 is performed, and all steps are completed.

In this embodiment, the heater 23 can be operated intermittently in parallel with the blower 27 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2 in the drying step. In this case, the tableware temperature during the drying process can be maintained at a high temperature to maintain the temperature difference from the air temperature outside the washing tank, thereby improving the heat exchange capacity and promoting the evaporation of water droplets from the tableware. And drying performance can be improved.

The operation of the control device in the drying process of the dishwasher according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 shows the structure of the second embodiment in the state of the drying step. The structure of the mechanical components is the same as that of the first embodiment, so they are shared, and the basic operation is also the first operation. The description is omitted because it is the same as that of the embodiment.

In this embodiment, the drying step is performed by an operation method as shown in FIG. In this drying step, the water supply valve 21 is opened by the control device 32 to supply a predetermined amount of water 33, and then the blower
Drive 27. Therefore, when the hot and humid air inside the cleaning tank 13 is circulated, low-temperature water 33 is added to the air outside the cleaning tank 13.
And heat exchange. Thereby, dehumidification and drying of the inside of the washing tank 13 and the tableware surface can be efficiently performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the water temperature gradually increases and the tableware temperature gradually decreases. However, when the temperature of the tableware and the like is sufficiently increased to a predetermined temperature T2 at the start of the drying process, the temperature of the tableware and cooking utensils is reduced. Water droplets attached to the surface can be evaporated and dried. At the same time, since the drying process can be performed in a state where the garbage collected in the filter 17 is submerged, the smell of the garbage can be prevented from being exhausted indoors and transferred to tableware or the like. If the water 33 is set at a lower water level than the heater 21, the heater 23 can be intermittently operated in parallel with the blower 27 in the drying step as shown by a broken line in FIG. With this configuration, the tableware temperature during the drying step can be maintained at a high temperature to maintain the temperature difference from the air temperature outside the washing tank, and it goes without saying that the drying performance can be improved.

In the case of performing only drying without washing in the dishwasher of the configuration of the present invention, for example, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the heater 23 is intermittently operated and the inside of the washing tank 13 and the
By operating the blower 27 while raising the temperature of the cooking utensil and the like, dehumidification and drying can be performed by operating the blower 27, and in the case of the configuration of the above-described second embodiment, water 33 set at a lower water level than the heater 21 is also used. You only have to drive.

Effect of the Invention As described above, the present invention circulates high-temperature and humid air inside a cleaning tank by a blower in an air circulation path communicating with an opening provided in the cleaning tank in a drying step after a heating rinsing step by the above configuration. In addition, by exchanging heat with the air outside the washing tank, water vapor in the air inside the washing tank can be condensed, collected at the bottom of the washing tank and drained, and at the same time, water droplets attached to the surface of tableware and cooking utensils Can be dried by evaporating the water.The humidity in the room where the dishwasher is installed does not rise excessively and does not condense around the discharge port. No leakage of cleaning noise is required. In particular, it is possible to provide a dishwasher of high practical value that can perform dehumidification and drying of the inside of a washing tank and the surface of tableware with a simple configuration without a dedicated heater for drying and a configuration that can be manufactured at low cost. It is.

Further, the present invention is configured such that the blower is operated in the drying step by the control device and the water supply valve is opened to supply a predetermined amount of water, so that when the high-temperature and humid air inside the cleaning tank is circulated, it is added to the air outside the cleaning tank. It can exchange heat with low-temperature water to condense water vapor in the air inside the washing tank, collect it at the bottom of the washing tank, and drain it.To efficiently dehumidify and dry the inside of the washing tank and the surface of dishes Can be done. Furthermore, since the drying process is performed in a state where the garbage collected on the filter is submerged, the smell of the garbage is not exhausted to the room and prevented from being transferred to tableware, etc., and the leakage of washing noise is also reduced. And a dishwasher with high practical value.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a dishwasher in a drying step according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part in a drying step of the dishwasher according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part in a washing step of a conventional dishwasher. 13… Cleaning tank, 14… Cleaning pump, 16… Drain pump,
17… Filter, 21… Water supply valve, 23… Heater, 26…
… Air circulation path, 27 …… Blower, 24 …… Air inlet, 25
... air outlet, 32 ... control unit, 33 ... water.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-63-318925 (JP, A) JP-A-56-60457 (JP, U) JP-A-53-49240 (JP, Y1) JP-A-59-59 4606 (JP, Y2)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning pump, a cleaning nozzle for jetting cleaning water pressurized by the cleaning pump, a water supply valve for supplying the cleaning water to the cleaning tank, and a heater for heating the cleaning water and the air in the storage. An air circulation path communicating with a plurality of openings provided above and below the cleaning tank, and an air circulation path adjacent to the air circulation path and the two-wing fan and having an intake port and an exhaust port for outside air, A control device for controlling operations of a washing pump, a water supply valve, a double-sided fan, and the like, wherein the control device includes:
After the heating and rinsing process is completed, the water supply valve is opened during the drying process, a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the heater is turned off, and the air in the cleaning tank is circulated through the air circulation path to drive the two-wing fan to exchange heat. Dishwasher. 2. During the drying process, a water supply valve is opened, a predetermined amount of water is supplied so that the heater is above the water surface, the heater is turned on, and the air in the washing tank circulates through the air circulation path to exchange heat. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the two-wing fan is driven for the purpose.