JP2008142230A - Dishwasher - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent water droplet marks from staying on the surface of a washed object, such as dishes. <P>SOLUTION: A partition 2 for partitioning so as to encircle a part of the washed object 6 contained in a cleaning tank 1 is provided, steam generated by a steam generator 4 is supplied for the washed object 6a in a chamber 3 encircled by the partition 2, dew forms on the washed object 6, and water droplets including components which cause the water droplet marks are washed away after a rinsing process and before a drying process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dishwasher for washing and drying dishes and the like.

  In washing dishes, calcium and magnesium ions, which are the hardness components of water, combine with the oil remaining in the dishes to create a film on which dirt adheres, or the hardness components themselves in the water droplets remain as scales. Water drop marks are generated on the surface of tableware and the like. In order to obtain a beautiful finish with no traces of water droplets, it is preferable to use water having a low hardness component, ideally pure water.

A dishwasher using softened water is one in which a softener using ion exchange resin or the like is connected to the outside of the dishwasher (for example, see Patent Document 1), or one built in the dishwasher ( For example, see Patent Document 2).
JP-A-4-161130 JP 2001-238845 A

  Although the water softener described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is provided in a water supply pipe outside the dishwasher, it is generally necessary to install the dishwasher in a narrow place such as a kitchen. There is a problem that it is difficult to configure.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that a chamber for storing an ion exchange resin and its regenerant is built in the main body in the middle of the water supply pipe, and the volume in the cleaning tank becomes small. Furthermore, there is a problem that regeneration is necessary because an ion exchange resin is used as a problem common to both documents.

  The objective of this invention is providing the dishwasher which prevents that a water droplet trace remains with a simple structure, without using a water softener.

  In order to achieve the above object, the dishwasher of the present invention supplies the steam generated by the steam generator to the object to be cleaned contained in the washing tank after the rinsing process and before the drying process. It is designed to condense on the washed item.

  Thereby, the water droplets adhering to the object to be cleaned in the rinsing process can be caused to flow with the condensed water of steam, and it is possible to prevent water droplet marks from remaining on the object to be cleaned such as tableware dried after cleaning.

  The dishwasher according to the present invention can be dried with a simple structure without leaving traces of water drops on an object to be cleaned such as tableware.

  1st invention is a washing tank which accommodates to-be-washed objects, such as tableware, a water storage part provided in the bottom of the washing tank, a washing pump which pressurizes washing water in the water storage part, and pressurization with the washing pump A cleaning nozzle for injecting the cleaning water, a steam generator for generating steam to be supplied into the cleaning tank, and a control means for sequentially executing each of the steps of cleaning, rinsing and drying. After the process, before the drying process, the steam generated in the steam generator is supplied to the object to be cleaned, so that the water droplets attached to the object to be cleaned in the rinsing process grow and drop greatly, The components that cause water droplet traces are removed, and drying can be performed without leaving water droplet traces.

  In the second invention, in particular, a partition wall is provided so as to surround a part of the object to be cleaned contained in the cleaning tank of the first invention, and the object to be cleaned in the room surrounded by the partition wall is provided with the above-described object. By supplying the steam generated by the steam generator, it is possible to efficiently fill the necessary space with the steam and supply it to the object to be cleaned, and the water droplets attached to the object to be cleaned in the rinsing process are large. The component which grows and falls and causes the traces of water droplets in the water droplets is removed, and it can be dried without leaving any traces of water droplets.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, the steam generator of the first or second aspect of the invention generates steam with a heater that is used in at least one process of washing, rinsing, and drying the rinse water stored in the washing tank. By doing so, it is not necessary to provide a new heater for the steam generator, and steam can be generated reasonably.

  In the fourth invention, in particular, a heater for heating the cleaning water is provided in the water storage section of any one of the first to third inventions, and the water storage section is opposed to the inside of the room defined by the partition wall. By providing at the bottom of the cleaning tank, the generated steam can be efficiently supplied to the object to be cleaned.

  In the fifth invention, in particular, the cleaning tank of any one of the first to fourth inventions is provided with a lower opening in the room defined by the partition wall, and at least a part of the rotation trajectory of the cleaning nozzle is opposed. As described above, by providing the cleaning nozzle below the lower opening, the cleaning water sprayed from the cleaning nozzle can be accurately sprayed on the object to be cleaned, and cleaning can be performed effectively.

  In particular, the sixth invention is provided with a blowing means for blowing air into the cleaning tank of any one of the first to fifth inventions, and an exhaust port for discharging the air in the cleaning tank to the outside of the machine. Is provided in the room defined by the partition walls, the steam filling the room at the time of drying can be efficiently discharged out of the apparatus and dried.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, by providing a cooling means for cooling the steam in the room defined by the partition wall according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, the steam filled in the room is reduced. It is possible to cause more dew condensation to efficiently flow dew condensation water on the object to be cleaned, and to efficiently drop the water droplets attached in the rinsing process.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, the cooling means of the seventh aspect of the invention is disposed above the object to be cleaned contained in the room defined by the partition wall, and the condensed water of the vapor contacting the cooling means is provided. By dropping on the object to be cleaned, the condensed water adhering to the wall surface other than the object to be cleaned can be concentrated and dropped on the object to be cleaned, and the water droplets adhering to the object to be cleaned can be efficiently dropped. Can be made.

  In the ninth aspect of the invention, in particular, a plurality of rooms defined by the partition walls according to any one of the first to eighth aspects are provided, and steam can be selectively supplied to one or more of the rooms. By providing the switching means, operation suitable for the quantity and size of the object to be cleaned can be performed, and waste of time and cost can be saved.

  In the tenth aspect of the invention, in particular, the amount of water detecting means for detecting the amount of water in the cleaning tank of any one of the first to ninth aspects, and the object to be cleaned immersed in the cleaning water in the cleaning tank are ultrasonically cleaned. The rinsing process is performed by a cleaning nozzle that jets rinsing water pressurized by the cleaning pump, so that steam is supplied to the object to be cleaned after the rinsing process and before the drying process. Thus, the object to be cleaned can be dried without leaving a trace of water droplets.

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

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a cross-sectional view of a dishwasher according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a steam generator, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the steam generator. A room 3 partitioned by a partition wall 2 is provided in the upper space in the cleaning tank 1, and the lower part of the room 3 is opened by a lower opening 3a. When the cleaning tank 1 is closed with a lid (not shown) that can be freely opened and closed, the front surface of the room 3 is also closed, and the interior of the cleaning tank 1 communicates with the lower opening 3a. Below the room 3, a steam generator 4 that generates steam to fill the room 3, a cleaning nozzle 5 installed so that the rotation trajectory faces the room 3 above, and an object to be cleaned above it. Tableware basket 7 with 6 is installed.

  A water storage unit 8 for storing a predetermined amount of cleaning water is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 1, and the amount of water is detected by a water amount detection means (not shown), and a water supply valve (not shown) is controlled by the control means 30. . The cleaning water stored in the water storage section 8 is pressurized by the cleaning pump 9 and sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 5 toward the objects to be cleaned installed in the cleaning tank 1 and the room 3. The water in the water reservoir 8 is heated by the heater 16.

  Blowing means 10 for blowing outside air into the cleaning tank 1 during drying and exhaust ports 11a and 11b for discharging the vapor filled in the cleaning tank 1 and the room 3 to the outside of the apparatus are provided. The steam in the cleaning tank 1 is exhausted from the exhaust port 11a, and the steam in the room 3 is exhausted from the apparatus 11b. The steam generating device 4 includes a steam generating port 12, and a water storage unit 13 and a heater 14 inside. A water supply pipe 15 circulates in the cleaning tank 1 through a water supply pipe to the cleaning tank 1 or a cleaning pump 9. It is connected to the water supply pipe.

  Next, the operation of the dishwasher configured as described above will be described. First, in the cleaning process, water is supplied to the cleaning tank 1 and a predetermined amount of water is stored in the water storage unit 8. The stored water is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 8 a, pressurized by the cleaning pump 9, sent to the cleaning nozzle 5, sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 5 toward the object to be cleaned 6, and applied to the object to be cleaned 6. The attached dirt is peeled off. The water sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 5 is stored again in the water storage section 8, and the above operation is repeated during the cleaning process. Then, the cleaning water is discharged outside the apparatus, and the cleaning process is completed.

  Next, after the rinsing process having the same operation as the cleaning process is performed several times, the process proceeds to the steam generation process of the present invention. At that time, the water used in the rinsing process immediately before shifting to the steam generation process is not discharged outside the apparatus when used for steam generation described below.

  Next, the steam generation process of the present invention will be described. The steam generation step is a step of supplying steam toward the room 3 in which the object to be cleaned 6a is installed. The water used for steam generation uses water supplied from a water supply pipe connected to the steam generator 4 or water used at the last rinse when water is supplied at the start of rinsing. When water is supplied from outside the apparatus, water is supplied in an amount sufficient to be stored in the water storage unit 13 in the steam generator 4 connected to the water supply pipe. When the water used at the last rinse is used, when the rinse water is supplied from the cleaning pump 9 to the cleaning tank 1, the water is also supplied into the steam generator 4 from the pipe 15 connected to the cleaning pump 9. A sufficient amount of water is stored in the water storage unit 13.

  After completion of the rinsing process, the heater 14 in the steam generator 4 is operated, and water stored in the water storage unit 13 is heated by any of the above means to generate steam. The generated steam is supplied from the steam generation port 12 into the room 3, and water droplets that are condensed and adhere to the object to be cleaned 6 a are washed away. Thereby, a drying process can be performed in the state without the component which causes a water drop trace on the surface of the to-be-cleaned object 6a.

  FIG. 4 is a principle diagram in which the water droplet trace of the present invention disappears. (A) is a state in which water droplets are attached to the object to be cleaned after rinsing, (b) is a state in which water droplets are dropped due to steam supply, and (c) is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the object to be cleaned after drying. The water droplet A attached to the object to be cleaned 6a after the rinsing process includes a scale component contained in tap water and a dirt component remaining without being discharged outside the apparatus. When dried in this state, these components remain on the surface of the object to be cleaned 6a, and water droplet traces are generated.

  In the present invention, before drying, as shown in (b), steam is supplied to the object to be cleaned 6a to cause dew condensation on the surface, thereby increasing the weight of the water droplets and causing water droplet traces along with the drop B of the water droplets. Remove ingredients. As a result, as shown in (c), it is possible to obtain an object to be cleaned 6a in which no water droplet traces remain after drying.

  The final drying step is generally performed by heating a heater 16 provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 1. In the present invention, since the steam generation process is provided, the cleaning tank 1 and the room 3 are filled with more steam than usual at the start of the drying process. After the steam generation step is completed, the air blowing means 10 is activated, and the steam filling the cleaning tank 1, particularly the room 3, is discharged outside the apparatus from the exhaust ports 11 a and 11 b provided in the cleaning tank 1 and the room 3. The By providing the exhaust port 11b also in the room 3, the vapor | steam with which the room 3 was filled can be discharged | emitted efficiently.

  The evaporation of water droplets attached to the object to be cleaned 6a starts immediately after rinsing and generates water droplet traces. Since it is difficult to remove the trace of water droplets once generated, it is desirable to start steam generation without waiting for a time after the rinsing process. In addition, the steam generated from the steam generator 4 fills not only the object to be cleaned 6a but also the space in the room 3 and also condenses on the wall surface, so that the amount of condensation on the object to be cleaned 6a is increased. It is desirable to devise so that there is no useless space in 3. In order to reduce the amount of condensation on the wall surface, it is desirable that at least the surface of the wall surface is water-repellent.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a dishwasher according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a plan view thereof. The washing tank 1 is provided with a plurality of rooms 3a and 3b partitioned by a partition wall 2. A water storage part 8a and a heater 16a are provided at the bottom of the room 3a, and a water storage part 8b and a heater 16b are provided at the bottom of the room 3b. It is provided to do. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  After the rinsing step, the water stored in these water storage sections 8a and 8b is heated by the heaters 16a and 16b to generate steam, and the steam is supplied to the rooms 3a and 3b located at the upper portions of the water. The rooms 3a and 3b for supplying steam can be selected by the switching means 17 in any combination. The selection can be made by the switching selection button 18 on the touch panel when starting the operation of the dishwasher. For example, one or both of the selected rooms can be filled with a necessary amount of steam.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. A cooling means 19 is provided above the room 3 partitioned by the partition wall 2. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  When the steam is generated, the cooling means 19 is activated, and the steam filling the room 3 is cooled by the cooling means 19, and the dew condensation is efficiently condensed on the object 6 to be cleaned. In addition, the cooling means 19 has the structure which ventilates the air outside a machine in the room 3, etc., for example. At that time, it is desirable to adjust the air volume so that steam is not pushed out of the room 3.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The cooling device 20 is provided above the article 6 to be cleaned installed in the room 3, and is constituted by, for example, an elongate cooling pipe provided with cold water so as to be built-in or flowable. The dew condensation water generated when the steam in the room 3 is cooled by the cooling device 20 falls on the object 6 to be cleaned. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  As a result, water droplets adhering to the object to be cleaned 6 can be dropped efficiently. The cooling device 20 allows the condensed water to efficiently drop above the object to be cleaned 6 by projecting the tips of the many protrusions 21 downward above the object to be cleaned 6. In addition, the cooling device 20 is inclined so that one end is lowered so that dirt is not accumulated in the upper portion.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a dishwasher according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning tank 1 has a room 3 partitioned by a partition wall 2, and the steam generator described in Embodiment 1 or 2 is provided below the room 3. Further, an ultrasonic element 23 is installed in the cleaning tank 1 at the water amount detecting means 22 at the time of water supply and the bottom of the cleaning tank 1.

  Next, the operation of the dishwasher having the above configuration will be described. First, in the cleaning process, water is supplied to the cleaning tank 1 up to the water level detected by the water level detection means 22. Next, the ultrasonic element 23 is operated to perform ultrasonic cleaning, and after a certain period of cleaning is completed, the cleaning water is discharged outside the apparatus. The next rinsing step is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and then the process proceeds to the steam generation step described in the first and second embodiments, and subsequently to the drying step.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning process is performed by immersing the object to be cleaned in the cleaning water instead of jetting the cleaning water by the cleaning nozzle, and cleaning with ultrasonic waves, so that the cleaning effect can be enhanced.

  As described above, the dishwasher according to the present invention is useful as a glassware washing and drying machine because it can be dried with a simple structure without leaving traces of water drops on the object to be cleaned such as tableware.

Sectional drawing of the dishwasher in Embodiment 1 of this invention Perspective view of steam generator of the dishwasher Cross section of the main part of the steam generator of the dishwasher (A) Perspective view of a state in which water droplets adhere to the object to be cleaned after rinsing by the dishwasher (b) Perspective view of a state in which water drops fall due to the same steam supply (c) Perspective of the object to be cleaned after the drying Figure The perspective view of the dishwasher in Embodiment 2 of this invention Top view of the dishwasher Sectional drawing of the principal part of the dishwasher in Embodiment 3 of this invention Sectional drawing of the dishwasher in Embodiment 4 of this invention The perspective view of the dishwasher in Embodiment 5 of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing tank 2 Partition 3 Room 4 Steam generator 5 Washing nozzle 6 To-be-washed object 8 Water storage part 9 Washing pump 30 Control means

Claims (10)

A cleaning tank for storing objects to be cleaned such as tableware, a water storage section provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank, a cleaning pump for pressurizing cleaning water in the water storage section, and a cleaning water pressurized by the cleaning pump is jetted A cleaning nozzle; a steam generator for generating steam to be supplied into the cleaning tank; and a control unit that sequentially executes each of the cleaning, rinsing, and drying steps. The control unit is provided after the rinsing step and before the drying step. And a dishwasher configured to supply steam generated by the steam generator to an object to be cleaned. A partition wall is provided so as to surround a part of the cleaning object accommodated in the cleaning tank, and the steam generated by the steam generator is supplied to the cleaning object in the room surrounded by the partition wall. The dishwasher according to claim 1. 3. The dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the steam generator generates steam from the rinse water stored in the washing tank by a heater used in at least one of washing, rinsing and drying. The heater for heating washing water is provided in a water storage part, and the water storage part is provided in the bottom part of a washing tub so that the inside of a room defined by a partition may be countered. Dishwasher. The cleaning tank is provided with a lower opening in a room defined by a partition wall, and the cleaning nozzle is provided below the lower opening so that at least a part of the rotation trajectory of the cleaning nozzle faces. A dishwasher according to any one of the above. A blower for blowing air into the cleaning tank, an exhaust port for discharging the air in the cleaning tank to the outside of the machine, and the exhaust port provided in a room defined by a partition wall. A dishwasher according to item 1. The dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cooling means for cooling the steam in the room defined by the partition walls. 8. The cooling means is disposed above an object to be cleaned housed in a room defined by a partition wall, and the condensed water of vapor that comes into contact with the cooling means falls on the object to be cleaned. The dishwasher described. The dishwashing drying according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of rooms defined by partition walls are provided, and a switching unit is provided that can selectively supply steam to one or more of the rooms. Machine. There is a water amount detecting means for detecting the amount of water in the cleaning tank, and a cleaning means for ultrasonically cleaning an object to be cleaned immersed in the cleaning water in the cleaning tank, and the rinsing step uses rinse water pressurized by the cleaning pump. The dishwasher according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the dishwasher is performed with a spray nozzle.