DISHWASHER HAVING AT LEAST ONE DRYING UNIT COMPRISING A SORBENT

Abstract

A dishwasher includes a dishwasher cavity for receiving crockery, glasses, and/or cutlery to be processed. The dishwasher cavity is provided with a movable front door for loading and unloading. A drying unit which includes a sorbent is designed for passage of air from the dishwasher cavity in a drying phase, wherein the dishwasher is designed to guide during the drying phase a portion of the air out of the dishwasher cavity over the sorbent and to guide a portion of the air outwards to an air outlet, while the front door remains closed during an entire duration of the drying phase.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A dishwasher, comprising: a dishwasher cavity for receiving crockery, glasses, and/or cutlery to be processed, said dishwasher cavity provided with a movable front door for loading and unloading; and a drying unit comprising a sorbent and designed for passage of air from the dishwasher cavity in a drying phase, wherein the dishwasher is designed to guide during the drying phase a portion of the air out of the dishwasher cavity over the sorbent and to guide a portion of the air outwards to an air outlet, while the front door remains closed during an entire duration of the drying phase.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18, constructed in a form of a household dishwasher.

20. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air is moist air.

21. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet for blowing air out of the dishwasher cavity is arranged in a lower quarter of a height of the dishwasher and extends as a slot outlet over at least two thirds of a width of the dishwasher.

22. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the drying phase comprises a first section in which drying prevails over the sorbent, and a subsequent section in which drying prevails by way of blowing out air.

23. The dishwasher of claim 22, wherein the first section lasts at least one third half of a time of the drying phase.

24. The dishwasher of claim 22, wherein during the first section, the air is guided completely over the sorbent and in the subsequent section the air is guided completely through the air outlet.

25. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the drying phase is designed such that the air is guidable out from the dishwasher cavity selectively or together to the air outlet and/or to the drying unit.

26. The dishwasher of claim 25, further comprising: a conveyor organ designed to draw air from the dishwasher cavity; and a valve controller arranged downstream of the conveyor organ and designed to further forward a flow of the air.

27. The dishwasher of claim 26, wherein the valve controller comprises a valve for opening or closing a blow-out line leading to the air outlet.

28. The dishwasher of claim 26, wherein the valve controller comprises a three-way valve for setting different modes of operation.

29. The dishwasher of claim 28, wherein the air outlet comprises a first air guiding element for a targeted discharge of air into a region in front of a front side of the dishwasher, said first air guiding element designed to push outflowing air downward with a component.

30. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet is arranged on a user-facing front side of the dishwasher to blow out the air forward with a component.

31. The dishwasher of claim 29, further comprising a wall downwardly delimiting the air outlet and embodying a second air guiding element, the first and second air guiding elements embodying a blow-out channel sized of several centimeters in length and pointing in a direction of the front side.

32. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet extends essentially horizontally and has a rear formed with a channel which extends across a width of the air outlet and is upwardly open and in which partial flows of air are guidable, said channel having a front edge which adjoins the air outlet at an angle.

33. The dishwasher of claim 32, wherein the partial flows are divided out of a shared airflow coming from the dishwasher cavity in an air distributor which leads into the channel at the rear.

34. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet has an overall width of at least 40 centimeters wide, when the dishwasher has a width of 60 cm.

35. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet is embodied as a flat slot outlet with a height-to-width ratio of between 1:20 and 1:200.

36. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the air outlet is embodied as a flat slot outlet with a height-to-width ratio of approximately 1:100.

37. The dishwasher of claim 18, further comprising: a base; and a base panel attached flush to a front of the base, wherein the air outlet overlaps the base panel and projects with respect to the base panel at least equidistantly from a front side of the dishwasher.

Description

[0030] Further advantages and features are disclosed in the exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the invention shown in the drawing and described below.

[0031] In the drawings:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view obliquely from the front of an embodiment of a dishwasher, with a disengaging base in the lower region,

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a functional unit, which comprises an air guide from the dishwasher cavity to a conveyor organ and a drying unit comprising a sorbent and a further outflow on the conveyor organ to a widely extended air outlet, with diffusor, assigned to the front side,

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a detailed view, approximately according to the detail III in FIG. 2,

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a view similar to that of FIG. 3 but in a modified version with a three-way valve,

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a view of two dew point curves and a temperature curve in the dishwasher cavity over time during the drying phase.

[0037] Here the household appliance shown schematically in FIG. 1 is a dishwasher 1, namely a household dishwasher. Other household appliances with a drying function for the item to be processed are essentially also considered for an inventive embodiment.

[0038] The household dishwasher 1 according to FIG. 1 described below has a dishwasher cavity 2 as an integral part of an appliance body G which is partially outwardly open or closed, for receiving items to be washed such as crockery, pans, cutlery, glasses, cooking utensils, inter alia. Here, the items to be washed can be stackable for example in baskets 11 and/or a cutlery drawer 10 and what is known as washing liquor can be applied thereto. Washing liquor is understood here to mean fresh water or in particular water circulating during operation with or without detergent and/or rinse aid and/or desiccant. In particular, the washing liquor has to pass through an ion exchanger for hardening. The washing liquor can additionally also more or less be put out of operation with contamination. The dishwasher cavity 2 can have an at least essentially rectangular floor plan with a front side V facing toward a user in the operating position. Here, this front side V can form a portion of a kitchen front consisting of kitchen units arranged side by side, or in the case of a free-standing appliance, can also be unrelated to further units.

[0039] The dishwasher cavity 2 is able to be closed off in particular on this front side V by means of a front-sided door or flap 3. This front door 3 is shown in FIG. 1 in a partially open position which is then slanted with respect to the vertical. In its closed position, on the other hand, it stands upright and according to the drawing relating to its opening is pivotable forward and downward about a lower horizontal axis in the direction of the arrow 4, so that it lies at least almost horizontal in the fully opened position.

[0040] On the outer and front side V of the dishwasher 1 which is vertical in the closed position and faces toward the user, the door 3 can be provided with a dcor panel 6 in order thus to experience a visual and/or haptic enhancement and/or an adaptation to surrounding kitchen units.

[0041] The dishwasher is embodied here as a free-standing or what is known as a partly integrated or fully integrated appliance. In the latter case, the appliance body G can also essentially be flush with the external walls of the dishwasher cavity 2. A housing surrounding the latter on the outside may then be unnecessary. A base 12 for receiving in particular functional elements, such as a pump for recirculating washing liquor, and also an air outlet 14 described further below, can be disposed in the lower region of the dishwasher.

[0042] In the exemplary embodiment according to the drawing, a control panel 8 extending in the transverse direction Q of the dishwasher in its upper region is assigned to the movable front door 3, it being possible for the latter to comprise an access opening 7 accessible from the front side V for manually opening and/or closing the front door 3. In the transverse direction Q, the dishwasher often has an extension of 45, 50 or 60 centimeters. In the depth direction T from the front side V rearward, the extension often also amounts to approximately 60 centimeters. The values are not mandatory. The dishwasher 1 also does not need to stand directly on a floor B, but may also be located approximately at eye height within a kitchen unit so that the draft problem through an air outlet 14 addressed in the introduction is to be considered in particular.

[0043] When the front door or flap 3 is closed, the dishwasher cavity 2 is delimited circumferentially by three solid vertical walls 13 and two horizontal walls 13 in total, of which one forms a ceiling (above) and a further one forms a base (below) of the dishwasher cavity 2. On the front side V facing the user, a left upright side wall 13 and a right upright side wall 13 adjoin to the left and to the right in the transverse direction Q in each instance.

[0044] The wall 13 which forms the base of the dishwasher cavity 2 and essentially downwardly delimits the same lies approximately horizontally above the base 12, i.e. in parallel with an external floor B on which the dishwasher 1 stands. A higher installation, for instance approximately at the height of a countertop, is possible, as stated, in particular within a furniture unit. The lower edge of the dishwasher 1 is then approximately 70 to 110 centimeters above the base in the installation position.

[0045] The dishwasher 1 is provided with at least one air outlet 14 for blowing out in particular moist air from the dishwasher cavity 2. This air outlet 14 can blow out air, in particular moist air, taken in from the dishwasher interior of the dishwasher cavity, into the free air space on the front side V of the dishwasher 1 facing a user so that the moist air is not input within a kitchen unit and may cause damage there as a result of moisture.

[0046] The air outlet 14 is an integral part of a blow-out assembly 15, which is shown overall approximately in FIG. 2. The blow-out assembly 15 comprising the at least one air outlet 14 is extended here beyond at least half of the width Q of the dishwasher 1, in particular also more. A particularly uniform distribution of the escaping air can be achieved so that the drafts are minimized.

[0047] The blow-out assembly 15 can be formed from plastic overall. Furthermore, the air outlet 14 can be divided into a number of partial slots lying flush adjacent to one another. These also need not be the same length. It is important for overall a widely extended air outlet 14 to be created, which enables a high air throughput in order thus to achieve a wide distribution also of the moisture contained in the air.

[0048] The air outlet 14 is arranged here in the lower quarter of the appliance height and extends as a single or multipart slot outlet over at least two thirds of the width Q of the dishwasher 1. In particular, with a household dishwasher with an appliance width of 60 cm, the air outlet 14 is at least 40 centimeters wide. It can, as clearly apparent in FIGS. 2 and 3, also extend over approximately the entire width Q of the dishwasher 1.

[0049] The dishwasher 1 is furthermore provided with at least one drying unit 16 comprising a sorbent, through which, in particular moist air from a dishwasher cavity 2, in which crockery, glasses, cutlery and the like can be processed, can be guided in a drying phase. The air thus guided and dried can then be guided back into the dishwasher cavity 2 by way of an outlet connecting piece 17 in the recirculating air mode.

[0050] The supply of air from the dishwasher cavity 2 is ensured here by way of an input nozzle 18 located in the upper region of the dishwasher cavity in an air supply 19, which embodies in particular a closed channel and leads to a conveyor organ 20, in particular a fan wheel, in order to take in and forward the air by way of the air supply 19.

[0051] Two possibilities are provided here for the forwarding: firstly by way of the first outlet 21 into the drying unit 16, secondly by way of the second outflow 22 to the widely extended air outlet 14.

[0052] This makes it possible for the dishwasher 1, during a drying phase, in particular a dishwasher program to be carried out, to guide a portion of the air out from the dishwasher cavity 2 by way of the drying unit 16 and the sorbent located therein and to guide a portion outward to at least an air outlet 14. In this way, the front door 3 remains closed during the entire drying phase, so that the heat loss out of the dishwasher cavity runs in a significantly slower and more controlled manner than in the case of a door opening.

[0053] In the cycle of the drying phase shown by way of example in FIG. 5, in a first section 23 of the drying phase, the drying prevails over the sorbent and in a subsequent section 24 the drying prevails by way of blowing air out through the air outlet 14. Here the air conveyor organ 20, in particular a fan, preferably runs continuously beyond the two time segments 23 and 24 of the drying phase. In the exemplary embodiment, the drying phase is in particular the program-completing phase of a dishwasher program to be carried out after the end of its last washing liquid-conducting partial rinse phase, in particular rinse-aid phase.

[0054] It is clear from FIG. 5 that the first section 23 takes at least half of the time of the drying phase, here for instance the time from minute approx. 160 to minute 212, whereas the second section 24 runs from minute 212 to minute approx. 250.

[0055] In particular, it may be that in the respective section the one or other drying mode not only prevails but during the first section 23, the air is guided completely over the sorbent and in a subsequent section 24 the air is guided completely through the air outlet 14. In particular, in the initial phase of the drying process, a complete recirculating air mode is then possible by way of the drying unit 16, so that practically no thermal energy required urgently for the drying process leaks out from the dishwasher cavity 2.

[0056] Nevertheless, it is possible during a drying phase for air to be guidable out from the dishwasher cavity optionally or together on the one hand to the air outlet 14 and/or to the drying unit 16 containing a sorbent.

[0057] To enable different modes of operation, for air guidance, a valve controller 25 for further air guidance is arranged downstream of the conveyor organ 20.

[0058] By way of example, a shared usage of the drying unit 16 and air outlet 14 is possible if the supply to the drying unit 16 is open and in the second outflow 22 to the air outlet 14 a simple open-closed valve is used as a valve controller 25, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0059] As alternatively shown in FIG. 4, the valve controller 25 can however comprise a three-way valve for setting different modes of operation, for instance. Therefore, it is not only a shared operation of both outlets 21 and 22 that is enabled, but each outlet 21 or 22 can however also be actuated individually and successively. A strict separation of the air supply line to the drying unit 16 on the one hand and to the air outlet 14 is therefore also possible, without both paths 21, 22 being impinged upon in parallel.

[0060] The air outlet 14 is arranged on the front side V of the dishwasher facing a user and for a low draft discharge of air, which avoids moisture damage in particular, into the region in front of the front side V of the dishwasher 1, comprises at least one air guiding element 26, here the top side of the actual diffusor 27, which pushes the outflowing air downward with a component. Therefore the exit of air to the front does not take place completely horizontally, but instead slightly downward.

[0061] Here the air guiding element 26 points downward to the front side V about at least two degrees. The descending gradient may also be larger and point downward about at least four degrees.

[0062] A downwardly delimiting wall is provided on the air outlet 14 with respect to the air guiding element 26, said wall forming a second air guiding element and in this way with the first air guiding element 26 forming a blow-out channel of several centimeters (typically approximately 5 to 8 centimeters) in length which points in the direction toward the front side V and tapers in the manner of a nozzle.

[0063] The air outlet with the blow-out channel which extends forward V can therefore also overlap a base panel 5 which clearly disengages with respect to a front door 3 and flush with a base 12 to the front and in this respect projects at least equidistantly from the front side V. As a result, the base panel 5 is itself not impinged upon with moisture. On account of the downward component, introduced by way of the air guiding element 26, in the blown-out airflow, this is however also run through below the front door 3 which projects further with respect to the front side V (e.g. 5 to 10 centimeters) without there moistening the decor element 6 to the front, for instance. Instead, the airflow is conveyed up to a few centimeters further forward V, before it can rise on account of the higher internal heat compared with the surrounding kitchen air. There, it is however sufficiently far from the front of the kitchen unit. At the same time, a moistening of the base B is likewise avoided by the only minimal descending gradient of the air guiding element 26. A bothersome draft is moreover prevented by the wide extension of the air outlet 14.

[0064] The conveyor organ 20 can also be controlled in a clocked manner, but also over a period of several days. Alternatively and particularly effectively, the conveyor organ is regulated by way of a moisture sensor system, which provides a measure of the current moisture of items to be washed located in the dishwasher cavity.

[0065] A dishwasher 1 of this type can also be effectively provided with what is known as a storage function, which makes it possible for the items to be washed to remain in the dishwasher cavity 2 after being processed without becoming moist again. This stay inside the dishwasher may last several days, without the dryness of the items to be washed deteriorating. The dishwasher 1 is then also used as a storage and drying cabinet, from which the items to be washed can be removed in a fresh and dry state.

[0066] In both cases, the conveyor organ is only switched on now and again, in order to consistently discharge moist air out of the dishwasher cavity 2 and thus to conserve the quality of the cleaning of the item to be washed also over a longer period of time. On account of the only minimally effective runtime, the energy requirement is low, so too is the sound level as a result of the at least one fan wheel or similar conveyor organ.

[0067] In order to feed moist air out from the dishwasher cavity 2 into the air outlet 14, at least one connection located on the rear of the air outlet 14 is provided. The air introduced through this connection can firstly be supplied to an air distributor, which projects into the cross-section of the tubular connection here and approximately centrally divides the airflow.

[0068] The air distributor passes into a curved air guiding element, which projects into a channel, which is arranged behind (therefore facing the front side V) the air outlet 14 in the transverse direction Q. The channel has a significantly larger height compared with the air outlet 14 and can have discharges for condensate water on its lower side.

[0069] The partial flows in the channel are therefore opposite to one another diametrically and run from the air distributor which is ideally central with respect to the transverse direction Q as far as approximately both external walls of the dishwasher 1. The partial flows have a sufficiently high speed, in order to obtain approximately a uniform density on their reciprocal paths through the channel, before the air can escape upward with a component and forward out of this into the actual diffusor 27.

[0070] The afore-cited channel ideally has a similarly sized extension to the diffusor 27 in the width direction Q, in particular at least 40 centimeters.

[0071] In particular, for this purpose the single or multipart air outlet 14 according to FIG. 2 is embodied as a flat slot outlet, the height to width radio of which can amount to between 1:20 and 1:200, preferably approximately 1:100, (in particular in the case of a household dishwasher with a 60 cm appliance width). With a 40 centimeter wide air outlet 4, its height in the height direction H is smaller than approx. 2 centimeters. This ensures that on the one hand in the height direction H less installation space is taken over, on the other hand the overall extension of the air outlet 14 is sufficiently large to deliver a high volume and thus to keep the draft to a minimum.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0072] 1 Household appliance, [0073] 2 Dishwasher cavity, [0074] 3 Front door, [0075] 4 Pivot direction, [0076] 5 Base panel, [0077] 6 Dcor panel, [0078] 7 Access opening, [0079] 8 Control panel, [0080] 10 Cutlery drawer, [0081] 11 Basket, [0082] 12 Base, [0083] 13 Walls of the dishwasher cavity, [0084] 14 Air outlet, [0085] 15 Blow-out assembly, [0086] 16 Drying unit, [0087] 17 Outlet connecting piece, [0088] 18 Input nozzle, [0089] 19 Air supply, [0090] 20 Conveyor organ, [0091] 21 1st outflow, [0092] 22 2nd outflow, [0093] 23 Section, [0094] 24 Section, [0095] 25 Valve controller, [0096] 26 Air guiding element, [0097] 27 Diffusor, [0098] V Front side, [0099] Q Transverse direction, [0100] B Floor, [0101] K Vertical height, [0102] G Appliance body